A distinctive feature of the Edge Hill University Confucius Institute is its provision of language and cultural activities and opportunities that are available for University students, teachers, primary and secondary schools, colleges, members of the local community, and businesses.
Courses
All our language teachers are native Mandarin speakers, awarded certification from the Centre for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) and fully qualified teachers of Chinese as a foreign language.
Edge Hill University offers:
activity sessions for children of all ages
professional development for teachers and trainee teachers wanting to enhance the quality of Mandarin Chinese teaching
opportunities for students studying at Edge Hill, the local community and businesses to gain a greater understanding of Chinese language and culture
all courses are free and open to University students, staff and the general public
These courses are delivered face-to-face at the Ormskirk campus and are free of charge Monday 6pm – 8pm Starting 6 October 2025 – 29 June 2026
This course introduces students to the basic features of the Chinese language: pronunciation of the four tones and the key sounds in Chinese, the different components of Chinese characters, and the main sentence structures and everyday Mandarin.
The teaching approach is interactive and focused on building students’ listening and speaking skills. It also expands the ability of reading and writing Chinese characters. It will also provide some knowledge of Chinese culture.
Tuesday 6 pm – 8 pm Starting: 7 October 2025 – 30 June 2026
This course is designed for those who have studied Chinese for at least 60 hours. At the end of this course, you should have a command of 600 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.
We aim to make classes enjoyable and stimulating. You will have plenty of opportunity to practise speaking, reading, and writing in a friendly and informal atmosphere.
Tuesday 6pm – 8pm Start Date: 7 October 2025 – 30 June 2026
This course is designed for learners who have studied Mandarin at HSK 1 and 2 and wish to continue to expand their vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures whilst preparing for the HSK 2 exam.
Wednesday 6pm – 8pm Starting: 8 October 2025 – 24 June 2026
Students should have passed HSK Level 2, have completed 100 hours Mandarin learning, or have the equivalent learning experience, and be keen to further improve their Chinese proficiency level.
This course will cover an introduction to the HSK exam structure, HSK 3 vocabulary lists, a range of topics covered in HSK 3, as well as grammar and sentence structure. The tutor will work through several past exam papers with the students to improve their exam confidence alongside their listening, reading, and writing skills.
Wednesdays 6pm – 8pm Start Date: 8 October 2025 – 24 June 2026
This course is designed for learners who have completed HSK 3 (A) and wish to continue building their skills in preparation for taking the full HSK 3 exam at the end of the course.
These courses are delivered face-to-face at the Ormskirk campus and are free of charge Introduction to Chinese Culture and Language (10-week course) Thursdays 6pm – 8pm Starting 9th October – 11 December 2025
Free. Open to University students, staff, and the local community.
This introductory course explores key elements of Chinese culture alongside basic language skills. Topics include:
Overview of Chinese history and society
Traditional festivals and cuisine
Chinese calligraphy and painting
Cultural arts such as Peking opera and Chinese knots
A distinctive approach of the Edge Hill University Confucius Institute is the engagement with schools from one off sessions such as assemblies and activity days through to Mandarin Chinese clubs and full programmes of language development.
We have a full suite of CPD opportunities for primary, early years and secondary teachers to complement the suggested activities mentioned and to allow for further cross curricular learning to be established. Please see an example of a sample activity day and what we can provide for your school.
The institute is able to offer a suite of opportunities for teachers working in schools through negotiation with the Confucius Institute.
Chinese New Year free resources
These resources will introduce the origins of Chinese New Year, Chinese New Year customs and traditions and provide an opportunity for pupils to participate in a variety of activities including: paper cutting, lantern making and couplet writing.
The Confucius Institute is able to offer Chinese language classes for children of all ages. The classes will introduce children to the basic features of the Chinese language: pronunciation of the four tones and the key sounds in Chinese, the different components of Chinese characters, and the main sentence structures. Classes can lead to YCT or HSK qualifications.
The teaching approach is interactive and mainly focused on building students listening and speaking skills. It also expands the ability of reading and writing Chinese characters.
Activity days for schools
Free China Activity Days for local schools which can take place at your school or at Edge Hill University campus
Pupils can participate in a carousel of activities relating to Chinese language and culture. Your school can select the activities from the list below.
Prior to the day, we will liaise with your school to select the activities, produce a timetable, help decide whether the sessions are for a particular class, a year group, key stage, or even to an entire school. We will take into consideration your school’s timetable, pupil numbers, and how many of our teachers can attend on the day.
The Activity Days are always successful and we consistently receive very positive feedback from all involved.
Book one or more of the following activities for your school:
Chinese culture, traditions and festivals
Chinese language taster
Tai chi
Chinese games
Chinese lantern making
Chinese school life
Calligraphy (age 7 and over)
Chinese Painting (age 7 and over)
Chinese paper cutting (age 7 and over)
Chinse paper folding (age 7 and over)
Chinese knot making (age 7 and over)
Cost: All of the above activities are free of charge. However, we kindly ask that the school arranges transport for teachers if the activities take place at your school, or transport for pupils if the activities are held on campus.
Mandarin Chinese clubs
To support language development and wider engagement across the school the Confucius Institute has developed lunch-time and after-school clubs to be run at individual schools over a semesterly period. The club would be a good taster of a full taught programme and complement the GCSE and A Level programmes for younger students. The exact focus of each semester is to be decided in conjunction with the school and can be made bespoke to your needs but may include:
language and calligraphy
culture, traditions, festivals and food
activity in China including health and wellbeing, film, media, games, and songs
Six week taster course
For schools that are interested to develop Chinese further, we are able to offer a six week programme for pupils. Each session would be 50 minutes and can be tailored to the needs of the school. The language curriculum may include:
culture, traditions and festivals
language (including numbers, letters, words and pronunciation)
calligraphy
Tai Chi
Chinese medicine
tea Ceremonies
playground games
song, music and dance
lantern making
paper cutting and folding
Chinese food and the use of chopsticks
In addition the Edge Hill Confucius Institute is also able to offer the following on an individual basis:
Support with one off events such as assembly focused around the Chinese New Year.
Bespoke activities to support your needs.
For teachers introducing Mandarin to the classroom
This programme is suitable for teachers, teaching assistants and education students and is provided free of charge for all groups.
This programme is specifically designed to equip non-Chinese speaking teachers to deliver Chinese arts and crafts as well as basic Mandarin taster sessions with the aid of tailor-made lesson materials.
The YCT is an international standardised test of Chinese language proficiency. It assesses young students’ abilities to use Chinese in their daily and academic lives.
Test Date
Test Type
Deadline of Test Registration
Date of Score Announcement
18 October (Saturday)
Written+Speaking
21 September
18 November
The new YCT consists of a writing test and a speaking test, which are independent of each other. The writing test is divided into four levels, namely, the YCT (level I), YCT (level II), YCT (level III), and YCT (level IV). The speaking test is divided into the YCT (Beginner Level) and YCT (Intermediate Level).
The YCT (Level I) is intended for young students who have studied Chinese for three months, with 2-3 class hours per week. These students have mastered 80 commonly used words and related grammar patterns.
Registering for exams
The deadline for each HSK examination is one month before the exam date. Applications received after the deadline will not be processed. As places are limited, early registration is recommended. The precise test time and venue will be confirmed by email once you have registered with Chinese test centre.
Then select ‘Test Registration’ in the menu that runs along the top of the page.
Next, click the button for your HSK level or YCT level and then select ‘Register’.
Complete your details as requested.
Once the Chinese Test Centre have confirmed registration, an email from the Confucius Institute will be sent with a payment link. To pay for a test (whether your are on an Edge Hill course or an external candidate) you will need to go to the Edge Hill University online payment facility.
