Topik Level 1 Pdf
Yahaira Petrov
The test was first administered in 1997 and taken by 2,274 people. Initially the test was held only once a year.[1] In 2009, 180,000 people took the test.[2] The Korean government introduced a law in 2007 that required Chinese workers of Korean descent with no relatives in Korea to attain more than 200 points (out of 400) in the Business TOPIK (B-TOPIK) so they could be entered into a lottery for work visa.[3][4]
In previous years, the test was divided into four parts: vocabulary and grammar, writing, listening, and reading. Two versions of the test were offered: the Standard (S)-TOPIK and the Business (B)-TOPIK. There were three different levels of S-TOPIK: beginner (초급), intermediate (중급), and advanced (고급). Depending on the average score and minimum marks in each section it was possible to obtain grades 1-2 in beginner, 3-4 in intermediate and 5-6 in advanced S-TOPIK. In B-TOPIK the scores in each section (out of 100) were added together to give a score out of 400.[8]
TOPIK I is the basic level test containing two obtainable grades, while TOPIK II is the combined intermediate/advanced level with four obtainable grades. The evaluation is based on the total number of points earned.
Able to create simple sentences based on about 800 basic vocabulary items and possess understanding of basic grammar. Able to understand and compose simple and useful sentences related to everyday life.
Able to carry out daily routine, with fair use of public facilities and able to socialize without significant difficulty.Able to express or understand social subjects familiar to himself/herself, as well as specific subjects, based on the paragraph's subject matter. Able to understand and use written language and spoken language based on their distinctive basic characteristics.
Able to use various public facilities, socialize, and carry out some degree of ordinary work.Able to understand easy parts in news broadcasts, newspapers, and understand and use expressions related to social and abstract subjects relatively correctly and fluently.Able to understand social and cultural subjects, based on understanding of Korean culture and frequently used idiomatic expressions.
Able to understand and use expressions related to even unfamiliar aspects of politics, economics, society, and culture.Able to use expressions properly, depending on formal, informal, spoken/written context.
Able to understand and use the expressions related to even unfamiliar subjects of politics, economics, society, and culture.Experiences no difficulty in performing functions or conveying meaning, although the proficiency level is not quite at the same level as a university-educated native speaker.
The test consists of mostly multiple-choice questions; however, the TOPIK II level writing examination will require a short-answer. TOPIK I consists of multiple-choice questions for listening (40 minutes long with 30 questions) and reading (60 minutes long with 40 questions). Both examination areas are worth a score of 100 with a combining score of 200. TOPIK II has two slots. The first slot is the listening examination (60 minutes long with 50 questions) and writing (50 minutes long with 4 short-answer questions). The second slot is for the reading examination (70 minutes long with 50 questions). All three examinations of TOPIK II are worth a score of 100 with a combining score of 300.
A very interesting one indeed. Each Korean university sets their own standards for exemption of Korean Language classes for foreign students but the general idea is that those who reached the level 5 (or above) of TOPIK, KLPT (score: 400), or KPE (Including Speaking and Writing tests) will be exempted from the language courses.
And I would think TOPIK is a more robust criteria compared to KLPT. I have already obtained a score of 415 in 2009 and I was NOWHERE near being able to comprehend normal Korean conversation, let alone attend a university lesson.
The proficiency tests are a good gauge of your vocabulary and grammar level but it does not say much. You need a lot of experiences listening to Korean, getting used to various speech styles etc before you can say that you are good enough.
Taking classes in a university not only involves listening to the lecture, but also interacting with your classmates to do group work, writing reports, giving presentations and writing your exams in Korean. I would think that even if you have obtained a level 6 in TOPIK, you will still need time to adjust and adapt and perhaps only be comfortable with taking university lessons after a semester or so.
First of all, to make a differentiation, most universities in Korea have various tracks for admissions. For instance, Yonsei University has an admission directly for Underwood International College (its all-English undergraduate programme), and another regular admission for the other colleges. So in this case, for admissions to UIC, you would not need Korean proficiency.
However, for the regular admission, you would definitely need Korean proficiency. Even if some of the classes offered in say, the College of Business is conducted in English, during admission to the College of Business itself, you need to have Korean proficiency. Even if you are planning to choose only English classes (if they even offer enough classes conducted in English that you are able to complete the number of credits to graduate, which is usually quite unlikely), you would still need Korean proficiency.
Of course, there are some universities that state that for some majors, Korean proficiency is not required. Most of the time, it would be probably the English majors, or some universities that have some global business programmes or international studies/global studies programme. If so, then good (or bad, depending on how much you want to learn Korean) for you (:
While it sounds like a good plan for the students who really want to enter the university, I personally do not agree with such policies. Neither do I think that universities that only require TOPIK Level 3 for majors that are conducted in Korean are fully aware of the consequences on the students. I say this on a personal level, based on my own experience and the experiences of people around me, and so I hope to share our stories so to help all of you hoping to come to Korea for your studies make a more informed decision.
I am really not trying to discourage anyone here. But the fact is, TOPIK Level 3 is honestly not enough, based on my personal experience. Even my friends who have completed the entire Korean Language Institute course up to the highest level, as offered by her university, takes much time with her schoolwork. And her level would be considered a TOPIK Level 5 at least.
One of my friends doing grad school is a TOPIK Level 4, majoring in Economics. You would think that Economics is easier if you had to choose a major conducted in Korean, since it is mostly Math-related (so not many words). However, she still has difficulties understanding difficult concepts, and she has to work doubly hard to get past the language barrier.
I hope that I have not scared you away (haha). I just wanted to present the reality as it is. If you are keen on a Korean programme, I hope that this post will help you in your consideration of whether to take conditional offers, or just complete Korean language studies first before starting. After all, you know yourself best, and you would know which way is suitable for you ^^
(Just wanted to say again that this is my personal opinion, based on personal experience and experiences of friends around me. It is of course not the case for everyone in the same situation, and I am not trying to make generalizations. More importantly, I am not trying to tell you what to do or insisting that everyone needs TOPIK Level 5 or something like that. I just hope that by sharing our experiences and my personal opinion, potential students will know the reality and what they are getting themselves into, and then make a more informed decision.)
Hi I have come accrpss this blog while researching about studying in Korea. I was wondering about the same thing, whether or not I will be able to survive studying a graduate program at SNU with only pure basic Korean knowledge. Their requirement to enter the university states that I can do TOEFL instead of TOPIK so I thought it will be easy. But based on your post it seems impossible to pass without really doing at least level 4-5 TOPIK? Moreover, do you know of some international students who actually tried to enter the university without prior TOPIK level?
TOPIK is a Korean proficiency test and is especially popular among foreigners wishing to find professional employment in companies in Korea, foreigners who want a residency visa in Korea, bring the family to Korea, and for other equivalent reasons.
This Korean Test measures proficiency in the Korean Language, so foreigners or Korean language learners who need to validate their proficiency in the language may want to consider taking this test.
The old format of the TOPIK had three different levels of TOPIK scores: beginner, intermediate, and advanced. The Korean test consisted of four sections: grammar and vocabulary, listening, reading, and writing. This was the format of TOPIK until 2014.
TOPIK I the test consists of only reading and listening. To reach a higher level in TOPIK I, you are expected to understand simple daily conversations (both formal and informal), formulate simple sentences, and be able to manage some public tasks in your everyday life in Korean.
TOPIK Level 2 is also under TOPIK I. At this level, you are expected to be able to carry out simple conversations in person or over the phone and be able to ask for directions or instructions. To pass this level, you need around 140 points.
To get the highest score in TOPIK II, you are expected to be at a level where you can function in Korean in professional tasks and research environments, comprehend a wide range of ideas and expressions, and be able to understand complex topics such as economics, politics, or issues related to the professional field.
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