This year’s Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi (PSC) Test in June 2021 recorded the most number of Level 1B grades since it was administered in Singapore exclusively by KLC International Institute in 2015.
From left: Mr James Ling, Head of Chinese Language Department, Dr Chen Shi, Vice Principal of KLCII and Mr Desmond Seah, Vice President Sales & Operations greeting the Beijing online examiners on the first day of the test.
Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi (PSC), grades the level of proficiency in the pronunciation of Chinese language. Many principals and tuition business owners see this as a critical assessment when hiring Chinese native teachers or tutors from overseas. June 2021 saw 36 of the participating 131 candidates (27%) achieving Level 1B grades. The second highest Level 1B grades recorded was 25% in August last year.
To help classify proficiency levels for different areas of professional application, the scoring is divided into three grading levels and with two sub-levels each. To achieve the Level 1A grade, a candidate has to score at least 97 points out of 100, and none has so far attained this level. To get a Level 1B grade, the score has to be at least 92.
Those certified with Level 1A grade are deemed qualified for presenting Chinese programmes on national and provincial radio as well as television stations in China. Level 1B is required for Chinese language teaching in Northern China and Level 2A (87 points) for Chinese language teaching in Southern China. Level 3 passes are a minimum requirement China’s civil servants.
Candidates have attended the Test in person at KLCII campus under strict safe distancing measures. They are assessed by two PSC approved examiners, one face to face in Singapore while the other examiner is online from Beijing.
Most of the participants were KLCII students taking the WSQ Professional Diploma in Early Childhood Care and Education (Chinese) programme, as well as local Chinese language teachers from preschools, international schools and those in the media and communication sectors. “Good pronunciation of Chinese is essential for Chinese language educators and speakers, Dr Chen Shi, KLCII Vice Principal and PSC examiner said.
Candidate taking the Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi (PSC) Test under strict safe distancing measures.
The Putonghua Shuiping Ceshi (PSC) Test, which is an official test of spoken fluency in Standard Mandarin intended for native speakers of the Chinese language, has continued to be highly popular because the standard Putonghua pronunciation is currently used all over the world. The Test system is developed by China’s Ministry of Education and the Institute of Applied Linguistics, and is recognised internationally. KLC International Institute is the exclusive test and training centre in Singapore.
