Chinese

Subject Requirements

Candidates require a grade 8 or 9 in Chinese (Mandarin) at (I)GCSE level. The department will consider applicants predicted on grade 7 or above and will review a candidate’s individual merits and potential during the application process.

Entrance Examination

The entrance examination includes reading comprehension and writing tasks based on the knowledge and proficiency that we expect successful (I)GCSE candidates to have acquired. In the interview, there will be a brief conversation in Mandarin.

Related Downloads

• Sample Paper (no mark scheme available)

Overseas Candidates

There is no (I)GCSE requirement for those who attend schools overseas that do not prepare pupils for (I)GCSE examinations. Candidates will be considered for a place based on their performance in the School’s entrance examinations and a transcript of results from their current school.

Department Contact

Ms Haitong Wang
haitong.wang@westminster.org.uk

Lower School

SYLLABUS/CODE: Edexcel GCSE 1CN0 Chinese

Chinese (Mandarin) is taught at Westminster from the Lower Shell as an optional subject. It is, of course, very different from the other languages on the curriculum: while straightforward in some respects, its structure and writing system offer a good intellectual and academic challenge. Pupils enjoy the sense of cultural discovery involved in learning Chinese. Pupils at Westminster embrace the subject with enthusiasm and success.

Upper School

SYLLABUS/CODE: Edexcel A Level 9CN0 Chinese

In the Upper School we follow the Edexcel A Level specification. This is a challenging qualification, but a rewarding one. Linguistic proficiency is developed through the exploration of a range of contemporary themes, all anchored in the context of China itself, but also through the study of two Chinese literary texts (or, alternatively, one film and one book). In the Remove (Year 13), pupils complete an Independent Research Project, which they then present in full in the oral exam.

^ Acting Head of Department;  † Housemaster;  ~ Acting Housemaster

Ms Haitong Wang (HW)

Besides marking important Chinese cultural occasions here in School, we regularly accompany pupils on visits to the cinema, museums and galleries and to other cultural institutions, to enrich their learning in the classroom.

Oriental studies degrees at top Universities, such as SOAS, Oxford and Cambridge, are highly valued and respected across the UK and indeed around the world. Oriental studies can also be combined with a European language, Theology, Classics and a range of other subjects. That said, many pupils of Chinese at Westminster go on to study a full range of other degrees, including STEM subjects, for which a fourth A Level in a Modern Language is held in great esteem.