ListeningPicture true / false
我喝茶。
I drink tea.
✓✗
Answer: ✓ — the picture shows a cup of tea
Beginner
HSK 1 (B1) — Chinese proficiency level 1
HSK 1 sits in the Beginner stage of the HSK 3.0 ladder and is roughly A1 on the CEFR scale. It assumes 500 words and 300 characters.
HSK 1 at a glance
500Vocabulary
300Characters
48Grammar points
A1CEFR
40Questions
120/200Pass mark
35 minDuration
120Study hours
HSK 1 exam structure
Part by part, with the number of items and the working time for each section. The paper-based exam also grants extra time to transfer answers to the answer sheet.
| Part | Task | Items | Duration | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Listening | 20 | 15 min | 100 | |
| Part 1 | Picture true / false | 5 | ||
| Part 2 | Choose the matching picture | 5 | ||
| Part 3 | Match each recording to a picture | 5 | ||
| Part 4 | Dialogue plus a question | 5 | ||
| Reading | 20 | 17 min | 100 | |
| Part 1 | Word and picture true / false | 5 | ||
| Part 2 | Match each sentence to a picture | 5 | ||
| Part 3 | Match the question to its answer | 5 | ||
| Part 4 | Fill in the blanks | 5 | ||
HSK 1 vocabulary
HSK 1 assumes 500 words in total, of which 500 are introduced at this level, written with 300 characters across 269 syllables. The exam also draws on 48 grammar points.
Handwritten characters are assessed from level 5, so at HSK 1 the writing tasks are typed or assembled from words the paper supplies.
HSK 1 sample questions
Taken from the live question bank — the same items you get in practice, with the answer shown.
ReadingMatch the question to its answer
你的同学在哪儿工作？
Where does your classmate work?
他是我的老师。在医院。五个。
Answer: 在医院。 (At the hospital.)
ReadingFill in the blanks
我们（ ）飞机去。
We go by plane.
坐前面会
Answer: 坐 (zuò)
How to prepare for HSK 1
- Learn the 500-word list in themes — greetings, family, numbers, time, food — rather than alphabetically.
- Listen with the pictures covered first, then check: part 1 rewards hearing one key word, not the whole sentence.
- Practise the numbers, dates and times out loud; they carry a disproportionate number of marks.
- Read the pinyin as support, not as a crutch — at HSK 2 it is still there, at HSK 3 it is gone.
- Sit one full mock test a week and review every wrong answer against its transcript.
Questions, answered
500 in total, of which 500 are new at this level. They are written with 300 characters, and the exam draws on 48 grammar points.
35 minutes of working time across 40 questions. The paper-based exam also grants extra time to transfer answers to the answer sheet.
120 out of 200, which is 60%. Each section is reported out of 100, so a weak section can be carried by a strong one as long as the total clears the bar.
No. HSK 1 is written-only — listening and reading. The spoken component becomes compulsory from level 3.
Roughly A1. The mapping is approximate — HSK measures Chinese specifically, including character knowledge, which the CEFR scale does not describe.
Yes. Every HSK 1 exam part can be practised on its own with instant marking, and there are full mock tests with audio, transcripts and section scores. It is free.