HSK writing practice, marked by AI
Three exam-style questions per level, written to the HSK 3.0 syllabus. You get one at random. Sign in to answer, and the AI marks it out of the task's full marks with a short comment. Free accounts get one mark a day.
Task 70 · Short essay · At least 80 characters · 60 points
请写一篇不少于80字的短文，谈谈你学习汉语的一个好方法。
Full marks are this task's share of the 100-point writing section.
What the HSK writing section asks, level by level
HSK 3.0 has writing from level 2 up. It starts with characters, moves to sentences, then to a paragraph, a short essay and finally an argued essay. Each writing section is worth 100 points.
| Level | Section | What you write | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| HSK 1 | — | No writing: listening and reading only. | — |
| HSK 2 | 书写 · 10 items | Complete characters from their components (5), write characters from pinyin (5). | 10 min |
| HSK 3 | 书写 · 10 items | Write characters from pinyin (5); look at a picture and write a sentence with the given word (5). | 20 min |
| HSK 4 | 写作 · 6 items | A sentence for each of 5 pictures with a given word; one short essay of at least 80 characters. | 25 min |
| HSK 5 | 写作 · 2 items | At least 100 characters on a four-picture story; a topic essay of at least 200 characters. | 40 min |
| HSK 6 | 写作 · 2 items | A practical text — the sample is an online notice looking for a flatmate — of at least 150 characters; an argued essay of at least 300. | 45 min |
| HSK 7–9 | 写作 · 2 items | Describe and analyse a chart in about 200 characters; an argued essay of about 600. | 55 min |
From the CTI sample papers for HSK 3.0 (levels 1–6, in force from July 2026) and the official HSK 7–9 sample. The practice above covers the open-ended tasks — the ones a marker has to read: HSK 3 sentences, the HSK 4 essay, the HSK 5 topic essay, both HSK 6 tasks and both 7–9 tasks. For the rest of each paper, take a full mock test.
What the 2026 syllabus expects you to write
The HSK 3.0 syllabus (考试大纲, published November 2025) describes every level as tasks you can do with Chinese, and each task has a “write” line. Read level by level, the writing grows in one direction — from filling in information to arguing a view:
- HSK 2: fill in a form with names, ages and dates; write a time, a place or the name of something; a New Year greeting.
- HSK 3: “one or two sentences” introducing a person, your plans, a meal, a trip, a purchase, your home or your studies.
- HSK 4: “a paragraph” telling a short experience or giving a simple view — a person you know, a trip, a hobby, your neighbourhood, a new technology, a festival.
- HSK 5: “a short text” sharing an experience and your view — study, work, health, the environment, a social trend, a Chinese saying.
- HSK 6: “an article” introducing and arguing — an education issue, a company, a science topic, a tradition, a piece of Chinese history.
- HSK 7–9: analysing data and arguing at length, in academic and professional registers — up to a summary, a literature review or a report.
How HSK writing is marked
CTI publishes the 100-point section total, not how those points split between tasks or what each one is marked on. What every marker reads for is the same three things, and they are what we mark on too:
- Content — did you do the task: every given word used, the picture or chart actually described, the question actually answered, the length reached.
- Language — grammar, word choice and range at the level, and characters written correctly.
- Structure — sentences that connect and a text that reads in order: an opening, a body, an ending.
How to practise HSK writing
- Write to the clock. 80 characters in about 10 minutes at HSK 4, 200 in about 25 at HSK 5: speed is part of the skill.
- Reach the length, then stop adding. Going under the minimum costs marks; going far over buys nothing and leaves more room for mistakes.
- Use the words you know are right. A correct simple sentence scores; an ambitious one that breaks does not.
- Plan three lines before you write: what you will say first, what supports it, how it ends.
- Read the model answer after you write, not before — then rewrite your own with what you learned.
HSK writing questions
How many characters do I need to write in the HSK 4 essay?
At least 80. The essay is the last item of the HSK 4 writing section, after five picture sentences; the section has 25 minutes.
How long are the HSK 5 and HSK 6 essays?
HSK 5: at least 100 characters on a four-picture story and a topic essay of at least 200. HSK 6: a practical text of at least 150 and an argued essay of at least 300.
Does HSK 1 or HSK 2 have writing?
HSK 1 has none. HSK 3.0 added a 书写 section to HSK 2: completing characters from their parts and writing characters from pinyin — characters, not sentences.
Can I type my answer instead of handwriting it?
In the internet-based HSK you type, using a pinyin input method. On the paper-based exam you write by hand, so practise both if you are not sure which you will sit.
How strict is the word count?
At levels 1–6 the papers say “at least” (不少于): below it costs marks. At 7–9 they say “about” (左右). Punctuation does not count as characters.
Is the AI mark the same as a real HSK mark?
No practice mark can be: CTI does not publish its marking scheme. Ours is marked out of the task’s share of the 100-point section, on content, language and structure, against a model answer at the level — a close, consistent guide, not an official score.
Is this writing practice free?
Every question and model answer is free to read, with no account. A free account gets one AI mark a day; Monthly and Lifetime mark without a daily limit.
See plansAre these real HSK writing questions?
They are original questions written in the shape of the HSK 3.0 papers and kept inside each level’s word list. Past papers are CTI’s copyright.