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Cost: £430
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Overview - Mandarin (all levels)
These ten-week online evening courses are open to everyone and will help you to communicate effectively in Mandarin Chinese.
You'll learn Mandarin as it's spoken in everyday situations and develop your reading, writing, listening and speaking skills.
Two-hour classes are held once a week on weekday evenings from 5pm or 7pm, depending on the class/level.
Courses are taught at various levels, from complete beginner to proficiency. You can start at any level (if you meet the entry requirements) and you'll be able to progress to the next level after ten weeks.
These courses are run by the UCL Centre for Languages & International Education (CLIE).
What you'll learn (by level)
- Levels 1 & 1+ - Beginners Mandarin
These courses provide an introduction to basic Mandarin Chinese and will help you function at a basic everyday survival level.
Initially, the emphasis of the course is on pronunciation, the four tones in Mandarin and developing practical listening skills. You'll also start to learn how to read and write some Chinese characters.
You'll learn how to use a Chinese dictionary to help approach some authentic material - like reading a menu.
On completing both levels you'll be able to communicate in Mandarin on a number of practical every matters. You should be able to write 100-150 Chinese characters and read words and phrases in the text books in both pinyin and Chinese characters.
Detailed course content can be found on the CLIE website.
- Levels 2 & 2+ - Lower Intermediate Mandarin
These courses will give you the opportunity to revise your knowledge of Mandarin Chinese and acquire more sophisticated ways of dealing with practical matters.
You'll revise and consolidate Chinese characters, vocabulary, sentence structure and pronunciation.
You'll be encouraged to express ideas in discussions of a limited range of topics.
The courses will also develop your cultural awareness.
On completing both levels you'll be able to communicate in and understand Mandarin on many practical everyday matters relating to various aspects of culture. You should also be able to write 200 Chinese characters and recognise 300 characters, and be able to read text without pinyin.
Detailed course content can be found on the CLIE website.
- Levels 3 & 3+ - Upper Intermediate Mandarin
These courses will help you become more confident in speaking Mandarin.
Using a good basic knowledge of Chinese, you'll develop all four skills (speaking, listening, reading and writing) to an intermediate level.
You'll further develop your cultural awareness through the use of authentic materials.
On completing these two levels you'll be able to converse reasonably fluently with native speakers and discuss personal, social and current issues using appropriate structures.
Detailed course content can be found on the CLIE website.
- Levels 4 & 4+ - Advanced Mandarin
These courses will help those with a good knowledge of Mandarin to become more fluent in the language.
You'll further develop your cultural awareness through the use of authentic materials.
On completing these two levels you'll be able to follow discussions and debates on current issues and communicate in all situations using more complex and linguistically accurate structures.
Detailed course content can be found on the CLIE website.
- Levels 5 & 5+ - Post Advanced Mandarin
These courses will help those with a solid knowledge of Mandarin to become as fluent as possible.
You'll practise you linguistic skills through a variety of activities (debates, games, discussions etc.).
You'll improve your command of topic-related vocabulary and ability to vary your style according to the situation.
On completing these two levels you'll be able to follow any debate, discussion or conversation and communicate in all situations at a near-native level.
Detailed course content can be found on the CLIE website.
- Proficiency - Mandarin
This course is designed to help those who command a high level of Mandarin to practise their linguistic skills.
You'll practise you language skills through a variety of activities (debates, games, discussions etc.)
The main emphasis will be on conversation and group discussions with the extensive use of authentic materials.
On completing this course you'll be able to follow any debate, discussion or conversation and communicate in all situations at a near-native level.
Detailed course content can be found on the CLIE website.
Full details of the courses syllabi are available on the CLIE website.
Who these courses are for
CLIE language courses are open to everyone aged 18 years and above. Classes are usually made up of a wide range of ages and professions, with various motivations for learning.
Entry requirements
Unless you're a complete beginner, or re-enrolling, you may need to take an assessment so you can join a class at the most appropriate level.
Assessments involve an informal conversation with a tutor and should take no longer than 15 minutes. See the CLIE website for more information.
- Levels 1 & 1+ (beginners) - suitable if you have no previous knowledge of Mandarin
- Levels 2 & 2+ (lower intermediate) - suitable if you've studied Mandarin before, for instance up to GCSE level, and have some knowledge of the main present and past tenses
- Levels 3 & 3+ (upper intermediate) - suitable if you have a good basic knowledge of Mandarin or have studied it at A level some years ago. You should be able to give instructions and describe events, talk about the future and have a basic knowledge of the conditional and subjunctive
- Levels 4 & 4+ (advanced) - suitable if you have a good command of Mandarin and its main grammatical structures or have recently achieved a good grade at A level
- Levels 5 & 5+ (post-advanced) - suitable if you're able to use Mandarin with a high degree of fluency and accuracy
- Proficiency - suitable if you're able to use Mandarin fluently and accurately
Technical requirements
While these courses are being run online, you'll need a:
- laptop or PC
- headset (recommended) or speakers and a microphone
- webcam
- modern browser, upgraded to the latest version (Chrome recommended)
- fast internet connection (we recommend speeds of at least 5 Mbps)
Self-Access Centre and online resources
While enrolled on a CLIE evening course, you'll be able to use the Self-Access Centre, where you can access books, films, documentaries, course videos and audio recordings in a wide variety of languages.
You'll also have access to a range of online resources (e.g. lectures, films, TV documentaries) to help you practise your listening and oral comprehension skills at home.
Dates and enrolment periods
Classes are held once a week on a weekday evening from 5pm to 7pm or 7pm to 9pm, depending on the class/level. You can see the available days and times for different classes when you enrol.
The 10-week courses will run from:
- 9 October to 14 December 2023 (term 1)
- 15 January to 21 March 2024 (term 2)
- 22 April to 37 June 2024 (term 3)
Cost and concessions
The standard fees for external students are:
- one term (10 lessons) - £430
- two terms (20 lessons) - £735
- three terms (30 lessons) - £965
Discounts are available for UCL and University of London (UoL) staff, students and alumni.
Detailed fees information is available on the CLIE website.
CPD accreditation and certificates
This course has been accredited by The CPD Certification Service.
You can request a UCL certificate of attendance on completing at least 70% of the course.
If you're a UCL undergraduate student and complete at least 70% of the course, a Higher Education Achievement Report (HEAR) can be included in your examination transcript.
Further information
For more detailed information about our language classes, visit the CLIE website.
Course team
Our language teachers
Language teachers at UCL Centre for Languages & International Education are either native speakers, or have native fluency in the languages they teach. They're highly qualified and popular with their students, creating a friendly, stimulating environment for language learning.
"UCL's evening language courses are a great way to brush up on your language skills. The classes are small and lively, with plenty of opportunities to practise speaking and listening."
"Classes are fast-paced, friendly and fun and I'm thrilled with how much they've helped me to progress."
"You are challenged but always encouraged and never made to feel foolish."
"The customs and cultural aspects of a language are useful and interesting to learn about, and something that is difficult to pick up from self-study, online courses, etc."
"The course is more like a place to have fun without any pressures of exams or assessments. Since it is not the aim to pass certain tests, everyone is free to ask any question, have casual conversations and learn what is really useful for real life!"
"Motivating and encouraging teachers; interactive and engaging lessons; emphasis on communication and on the practical use of language. Language classes at CLIE are excellent!"
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Course information last modified: 14 Aug 2023, 16:54