An Investigation Into "Read And Order" Questions In The HSK Level Four Exam

The HSK(Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi)is an international Chinese language proficiency test,which aims to examine non-native Chinese speakers' ability to communicate in Chinese in everyday life,study and work.It is believed by most that the reading section is the most crucial section of the entire HSK exam.For this reason,this thesis aims to conduct in-depth research and analysis of the “read and order”questions,which appear in the HSK's reading section.Through analysis,the author hopes to help students better adapt themselves to the format of the new HSK exam.In the HSK level three and level five exams,“read and order” questions are included as part of the writing section.One may therefore consider the reading section of the level four exam as a ‘foundation' for future writing tasks,acting as a bridge between the proceeding and following levels.“read and order” questions not only test the student's overall reading comprehension ability,but also their linguistic usage,coherence and instinctive feel for the language.This type of question can cover a wide range of content,including both colloquial dialogues and specialized knowledge in both narrative and essay-like styles.With practical needs in mind,this paper shall focus its research on a total of 150 questions taken from HSK level four,summarising the format,major characteristics and crucial points to consider when tackling “read and order” questions.What's more,the author shall also investigate the performance of a sample set of students,taking note of why they make mistakes and highlighting where there is room for improvement.This is then followed by a set of results,analyses and examination strategies on how to tackle “read and order” questions.Finally,the author provides a set of practical suggestions for teachers,which can be referred to when preparing for the exam.Through conducting a multifaceted investigation into HSK level four's “read and order” questions,this paper shall make an accurate analysis into the principles behind their design and how they should be answered.Survey analyses shall then be used to provide a series of exam strategies,which may be used to help teachers of Chinese better understand the pedagogical techniques needed when preparing students to facethe reading section of HSK level four.In addition,the author hopes that the results of this investigation will be able to provide effective aid to those wishing to take part in the HSK level four exam,helping them to achieve better scores and earn the certificate they need.