Not much information is online about taking the TOCFL B Band test, so I wanted to share my experience and hopefully help others better prepare for it. One important thing, I only took the speaking and writing tests, because the reading and listening tests had no seats left. At the time of this writing, the speaking and writing can only be done once a year in Taiwan, so I jumped on it as soon as I could.
Results: Speaking B1 and Writing B2
So after waiting a month, the results are in. I only had a month of study before the test because it was a last minute decision. Although stressful, I believe it was worth the effort to have verification of my Chinese ability. I can now say I’m fluent in writing Chinese (B2 is the widely accepted level for being considered fluent), and almost fluent in speaking.
I should have gotten B2
One more star and would have gotten B2
Had to wait a month for this
You get a review of your answer
Been learning Chinese for 12 years
So.. yeah.. I expected more stars because I speak and write Chinese everyday, while living in Taiwan. I did not expect to just barely get B2.
Some background, I’m a white Canadian living in Taiwan. It’s been a few years now, going back and fourth. Some people have said, I must have some Chinese ancestry because my Chinese is decent, but I do not and I don’t consider my Chinese to be amazing.
I started learning Chinese when I was 23. Because of the Chinese isn’t easy, in the past I wanted to give up many, many times, but after meeting other westerners at a very fluent level. This totally shifted my perspective from I’ll always have broken Chinese, to it is possible to be fluent. This made a massive impact on my language learning and this is why I’m writing this. Just remember make small daily improvements maybe 1% or 2% a day and it’ll snowball.
Quick tips
Chinese definitions are much more clearer
- For beginners Du Chinese, reading and listening at the same time is the best method.
- Buy the Chinese dictionary for Pleco, it’s worth it.
- Read Dcard everyday to learn how locals talk.
- Download the CNA app, it’s Taiwanese news and it can read it out to you.
- Reread books you read in English and read it again in Chinese with audio. I reread How to win friends and influence people.
Why not HSK?
I’m currently in Taiwan and it’s not offered. And from my research, TOCFL is a better test on fluency, it’s not possible to memorize answers or look for keywords. In terms of the speaking test, they don’t care how many Chinese idioms you use, or your vocabulary, it’s all about expressing yourself. So I felt it’s more accurate.
I did this for my own personal goal
This is a test for non-native Chinese speakers to test their language abilities. I finally wanted the ability to say I’m fluent in Chinese, because a lot of people claim it but that statement is hard to backup. So, at least I can say I can write fluent Chinese?
Also in the future, this could be good for my career and doing business. In my mind, it’s always good knowing a language. In fact, in the many years of learning Chinese, I have actually improved my communication skills in English and understand my culture a lot better. Mostly because when speaking your native language you usually don’t put much thought into the words you use but after learning Chinese I was focused to re-evaluate which words I use and what I’m actually trying to convey.
Bands and grading
So TOCFL has three bands, A, B, C. A is beginner, less than a year. B is the mid-tier and it’s recommended be taken before the C band (because most people overestimate their abilities). C band is the highest. Within these bands you have two possible levels, 1 (lower), 2 (higher). So I took the B band, and there are only three possible results:
- Fail
- B1
- B2 – this was my target
About C, this is the highest level and from my experience, few people can achieve a C1 level in speaking and writing. And even fewer can attain the legendary C2 level, not because it’s impossible but because most people realize the amount of effort required, makes it just not worth it. A B2 in writing and speaking is well suitable for daily life, reading papers, articles etc. I personally know someone who has lived in Taiwan for 15 years, speaks perfect Chinese, literally knew every random Chinese idiom I could say – only one she didn’t know, but could infer the meaning –, and she only got a C1 in reading and C1 in listening. The juice isn’t worth the squeeze.
I’ve also seen a few people online that claim they got a C2 in reading, or listening or whatever, while studying outside the country. I have a very hard time believing that. Even TOCFL suggests living in a Mandarin speaking country will double your learning speed. So living in America and learning fluent Chinese in 3 years? I want to see your test score.
Reviewed example answers
In preparation for the test, first, I reviewed these answers to get an idea of what to expect.
Created a daily practice prompt
From looking at the test requirements, like the topics covered, example questions. I ended up using AI to help generate a prompt which I used in my daily studies. It’s not perfect, because I asked the AI to grade me based on the TOCFL grading chart and it almost always gave me B2. At one point it even upgraded me to C1, but of course in reality I only got B1. So don’t let the AI fool you, whatever level you think you are, it’s not enough.
At the end I will share the prompts I used.
Writing practice method
I practiced writing the most, by writing one or two essays a day. Typically, I would ask AI to write out an example answer based on the grading rubric. From that I would memorize the essay by rewriting or rewording it. Trying to improve my style and expression ability.
After that I would set a time and write an essay from whatever the AI gave me.
After writing, I’ll ask the AI to correct and grade. From there I would then rewrite the essay to learn from my mistakes.
This whole process would take at least 2 or 3 hours a day. Sometimes if I just couldn’t express a certain topic well, I would practice it all day.
Example answer
Here is one of my essays from one of my practice sessions. Yes I know Social Media is misspelt, I’m on Linux and the keyboard gives the alternative character.
📝 題目：
「有人認為社群媒體讓人更接近，也有人認為它讓人更疏離。你同意哪一種看法？」
近年來，社羣媒體越來越普遍，不管在哪裏能讓人保持聯絡。雖然帶來一些好處，但我還認爲社羣媒體對大多數人造成負面影響。
首先，社羣媒體確實讓人更接近，透過手機隨時隨地能與家庭朋友保持聯絡，但是網友之間的交流與面對面的不同。線上的人往往只會分享他們的最完美的一個面，忽略他們的沒那麼好的時間，這樣會讓他們的朋友們感到很疏離。因爲實際上的生活差很多，因此讓許多人沒那麼接近。
其次，社羣媒體鼓勵人線上聯絡，輕視面對面交流。因爲這個社羣媒體的平臺公司目的是賺錢，他們的功能都鼓勵人留在線上，但是最好的交流方式是面對面。這個方式比較自然，也並沒有時差或誤會機會。大家都知道面對你的朋友是有許多好處，譬如看到別人的表情會幫你理解別人。
總而言之，雖然社羣媒體帶來許多便利功能，但還導致讓人更疏離。最理想的方式是人多面對面之間交流，互相幫忙，才能做更好的平臺。
Since I got B2 in writing, I’ll say my practice sessions worked well. No changes to be made here.
Speaking practice method
I would wake up every morning, with my big mic and ask the AI to give me a new list of questions based on the tests rubric. Here is an example:
太好了！你設定的學習計畫非常完整，我會完全依照**華語文口語測驗（華測口試）B2級（高階級）**的官方格式，幫你模擬每日測驗、評分與回饋。
那我們現在開始 Day 1 模擬測驗（B2級） 🎯
🗣️ 華語文口語測驗 B2 — Day 1 模擬題
Part 1：熱身題 Warm-Up（約30–45秒）
👉 題目：
「你平常喜歡怎麼安排週末的時間？你通常會做些什麼活動？」
Part 2：經驗描述 Experience Description（約1.5分鐘）
👉 題目：
「請描述一次你參加特別活動或比賽的經驗。那次活動是什麼？你當時的感受如何？你從中學到了什麼？」
Part 3：圖片描述 Picture Description（約1.5分鐘）
👉 圖片說明（想像場景）：
「圖片上有三位大學生坐在咖啡廳裡，他們一邊喝飲料，一邊用筆電討論專題報告。
請描述他們的情況，並談談你對‘團隊合作’的看法。」
Part 4：陳述意見 Opinion Statement（約2分鐘）
👉 題目：
「現在很多人覺得『網路讓人們之間的關係更疏遠』，也有人認為『網路讓人們更容易保持聯繫』。
你同意哪一種說法？請說明你的理由。」
📋 請依照口試形式，用自然的口語中文回答這四題。
你可以輸入成文字（口語化即可），或用語音錄音回答。
當你回答後，我會依照官方三大評分面向：
🧩 內容組織（Content & Organization）
💬 表達能力（Expressive Ability）
🀄 語言運用（Language Use）
給出每題的等級評分（A1–C1）、具體優缺點分析、範例高分回答，
並提供今日總結＋明日練習建議＋30秒口語訓練題。
請開始你的 Day 1 模擬測驗：
🎙️ 請從 Part 1：熱身題 開始回答：「你平常喜歡怎麼安排週末的時間？」
I would then go through all the questions, with a timer and using the built in ChatGPT recording feature. But I wish it had a built-in timer.
Afterwards, it’ll correct me and give a score. The score wasn’t too helpful because it praised me too much. However, it’s feedback was always useful and lead me to the next steps.
After the correction I would repeat it a few times, and maybe again the next day.
I feel like my practice sessions kinda helped, but it would have been better to pick one topic and expand on that for longer periods of time. I have a hard time going deeper into a topic and really expressing my point of view well. I feel this is what led me to only getting a B1 score.
Example answer
To give people an idea of my speaking level. Here is an example answer I gave to ChatGPT during one of my practice sessions. I said all of this within two minutes. Please note, some of the transcriptions are not correct but it’s about 99% accurate.
🎯 今日題目（陳述意見題）
「有些人覺得早起對身體和生活比較好，
也有人覺得晚睡晚起比較符合現代人的生活方式。
你覺得早起還是晚起比較好？請說明你的看法並提供至少兩個理由。」
我覺得早起對身體和生活比較好。 首先,早起床的人是比較健康的習慣, 因為起床後你就可以去運動,還是吃早餐,然後上班。 這個習慣對身體比較健康。 其次,我覺得很早起床,如果你很晚起床,那可能會超過早餐營業的時間。 這樣比較難去你想吃的餐廳,因為你睡太久。 當然晚起床有一些優點,譬如說晚上比較安靜的環境,你可以專注你想要做的重要的事情。 但總的來說,我覺得早起是比較好的生活習慣,因為比較健康。 也可以早起床可以做你想要做的事情。 喝完水比較不好的習慣。
Speaking fluently in this kind of setting is quite difficult. You basically have to juggle multiple issues at once:
- Time cannot be wasted thinking, so you’ll need a backlog of useful phrases. For example: 我給你一個例子 or 不一定會
- Decide your two points before speaking, and then on the fly, expressing it.
- From each point, give examples from your personal experience.
- Trying to give a logical, thoughtful answer, while the timer is counting down.
- You cannot spend any time thinking about Chinese grammar, words or language.
In the future, I would recommend discussing this kind of topic with a partner for at least 10 minutes. Digging into all areas you can. Yeah it’ll be boring, but your speaking ability needs to be so well rounded, you can focus all your energy on your answer.
The actual test experience
Speaking test
So on the day of, I was nervous. My thought process was to practice answering these types of questions everyday for a whole month for about an hour. This would create a habit and so my brain would just be able to spit out answers without thinking about it too much. This mostly worked, but my ultimate downfall was not speaking in greater lengths of time, and practicing answering hypothetical questions. You’ll see why.
I should note, you have a minute to prepare for the harder questions. And a pen and paper are provided for taking notes. I mostly wrote down the points I wanted to make.
Two warm up questions
So the test starts with two warm up questions, which don’t count for anything. It’s basic stuff, like introduce your family etc.
Why did you learn Chinese?
This was a walk in the park. I answer this question everyday.
Ideal job?
I don’t totally remember this question, but I believe it was what kind of job would you like and why? Is money important etc? This is a common thing for me to talk about, so no issues.
Describe the picture
So for this part, a picture is shown and you need to describe the situation and if you’ve experienced it before. I got a picture of an old woman trying to give a package to a post office worker, but according to the sign behind her, she packaged it wrong.
This was one of the harder questions, because in real life, you almost never describe a situation from a picture. I kinda fumbled and forgot a lot of specific post office words.
Which character would you be?
This was the hardest question. I had to pick a character from a movie or a book. I chose Spiderman, because I knew how to say this characters name and mostly how to describe everything about him. But then I realized, I didn’t know how to say shoot spiderwebs or swing from buildings. This is a case of lack of experience, no one asks me these types of questions ever.
Would you rather travel young or old?
Now this is the argumentative section. One minute to prepare and you must pick a side. For this I chose I would rather travel when I’m younger. Because I have more energy, time, and it suits my travel style better. This sounds easy, but you have to talk for two minutes straight and can’t repeat yourself.
There is an argument at a restaurant, how to resolve?
This one was strange but I felt I explained myself well. Basically, there was an argument where one person was unhappy with their meal and the owner will not refund or offer any concessions. You had to share your thoughts and who you agreed with.
Writing test
You have the option of writing this in pinyin or in zhujin. And this is not written on paper, it’s on the computer.
Question 1: Write a letter
This was about your experience studying abroad. I used a Chinese idiom, but that didn’t help me in getting 4 stars.
Question 2: Write an argumentative essay
The question was, a construction company was to build a new shopping mall in a small village. Pick a side and explain if this is good for the community or bad. I ended up getting 4 stars for this. I wrote a pretty formal, strong essay and pulled out every trick I could. I started out explaining the pros and cons, and then ultimately saying this is good for the city because it’ll invite more investment and improve every ones quality of life.
Practice Chinese via Charades
So I created a free mobile app to help people learn languages with friends and in meet ups. If you can take a quick look and download it, that’ll help out out. Getting your app visible on the app store is not easy anymore. Thanks!
For now it’s only on ios It’s called Word Head.
Writing prompt
This is what I used for my daily writing exercise. I would set a timer and write out whatever example topic was given. Source of requirements
📘 Role & Goal:
You are my Chinese writing coach and examiner. I am preparing for the 華語文寫作測驗 and want to reach B2 (高階級) level. Please evaluate my writing strictly according to the official rubric.
🧭 Step 1 — Topic Selection:
Each day, provide one B2-level writing task (450–550 words). The task should be either:
書信寫作 (formal/semi-formal letter):
Include proper Chinese writing format: 收件人、寄件人、日期、稱呼、正文.
Convey emotions and highlight the personal significance of events.
Comment on messages or viewpoints of the recipient if appropriate.
Include all three required content points in the task.
Be clear, detailed, and logically structured.
Use proper paragraphing; each paragraph should have 3–6 sentences.
Use Chinese punctuation.
Strictly 450–550 words.
觀點論述 (argumentative essay on a social issue):
Express only one clear position (支持 or 反對) throughout.
Provide reasons and concrete examples supporting the viewpoint.
Examples must be relevant, persuasive, and logically connected.
Organize ideas clearly; use cohesive transitions.
Use proper Chinese punctuation.
Strictly 450–550 words.
Additional rules:
The topic must be realistic and culturally relevant, similar to the actual test.
Always specify whether it is 書信寫作 or 觀點論述.
Include a short scenario describing the context of the writing task.
Example (觀點論述):
有些父母讓念小學的孩子帶手機去學校，但他們也擔心這樣做可能對孩子有不好的影響。請你針對 “小學生帶手機去學校” 這個議題表達你的看法，內容必須明確表達你的支持或反對立場，並提出充分理由支持你的觀點。
📝 Step 2 — My Writing Submission:
I will write my essay (450–550 words) according to the topic you provide.
🧮 Step 3 — Evaluation:
After I submit my writing, please:
Evaluate using the official criteria:
情境任務的符合度與充實度 (task relevance and completeness)
結構完整性與句法正確度 (organization and grammar accuracy)
詞語適切度與豐富性 (vocabulary appropriateness and richness)
Give a score estimate (A1–C1) and indicate whether it meets B2 standard.
Provide a corrected version with improved grammar, vocabulary, cohesion, and structure.
Offer 2–3 specific improvement tips.
🎯 Step 4 — Daily Improvement Focus:
Provide a micro-goal for my next writing session, e.g.:
Practice using 因為…所以… / 不僅…而且…
Focus on cohesive paragraph linking
Enhance vocabulary richness
✅ Instructions for Daily Use:
When I start, say:
🧑🎓 “Let’s begin today’s B2-level writing practice. Please give me a writing task.”
Speaking prompt
Below is the prompt I used in my daily speaking exercise. I would paste this into ChatGPT and then use the microphone feature to record my voice and then submit it. I also timed myself as to not go over / under the minimum time. For this test you must keep talking until the time runs out. Source of requirements
🎯 Goal:
I’m preparing for the 華語文口語測驗 (Chinese Oral Proficiency Test) and aiming to achieve B2 (高階級) level within one month.
Please act as my official oral test coach and evaluator, using the official rubric for structure, scoring, and feedback.
🧭 Step 1 — Complete B2 Daily Test Simulation
Each day, please give me 4 questions, covering all core task types from the 進階高階級 (B2 Band) of the official test:
Part 1: 熱身題 (Warm-Up)
→ Ask 1 short personal question about daily life or interests to help me start speaking naturally.
Example: 「你平常喜歡怎麼安排週末的時間？」
Part 2: 經驗描述 (Experience Description)
→ Ask me to describe a personal experience, past event, or situation.
Example: 「請描述一次讓你印象深刻的旅行經驗。」
Part 3: 圖片描述 (Picture Description)
→ Describe a given image or imagined scene (you can describe it in text form).
Example: 「圖片上有幾位年輕人在公園裡撿垃圾，請描述他們的活動，並談談你對環保的看法。」
Part 4: 陳述意見 (Opinion Statement)
→ Give me a general or social topic. I must present a clear opinion, support it with at least 2 reasons, and use examples.
Example: 「有人認為學生不應該打工，也有人覺得打工有幫助。你怎麼看？」
🎙️ Step 2 — My Speaking Responses
I will respond in spoken Chinese (voice recording or written “spoken-style” text).
Each answer should last about:
Part 1: 30–45 seconds
Part 2: 1.5 minutes
Part 3: 1.5 minutes
Part 4: 2 minutes
🧮 Step 3 — Official Evaluation Criteria
After I respond, please evaluate each part based on the 華語文口語測驗 B2 標準:
1. 內容組織 (Content & Organization)
Is the message clear, complete, and logically organized?
Did I provide examples or reasons?
2. 表達能力 (Expressive Ability)
Is my speaking fluent, natural, and easy to understand?
Did I connect ideas smoothly using cohesive phrases (例如：首先、另外、因此、總之)?
Did I express emotions or opinions appropriately?
3. 語言運用 (Language Use)
Are my sentences grammatically correct?
Did I use appropriate, rich, and accurate vocabulary?
Is my pronunciation/tone natural and accurate?
🧾 Step 4 — Feedback and Scoring
For each question, please:
Give me a score (A1–C1) and note if it meets B2 criteria.
Highlight specific strengths and weaknesses (for example: fluency, vocabulary, tone accuracy, idea development).
Provide an improved version or model response (natural, test-style Chinese).
Summarize overall feedback with an estimated overall band level (e.g., “Your current performance: B1+, approaching B2”).
💡 Step 5 — Targeted Improvement Plan
After the evaluation, please give me:
2–3 focused improvement tips for the next day (for example:
“Work on expressing comparisons using 比較…” or
“Practice explaining reasons clearly using 因為…所以…”).
A short daily speaking drill (30–60 seconds), such as:
“Describe your day using only complex connectors (雖然…但是…, 不但…而且…).”
🧩 Example Use
👩🎓 “Let’s begin today’s speaking practice. Please give me all 4 questions (熱身題、經驗描述、圖片描述、陳述意見) following the official B2 test format.”