TOPIK I And TOPIK II Explained: Two Tests, Six Grades

The Test of Proficiency in Korean, universally called TOPIK, is the qualification Korean universities, employers and immigration authorities recognise. It is run by the National Institute for International Education, a body under the Korean Ministry of Education. Families arriving from a Japanese-language background often assume it works like the JLPT and are then confused on registration day, because it is built on a different principle.

You register for a paper, not a level

With the JLPT you choose one of five levels and either pass it or do not. With TOPIK there are only two papers, and between them they award six grades. You do not sign up for a grade. You sign up for a paper, sit it, and the grade is assigned according to your total score.

• TOPIK I awards grade 1 or grade 2. It contains listening and reading only. There is no writing section.
• TOPIK II awards grade 3, 4, 5 or 6. It contains listening, writing and reading, and is delivered in two sittings on the day.
• The writing section of TOPIK II includes short completion tasks and longer compositions. It is the only part of either paper where the candidate produces extended Korean.
• If you sit TOPIK II and fall below the threshold for grade 3, you are not awarded grade 2 as a consolation. You receive no grade at all. This is the most important planning fact on this page.

What each grade describes

The official descriptors are worth reading in full, but the summary below is enough to plan with. Notice that the grades are described in terms of what a person can do, not how many words they know.

• Grade 1 covers survival Korean: greetings, self-introduction, simple everyday exchanges, and reading and writing hangul with basic sentences.
• Grade 2 covers routine daily tasks such as using a post office or bank, and distinguishing formal from informal speech in familiar situations.
• Grade 3 means a learner can manage ordinary daily life without much difficulty, use public facilities, maintain social relationships and handle familiar concrete topics in speech and writing.
• Grade 4 means a learner can function to some degree in a general workplace, follow news and newspapers on general topics, and handle social and moderately abstract subject matter.
• Grade 5 means a learner can operate to a reasonable degree in a specialised or professional field and follow unfamiliar topics in politics, economics and culture.
• Grade 6 means a learner can carry out professional or research work relatively fluently and accurately. It is not native-level, and the descriptors say so, but it is close to the ceiling of what the test measures.

How TOPIK grading differs from the JLPT

Two differences matter for preparation. First, TOPIK grades on the total score alone. There are no sectional minimums, so a strong reading performance genuinely can pull up a weak listening performance. That is the opposite of the JLPT, where every scoring section carries its own floor.

Second, TOPIK results carry a validity period. A certificate is valid for two years from the announcement of results, which means timing matters in a way it does not for the JLPT. If your child sits TOPIK II two years before the application they intend to use it for, they may have to sit it again. Work backwards from the application deadline and place the sitting inside the window.

Choosing the right paper

The choice is genuinely consequential because of the no-grade outcome on TOPIK II.

1. If the learner is in their first year or so of Korean, sit TOPIK I. A grade 2 certificate is a real result and a useful confidence marker.
2. If the target is university admission, the useful grades start at 3, which means TOPIK II. Sit a full timed past paper first and check the total is comfortably clear of the grade 3 boundary before registering.
3. Do not sit TOPIK II speculatively hoping to pick up a low grade. There is no low grade to pick up.
4. Prepare the writing section deliberately. Because TOPIK I has no writing at all, learners moving up to TOPIK II meet extended composition for the first time under exam conditions, and it is where scores are most often lost.
5. Check what is offered at your test centre. Sittings are more frequent inside Korea than overseas, places can fill, and registration windows close well before the test.

Other formats and who needs which

A separate speaking test has been introduced, and an internet-based version of the test has been rolled out in some locations. Availability varies by country and changes over time, so check the official site rather than relying on a tutor centre summary or an older forum post.

• Degree study in Korea taught in Korean: TOPIK II, aiming for grade 3 or above depending on the institution.
• Exchange semesters: requirements vary widely, and some exchange places are taught in English with no TOPIK requirement.
• University-attached language institutes: entry is normally by the institute own placement test, not by TOPIK, so a certificate is not usually needed to start.
• Employment with Korean companies: expectations differ by role, but grade 4 and above is where a candidate is generally treated as workplace-capable.
• Residence and visa categories: some Korean immigration categories award points for TOPIK grades. Check the official immigration portal, because these schemes are revised regularly.

For a Hong Kong family the practical summary is simple. TOPIK I is a milestone. TOPIK II is the one that opens doors, it has a validity period, and it should be sat when a timed mock paper says the learner is ready rather than when the calendar says it is time to try.