AP® Chinese Language and Culture

• At a minimum, completion of Chinese 3 if the course is equivalent to an intermediate high proficiency level course; completion of Chinese 4 is recommended. Heritage speakers may have followed a different path.
• Grade of a B or better in the most recent Chinese class.
• Grammar and syntax of the language and strong skills in speaking, writing (typed characters), reading, and understanding Chinese are required.
• Hand-writing is not required for the AP exam.
• In addition to the enrollment fee, this course has an Additional Course Fee of $80.
• The required summer assignment for AP® Chinese Language and Culture can be found in our AP® Summer Work Directory.

Through a spiraled curriculum, students will develop their Chinese language abilities in eight specific skill categories. Development of those skills will take place in the context of six thematic areas: Family and Community; Personal and Public Identity; Beauty and Aesthetics; Science and Technology; Contemporary Life; and Global Challenges.

Per the College Board’s AP Chinese Language and Culture requirements, the Learning Objectives for each skill are as follows:

Skill Category 1: Comprehend Text

• 1.A Describe the literal meaning of the written, audio, audiovisual and/or visual text.

Skill Category 2: Make Connections

• 2.A Make connections among cultural and interdisciplinary information provided in texts.

Skill Category 3: Interpret Text

• 3.A Interpret the distinguishing features of a text.
• 3.B Interpret the meaning of a text.

Skill Category 4: Make Meanings

• 4.A Determine the meaning of familiar and unfamiliar words.
• 4.B Use words appropriate for a given context.

Skill Category 5: Speak to Others

• 5.A Understand and apply appropriate communication strategies in interpersonal speaking.
• 5.B Understand and apply appropriate and varied syntactical expressions in interpersonal speaking.

Skill Category 6: Write to Others

• 6.A Understand and apply appropriate communication strategies in interpersonal writing.
• 6.B Understand and apply appropriate and varied syntactical expressions in interpersonal writing.
• 6.C Understand and apply appropriate writing systems in interpersonal writing.

Skill Category 7: Present Orally

• 7.A Plan and research an issue or topic for presentational speaking.
• 7.B Use appropriate vocal and visual strategies to communicate an idea in
• presentational speaking.
• 7.C Use appropriate language and vocabulary for the intended audience in presentational speaking.
• 7.D Express a perspective with details and examples to illustrate an opinion or idea in presentational speaking.

Skill Category 8: Present in Writing

• 8.A Plan and research an issue or topic for presentational writing.
• 8.B Use appropriate writing strategies to communicate an idea in presentational
• writing.
• 8.C Understand and apply appropriate and varied syntactical expressions in presentational writing.
• 8.D Understand and apply appropriate writing systems in presentational writing.

• Students will need access to a device with headphones, microphone, and camera.
• Students will be expected to record and upload videos of themselves speaking in target language in order to exhibit proficiency in the speaking domain using a video tool within the course platform.
• Students will need access to select YouTube videos throughout the course.
• This AP course has a required summer assignment. The summer assignment is a review of prerequisite content and critical concepts students must be comfortable with before beginning the course. Students are expected to complete their summer assignment before the course begins and submit their work by the end of Week 1. Students who register on or after September 1 will receive an extension to complete the summer assignment by the end of Week 3. The required summer assignment for AP® Chinese Language and Culture can be found in our AP® Summer Work Directory.