Our students and the Chinese language

Our students and the Chinese language

Many think that within an international school in Shanghai, only students from Chinese-speaking origin succeed in Chinese. And yet, our students, from all nationalities, prove us that it is not the case.

Whether they evolve within the SIC stream (Chinese International Stream), SOC stream (Chinese Oriental Stream) in Grades 11 and 12, or the general stream, all our students benefit from a privileged learning of Chinese language and culture from K1, thanks to our Chinese teachers.

Exposed to Chinese language daily, our students bathe in an environment encouraging them to practice, read, and improve their Chinese skills. On each level, students are brought together following their language level for a more personalised learning.

The Chinese level reached by our students exceeds the expectations of the French Ministry of National Education. In SIC, when students graduate, they reach in average a B2 level (Common European Framework of References for languages) in writing and C1 in oral (experienced user) with students going up to C2 level. They master up to 2500 active characters, if not more.

Since the school year 2020-2021, and despite the lockdown which stopped several exam sessions from occurring, we register 379 students from Grade 6 to Grade 12 who passed at least one HSK certification. On 379 students, more than 20% passed the HSK 5, with 50.9% of candidates in Grade 11 successfully passing the HSK 6, 30% of candidates in Grade 8 and 36.8% in Grade 9 passing the HSK 5.

Supported by their teachers, our students have the luck to prepare, at their own pace, to pass one or several HSK exams throughout their education at the LFS.

  • Why passing the HSK?

The Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi is the international exam of Chinese language for candidates whose mandarin is not the mother tongue. Composed of a reading, writing, and listening and now even speaking parts, the HSK is a complete exam enabling to attest one’s level of Chinese. For certain studying paths and jobs, having a relevant level of Chinese can be an asset, if not a necessity.