Level 4
Intermediate band: follow lectures and discuss familiar topics with structure.
- words
- 3,2451,000 new at this level
- characters
- 1,200
- hours
- 700
Three-band, nine-level standardFigures not yet verified
Second band: levels Level 4 to Level 6
The middle stretch. The vocabulary and character inventories grow sharply, and the work shifts from surviving a conversation to structuring one.
Learners heading for university study, professional work, or anything where being understood is no longer enough.
Levels
What band 2 contains
Each level below is a separate record in HSK Guide’s curriculum data, with its own word and character target and its own source.
Level 5
Intermediate band: read longer texts and argue a position clearly.
- words
- 4,3161,071 new at this level
- characters
- 1,500
- hours
- 950
Level 6
Completes the intermediate band: comfortable in academic and professional settings.
- words
- 5,4561,140 new at this level
- characters
- 1,800
- hours
- 1,200
Running totals from the standard — each level includes every level below it.
Source and verification
Chinese Proficiency Grading Standards for International Chinese Language EducationMinistry of Education of the PRC / Chinese Language Standards Committee
Not yet verified. The word and character figures on this page were transcribed from the published standard; no editor has confirmed them against the primary document. They are a study guide, not a rule.
Band numbers are not the classic HSK numbers
Level 4 in this standard and HSK 4 in the classic six-level ladder are different word lists published by different bodies. HSK Guide stores them as separate inventories and labels every entry with the standard it came from, so the two never blur together.
How the inventories are kept apartMock examinations
Practice material for band 2
Timed practice written for HSK Guide. The length, the timing and the scoring are our own practice settings rather than an official paper — every attempt ends with a gap analysis.
No practice examination is published for this band yet. See the full catalogue
This is unofficial practice material written for HSK Guide. It is not a past paper and is not endorsed by any examination authority.
Which level of band 2 are you on?
The record for this band puts the top of it at roughly 1,200 cumulative study hours. The placement test replaces that estimate with one built from what you actually recall.