Our GCSE Mandarin Tutors
More and more schools are encouraging students to take Mandarin at GCSE. Fascinating and difficult to master, Mandarin will expand a teenager’s horizons. As with all subjects, however, good teaching is essential. Our GCSE Mandarin tutors give pupils the support they need to get to grips with this challenging and unfamiliar language. With energy, enthusiasm and patience, our tutors will help your child excel.
All of our Mandarin tutors are highly experienced subject specialists. Our team consists of full time tutors, qualified teachers who have taught at top independent schools, and first class Oxbridge graduates. Whether your child is struggling with the basics of Mandarin or is hoping to improve their fluency, our tutors will give them the understanding and confidence they need to flourish.
At Hampstead and Frognal Tutors we spend a great deal of time finding the best tutors for our students. We have a rigorous, multi-stage recruitment process, in which candidates must supply at least two references, provide proof of their qualifications and own an up-to-date DBS certificate. We also interview all applicants in person before we take them on. We know, therefore, that when we recommend a tutor they won’t let you down.
How our Tutors Teach Mandarin
Learning Mandarin consists of more than repeating phrases and memorising characters. To really master the language, students must embrace an active approach to learning. Our Mandarin tutors create relaxed learning environments, where teenagers feel able to practise their speaking skills, ask questions and make mistakes.
We know that language exams can be very daunting. Some students are anxious about their speaking assessments, while others dread the listening test. Our tutors strive to fill their pupils with confidence and self belief by thoroughly preparing them for what is to come. When our students enter their exam halls, they know they are equipped for the trickiest of papers.
All of our Mandarin tutors teach both in person and via Skype. If you live in London, therefore, you still have access to our fantastic tuition. Hundreds of families around the globe currently benefit from our online teaching services.
Our Results
GCSE Mandarin Tuition Results
All of our GCSE Mandarin Tutors have studied Mandarin to at least undergraduate level and hold a teaching qualification PGCE or equivalent
- 92% of our GCSE Mandarin Students achieved level 8 and level 9.
- Over 90% of our GCSE Mandarin students agreed that learning Mandarin had improved their chances of helping gain a Top University place.
- 100% of Parents whose children were tutored GCSE Mandarin agreed that they would use our services again.
Testimonial
Our Tutor May was very patient, engaging and above all very structured in her approach. May is clearly a great ambassador for your organisation and her knowledge and teaching experience was very much appreciated. We would you to let May know that Sam successfully gained the top grades in his GCSE and much higher than roginally predicted following the January Mock Exams.
Marina, LONDON SW6
Exam Boards we Cover
Our Mandarin tutors prepare students for all the main GCSE exam boards. Listed below are details of how candidates are examined.
AQA:
Students take four different units.
- Unit (1) Listening: The exam is 45 minutes + 5 minutes reading time, with 50 marks. This is worth 25% of the total qualification.
- Unit (2) Speaking: The exam is 10-12 minutes long (plus extra preparation time), and is worth 25% of the total qualification, with 60 marks. The format is, first there’ll be a role-play worth 15 marks, lasting for 2 of the minutes. Next, there’ll be a photo card, worth 15 marks, lasting for 3 minutes. Lastly, students will partake in a general conversation, worth the final 30 marks, lasting for 5-7 minutes.
- Unit (3) Reading: This is a 1 hour exam and is worth 25% of the GCSE qualification, with 60 marks in total. Section A of this test has questions in English, to be answered in English, or non-verbally. Section B is a translation from Mandarin into English (a minimum of 50 characters to be written by the candidates).
- Unit (4) Writing: This is a 1 hour 15 minute long exam, with 60 marks, and is worth 25% of the GCSE. The format of the questions is as follows: Question 1– a structured writing task (students respond to four compulsory detailed bullet points, producing approximately 75 characters in total)– there is a choice from two questions– 16 marks. Question 2– an open-ended writing task (pupils respond to two compulsory detailed bullet points, producing approximately 125 characters in total)– there is a choice from two questions– 32 marks. Question 3– a translation from English into Mandarin (minimum 40 words)– 12 marks.
Edexcel:
- Paper 1: Listening and Understanding. The exam is 45 minutes + 5 minutes reading time, worth 50 marks, and it is 25% of the total GCSE. This paper draws on vocabulary and structures across all the themes and topics (which can be viewed on the Edexcel Pearson website in full detail). All questions are set in English. The instructions to students are in English.
- Paper 2: Speaking. This is an internally assessed exam. It lasts 10–12 minutes plus 12 minutes’ preparation time; 70 marks, and 25% of the total qualification. There are three tasks which must be conducted in the following order: a role play based on one topic that is allocated by Pearson; next are questions based on a picture stimulus based on one topic that is allocated by Pearson; and finally a conversation based on two themes. The first theme is based on the topic chosen by the student in advance of the assessment. The second theme is allocated by Pearson.
- Paper 3: Reading. It is 1 hour 5 minutes long; worth 50 marks and 25% of the total qualification. Pupils are assessed on their understanding of written Chinese across a range of different types of texts, including advertisements, emails, letters, articles and literary texts. Students are required to respond to multiple-response and short-answer questions based on these texts.
- Paper 4: Writing. This exam is 1 hour 25 minutes long; worth 60 marks and 25% of the GCSE. There are two open-response questions and one translation into Chinese. Students can complete the assessment using either traditional or simplified characters. All questions are printed twice, once for pupils opting to write using traditional/full characters and once for the candidates opting to write using simplified characters.
Edexcel IGCSE:
- Listening: This is a 30 minute written examination (with 5 minutes reading time), worth 25% of the IGCSE qualification, with 40 marks in total. This paper assesses listening skills across five topic areas: Home and abroad; Education and employment; Personal life and relationships; The world around us; Social activities, fitness and health. There are seven questions, which are a combination of multiple-choice, multiple-matching, note-taking and gap-fill questions.
- Reading and Writing: A 1 hour 45 minute written examination, worth 50% of the qualification, with 80 marks in total. This paper assesses the same five topics as the listening. Section A of the test will be reading with five questions, which are a combination of multiple-choice, note-taking, gap-fill and short-answer questions. Section B is writing. There are two open-response writing tasks, each linked to a topic area. There is also a question involving translation of four sentences into Chinese. All four sentences are linked to one topic area. The assessment will be available in traditional and simplified characters. All questions and texts are printed twice, once in English and traditional/full characters, and once in English and simplified characters. Students may work from whichever version they wish.
- Speaking: Spoken examination: 8–10 minutes, worth 25% of the IGCSE, with 40 marks in total. The examination is made up of three tasks (A, B and C). Students will present and answer questions on a picture that is related to one of the topic areas. They will also discuss two different topics, chosen at random by Pearson. The topics are the same as the first two papers.
Cambridge IGCSE:
Students sit four papers: a writing, a reading, a speaking and a listening paper.
- Paper 1: Listening. This is approximately 40 minutes long and is worth 25% of the total IGCSE, with 30 marks. Candidates listen to a number of recordings and answer multiple-choice and matching questions.
- Paper 2: Reading. This is a 1 hour 15 minute long test, with 40 marks and is worth 25% of the total qualification. Candidates read a number of texts and answer multiple-choice and matching questions as well as questions requiring short answers.
- Paper 3: Speaking. This exam is approximately 10 minutes long, with 40 marks and is worth 25% of the IGCSE. Candidates complete one role play and conversations on two topics.
- Paper 4: Writing. This is 1 hour 15 minutes long and is worth 25% of the total IGCSE, with 45 marks. Candidates complete one form-filling task, one directed writing task and one task in the format of an email/letter or article/blog.
Is tuition right for your child?
If you think your child would benefit from focused academic support, where the pressure and distraction of classmates is removed, private tuition could be for you. Mandarin is fiendishly difficult and highly valued by top universities and employers. One-to-one tuition could help your child to really get to grips with the language and stand out from the crowd.We know that GCSEs can be stressful.
Our world class tutors guide students through this important stage of their school careers with care and skill, and have helped a host of teenagers excel in their GCSE exams. We pride ourselves on the quality of our teaching, and will enable your child shine in both the exam hall and beyond.
If you would like to request a tutor or a free assessment please click here.
