Reaction to 2025 Leaving Certificate Mandarin Chinese (Higher Level) by Yun Wu, Chinese teacher at The Institute of Education.
- This was a harder paper than previous years.
- Emphasis was on the practical applications of the language rather than abstract or theoretical task.
The goal of Leaving Cert Mandarin Chinese course is to train students how to use the language in the real world. This paper reflected that more than previous years but as a result the amount of challenge posed by the paper increased also. Students needed to have a broader sense of intercultural context, a more advanced vocabulary, and a greater awareness of the applications of the language in various contexts. This will be welcomed by those who had already adopted this approach to covering the material but is also a clear sign to all that this is a trend for future papers.
The comprehension pieces of Section A were approachable, but the questions needed much more understanding and context to answer. Previous papers had “true or false” questions but these were gone and replaced with questions that students couldn’t just guess. However, many of the texts were simple and straightforward (e.g. a nursery rhyme on the seasons), so students should not have struggled here. But as the paper goes on more cultural nuance becomes necessary. Previous papers might have focused on traditional Chinese culture through food and festivals, but this paper was very modern in its topics. For example, the true cultural connection to “night market” might have been lost on students less familiar with the life in modern China. This is also found in the broadening on the necessary vocabulary away from the basic names for objects in a way the reflects the energetic combination of parts in the Chinese language. The level of language skill necessary is definitely not what is typical for students only taking up the language in Senior Cycle. This exam was less focused on the theoretical elements of the language than practical analytic skills of the speaker.
This increase in challenge is clearest in Section B’s writing questions. Normally students would write one short essay and a more practical piece. However, the standard short essay didn’t appear, and nearly all the tasks were practical in their nature. Students who had memorized essays on themes like family or hobbies would not have had the chance to use that here. Instead, the emphasis was clearly on using the language to reflect real personal experiences. Students who had practiced lots of different scenarios and styles will be happy with all the options: thank you notes, invitations, information requests etc. Q5 offered useful tips on which style to use but Q6 was much more subtle. All three prompts required the Email layout but did not directly say that – students would need to know from context. As a result, students who rushed their reading of the question or wanted to write a short essay will lose marks.
The aural’s questions and contents weren’t particularly difficult – similar to previous years. The standard questions around food, times, locations remained. The final sections focused on the theme of travel through taxi and travelogs. However, the speed of the delivery was noticeably quicker than before. While not as fast as native speakers, it is still quick by the standards of students who are learning the language and so will be a challenge for some.
Overall, both aspects of the exam focused on real life scenarios and a contemporary context but the challenge will be to have the broad cultural understanding to pick up on the nuances.