Paid resource
HSK (1-6) Coursebooks (Level 4/5)
My notes
Most new words come with translations, and the idioms embedded in the texts are genuinely useful for understanding how natives actually talk. I'd rate it higher if the vocab presentation were more varied, but as a structured foundation it's solid. The indirect exposure — words you pick up from context rather than a glossary — sticks better than anything drilled in isolation.
The Level 4 and 5 coursebooks form the structural backbone of any serious HSK push. I worked through every reading text twice — once for comprehension, once treating unfamiliar words as vocabulary targets. The idioms embedded in the passages are the real prize; I encountered several of them on my actual test and recognised them immediately because I'd seen them in context first rather than in a word list. If you only buy one physical resource, make it the coursebook for your target level.