Fresh Off GCSE 2026 Chinese Exam: Here’s What Students Want to sell…

(This article is written based on the official Pearson Edexcel specifications for the Higher Tier exam and the personal experiences of Cantonese-speaking candidates.)

Two of the GCSE papers were held this week (as at mid May 2026). While the memories are still fresh for this year's candidates — who are also our students — we asked them about their first hand experiences.

Listening · Paper 1

Many candidates expressed that the listening paper was unexpectedly not difficult. Before the exam begins, there is about 5 minutes of reading time. The audio recordings are played in Cantonese, with each segment played twice, but the answers must be written in English.

"It was easier than I imagined. Finding the answers wasn't actually hard; you know them as soon as you listen to it. Aside from the tense atmosphere of the exam venue, the hardest part was actually recalling the corresponding English vocabulary on the spot."

— Candidate A, Age 16

If Cantonese is used at home, understanding the exam content presents almost no difficulty at all. Instead, the challenge lies in instantly converting what is heard into English vocabulary.

Speaking · Paper 2

The oral exam is divided into three parts. Excluding preparation time, the entire exam takes about ten minutes. Part 1 consists of role-play Q&A; Part 2 consists of describing a picture in Cantonese.

Examiners expect candidates to elaborate from perspectives such as time, place, people, events, and feelings. Lastly, Part 3 consists of a conversation revolving around five designated themes — Candidates can pre-select one theme to prepare a one-minute presentation,

after which they move on to another conversation selected from a different Pearson-designated scope.

"I thought I had to talk for a long time, but unexpectedly, the examiner told me I didn't need to say that much... It turns out that being brief and clear is what they actually want."

— Candidate M, Age 15

Reading · Paper 3

The passages in the reading paper are written in Chinese, with each passage in the Higher Tier being about five to six lines long. The questions are in English, and the answers must also be written in English. What surprised many candidates was:

"The difficulty level is roughly around primary school level in Hong Kong. There are also some fill-in-the-blank questions that provide English options directly in the choices; you just have to pick the right one and copy it down. You don't even have to think of it yourself!"

— Candidate C, Age 16

Since most answers can be found directly from the options provided in the passage, the reading paper is widely considered the easiest to handle among the four papers.

Writing · Paper 4 · Writing

The writing exam will take place next week. This editor will ask the students again by then to bring everyone firsthand information! Please stay tuned.

Overall Impressions

Generalizing the thoughts of several candidates, the overall difficulty of GCSE Chinese is lower than expected. For students who grew up speaking Cantonese at home, this subject can be a great opportunity to achieve excellent results. The only reminder is that it is best to prepare the five major themes for the speaking exam well in advance and to make sure to avoid last-minute cramming.