← Back to the HSK 7-9 exam format
How HSK 7-9 translation (written) is graded
The HSK 7-9 translation (written) section has no answer key: every part is marked against a rubric. So here is the rubric itself, every criterion and what it is worth, what separates one band from the next, and a worked answer at each band with the correction. It is the same scheme this site grades against, not a summary of it.
Compared with HSK 6, the prescribed vocabulary rises by 5,000 words to 11,000, the CEFR band moves from C1 to C2, a translation (written) section is added. On the paper itself, true or false, sentence ordering and short answer appear for the first time, sentence gap-fill drops out.
HSK 3.0 · Translation (written) · 1 graded part with marking criteria · free to read, no account
What HSK 7-9 writing asks of you, officially
Length: practical writing, expositions, argumentations and specialized papers of considerable length.
What you write: practical forms of writing, expositions, argumentations and specialized papers.
Quality expected: clear viewpoints, largely clear structure, coherent language, correct format and appropriate expression, using a variety of rhetorical devices correctly.
Characters: the standard expects you to be able to handwrite the handwritten characters required by the Advanced Level criteria.
Higher in this range the standard asks for more. Band 8 expects relatively long articles, including academic papers, with clear structure, smooth and fluent language, sound logic, and comparatively rich idioms and rhetorical devices. Band 9 expects theses, dissertations and articles across genres, with coherent structure, strong logic, diverse and complex sentence patterns used correctly, and substantial, meaningful expression with rich literary grace.
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 criteria below are how this site marks against it.
Translation
The learner translates a source passage. Judge fidelity to the source meaning, fluency/naturalness in the target language, and completeness (nothing important omitted or added).
请把下面的短文翻译成中文。
There is no answer key for this task. What you write is judged against the criteria below.
How it is marked
Marked against HSK 7-9 (CEFR C1-C2) on a 10 point scale, across 3 criteria weighted as below. This is the same scheme the grader on this site uses, not a summary of it.
Fidelity / accuracy
worth 4 of 10Does the translation faithfully convey the source meaning without distortion, mistranslation, or invented content?
- No credit 0 pts
- blank or unrelated to the source.
- Weak 1 to 4 pts
- frequent mistranslations or distortions of the source meaning.
- Adequate 5 to 7 pts
- conveys the main meaning; some inaccuracies or shifts.
- Strong 8 to 10 pts
- faithful, accurate rendering of the source meaning.
Fluency / naturalness
worth 3 of 10Reads naturally in the target language: idiomatic, grammatical, not word-for-word.
- No credit 0 pts
- unintelligible.
- Weak 1 to 4 pts
- awkward, heavily word-for-word; hard to read.
- Adequate 5 to 7 pts
- mostly natural with some stiff or literal phrasing.
- Strong 8 to 10 pts
- fluent, idiomatic, reads like native target text.
Completeness
worth 3 of 10Is all important content present, with nothing significant omitted or added?
- No credit 0 pts
- almost nothing translated.
- Weak 1 to 4 pts
- large parts omitted or padded.
- Adequate 5 to 7 pts
- minor omissions or additions.
- Strong 8 to 10 pts
- complete; all key content preserved.
What each band looks like
Worked examples that fix where one band ends and the next begins. The grader is given these same examples, so they are what the marking is calibrated to.
研究还表明,经常阅读的人更善于理解他人的感受。
当地居民一直抱怨路上的动物,认为这些通道毫无用处。
- Meaning reversed: the source says residents came to see the passages positively; 'once complained' became 'always complain'.
在一个不断的分心的时代,安静地和一本书坐着的能力已经变得更加珍贵。
- Word-for-word: 不断的分心的时代 and 和一本书坐着 track the English structure rather than natural Chinese (干扰无处不在的时代, 静下心来读书).
在一些地方,摄像头拍到了鹿使用这些通道。
- Omits two of the three animals named in the source (foxes and bears).
Ready for the whole paper?
These are single questions with the answers next to them. The exam is all 91 of them under the real clock, with audio that plays once. Your first HSK 7-9 mock is free.
Take a full HSK 7-9 mock examNot sure what is on the paper yet? Read the HSK 7-9 exam format guide.