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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

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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).

Example task
In recent years, as public awareness of environmental protection has grown, more and more cities have begun to promote waste sorting. Although many residents felt unaccustomed to it at first, with the government's publicity and guidance this practice is gradually becoming part of people's daily lives. Some communities have even introduced reward schemes: residents who sort their rubbish correctly can collect points and exchange them for small gifts. Experts say that turning a new rule into a lasting habit takes time, patience, and the joint effort of the whole society.

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 10

Does 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 10

Reads 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 10

Is 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.

StrongSource: Research also suggests that regular readers are better at understanding other people's feelings.

研究还表明,经常阅读的人更善于理解他人的感受。

WeakSource: Local residents, who once complained about animals on the roads, have gradually come to see the passages as a sign of living together more thoughtfully.

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'.
AdequateSource: In an age of constant distraction, the ability to sit quietly with a book has become all the more precious.

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).
AdequateSource: In several places, cameras have recorded deer, foxes and bears using these crossings.

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?

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