Cantonese Read-aloud Test　CRAT

The pronunciations accepted in the Cantonese Read-Aloud Test are those that are widely accepted in society; dictionary pronunciations are not followed blindly. Candidates may refer to the Jyutping romanisation given in Appendix 2 (Polysyllabic Lexical Items List), Appendix 3 (Hong Kong Chinese Passage List) and Appendix 4 (Written Cantonese Passage List). For example:

• In 時間, 間 should not be read as gaan1
• In 花貓, 貓 should not be read as miu4
• In 孩子, 孩 should not be read as hoi4
• 朱古力 should be read “zyu1 gu1 lik1”, not “zyu1 gu2 lik6”

A number of more recent variations in Cantonese pronunciation are treated as follows in the test:

• Reading n- as l- is accepted
  • e.g. 女 – both neoi5 and leoi5 are accepted
  • However, misreading l- as n- is counted as an accuracy error
• The merger of ng- with the zero initial is accepted
  • e.g. 我 – both ngo5 and o5 are accepted
  • e.g. 愛 – both oi3 and ngoi3 are accepted
• The merger of -n and -ng is not accepted
  • e.g. 恆生 hang4 sang1; 痕身 han4 san1
• The merger of -t and -k is not accepted
  • e.g. 百八 baak3 baat3; 八百 baat3 baak3
• The merger of gw-, kw- with g-, k- is not accepted
  • e.g. 各家 gok3 gaa1; 國家 gwok3 gaa1
  • e.g. 曠世 kwong3 sai3; 抗世 kong3 sai3

In addition, overly affected pronunciation is counted as an accent purity error.

For the academic rationale behind the acceptance of Cantonese pronunciations, please see:The Stratification of the Acceptability of Variation in the Cantonese Phonological System and Its RationalePDF ↓

No. For example, 我們的 should be read “ngo5 mun4 dik1”, not rendered as 我哋嘅.

Part A (characters) and Part B (polysyllabic lexical items):

• You may correct yourself (the final pronunciation is the one assessed)
• However, you may not go back to re-read an item once you have moved on to the next one

Part C (passages):

• You may correct yourself
• However, this will affect your fluency rating

Factors affecting the fluency rating include, but are not limited to:

• No re-reading
• An appropriate reading speed
• Appropriate sentence rhythm and pausing
• Intonation that is not monotonous
• Correct grouping and linking of words
• Correct placement of stressed and unstressed syllables

The ratings shown on the certificate do not explicitly indicate subgrades, but subgrades are taken into account when the overall result is calculated. For example, a rating of A- or A+ is shown as A on the certificate, but the overall result calculated from that rating may differ.

HKCALA provides a verification service for Cantonese Read-Aloud Test certificates issued within the past two years. If required, please email the Association with a copy of the certificate whose details you wish to verify. Each verification costs HK$150 and covers the details of up to 4 certificates.

For personalised guidance on Cantonese pronunciation and reading aloud, please enquire with organisations that offer Cantonese training, including university language centres. HKCALA mainly provides assessment services; owing to limited resources, conflict-of-role considerations and other factors, training and coaching services are not available at this stage.

There is no age limit for the Cantonese Read-Aloud Test, but candidates under 18 must have parental consent to sit it. During the test, candidates must present a valid identification document for identity verification, and must be able to understand and follow the test instructions given in writing (Chinese characters) and orally (Cantonese). For online tests, a parent may help a younger candidate set up the video conferencing equipment (Zoom), but HKCALA is unable to provide additional technical support for younger candidates.

Candidates will receive the Zoom link within the two days before the test. No password is required, and candidates can join through the Zoom web client without installing the Zoom application. To ensure the test runs smoothly, however, we recommend testing Zoom in advance to confirm that your connection works.

Candidates who cannot use Zoom because of restrictions in their location must resolve these network and technical issues themselves; HKCALA is unable to provide assistance. Failing to join the test Zoom meeting on the test day, or arriving more than 10 minutes late, will be treated as an absence.

Because many candidates have previously reported emails being intercepted or rejected, HKCALA does not accept registrations made with @qq.com addresses, and advises against using mainland Chinese email providers such as @126.com and @163.com. Such providers automatically and randomly intercept or block emails sent from outside mainland China. We recommend using addresses such as @gmail.com, @outlook.com, @yahoo.com, @icloud.com or @protonmail.com. HKCALA accepts no responsibility for communication failures caused by email provider restrictions (failure to receive certificates, candidate numbers, test Zoom links, and so on).

Certificates are sent out within 3 months after the test. Before the certificate is formally dispatched, candidates will receive a confirmation email containing an electronic copy of the certificate, and may choose to waive the paper certificate. Candidates in mainland China who waive the paper certificate do not have to pay the SF Express delivery fee.

Because many candidates have reported that certificates sent to mainland China by ordinary mail are frequently lost, HKCALA uses SF Express (freight collect) as a reliable delivery method for mainland China only.