A Comparative Analysis on the Listening Test of HSK and IELTS

To promote the improvement of the HSK, this study compares the listening tests of HSK Levels 4 to 6 with the IELTS Academic in terms of question setting, speech input, and discourse. The findings revealed that the listening test of HSK has unbalanced question structure, limited question types and lacks authenticity in speech. Significant improvements are needed in the reliability, validity and authenticity of the test. To solve these problems, this study refers to the mature experience of IELTS and proposes that HSK should balance the ratio of monologue to conversation questions, increase the question types, adjust the speed of speech, standardize the listening lexicon, and broaden the topic genres.