AQAGCSE78 resourcesFoundation & Higher

AQA GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) Past Papers & Mark Schemes

Download free AQA GCSE Chinese Mandarin (8673) past papers and mark schemes. Listening, speaking, reading, writing. Foundation & Higher. 78 resources from 2018.

📅June 2018 – June 2024📄78 resources available✅Free to download

Papers Overview Paper Structure Key Info Key Topics Command Words Grade Boundaries Revision Tips Try AI Tutor ✦

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Tier

Year

78 of 78 resources — page 1 of 4

June 2023

8 files

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 3 Reading – June 2023

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 4 Writing – June 2023

Question PaperHigher

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Sound file: tracked: Paper 1 Listening – June 2023

Audio File

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Transcript (Foundation) : Paper 1 Listening – June 2023

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Foundation) : Paper 4 Writing – June 2023

Question PaperFoundation

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 1 Listening – June 2023

Question PaperHigher

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📜

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Transcript (Higher) : Paper 1 Listening – June 2023

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✅

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Mark scheme (Higher) : Paper 2 Speaking – June 2023

Mark Scheme

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June 2022

7 files

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 3 Reading – June 2022

Question PaperHigher

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 4 Writing – June 2022

Question PaperHigher

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🔊

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Sound file: tracked: Paper 1 Listening – June 2022

Audio File

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📜

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Transcript (Foundation) : Paper 1 Listening – June 2022

Transcript

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📄

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Foundation) : Paper 4 Writing – June 2022

Question PaperFoundation

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 1 Listening – June 2022

Question PaperHigher

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GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Transcript (Higher) : Paper 1 Listening – June 2022

Transcript

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November 2021

5 files

📜

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Transcript (Higher) : Paper 1 Listening – November 2021

Transcript

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🔊

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Sound file: tracked: Paper 1 Listening – November 2021

Audio File

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📄

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Foundation) : Paper 3 Reading – November 2021

Question PaperFoundation

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📜

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Transcript (Foundation) : Paper 1 Listening – November 2021

Transcript

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📄

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Foundation) : Paper 3 Reading – November 2021

Question Paper

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November 2020

5 files

📄

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 3 Reading – November 2020

Question PaperHigher

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📄

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 4 Writing – November 2020

Question PaperHigher

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📜

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Transcript (Foundation) : Paper 1 Listening – November 2020

Transcript

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📄

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Question paper (Modified A4 18pt) (Higher) : Paper 1 Listening – November 2020

Question PaperHigher

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📜

GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) – Transcript (Higher) : Paper 1 Listening – November 2020

Transcript

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About AQA GCSE Chinese (Mandarin)

AQA GCSE Chinese Mandarin (specification code 8673) is assessed across four skills — Listening, Speaking, Reading, and Writing — each worth 25% of the final grade. The qualification is available at Foundation (grades 1–5) and Higher (grades 4–9) tier. It is taken by both heritage speakers and students who have learned Mandarin as a second language, though the vast majority of candidates in UK schools are heritage learners. Paper 1 (Listening) uses authentic-sounding Mandarin audio covering topics across the AQA Mandarin themes: identity and culture, local and global areas, and current and future study and employment. Questions are answered in English. Mandarin's tonal system means that incorrect tone comprehension can lead to misunderstanding — students who are less fluent need to rely on contextual understanding as well as individual word recognition. Paper 2 (Speaking) is teacher-assessed and follows the same role play, photo card, and general conversation format as other AQA languages. Speaking Mandarin in a formal exam context requires students to demonstrate control of measure words (量词), aspect markers (了, 过, 着), and the range of grammatical structures expected at Foundation and Higher tier. Paper 3 (Reading) requires reading of simplified Chinese characters. The reading extracts increase in length and complexity at Higher tier. Students must also complete a translation from Chinese into English. Paper 4 (Writing) is particularly demanding because it requires students to write simplified Chinese characters accurately. The Writing paper at Higher tier includes a 200-word extended piece and an English-to-Chinese translation. Accurate character writing is essential — incorrect characters, even if phonetically similar, will not be credited.

Exam Paper Structure

Paper 1No calculator

Listening

⏱ 35 min (Foundation) / 45 min (Higher)🎯 50 marks📊 25% of grade

Listening comprehension of spoken MandarinFoundation and Higher tier questions

Paper 2No calculator

Speaking

⏱ Approximately 12 minutes🎯 60 marks📊 25% of grade

Role playPhoto card discussionGeneral conversation on AQA themes

Paper 3No calculator

Reading

⏱ 45 min (Foundation) / 60 min (Higher)🎯 60 marks📊 25% of grade

Reading comprehension in simplified Chinese charactersTranslation from Chinese to English

Paper 4No calculator

Writing

⏱ 75–80 minutes🎯 60 marks📊 25% of grade

Structured writing in simplified Chinese charactersExtended writing (200 characters at Higher)Translation from English to Chinese

Key Information

Exam Board	AQA
Specification Code	8673
Qualification	GCSE
Grading Scale	9–1
Assessment Type	4 components: Listening (25%), Speaking (25%), Reading (25%), Writing (25%)
Tiers	Foundation (grades 1–5) and Higher (grades 4–9)
Number Of Papers	4
Exam Duration	Listening: 35–45 min. Speaking: ~12 min. Reading: 45–60 min. Writing: 75–80 min
Available Sessions	June 2018 – June 2024
Total Resources	78

Key Topics in Chinese (Mandarin)

Topics you need to know

Listening comprehension with tonal language recognitionSpeaking: role play, photo card, general conversationReading simplified Chinese charactersExtended writing in simplified charactersTranslation Chinese–English and English–ChineseIdentity and cultureLocal and global areasEducation and employment

Exam Command Words

Command word	What the examiner expects
Answer in English	Write your response in English, not Chinese
Translate into English	Render the Chinese text accurately in English
Translate into Chinese	Render the English text in simplified Chinese characters
Write approximately 200 characters	Produce an extended piece of approximately 200 characters for Higher tier
Choose ONE	Select a single prompt option for the extended writing task
Write the letter	Indicate your multiple-choice listening answer by writing the letter only

Typical Grade Boundaries

Grade	Approximate mark needed
Grade 9	85–95%
Grade 8	74–84%
Grade 7	63–73%
Grade 6	53–62%
Grade 5	43–52%
Grade 4	33–42%

⚠️ Typical Higher tier boundaries. Chinese (Mandarin) has Foundation and Higher tiers. Actual boundaries vary — check AQA's website.

How to Use AQA GCSE Chinese Mandarin Past Papers Effectively

Chinese Mandarin is arguably the most demanding GCSE MFL option for non-heritage speakers because the script, tonal system, and grammar are all fundamentally different from English. When practising with past papers, focus on three priorities: character recognition for Reading, character writing for Writing, and tone accuracy for Listening. For character writing, practise writing each character you learn in stroke order. AQA's mark scheme does accept some variation in character form, but clearly incorrect or invented characters will not score. Keep a vocabulary list organised by topic, and write characters from memory as part of your daily revision rather than relying on looking them up. For the English-to-Chinese translation (Writing paper), identify the key grammatical structures in each sentence before you start writing. Mandarin has no verb conjugation, but it does use specific particles, measure words, and time-topic-verb-object word order that differs from English. Common errors include omitting measure words (一本书 not 一书), placing time expressions in the wrong position, and forgetting aspect markers. Listening papers can be practised using AQA's audio materials alongside the question papers. Focus on practising comprehension in continuous text — don't just study individual words in isolation. Mandarin meaning often depends on characters that would be identical in speech but for their context.

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AQA GCSE Chinese (Mandarin) Past Papers & Mark Schemes

Download Past Papers

June 2023

June 2022

November 2021

November 2020

About AQA GCSE Chinese (Mandarin)

Exam Paper Structure

Key Information

Key Topics in Chinese (Mandarin)

Exam Command Words

Typical Grade Boundaries

How to Use AQA GCSE Chinese Mandarin Past Papers Effectively

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