Use of romanisation systems in the assessment of listening comprehension in
DP Chinese language acquisition courses
This document addresses the use of two specific romanisation systems which are commonly used: Pinyin (for Mandarin)
and Jyutping (for Cantonese). The specific instruction of romanisation systems is neither expected, nor required as part of
the IB DP Chinese B and Mandarin ab initio curriculum.
Based on stakeholder feedback, a survey was developed regarding the use of romanisation systems in Chinese language
acquisition instruction. Participants attending IB DP Chinese language acquisition workshops as well as randomly selected
IB DP Chinese language acquisition educators were invited to participate in this survey and the data collected was used to
inform the following.
Language ab initio
This language acquisition course is designed for students with no prior experience of the target language (Language ab initio
guide, 2018). Due to this lack of experience and due to the condensed nature of the Mandarin ab initio course, only the
listening comprehension questions will include Pinyin above the simplified and traditional characters. See example below (in
both simplified and traditional formats):
Source: Mandarin ab initio, specimen task: listening comprehension, question 1 (available
on the programme resource centre).
1. zài xīnjiāpō, shénme hěn fāngbiàn?
在新加坡，什么很方便？
1. zài xīnjiāpō, shénme hěn fāngbiàn?
在新加坡，什麼很方便？
Pinyin will not be assessed discretely as part of the examination itself. For listening comprehension questions requiring a
written response, candidates are to write their responses using either simplified or traditional characters. Candidate
responses written in pinyin will not be awarded marks, even if those answers are correct.
For example:
Language B SL and HL
For Chinese B – Mandarin and Chinese B - Cantonese assessments, neither Pinyin nor Jyutping will be used. Listening
comprehension questions will be presented in both simplified and traditional characters. For listening comprehension
questions requiring a written response, candidates are to write their responses using either simplified or traditional
characters.
© International Baccalaureate Organization 2019
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