AP Chinese Language and Culture

What the course covers

6 units

1. Unit 1

   Families and Communities

   Free
   What a family is in Chinese-speaking societies, how families pass on values, and how neighborhoods, cities and villages shape daily life. Interpretive focus: stated details and main idea (1.A.1, 1.B.1) through Audio and Chart, Audio Report, Instructional Guidance, Correspondence and Literary Text. Production focus: spoken presentation and Q&A (grammar and vocabulary range, circumlocution, self-correction, pronunciation, stating opinions).
   4 topics

   1. 1.1Community Activities (社区活动)
   2. 1.2Family Relationships (家庭关系)
   3. 1.3Social Interactions and Relationships (社会交往与人际关系)
   4. 1.4Urban and Rural Communities (城乡社区)

2. Unit 2

   Language and Culture
   How the Chinese language and Chinese-speaking cultures shape each other: festivals and customs, how characters, idioms and dialects work, and Chinese as a language used worldwide. Interpretive focus: intended audience and tone or point of view (1.B.2, 1.B.3) through Audio Report, Conversation, Article and Promotional Material. Production focus: Story Narration and Email Response (register, idioms, written conventions, organization).
   3 topics

   1. 2.1Customs and Celebrations (风俗与庆典)
   2. 2.2Linguistics (语言学)
   3. 2.3Chinese in the World (世界里的中文)

3. Unit 3

   Art and Creativity
   How architecture, heritage arts, ideas of beauty, fashion, literature and the performing arts record history and express values. The 2026-27 course project draws on this unit (music as a lens on culture). Interpretive focus: data and trends (1.A.2) and organization and rhetorical strategy (1.B.4) through Audio Report, Presentation, Article and Chart, Correspondence and Literary Text. Production focus: Project Presentation and Q&A (register, research, cohesion, the 3Ps).
   6 topics

   1. 3.1Architecture (建筑)
   2. 3.2Artistic Heritage (艺术遗产)
   3. 3.3Beauty and Aesthetics (美与审美)
   4. 3.4Fashion and Design (时尚与设计)
   5. 3.5Literature (文学)
   6. 3.6Visual and Performing Arts (视觉与表演艺术)

4. Unit 4

   Science and Technology
   How innovation, personal devices, everyday science and technology's effects on society are changing life in Chinese-speaking communities. Interpretive focus: word meaning from context (1.B.5) and connecting information within or across sources (1.C.1) through Audio Report, Conversation, Article, Article and Chart and Promotional Material. Production focus: Story Narration and Email Response at full exam difficulty (idioms, register, circumlocution, cohesion).
   4 topics

   1. 4.1Innovations and Emerging Technologies (创新与新兴科技)
   2. 4.2Personal Technology and Communication (个人科技与通讯)
   3. 4.3Science in Everyday Life (日常生活中的科学)
   4. 4.4Societal Impacts of Science and Technology (科技对社会的影响)

5. Unit 5

   Contemporary Life
   School and careers, media, food and health, pop culture, sports and travel today, and how traditions and values carry into modern life. Interpretive focus: synthesis and inference (1.C.2, 1.C.3) through Audio and Chart, Instructional Guidance, Presentation, Correspondence and Literary Text, at full exam difficulty. Production focus: complete Project Presentation and Q&A practice (integrating and citing sources, cultural comparison, reflection on the 3Ps).
   6 topics

   1. 5.1Education and Career (教育与职业)
   2. 5.2Entertainment and Media (娱乐与媒体)
   3. 5.3Food and Health (饮食与健康)
   4. 5.4Pop Culture (流行文化)
   5. 5.5Sports and Leisure (体育与休闲)
   6. 5.6Travel and Tourism (旅游与观光)

6. Unit 6

   Global Contexts
   How global issues reach Chinese-speaking communities and how people respond: international communication, the natural world, history, policy and planning, and transportation. Interpretive focus: every Category 1 objective, integrated at full exam difficulty, through Audio and Chart, Audio Report, Conversation, Article and Article and Chart. Production focus: complete, exam-length Story Narration and Email Response.
   5 topics

   1. 6.1Global Communication (国际交流)
   2. 6.2Natural World (自然世界)
   3. 6.3History (历史)
   4. 6.4Policy and Planning (政策与规划)
   5. 6.5Transportation (交通运输)

The exam, part by part

4 parts, 1 h 50 min in all.

• Section I, Part A: Speaking (Project Presentation and Project Q&A)

  Questions

  2

  Time

  15 min

  Weight

  35%

  Format details

  Task types: Project Presentation, Project Q&A

  About 15 minutes, recorded in Bluebook through a wired headset with a microphone. Question 1 (20%): 3 minutes to prepare, 3 minutes to present, with a printed copy of your Personalized Project Reference. Question 2 (15%): a recorded interlocutor asks 4 questions about your project; each is played twice and you have 40 seconds per answer. The questions are not released in advance.

• Section I, Part B: Writing (Story Narration and Email Response)

  Questions

  2

  Time

  30 min

  Weight

  15%

  Format details

  Task types: Story Narration, Email Response

  You type both responses in Bluebook within one shared 30-minute block, 7.5% each. Characters display in simplified or traditional (you can toggle). You type with Pinyin (simplified), Pinyin (traditional) or Bopomofo input; your choice does not affect the score, but use one writing system consistently.

• Section II, Part A: Listening

  Questions

  25

  Time

  25 min

  Weight

  25%

  Format details

  5 sets of 5 questions, one set of each task type: Audio and Chart, Audio Report, Conversation, Instructional Guidance, Presentation. Question stems and the four answer choices are in English; the audio is in Mandarin.

• Section II, Part B: Reading

  Questions

  30

  Time

  40 min

  Weight

  25%

  Format details

  6 sets of 5 questions drawn from five task types, with the mix varying by year: Article (0-2 sets), Article and Chart (1-2), Correspondence (1-2), Literary Text (0-2), Promotional Material (1-2). Stems and choices are in English; the texts are in Chinese.

Skills the exam scores

• 1.ARecognize explicit meaning

  Skill Category 1, Interpretive Communication. Pick out stated details that support a point (1.A.1), and read data points, patterns and trends from charts, tables and graphs (1.A.2).

• 1.BInterpret meaning

  Skill Category 1. Identify the main idea, theme or purpose (1.B.1), the intended audience (1.B.2), and the point of view, tone or attitude (1.B.3). Recognize how a text or talk is organized and which rhetorical moves it makes (1.B.4). Work out unfamiliar words and phrases from context (1.B.5).

• 1.CSynthesize and infer meaning

  Skill Category 1. Link information within one source or across two sources, such as an audio clip and a chart (1.C.1). Draw logical conclusions by combining information (1.C.2), and infer what is implied but not stated (1.C.3).

• 2.AUse language that fits the purpose and context

  Skill Category 2, Interpersonal and Presentational Communication. Use varied grammatical structures (2.A.1), varied vocabulary (2.A.2), and idiomatic, culturally grounded expressions (2.A.3). Choose and hold a register that suits the audience, such as 您 versus 你 or a formal versus a casual email close (2.A.4).

• 2.BMake communication comprehensible

  Skill Category 2. Get around gaps with circumlocution and paraphrase (2.B.1), and notice and fix your own slips mid-speech (2.B.2). Keep tones and pronunciation intelligible (2.B.3) with a natural pace and intonation (2.B.4). Follow written conventions: correct characters, full-width punctuation, and one consistent script (2.B.5).

• 2.CShare ideas, information and opinions

  Skill Category 2. State ideas, preferences and opinions (2.C.1), and gather evidence through research (2.C.2). Use examples to give advice or information, or to explain feelings and views (2.C.3). Combine several sources to support a position (2.C.4), and name or cite your sources correctly (2.C.5).

• 2.DApply organizational and rhetorical strategies

  Skill Category 2. Structure a response on purpose: a beginning, middle and end for a story, a greeting, body and closing for an email, or an introduction, factors and conclusion for a presentation (2.D.1). Connect ideas with varied cohesive devices beyond 和, 但是 and 因为 (2.D.2).

• 3.AMake connections within and across cultures

  Skill Category 3, Cultural Understanding. Describe cultural products, practices and perspectives (3.A.1). Compare them across distinct communities, including your own (3.A.2). Reflect on why they matter, especially how a perspective explains a product or practice (3.A.3).