The HSK speaking test

Task 1 at HSK 3: listen and repeat

You hear a sentence and repeat it. You have 10 seconds for each of the eight sentences. This tests whether you can hold a whole sentence in your head and say it with the right tones.

How to practise: shadowing. Play a short sentence, pause, and say it back straight away. Start with sentences of 6–8 characters and build up to 12–15. Focus on the tones of the content words and keep going if you slip; a complete sentence with one mistake scores better than half a sentence.

我每天早上七点起床，然后去公园跑步。

Wǒ měi tiān zǎoshang qī diǎn qǐchuáng, ránhòu qù gōngyuán pǎobù. — I get up at seven every morning, then go running in the park.

Break a long sentence into chunks as you hear it: 我每天早上七点起床 / 然后 / 去公园跑步.

Task 1 at HSK 4–6: listen and retell

You hear a short passage and retell it in your own words: 40 seconds per answer at HSK 4 and 1.5 minutes at HSK 5 and 6. You are marked on content and on language, so keep the key facts and the order of the original.

How to practise:

1. Listen to a one-minute recording at your level once, writing down only key words.
2. Retell it aloud from the notes. Record yourself.
3. Listen again with the transcript and note what you missed.
4. Retell it a second time. Do two or three of these a day.

A simple structure helps: who or what it is about, what happened or what the speaker says, and the conclusion. Starters such as 这段话主要讲的是…… (this passage is mainly about…) and 最后，…… (finally…) keep you organised.

Task 2: describe a picture

At HSK 3 you see five pictures and have 15 seconds each: one or two clear sentences is enough. At HSK 4–6 you see one picture, prepare for 3 minutes and speak for 2. Describe what you see, then go further: what is happening, why, and what might happen next.

图片上有一个女孩儿，她正在图书馆看书。她看起来很认真，可能下个星期要考试了。

There is a girl in the picture. She is reading in the library. She looks very focused; maybe she has an exam next week.

Useful frames: 图片上有…… (in the picture there is…), 他们正在…… (they are … -ing), 看起来…… (it looks…), 我觉得…… (I think…).

Task 3: answer a question

You read a question, prepare, then answer: 1.5 minutes at HSK 3, 2 minutes at HSK 4, and 2.5 minutes at HSK 5–6. The sample questions are:

• HSK 3: 请介绍一下你的一位家人。 Introduce a family member. 你喜欢做什么样的工作？为什么？ What kind of work do you like, and why?
• HSK 4: 如果给你七天假，你打算怎么安排？ How would you spend seven days off?
• HSK 5: 你认为互联网对你的生活产生了哪些影响？ How has the internet affected your life?
• HSK 6: 有人说“最好的投资就是投资自己”，你赞成这个观点吗？ Do you agree that the best investment is in yourself?

Use the preparation time to plan, not to write a script. A four-part structure works at every level:

1. Answer: 我认为…… / 我最想……
2. Reason one, with an example from your life.
3. Reason two, or a contrast: 另外…… / 不过……
4. Close: 总的来说…… (all in all…)

Here is a model answer for the HSK 4 question, about one and a half minutes when spoken at a steady pace:

如果有七天假，我打算回老家看看父母。我已经一年多没回家了，很想他们。第一天我会陪妈妈去市场买菜，晚上一起做饭。 然后我想和爸爸去附近的山上爬山，那里的风景特别美。最后两天，我会约几个老朋友聚一聚，聊聊我们最近的生活。 总的来说，我觉得假期最重要的不是去很远的地方旅游，而是和家人、朋友在一起。

On the day

• You wear headphones throughout. Check the microphone level when the staff ask.
• Speak at a steady volume, a little slower than normal. Clear and steady beats fast.
• Keep talking until the time ends. If you get stuck, rephrase with simpler words rather than stopping.
• You cannot leave the room during the speaking test without losing your result, and late arrivals are not let in.

A four-week routine

• Every day (15 minutes): five minutes of shadowing, then one picture description or one question, recorded.
• Twice a week: a retelling task with a short recording at your level (HSK 4–6).
• Once a week: a full timed run of the speaking test for your level, then listen back and list three things to fix.

Recording yourself is the single most useful habit. Most learners speak faster and pause more than they realise.

HSKK and the new speaking tests

Before the new HSK, speaking was tested by the separate HSKK. If an institution asks for HSKK, check whether a new HSK speaking result is also accepted.