A-Level Online Classes
The A-Level Programme: This very challenging course covers advanced grammar, vocabulary and kanji, through studying a variety of texts, including a selection of short literary works and a film. Students will develop independent research skills by investigating an area of Japanese culture of their choice, and will learn how to write well-structured essays on a variety of topics.
2025 Exam-Year Class: Congratulations to the students who have just completed their A-Level exams: two achieved an A grade and one achieved a B. For non-native speakers balancing a demanding timetable, these are outstanding results, and well deserved!
2027 Exam-Year Class: There will be a new A-Level class starting in September this year. It is anticipated that the new A-Level class will meet three-times weekly on Mondays from 5:30 to 6:30pm, Fridays from 6:30 to 7:30pm and Sunday mornings from 9:00 to 10:00.
2026 Exam-Year class: This class meets twice-weekly on Tuesdays from 6:00~7:00pm, and Thursdays from 5:00pm~6:00pm. The Tuesday class time will change slightly from September 2025, from 6:00~7:00pm, to 7:30~8:30pm. There will be no change to the Thursday class.
If you would like more information on these courses, or to enquire about individual or small group tuition, please complete the form which you will find here. The classes are particularly suitable for non-native speaking students who are home-schooled, or whose school is not able to offer Japanese.
A-Level Resources
A-Level Content & Assessment Overview: Click here.
Exam Guides – Paper 1 Section C
Theme 1: Research topic – Family and personal relationships: traditional family structures; the nuclear family; relationships within the family. Click here for the guide.
Theme 2: Research topic – The changing nature of events in Japan: traditional festivals & modern events; influence of the tourist industry; import of Western events. Click here for the guide.
Theme 3: Research topic – Ageing society: loneliness & isolation of old people; support from families; support from society. Click here for the guide.
Theme 4: Research topic – Saving energy after the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Disaster: saving energy in daily life; debate over energy supply; old/traditional ideas about saving energy. Click here for the guide.
Exam Guides – Paper 2 Section C
Films: Spirited Away. Click here for the guide.
Literature: ‘Hana’ – click here for the guide. ‘I am a Cat’ – click here for the guide.
A-Level Kanji Book
Download the A-Level Kanji Book here: Part 1 (1–200) and Part 2 (201–400). Together, these books cover all 400 A-Level kanji, including stroke order diagrams, explanations of each character’s structure and meaning, and the essential vocabulary students will need for their final examinations. This workbook is intended as a resource, rather than a workbook.
For a comprehensive Kanji workbook which can be purchased as a paperback, I would highly recommend Kazue Ono’s ‘A-Level Japanese Kanji Workbook’, which has just been published.
I would like to request a question of this syllabus in relation to the JLPT: Which JLPT level does the A-Level Japanese match? If you could respond to me at your earliest convenience I would be highly grateful. Thank you
Dear Collei,
There are no official kanji or vocab lists for the JLPT examinations, however looking at the past papers of both qualifications, the general consensus is that the A-Level Japanese course is the equivalent of the N3 JLPT qualification – possibly at a slightly lower level.
This is a matter of opinion only, as there are no official equivalents.
がんばって！
Anne
I would like to ask, as a student who self-study A level Japanese, may I ask how should I study paper 2 literature essay when I do not have any of the book, can I just use the summary to ‘save’ my paper 2?
Dear Micah,
You can find most of the texts as PDFs online – the Don Don Yomeru Iroirona Hanashi can be ordered from JP Books online.
がんばって！
Anne
I would like to ask when writing a 論文 in section C, can I do it in this structure for the 3 main paragraphs:
Main paragraph 1 and 2: Ideas from the individual research
Main Paragraph 3: Ideas from the paragraph
Dear Micah,
As long as you are able to include (ideally) three separate pieces of information from your individual research, and (ideally) three examples from the text to support you opinion, you should be able to structure your essay in any way which is clear and logical. がんばって！
Hi, for paper 2 part a, in the answer booklet the following kanjis 優秀賞 are shown which aren’t in the specification. Would we be able to write the Japanese translation in hiragana if we don’t know the kanji?
Dear Harry,
I hope your kanji practice is going well! Regarding your question about using kanji in the translation section (Section A) of the A-Level Paper 2 exam, there’s no need to worry. You are not required to use any kanji that aren’t listed in the specification. Additionally, even if difficult words appear in kanji in the mark scheme, you won’t be penalised for writing them in hiragana. While you are expected to use the A-Level kanji in general, writing the occasional word in hiragana instead of kanji won’t affect your grade.
Best of luck with your studies!
Thanks!
Hi,
For the kanji guide, are the list of words on the right hand side of the kanji the only words we’d be expected to learn to understand in kanji.
For example: 以, 以外 is not included. Would we be expected to learn more?
Dear Harry,
The words listed in the table next to each kanji are some of the most commonly used words that include that kanji and are likely to appear in A-Level exams. Since the A-Level specification provides a list of kanji but not specific words, the words I’ve selected are meant to serve as a guide. However, there may be other words using that kanji in the exam as well.