On December 11th 2021, Confucius Institute at University of Mauritius successfully held HSK and HSKK home edition online tests for the first time. A total of four proficiency tests were conducted, namely HSK Level 3, HSK Level 6, HSKK Intermediate and HSKK Advanced. All candidates successfully completed the exams.
Preparation work concerning the tests began at the Confucius Institute two months before the test date. Compared to previous offline tests, the home edition online tests have higher requirements concerning test equipment. The specific requirements of the tests were provided to all participants as per the Mandarin and English test notices published by the Confucius Institute. In order to ensure the standard and fairness of the test, the Confucius Institute carefully screened the candidates' information, verified each candidate's location, and rejected candidates who due to objective circumstances, were unable to satisfy the requirements of the test. After confirming the candidates’ identity, CI-UoM created a WhatsApp group for the candidates in order to facilitate communication and for the test information and materials to be sent to them in a timely manner. At the same time, the candidates were also able to enquire about test-related matters in the group in real time.
On November 27th, Miss Li Xiaoxia, teacher at CI-UoM and test invigilator, conducted an online training for all candidates, instructed them how to install the testing software and inspected the test environment of each candidate to help them satisfy the external conditions. On December 4th, all candidates took part in a centralized mock test organized by Chinese Testing International. On the day of the mock exam, the invigilators helped the candidates solve various problems in the mock exam online and ensured that every candidate was proficient in the use of the testing software, and understood the test procedures. This laid a solid foundation for the smooth progress of the upcoming test.
All invigilators at CI-UoM attached great importance to studying the test guidance materials so as to ensure the smooth progress of the first home edition online test. On December 2nd, they participated in the online training organized by Chinese Testing International to learn how to use the software and fully understand the issues that may arise during the online test and the corresponding measures to be implemented. On December 9th, Confucius Institute held an examination affairs meeting to clarify the task delegation, precautions and follow-up work.
On the day of the examination on December 11th, the invigilators and candidates came to the online examination room according to the scheduled time, and made preparations in sequence according to the requirements of the examination. At the end of the day, the four exams were completed successfully, the candidates behaved accordingly and the testing equipment was satisfactory throughout the exam.
Since the outbreak of the epidemic, the Chinese language examination service of CI-UoM has been greatly perturbed. Through this exercise, CI-UoM has accumulated practical experience in holding home edition online HSK and HSKK tests. CI-UoM looks forward to more opportunities in promoting Chinese language courses and Chinese testing services in the future. We hope that the candidates were able to perform well during the tests and wish them success.
Top and bottom left: candidates taking part in the home edition online HSK and HSKK test; top and bottom right: CI-UoM teachers and invigilators; Miss Li Xiaoxia (top right) and Miss Sharon Too (bottom right)