A Level Chinese Topics: Full List

A Level Chinese – currently only offered by Pearson Edexcel (opens in a new tab) – splits its topics into four themes: changes in contemporary Chinese society, Chinese culture, the evolution of Chinese society and the impact of reform and opening up in 1978.

This article includes an official and complete breakdown of the topics you need to revise for A Level Chinese. We’ll also explain how to use topic lists for effective revision.

Key Takeaways

• Pearson Edexcel is the only exam board currently offering A Level Chinese

• Topics address a range of social issues and trends, as well as aspects of the political and artistic culture of the Chinese-speaking world

• Use topic and theme lists to create a revision plan and organise your notes

Why It's Important to Know Your Exam Board

Although subject content often overlaps across exam boards, each exam board has a different syllabus. This means that the same subject can be taught very differently in one exam board compared to another, with varying topics, skills and assessment methods.

Knowing exactly which topics your exam board covers means you can create a focused revision plan. You won't waste time studying content that won't be tested, and you'll know exactly what to expect when it comes to exams.

Only Pearson Edexcel currently offers A Level Chinese, so if you’re studying this qualification, Pearson Edexcel is your exam board. Fortunately, having only one exam board makes it much easier to work out what you need to revise!

Pearson Edexcel A Level Chinese Topics (9CN0)

The content for the Pearson Edexcel course is split into four themes, each with two sub-themes:

1. Changes in contemporary Chinese society

• Family: family structure and planning, the generation gap and an ageing population

• Education and work: school life, student issues, job opportunities and work-life balance

2. Chinese culture

• Tradition: Spring Festival, Dragon Boat Festival, Mid-Autumn Festival and Qingming Festival

• Cultural activities: movies, television, music and reading

3. The evolution of Chinese society

• Communications and technology: the Internet and social media

• Economy and environment: economic development and environmental protection

4. The impact of reform and opening up in 1978

• Change: wealth gap, megacities and urban migrants

• Sino-British relations: trade, cultural exchange and educational exchange

The table below shows which topics come up in each A Level Chinese exam paper:

*For the list of prescribed literary texts and films, see Appendix 2 on the specification (opens in a new tab).

How to Use Topic Lists for Revision

Create a revision plan

Print or write out your topics into a checklist. Use the traffic light system (opens in a new tab) to prioritise weaker areas, and tick each area off as you revise. Seeing progress is really motivating, and it stops you from accidentally skipping anything important.

Organise your notes and flashcards by topic

Separating your notes and flashcards according to topic will make it much easier to find information quickly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to revise all A Level Chinese topics for the exam?

Since any of the themes can come up in both Paper 1 and Paper 3, you’ll need to revise them all. For Paper 2, you’ll need to revise your prescribed literary texts and/or films.

Are these topics the same across all exam boards?

Pearson Edexcel is the only exam board currently offering A Level Chinese.

If other exam boards offer A Level Chinese in the future, the content will overlap, but specifications and exam formats will remain distinct.

How do I know which topics I struggle with most?

Look at which topics you tend to get the lowest marks on in mock exams or past paper questions. Prioritise revising the areas where you’re least confident using the traffic light system.

Do all topics come up in every exam paper?

No. Though Paper 1 and Paper 3 draw on all four themes, Paper 2 focuses on prescribed literary texts and/or films.

Final Thoughts

Using topic lists to structure your A Level Chinese revision means you'll know exactly what to study, and how to allocate your time between each area.

Bookmark or print this page, and use it as your roadmap. Work through each topic or area, tick it off as you go, practise answering past paper questions, and persevere to improve your knowledge and skills for your three exam papers.

References

• How to Use the Traffic Light System to Improve Your Marks (opens in a new tab)

• Pearson Edexcel A Level Chinese (opens in a new tab)