UMP students showed high willingness in taking HSK exam

The numbers of UMP students who participated in the HSK or Chinese Proficiency Test in English, reached a new high. A total of 57 UMP students took the HSK Test in 2016, which saw an increase from 18 in 2015 to 57 in 2016. Among the 57 candidates, 26 of them took the HSK Level 1, 25 sat for HSK Level 2, 3 sat for the HSK Level 3, 1 sat for HSK Level 4 and 1 who registered for HSK Level 5. The HSK Test is China's only standardized test which measures the proficiency level of non-native speakers of standard Chinese. It is a widely recognized test comparable to TOEFL of English. There are six levels of testing labelled as Level 1, the lowest proficiency, to Level 6, the highest.

The Mandarin courses that are currently being offered at UMP were designed according to the HSK exam syllabus. UHF1111 Mandarin for Beginners was designed according to HSK Level 1 syllabus while UHF2111 Mandarin for Intermediate was designed based on HSK Level 2 syllabus. Hence, there were 41 students who took HSK Level 1 & 2 in 2016. Previously, MLCC had provided HSK intensive classes to guide students to perform well in the HSK test. These HSK intensive classes took place in both Gambang and Pekan campus. The instructors involved were Ms Yong Ying Mei, Director of MLCC, Ms Cheng Ching Yee and Mdm Kang Mei Feng, language teachers from Centre for Modern Languages & Human Sciences (CMLHS). They were assisted by Ms Sun Yunfeng and Ms Wang Wenying, volunteer teachers from Hanban, China. As a result, students performed well in the HSK exams.

A total of 26 students took HSK Level 1 in 2016. 14 of them managed to score 191 and above included 5 full mark scorers. For HSK Level 2, 25 students took the test where 4 of them managed to achieve marks 181 and above.

Nabilah binti Ruza, student from Faculty of Computer Systems & Software Engineering who scored full marks (200/200) expressed her gratitude to the Mandarin teachers from MLCC who provided HSK Intensive classes to train non-Chinese students for the HSK Test.

The UMP students had shown their enthusiasm in learning Mandarin as they took their initiatives to take part in the world recognized language proficiency test. These HSK candidates were qualified to apply for the Confucius Scholarship 2017 for an opportunity to study abroad in China.