Learning a new language allows you to connect with different people and their cultures. You think, communicate and create ideas through language.
Mandarin is the national language in China and Chinese is the most widely spoken language in the world. China is also the second largest economy in the world. So, learning Mandarin gives you a distinct advantage when travelling or doing business with China or other Mandarin-speaking areas.
The skills that you learn in Mandarin are useful for working in areas such as business and commerce, travel and tourism and teaching.
Career Pathways
To see what career areas this subject could lead to and the routes to get there, download and view these career pathways:
Arts, Social Sciences and Languages
Hospitality, Leisure and Tourism
Information, Culture and Heritage
Uniformed and Security Services
The school or college will decide on the entry requirements for the course. You would normally have achieved:
This course offers you the opportunity to develop your skills in reading, listening, talking and writing in Mandarin, which are essential for learning, work and life. You will also learn to understand how language works and how to communicate information and ideas.
You will study a wide range of various types of texts in a variety media. You will also learn to think critically, creatively and develop cultural awareness.
The course comprises three areas of study.
Reading and Writing; Listening
You will develop:
Assignment – Writing
You will develop:
Performance – Talking
You will develop:
The course assessment has five components totalling 120 marks:
For the performance component, you will be asked to deliver a spoken presentation and take part in a conversation in Mandarin (simplified) in one of the following contexts: society, learning, employability or culture. Your performance will be set by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and marked internally by an SQA assessor.
The question papers will be set and marked externally by the SQA.
The grade awarded is based on the total marks achieved across all course assessment components.
The course assessment is graded A-D.
If you complete the course successfully, it may lead to:
Further study, training or employment in:
Your school will give your parents an Options or Choices information booklet, which has detailed information on the curriculum and the individual subjects or courses you can study. It will also invite them along to a Parents’ Information Evening.
They can also read the information leaflet(s):