Course content
The Certificate in Business Chinese course is focused on developing conversational skills in everyday and commercial matters, either in person or through communication channels. Students are introduced to key skills in listening, speaking and cultural issues. Two course levels are currently being offered.

Entry level course
Unit 1: exchanging greetings/business cards
Unit 2: enquiring about availability for meetings/conference calls
Unit 3: confirming meetings
Unit 4: arriving for meetings

Level one course
Unit 1: introductions and cordial exchanges
Unit 2: changing scheduled meetings/conference calls
Unit 3: directions, instructions and modes of transportation

To add flexibility two optional units are provided. Students choose one of the following:
Unit 4: checking into a hotel
Unit 5: buying and selling in a retail outlet

Although the course does not test writing, this does not mean that writing characters cannot be taught. If some students are interested writing can be taught as well. It is also possible to add anything into the platform in consultation with the course provider. If offered to post 14 students, it may be a good idea to combine the language with Chinese cultural topics.

The GoChinese multimedia platform
The course may be delivered via the GoChinese multimedia platform. Schools and colleges may also submit their own content into the platform.  

The GoChinese platform provides a set of authoring tools that allow teachers to customise existing or create new web based lessons or exercises to tailor the course to any existing vocational area of study.

The platform provides a self-supported learning provision to reduce the need for additional teacher contact time and to ensure the reinforcement of knowledge and understanding between sessions.

Students are able to:

• Hear the spoken voice
• View definitions
• View Hanyu Pinyin phonetics
• View both character forms
  

In addition a full range of online exercises with score keeping and performance feedback is provided. These units allow students the opportunity to follow an individual and progressive route. Visit the ICAA website for more information and a demonstration of GoChinese or directly visit the GoChinese website.

More time
When compared with the GCSE Chinese course, teachers can devote more time to helping less able students because the more able ones can work independently on screen. Also it saves teachers’ marking time as all the exercise are marked by the platform automatically. Teachers can not only check students' log in record but also their record of exercises undertaken in the teachers’ account so it is much easier to track the progress of students through the course.