HSKK speaking examinationLevel data not yet verified

HSKK: the spoken examination, and how to practise for it

The separate spoken examination, taken alongside the written HSK. Practice here is recorded, scored for tone and fluency, and timed like the real thing.

Pronunciation lab Mock examinations

Every practice prompt here is original and unofficial

This is unofficial practice material written for HSK Guide. It is not a past paper and is not endorsed by any examination authority. HSK Guide writes its own speaking prompts, sets its own preparation and recording windows, and scores them with its own pronunciation model. Nothing on this page reproduces an examination paper, and nothing here states the examination authority’s rules — for what the examination actually requires, when it runs and how it is marked, ask your test centre.

Levels

The three levels, and what each asks of you

Level names and descriptions come from HSK Guide’s curriculum record for the speaking track. The practice column describes what HSK Guide offers against each one.

HSKK Beginner

Repeat sentences, answer short questions and speak about yourself.

HSK Guide teaching note

Everything rests on producing a clean syllable and holding a tone to the end of it. At this level a wrong tone is the difference between being understood and not.

How HSK Guide practises it

Single syllables and tone pairs, with the contour of your attempt drawn against the reference.
Listen-and-repeat on short sentences, scored for tone accuracy rather than speed.
Minimal pairs for the initials and finals your recordings show you confusing.

Feedback. Feedback names the syllable that slipped and what it did — not just a percentage.

HSKK prompts Role-play

HSKK Intermediate

Describe images, retell what you heard and answer at greater length.

HSK Guide teaching note

The work moves from single sentences to sustained speech: describing what you can see, retelling something you just heard, and answering at length without stalling.

How HSK Guide practises it

Timed picture-description prompts with a recording window, so you practise under the clock.
Retelling drills: listen once, then produce a summary aloud.
Rhythm and pause analysis, because fluency here is mostly about not stopping in the wrong places.

Feedback. Scored on tone, rhythm and fluency together, with the weakest of the three flagged for the next session.

HSKK prompts Role-play

HSKK Advanced

Summarise a passage and argue a position under time pressure.

HSK Guide teaching note

You are asked to compress a passage and then argue a position, both under time pressure. Content structure matters as much as pronunciation.

How HSK Guide practises it

Summarise-then-argue prompts with a preparation window and a fixed speaking window.
Role-play with the AI tutor on the same prompt, so you can rehearse the argument before recording it.
Full-length recorded runs with a per-section breakdown afterwards.

Feedback. Pronunciation scoring continues, with an added review of whether the answer actually addressed the prompt.

HSKK prompts Role-play

Source: Official HSK examination information · Chinese Testing International (Hanban / CTI). This level data has been transcribed but not yet verified by an editor against the primary document.

Pronunciation lab

Feedback precise enough to act on

Record, compare with a native reference, and get feedback on the exact syllable that needs work.

What each recording is scored on

Initial: Consonant onset accuracy, syllable by syllable
Final: Vowel and ending accuracy
Tone: Contour match against a native reference
Rhythm: Timing, pauses and stress across the sentence

A speaking score that is only a number tells you nothing you can act on. The lab names the syllable, shows what your tone contour did against the reference, and puts the syllables you keep missing back into your review queue as speaking items — so the next session practises your actual problem rather than the whole alphabet again.

Practice ladder

1. Single syllables
2. Tone pairs
3. Minimal pairs
4. Words
5. Sentences
6. HSKK prompts

Privacy

Recordings are analysed and discarded. Nothing is stored unless you turn on “Keep my recordings” in settings.

Privacy Policy

Mock examinations

Timed speaking practice sets

Recorded, timed and scored the way the lab scores everything else. Original HSK Guide material throughout.

Frequently asked questions

Are HSK Guide’s speaking prompts real examination questions?

No. Every prompt on the platform is original material written for HSK Guide. Nothing is reproduced from a past paper, the timings are HSK Guide’s own practice settings, and the model answers are one good version among many rather than the only acceptable reply.

Is HSK Guide affiliated with the HSKK examination?

No. HSK Guide is an independent preparation platform and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Chinese Testing International or the official HSK examination authorities. What the examination requires, how it is scheduled and how it is scored are decided by the examination authority — confirm all of it with your own test centre.

What happens to my voice recordings?

By default nothing is stored: the recording is analysed and discarded, and only the derived scores are kept. If you turn on recording retention you can play back and delete any recording, and delete all of them at once from your privacy settings.

Can I practise speaking without a microphone?

Partly. You can read the prompts, study the model answers and work through the vocabulary and grammar behind them. The tone and rhythm analysis needs a recording, so the scored part of the lab does require microphone access.

Record one sentence and hear what needs work

Record, compare with a native reference, and get feedback on the exact syllable that needs work.

Pronunciation lab Curriculum & levels