A distinctive feature of the Edge Hill University Confucius Institute is its provision of language and cultural activities and opportunities that are available for University students, teachers, primary and secondary schools, colleges, members of the local community, and businesses.
Courses
All our language teachers are native Mandarin speakers, awarded certification from the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) and fully qualified teachers of Chinese as a foreign language.
Edge Hill University offers:
activity sessions for children of all ages
professional development for teachers and trainee teachers wanting to enhance the quality of Mandarin Chinese teaching
opportunities for students studying at Edge Hill, the local community and businesses to gain a greater understanding of Chinese language and culture
all courses are free and open to University students, staff and the general public
Mandarin language course
New courses that will start Autumn 2024
Beginners Mandarin
Monday 6pm – 7.30pm
Starting 30 September – June 2025
This beginners course introduces students to the basic features of the Chinese language: pronunciation of the four tones and the key sounds in Chinese, the different components of Chinese characters, and the main sentence structures.
The teaching approach is interactive and mainly focused on building students’ listening and speaking skills. It also expands the ability of reading and writing Chinese characters.
It will also provide some knowledge of Chinese culture.
This course is designed for those who have studied Chinese for at least 60 hours. At the end of this course, you should have a command of 600 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.
We aim to make classes enjoyable and stimulating. You will have plenty of opportunity to practise speaking, reading and writing in a friendly and informal atmosphere.
Students should have passed HSK Level 2, have completed 80 hours Mandarin learning, or have the equivalent learning experience, and be keen to further improve their Chinese proficiency level. This course will cover an introduction to the HSK exam structure, HSK 3 vocabulary lists, a range of topics covered in HSK 3, as well as grammar and sentence structure. The tutor will work through several past exam papers with the students in order to improve their exam confidence alongside their listening, reading and writing skills.
Students studying at Edge Hill University may have the opportunity to study Mandarin Chinese alongside their degree programme as an optional 20-credit language module. This language module is offered in collaboration with the Language Centre.
This language module will be tailored to your current level of understanding and experience and will offer both University academic credits and also the opportunity to undertake the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) and offer a valuable addition to your CV.
The taught element is free and you will only pay a small fee for the exam at the end of each level of study. The semesterly programmes will have weekly two hour sessions and will be available for all students.
There will be sponsored opportunities to visit China for those who have achieved 30 hours of Mandarin or a HSK qualification.
Mandarin language café
Dates to be confirmed
The aim of the Mandarin café is to provide a relaxed, informal, learning environment where you can develop your Mandarin language skills. All levels are welcome from beginners just starting to learn Mandarin to those who want to improve their language skills.
This is free and open to University students, staff, and the general public.
Short courses
The Confucius Institute is able to provide short courses to meet the needs of anyone in the community, schools, local businesses and the University. We will tailor these to the audience and their needs. Please contact us and the Confucius Institute Manager will meet with you to discuss your needs and the options available.
School activities
A distinctive approach of the Edge Hill University Confucius Institute is the engagement with schools from one off sessions such as assemblies and activity days through to Mandarin Chinese clubs and full programmes of language development.
We have a full suite of CPD opportunities for primary, early years and secondary teachers to complement the suggested activities mentioned and to allow for further cross curricular learning to be established. Please see an example of a sample activity day and what we can provide for your school.
The institute is able to offer a suite of opportunities for teachers working in schools through negotiation with the Confucius Institute.
Chinese New Year free resources
These resources will introduce the origins of Chinese New Year, Chinese New Year customs and traditions and provide an opportunity for pupils to participate in a variety of activities including: paper cutting, lantern making and couplet writing.
The Confucius Institute is able to offer Chinese language classes for children of all ages. The classes will introduce children to the basic features of the Chinese language: pronunciation of the four tones and the key sounds in Chinese, the different components of Chinese characters, and the main sentence structures. Classes can lead to YCT or HSK qualifications.
The teaching approach is interactive and mainly focused on building students listening and speaking skills. It also expands the ability of reading and writing Chinese characters.
Activity days for schools
A carousel of activities are offered on campus or at your school which enable children to participate in a variety of activities.
Choose from the list below:
Chinese culture, traditions and festivals
Chinese language
Calligraphy
Tai Chi and tai chi fan
Kung Fu
Dragon Dancing
Chinese Tea ceremonies
Chinese Painting
Chinese knot making
Chinese playground games
Chinese songs and music
Chinese lantern making
Chinese food and the use of chopsticks
Chinese New Year and the Lunar Calendar
China life – living and school in China
Mandarin Chinese clubs
To support language development and wider engagement across the school the Confucius Institute has developed lunch-time and after-school clubs to be run at individual schools over a semesterly period. The club would be a good taster of a full taught programme and complement the GCSE and A Level programmes for younger students. The exact focus of each semester is to be decided in conjunction with the school and can be made bespoke to your needs but may include:
language and calligraphy
culture, traditions, festivals and food
activity in China including health and wellbeing, film, media, games, and songs
Six week taster course
For schools that are interested to develop Chinese further, we are able to offer a six week programme for pupils. Each session would be 50 minutes and can be tailored to the needs of the school. The language curriculum may include:
culture, traditions and festivals
language (including numbers, letters, words and pronunciation)
calligraphy
Tai Chi
Chinese medicine
tea Ceremonies
playground games
song, music and dance
lantern making
paper cutting and folding
Chinese food and the use of chopsticks
In addition the Edge Hill Confucius Institute is also able to offer the following on an individual basis:
Support with one off events such as assembly focused around the Chinese New Year.
Bespoke activities to support your needs.
For teachers introducing Mandarin to the classroom
This programme is suitable for teachers, teaching assistants and education students and is provided free of charge for all groups.
This programme is specifically designed to equip non-Chinese speaking teachers to deliver Chinese arts and crafts as well as basic Mandarin taster sessions with the aid of tailor-made lesson materials.
The YCT is an international standardised test of Chinese language proficiency. It assesses young students’ abilities to use Chinese in their daily and academic lives.
Test Date
Test Type
Deadline of Test Registration
Date of Score Announcement
18 October (Saturday)
Written+Speaking
21 September
18 November
The new YCT consists of a writing test and a speaking test, which are independent of each other. The writing test is divided into four levels, namely, the YCT (level I), YCT (level II), YCT (level III), and YCT (level IV). The speaking test is divided into the YCT (Beginner Level) and YCT (Intermediate Level).
The YCT (Level I) is intended for young students who have studied Chinese for three months, with 2-3 class hours per week. These students have mastered 80 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.
Registering for exams
The deadline for each HSK examination is one month before the exam date. Applications received after the deadline will not be processed. As places are limited, early registration is recommended. The precise test time and venue will be confirmed by email once you have registered with Chinese test centre.
Then select ‘Test Registration’ in the menu that runs along the top of the page.
Next, click the button for your HSK level or YCT level and then select ‘Register’.
Complete your details as requested.
Once the Chinese Test Centre have confirmed registration, an email from the Confucius Institute will be sent with a payment link. To pay for a test (whether your are on an Edge Hill course or an external candidate) you will need to go to the Edge Hill University online payment facility.
