50 in CSL - feel free to ask questions

[redcracker]

hmm well to manage the workload, i tried to finish a lot of the content in the holidays. i'm relatively good at maths, so i was able to finish most of the course during the summer holidays, and spent the rest of the year tackling questions, refining technique etc. i had also finished writing my general conversation during the holidays, and half way through my detailed study. so yeah, i did a lot of things during the summer holidays. but during the year, i focused on practicing essays on literally hundreds of topics.

i didn't use any specific websites to improve chinese vocab. if i were given an essay topic, i would normally just type that in on google and find articles written (in chinese) on it. i would then read their language and learn from their vocab and sentence structures. that was the main way i learnt vocab.

hope that helps!

not related to csl but how did you go about covering the content for spec over summer?

[drake]

not related to csl but how did you go about covering the content for spec over summer?

haha pretty much just went through the essentials textbook. i was quite good at understanding the way the book explained things, and then i just did the majority of the questions. if i found something i didn't understand, i would watch a youtube video or something.

[redcracker]

haha pretty much just went through the essentials textbook. i was quite good at understanding the way the book explained things, and then i just did the majority of the questions. if i found something i didn't understand, i would watch a youtube video or something.

how long did it take? and how much of every day does it take?

[drake]

how long did it take? and how much of every day does it take?

hmmm it depends how fast you go and how much procrastination you do. you could probably do it in a month or so if you're fast and motivated. can't speak on how much of every day it takes...

[sparkyblossom]

Hi, I am just wondering how you went about memorising phrases and idioms? I find this the most difficult hurdle of Chinese (as well as memorising anything in Chinese in general).

Also, out of curiosity, which topic did you choose for your detailed study?

Thanks!

[drake]

Hi, I am just wondering how you went about memorising phrases and idioms? I find this the most difficult hurdle of Chinese (as well as memorising anything in Chinese in general).

Also, out of curiosity, which topic did you choose for your detailed study?

Thanks!

hi sparkyblossom,

i found the best way to memorise phrases and idioms was not only to write them out a couple times, but to actually use them in different sentences. this way you are actually gaining an understanding of the phrase/idiom, and not just memorising. most idioms can be used in so many different ways, so it's good to understand how to use them. then you can try using them in your practice essays. as you use them more and more, they just become part of your memory without really trying too much. it is much harder to memorise language that you do not use frequently - this can only be done by rote learning.

for detailed study, i chose jeremy lin, a chinese basketball player who made it in the NBA. i suggest you choose something of your interest.

thanks, drake