The vocabulary compatibility of the reading comprehension component of the intermediate-level written Chinese school leaving exam in Hungary with the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education

Abstract

In recent decades, Chinese language education has gained increasing significance both globally and within Hungary’s language education system. In Hungary, Chinese has been included among the optional foreign languages for the secondary school leaving examination since 2011. From 2015 onward, it has been possible to take the Chinese language exam at both intermediate and
advanced levels. This study presents the characteristics of the intermediate-level Chinese school leaving exam based on publicly available official documents and exam descriptions found online. It then analyzes the vocabulary of the reading comprehension component of the intermediate-level written exam in terms of its compatibility with the Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language Education, published in 2021. The vocabulary of the tasks from the reading comprehension sections of the exams between 2011 and 2024 was analyzed using the Chinese Text Analyser software. The study presents the proportion of words corresponding to different language proficiency levels in percentage terms, thereby indicating the linguistic difficulty of the exam tasks. The practical value of the study lies in its potential to support not only students preparing for the exam but also future efforts in designing Chinese school leaving exam materials.