The world around us: places, weather and technology
Understand everyday information about locations, the natural world, digital communication, local services and materials.
Exam scope and assessment notes
This is an original StudyForA starter sequence, not the approximately 130 guided learning hours Cambridge uses as a planning guide. A qualified Mandarin teacher still needs to check every Chinese sentence, character form, vocabulary choice, register and pronunciation cue. The complete 2025–2027 and 2028–2030 vocabulary lists have not yet been reconciled word by word. Browser speech synthesis is variable practice audio, not Cambridge recordings. Speaking rehearsal and written self-checks do not award Cambridge marks; the centre conducts, marks and records Paper 3 and Cambridge moderates it. No full-length timed mock papers are included. All Chinese examples and practice prompts are original StudyForA material, not copied Cambridge assessment content.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What does «入口在超市的西边» tell you?
What you will learn
- Area C: people, places, continents, countries, nationalities and compass points
- Area C: nature, environment, climate and weather
- Area C: communications, technology, the digital world, documents and texts
- Area C: buildings, services, urban areas and shopping
- 2028–2030: size, shape and materials; 2025–2027: length, mass and money measurements
Read practical signs and messages
In a notice, locate the action, place, time and condition. «往东走» means go east; «入口在右边» means the entrance is on the right. An arrow or map can clarify position, but do not guess a distance that is not shown.
Digital messages often use time and purpose words such as «发» (send), «收到» (receive), «文件» (file/document) and «网站» (website). Confirm who sends the item and when it is needed.
Use topic vocabulary in the right cycle
The 2025–2027 topic list includes measurements such as length, mass and money. The 2028–2030 list instead names size, shape and materials in this area, alongside updated technology wording.
Weather and environmental statements need accurate qualifiers: «可能» (may), «因为» (because), «如果» (if). A possibility is not a certainty, and a local report does not prove a global trend.
Sources for this lesson
- Cambridge IGCSE Mandarin Chinese Foreign Language 0547 subject page
- 0547 syllabus for exams in 2025–2027
- 0547 syllabus, version 2, for exams in 2028–2030
- 0547 2028–2030 syllabus update
- 0547 vocabulary list for 2028
- 0547 specimen Paper 1 mark scheme for exams from 2028
- Cambridge guidance on simplified and traditional responses
Pause and explain
A message says «文件还没有发给老师». What is known?
Worked example
«图书馆在河的北边，离车站很近。今天可能下雨，请把电子票存在手机里。» Where is the library, and what should a traveller do?
Show the worked solution
- Use the compass word «北边».
- Keep «很近» as a qualitative distance, not a number.
- Interpret the instruction after «请».
Answer The library is north of the river and described as near the station. The traveller should save the e-ticket on a phone. The notice does not give an exact distance or guarantee rain.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Give a classmate directions from a station to a museum using one compass direction and one landmark.
Give me a hint
Start with «从车站出发» and use «先……再……».
Compare my reasoning
- Name the starting point.
- Give a direction and a landmark.
- End with the museum location.
Example: «从车站出发，先向北走到邮局，再向东走。博物馆在公园的南边。» It gives a sequence and landmarks; a real route should be checked on a map.
Look for these in your work
- Names the start
- Uses a compass direction
- Signals that real directions need a map check
Read «天气预报说下午有可能下雨。学校把运动会改到室内，集合时间不变。» What changed and what stayed the same?
Give me a hint
Look for the change of place and the explicit unchanged detail.
Compare my reasoning
- Find the forecast condition.
- Identify the new event location.
- Find what is explicitly unchanged.
The sports day moved indoors because rain is possible; the meeting time stays the same. The text does not give a new exact room.
Look for these in your work
- Identifies the location change
- Keeps the time unchanged
- Does not invent a venue
Write a short notice for an online club meeting: state the platform, start time, document to bring and one alternative if the connection fails.
Give me a hint
Use a clear schedule and an «如果……就……» condition.
Compare my reasoning
- State the online platform and time.
- Name a document or preparation item.
- Give a conditional backup plan.
Example: «我们星期四晚上七点在学校网站开会。请先下载活动计划。如果网络不能使用，我们就打电话联系。» It gives the platform, time, document and a conditional alternative.
Look for these in your work
- Includes all four requested details
- Uses a condition-result structure
- Does not claim the platform is available without checking
Common mistakes
- Confusing compass direction with left and right
- Treating a forecast marked «可能» as certain
- Mixing the measurement focus for the 2025–2027 and 2028–2030 topic lists
What can you explain now?
A notice says «如果下雨，活动改在体育馆». Where is the event if it rains?
Compare with the explanation
In the sports hall
«如果……» marks the condition and the second clause gives the result.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Before leaving the world around us: places, weather and technology, explain one idea from memory, answer the checkpoint and name one syllabus detail you still need to practise.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.