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Who here has taken a Japanese GCSE OR Chinese GCSE?

I want to prepare myself for when I start these languages at university, although it'll be from scratch, i wish to have a head start.

Those who did the GCSE, could you tell me how many Japanese Kanji or chinese (hanzi?) you were expected to have known by the end for your exams?

also grammar/vocabulary-wise, how many words would you expected to have known? (if you can answer as best you can) ?

I know this is silly for me to do, but having learned Japanese as a hobby on and off, i'm already prepared in a sense, so i'd like to know what a GCSE is equivalent to, plus i'm self-teaching myself mandarin chinese all summer to prepare me, so I don't "feel scared" anymore :tongue:

Reply 1

lilGem

20

I did my GCSE in Japanese just over 2 years ago so I'm not sure how much help I'd be, I think we had to learn about 200 kanji; grammar and vocabulary wise I honestly cannot recall but I think it's about the same as any other MFL GCSE
I hope I've managed to help :smile:

Reply 2

lilGem

20

I did my GCSE in Japanese just over 2 years ago so I'm not sure how much help I'd be, I think we had to learn about 200 kanji; grammar and vocabulary wise I honestly cannot recall but I think it's about the same as any other MFL GCSE
I hope I've managed to help :smile:

Reply 3

for no reason

nobby300

I want to prepare myself for when I start these languages at university, although it'll be from scratch, i wish to have a head start.

Those who did the GCSE, could you tell me how many Japanese Kanji or chinese (hanzi?) you were expected to have known by the end for your exams?

also grammar/vocabulary-wise, how many words would you expected to have known? (if you can answer as best you can) ?

I know this is silly for me to do, but having learned Japanese as a hobby on and off, i'm already prepared in a sense, so i'd like to know what a GCSE is equivalent to, plus i'm self-teaching myself mandarin chinese all summer to prepare me, so I don't "feel scared" anymore :tongue:

I'm sorry I can't be too helpful because I took Chinese as a native, but the Chinese GCSE is definitely a lot easier than GCSE French and German, and I'm not saying that because it's my first language -- I think they expect British students to find Chinese harder than French / German. I've no idea how many characters you are expected to know, but I expect fewer than 1000, probably somewhere around 600. It is basically the Chinese you would expect a Chinese Year 1-3 would write.

Reply 4

Buxtons

3

Why would anyone want to learn chinese or even about their culture? lol.

Reply 5

fortunecookie

17

I'm doing GCSE chinese at the moment, almost finished but I don't think I'm going to take the exam. Having taken German at GCSE and A Level, I wouldn't say that it is easier, but the level that you reach is a lot lower than in German.

I know a lot of words and can read most of the ones that I know, but knowing how to read a word and write it is completely different. I would say I know probably about 400-500, although in reality I can probably only write about 100.

Another thing is I have found materials quite hard to come by. I learn in school with a private tutor but the books and everything come from the British Council but she found the same book available for chinese students in China.

Just being nosey, but I want to do Chinese and German at university. Where are you going?

Reply 6

nobby300

OP

1

Thanks for your replies :smile:

Apart from the arrogant "Why would anyone want to learn chinese or even about their culture? lol." from Buxtons

I'm going to be heading to Preston to the university of central lancashire (UCLAN) to study both Japanese and Chinese, which Was recommended Against me doing, due to the difficulty and mixing of languages I could make. However I specifically chose that university as it was one of few which did actually allow both to be studied at the same time.

I have been to Japan each year for over a month as I love seeing my friends and making new ones... the cleanliness, architecture etc... It's an amazing place :smile:

After a lot of research into business after studying it with IT at college, I see China as the number 1 place to go for business, exporting and importing consumer goods... able to be manufactured for pennies, and sold for pounds here.

I really want to learn Chinese, so I could go out there and visit factories etc... as well as make china, my tokyo, check out the local delicacies, culture, make friends etc...

Reply 7

KaddyKadKad

For the Japanese GCSE, you need to be able to read and write hiragana, katakana and 200 kanji as well as understand basic vocabulary and grammar. The specification has a core vocabulary list as well a list of all kanji and grammar items, which can be found in the apendices: http://www.edexcel.com/migrationdocuments/GCSE%20New%20GCSE/Edexcel%20GCSE%20Japanese%20-%20Spec.pdf

Here's another handy link with some resources that you may find helpful: http://japanese4all.com/learning/index.htm

Reply 8

Einheri

18

Buxtons

Why would anyone want to learn chinese or even about their culture? lol.

Perhaps because more people speak a form of Chinese than any other language? Perhaps because China is an upcoming world power? Perhaps because they have thousands of years of history? Pehaps because it is totally kawaii :biggrin:

(yes, I know that is Japanese)?

Reply 9

Buxtons

3

Einheri

Perhaps because more people speak a form of Chinese than any other language? Perhaps because China is an upcoming world power? Perhaps because they have thousands of years of history? Pehaps because it is totally kawaii :biggrin:

(yes, I know that is Japanese)?

Oh, i knew none of those things, only that they are the worlds biggest pollutants, populaters, resource heavy, animal cruelty nation in the world.

Clearly though, those are all good things and perfectly viable reasons to learn about China.

Reply 10

Small123

15

for no reason

I'm sorry I can't be too helpful because I took Chinese as a native, but the Chinese GCSE is definitely a lot easier than GCSE French and German, and I'm not saying that because it's my first language -- I think they expect British students to find Chinese harder than French / German. I've no idea how many characters you are expected to know, but I expect fewer than 1000, probably somewhere around 600. It is basically the Chinese you would expect a Chinese Year 1-3 would write.

Is it really that many just for the GCSE? I mean I'm trying to learn a bit of Japanese and I'm just learning Hiragana and that's 46 characters which I struggle to remember so I have no idea how GCSE students can learn 600-1000 kanji in 2 years and be easier than French/Spanish :p:

Reply 11

schmaidan

I have just graduated in a degree in Chinese and I think your expectations of China are a little high - it's no Japan, that's for sure. Not sure what factories you might visit either, I lived there for a whole year and didn't see one (though of course they exist, China is a HUGE country). As a first year student, we had to know about 500 characters and I now know around 2000. Just had a quick look at a GCSE past paper and I think I could have done quite well in my first year.
@Buxtons China may well be the world's biggest polluter, but it only very recently overtook America and is still only ahead of America by 115 million metric tonnes of CO2 (compared to Britain's ANNUAL output of 585m). As a developing country China is doing amazingly well - hence the need for resources and pollution caused. Are you saying our industrial revolution used no resources and caused no pollution? They are unfortunate consequences of modernising, and once China has 'finished' another country will swiftly step into its place.

Reply 12

pomme de terre

15

Get the textbook "Genki 1", I found the material in it was basically Japanese GCSE. Might have to know a few more Kanji though, but there's a list online I believe.

Reply 13

Bunkd

1

Buxtons

Oh, i knew none of those things, only that they are the worlds biggest pollutants, populaters, resource heavy, animal cruelty nation in the world.

Clearly though, those are all good things and perfectly viable reasons to learn about China.

Wow, you're stupid.

Reply 14

nobby300

OP

1

schmaidan

I have just graduated in a degree in Chinese and I think your expectations of China are a little high - it's no Japan, that's for sure. Not sure what factories you might visit either, I lived there for a whole year and didn't see one (though of course they exist, China is a HUGE country). As a first year student, we had to know about 500 characters and I now know around 2000. Just had a quick look at a GCSE past paper and I think I could have done quite well in my first year.

I was thinking of Factories in the Guangzhou region (think that's how it's spelled, meant to be the manufacturing heart of China)

It's great to hear you learned around 500 characters in your first year, what memorisation methods can you tip me with?

I'm finding it ever so hard to memorise, just looking at my mandarin chinese book I got from water stones...

Been using the Michel Thomas method to learn some spoken chinese which is going "ok" atm, but it's a very slow and small in quantity of vocab.

Maybe I should stop and just wait for uni... or meh :p:

Reply 15

pomme de terre

15

They speak cantonese in guangzhou you know right? :p:

Reply 16

nobby300

OP

1

oh god

ah well... ^^

Reply 17

for no reason

Small123

Is it really that many just for the GCSE? I mean I'm trying to learn a bit of Japanese and I'm just learning Hiragana and that's 46 characters which I struggle to remember so I have no idea how GCSE students can learn 600-1000 kanji in 2 years and be easier than French/Spanish :p:

Sorry that was just an estimate, as I said I only took it because I already knew it so I didn't have a teacher or a textbook to give me a more reliable number! You're expected to know 2000 to get by, and a GCSE Chinese is definitely too basic to even get a coherent conversation going (that's what I meant by it being easier -- I meant that it was simpler Chinese; you certainly learn less than you would for a French GCSE), so I went for 600. From what schmaidan said it was an overestimate, so there you go :smile:

Good luck :P:

Reply 18

for no reason

pomme de terre

They speak cantonese in guangzhou you know right? :p:

They do speak Cantonese but because it's part of China, most of them will understand and speak at least basic Mandarin..

Reply 19

Topaz_eyes

12

I took Japanese GCSE two years ago :smile:

You have to know all the hiragana and katakana, although with practice this shouldn't be too hard!
You also have to know quite a few kanji - I forget exactly how many, but be able to recognise quite a lot - about 200, iirc. You also have to be able to write some

Grammar - we only did the formal tense (i.e. tabemasu for to eat, etc) and be able to use the past tense -*******. We also learnt the te form, learnt a few connectives - but, and, etc. Umm (trying to remember now!) we learnt adjectives and how to combine them - i and na type.

If you're taking the exam, I recommend lots of practice! It's an amazing language and so different to English that it makes a nice addition, I think :smile:

Who here has taken a Japanese GCSE OR Chinese GCSE?

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