A new course is being offered to AS and A2 students in St Paul’s which will offer the opportunity for students to gain a qualification in Mandarin Chinese.

In conjunction with the SouthWest College, Ms Lai, a Chinese tutor, will offer lessons in Mandarin Chinese.

Learning Mandarin and gaining an understanding of the Chinese culture will benefit the St Paul’s students greatly, in particular, the linguists and the Business Studies students. This course will broaden their horizon linguistically and culturally, allowing students to become more skilled and employable.

The students will sit an exam at the end of the year and will gain Level 1 Hanyu Shuiping Kaoshi. This will be a great addition to their CV and will be an important addition to their UCAS applications.

“Students who pass HSK (Level 1) can understand and use very simple Chinese words and phrases, meet basic needs for communication and possess the ability to further their Chinese language studies” stated Miss McCoy, who has introduced Mandarin Chinese to St Paul’s.

“The provision of Mandarin Chinese language lessons by South West College is opening routes to unprecedented global opportunities for our students”.

The test, which approximates the English TOEFL, is also a certificated qualification of language proficiency for higher educational and professional purposes. To complete the course, a student must complete 38 compulsory hours of lessons.

This is an exciting new experience available to Year 13 and Year 14 students at St Paul’s.