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How to approach the exam
Writing
About the exam
Preparing for the exam
In the exam
What the markers are looking for
About the exam
The writing section of the exam is worth 25 marks.
You may use dictionaries in this section of the exam.
This is the third section of the written exam. It is designed to assess your ability to express ideas through the production of original texts in Chinese.
You will be required to write an original text in Chinese in approximately 400 characters in Chinese.
There will be a choice of two tasks requiring responses in the same text type. Each task will relate to one of the prescribed contemporary issues. Questions will be phrased in English and Chinese.
All tasks will specify a context, purpose and audience.
Preparing for the exam
To prepare for this section of the exam you should:
- read widely in Chinese
- learn from your mistakes
- practise regularly.
Read widely in Chinese
As you read a wide range of texts and text types you will notice the different features of these text types.
As you read, analyse the different text types.
Note down interesting phrases, new vocabulary and facts that you will later be able to incorporate into your own writing.
Try to read articles related to the contemporary issues listed in the syllabus.
Learn from your mistakes
Carefully go over work handed back by your teacher. If you do not understand why something has been corrected, ask your teacher. Keep all your work in a folder and read over earlier pieces to see how much progress you have made. Check that you are not still making the same mistakes.
Practise regularly
Write in Chinese as much as you can. Correspond with a Chinese friend by letter or email. Get into the habit of always planning your work and putting effort into it. When unsure, check words in a dictionary.
Practise writing under exam conditions by giving yourself a time limit to complete a task.
In the exam
Read the questions carefully and select the one(s) for which you are best prepared.
Jot down a rough plan of your response. This will help give your writing direction and structure.
Keep your answers accurate and interesting. Avoid being overly ambitious and attempting complex structures beyond your level of Chinese. Stick to phrases that you can express confidently.
Make your cultural references authentic.
Keep to the required word/character length. If you exceed the suggested length by a significant number of words you will increase your chances of making mistakes. You will also use time that could be devoted to another section of the paper.
Check through your answer at the end. Ensure that you have been consistent with register and that your language is appropriate for the context, purpose and audience.
Think in Chinese and try to give your writing an authentic Chinese feel.
What the markers are looking for
You will be assessed on your ability to:
- demonstrate understanding of the prescribed contemporary issues
- write text appropriate to context, purpose and audience
- structure and sequence information and ideas
- demonstrate control of a range of language structures and vocaulary in Chinese.
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