School trips

School trips (学校旅行) are a common topic in the Edexcel GCSE Chinese exam, appearing in both the speaking and writing components. This topic covers vocabulary and phrases related to planning, describing, and evaluating trips, such as visits to museums, historical sites, or outdoor activities. You'll learn to discuss destinations, activities, opinions, and logistics like transport and costs. Mastering this topic helps you express personal experiences and preferences, which is essential for achieving high marks in the 'Identity and Culture' theme.

In the exam, you may be asked to describe a past school trip, talk about an ideal trip, or compare different types of trips. Key grammar includes past tense structures (e.g., 去了, 参观了), time expressions (e.g., 上个月, 去年), and opinion phrases (e.g., 我觉得, 很有趣). You'll also need to use a range of adjectives (e.g., 有趣的, 无聊的, 有意义的) and connectives (e.g., 而且, 但是, 因为) to extend your answers. This topic builds on basic travel and leisure vocabulary, so it's important to revise those first.

School trips also tie into broader cultural understanding, as you might discuss trips to Chinese cultural sites or compare Chinese and British school trip traditions. For example, Chinese students often visit historical sites like the Great Wall or museums, while British students might go to theme parks or outdoor centres. Being able to make such comparisons demonstrates higher-level thinking and can impress examiners. Overall, this topic is a great opportunity to showcase your ability to narrate events and express opinions in Chinese.