HSK 4 speaking test 口语
The HSK 4 oral test is a separate exam from the written paper. This is what is on it: every part, how many tasks it asks, how long you get to answer each one, and the criteria your answers are marked against. The structure and timings below are the same ones used to assemble the speaking tests on this site.
HSK 3.0 · 3 parts · 5 tasks · scored out of 100 · timed per answer, not per section
What HSK 4 asks of you, officially
At this level the standard expects you to work at the paragraph level: PRELIMINARY skills in expressing him/herself in paragraphs; can narrate an event's development, describe relatively complex circumstances, and state viewpoints BRIEFLY, with moderate fluency and relatively accurate wording.
Pronunciation requirement: basically correct pronunciation and relatively natural intonation. That is a floor to clear, not what separates a strong candidate from a weak one. Content, structure and logic are what move the mark.
Quoted from GF0025-2021, 《国际中文教育中文水平等级标准》, the official standard published by China's Ministry of Education and effective from 1 July 2021.
The structure
| Part | Tasks | Time per answer | Points each |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listen and retell 听后复述 | 2 | 40 seconds | 20 |
| Describe the picture 看图说话 | 1 | 2 minutes | 16 |
| Answer the question 回答问题 | 2 | 2 minutes | 22 |
Listen and retell 听后复述
A short audio passage. When it ends, you retell the content in your own words.
Speak within the response time, keeping every key fact.
Retell in the same order the passage used. Inventing a new structure under time pressure is how details get lost.
Show the transcript
小李昨天下班的时候突然下起了大雨，可是他没有带伞。他只好在公司门口等了半个多小时，雨还是没有停。后来一位同事正好开车经过，就顺便把他送回了家。
请听后复述你听到的这段话。
There is no answer key for a spoken task. What you say is judged against the criteria below.
How it is marked
Marked against HSK 4 口语 (spoken, CEFR B1) — HSK 4 on a 10 point scale, holistically. This is the same scheme the grader on this site uses, not a summary of it.
Retell completeness & fluency
worth 10 of 10Weight COVERAGE of the source passage's main points first (a fluent retell that misses or distorts the main content is not 高); then fluency and organisation. Reward capturing the key facts/sequence in the candidate's own words; do not require verbatim wording. Judge fluency/pauses only from what the transcript shows. Minor STT artefacts should not be penalised.
- No credit 0 pts
- no answer, off-task, or unintelligible.
- Weak 1 to 4 pts
- the retelling diverges greatly from the source, is disorganised, and carries little information (与原材料出入大，语言零乱，信息量小).
- Adequate 5 to 7 pts
- retells PART of the content, with many pauses/repetitions and grammar errors (能复述部分内容，停顿、重复较多，有语法错误).
- Strong 8 to 10 pts
- completely and fluently retells the main content, with few pauses/repetitions (完整、流利地复述主要内容，较少停顿和重复).
Describe the picture 看图说话
One photo, or a picture story of several panels in order. You describe what is happening.
Speak within the response time. When there are several panels, cover them in order so the story stays intact.
Name the people, the place and the action first. Add detail only once the whole story has been told.
请结合下面的三幅图，说一段话。
There is no answer key for a spoken task. What you say is judged against the criteria below.
How it is marked
Marked against HSK 3 口语 (spoken, CEFR A2) — HSK 4 on a 10 point scale, holistically. This is the same scheme the grader on this site uses, not a summary of it.
Picture description
worth 10 of 10Judge relevance to the picture first, then coherence and amount of information. Fluency/pauses can only be judged from the transcript's content, so weight relevance and coverage most.
- No credit 0 pts
- no answer or off-task.
- Weak 1 to 4 pts
- basically unrelated to the picture, low information and disorganised (与图片内容基本无关，信息量小且零乱).
- Adequate 5 to 7 pts
- basically matches the picture, but with many pauses/repetitions/grammar errors (基本相符，停顿、重复、语法错误较多).
- Strong 8 to 10 pts
- matches the picture, fluent, with only minor pauses/repetitions (与图片内容相符，表达流利).
Answer the question 回答问题
A printed question, answered aloud in Chinese.
Speak your answer within the response time.
A direct answer plus one reason is a complete answer. Long lists of reasons trail off under the clock.
在学习或者工作中遇到困难的时候，你一般会怎么解决？
There is no answer key for a spoken task. What you say is judged against the criteria below.
How it is marked
Marked against HSK 3 口语 (spoken, CEFR A2) — HSK 4 on a 10 point scale, holistically. This is the same scheme the grader on this site uses, not a summary of it.
Answer quality
worth 10 of 10First check the answer actually addresses the question (答非所问 is 低). Then weigh amount of information and coherence. Judge fluency only from what the transcript shows.
- No credit 0 pts
- no answer.
- Weak 1 to 4 pts
- off-question, low information and incoherent (答非所问，信息量少且不连贯).
- Adequate 5 to 7 pts
- answers the question but with little information and many pauses/repetitions/grammar errors (信息量较少，停顿、重复、语法错误较多).
- Strong 8 to 10 pts
- answers the question with rich content and fluent, mostly-correct expression (内容丰富，表达流利).
Two ways to start
Take a free written mock first
A full HSK 4 written paper under the real clock, with audio that plays once. No account needed to start, and your first one is graded free. It is the fastest way to see whether the grading here is worth paying for.
Start a free HSK 4 mock examSit the speaking test
The oral test is part of the HSK + 口语 plan. You record your answers under the real per-task clock and get them marked against the criteria above, with pronunciation scored separately.
See the 口语 planStill working out what is on the written paper? Read the HSK 4 exam format guide, or see free HSK 4 practice questions.