A-Level Chinese, as a mother tongue subject for Chinese students, is not only easy to learn, but also does not require too much time and effort. It is a "cost-effective" choice in the minds of many students. However, the controversy about whether to choose this course has never stopped... "A* is too easy to get, and it seems uncompetitive?" "Will the mother tongue subject be directly rejected by top universities?" "Universities may not recognize Chinese scores?"
However, in recent years, as the number of modern language learners has declined,
A-Level Chinese has risen against the trend and
has become one of the most popular language courses in the UK.
So, what exactly does A-Level Chinese test?
Is it recognized by universities? Is it really easy to get A*?
Today we will answer them one by one!
Universities' attitude towards A-Level Chinese
Universities that explicitly recognize Chinese language scores:
The University of Warwick explicitly accepts native language courses, as long as the A-Level study is completed within two years and other course selection requirements of the major are met.
The University of Bristol directly accepts Chinese A-Level scores as part of any subject combination.
King's College London (KCL) is open to all language A-Level scores and can use Chinese scores for any major.
Conditional Universities:
Oxford University accepts most A-Level grades, including those in your native language.
University College London (UCL)
Some majors accept Chinese scores, but the specific selection criteria depend on the major requirements.
The University of Manchester
Requires that Chinese be taken in the same year as other subjects and cannot be taken separately.
University of Edinburgh
Chinese is listed in the list of acceptable subjects, but if you are applying for a non-English taught program, Chinese cannot be used to meet the language requirement.
Universities that are less accepting or have unclear attitudes:
London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE) recommends avoiding native language subjects as much as possible, but does not explicitly reject Chinese scores.
Cambridge University, Imperial College London
No public statement has been made, but examples show that Chinese can be taken as the fourth or fifth subject, depending on the applied major.
How difficult is the Chinese test?
As a native language course for Chinese students, the A* rate of A-Level Chinese is always far ahead, even as high as 86.9% (during the epidemic).
Even in the "score pressure season" of 2023, the A rate of Chinese A-Level of CIE Examination Bureau reached 30%, far exceeding traditional mainstream subjects such as mathematics and physics, and is a veritable "high A rate subject".
Changes in the new syllabus for 2024-2026:
Subject code changes: adjusted from 9715 to 9868, and the name updated to "Chinese - Language & Literature".
Exam scope expansion: including six major themes such as culture, health, education, society, and technology, focusing on language application and cultural literacy.
Optimized assessment method: divided into three parts: reading, writing, and literary analysis, the difficulty has increased, and the target is the CEFR B2 to C1 language proficiency standard.
For students whose native language is Chinese, these changes have further increased the recognition and value of Chinese A-Level applications.
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