Topics · Primary Chinese · Composition (作文)
作文: planning a Chinese composition
The largest single mark on the paper. Most of it is decided before the first character is written — by whether the story has a shape, and whether it answers the title it was given.
- 179 exam papers analysed
- appears in 55% of P6 Chinese papers
- ~3 min read
01 Answer the title you were given
A composition that is well written and off the topic scores badly. Underline the key word in the title and check every paragraph is still about it.
一件难忘的事 — the marker is looking for one event, and for why it was 难忘. A composition about a whole holiday has already lost marks.
Use the title's words in the opening and the ending. It shows the marker the composition is on topic, and it keeps you on it.
02 The four-part shape
Chinese compositions are taught with a shape that has been used for centuries, and markers look for it.
| Part | What it does | How much |
|---|---|---|
| 起 opening | sets the scene: when, where, who | short — 2 or 3 sentences |
| 承 development | the event begins and builds | one paragraph |
| 转 turn | the problem, the surprise, the change | the longest paragraph |
| 合 ending | how it resolved, and what you learnt | short — 2 or 3 sentences |
03 Writing it well, not writing it long
Describe rather than report. 他很紧张 is a report. 他的手心全是汗，心跳得很快 is a description, and it is worth more.
Use the senses. What was seen, heard, smelt. Two sentences of this in the 转 paragraph lifts the whole composition.
Put in some 成语 and some 好词好句 — but only ones you are sure of. A wrongly used idiom costs more than a plain sentence would have.
Vary the sentence openings. Four paragraphs all starting 我 reads flat.
Dialogue is allowed and helps, with the right punctuation: 「」 or 引号, and a new line for each speaker.
04 The last five minutes
Leave time to check. These are marks already earned and then dropped.
- Characters you were unsure of. If you cannot write it, use a word you can. A wrong character is a lost mark; a simpler word is not.
- Punctuation. Chinese uses 。，、；：？！ and they are full-width, one per square. A composition with no full stops loses marks on its own.
- Paragraphs. Four of them, each indented two squares. One block of text loses the organisation mark.
- Length. Meet the minimum. Well past it in shaky Chinese does not help — more sentences means more chances to be wrong.
- The ending answers the title. Read the title, then read your last sentence. They should be about the same thing.
05 How to say them
These are words most children have never said out loud, and a word you cannot say is a word you avoid using. The respelling is Hanyu Pinyin, with the tone marked over the vowel. Tap the speaker to hear it.
- 作文sayzuò wén
Composition — the written piece, and the biggest single mark on the paper.
- 题目saytí mù
The title. Everything in the composition has to be about it.
- 开头saykāi tóu
The opening. Short: when, where and who.
- 结尾sayjié wěi
The ending. It resolves the event and says what was learnt.
- 成语saychéng yǔ
A four-character idiom. Worth marks when used correctly, and costly when not.
- 段落sayduàn luò
A paragraph, indented two squares. Four of them is the usual shape.
06 What each level is tested on
The same topic, asked differently as it goes up. The percentage is the share of papers at that level in which it appears.
- P3
Short compositions from a given title, with a clear beginning, middle and end.
Practise P3 Chinese Composition (作文) — 8 questions → Practise P3 Higher Chinese Composition (作文) — 8 questions →25% of P3 Chinese papers
41% of P3 Higher Chinese papers
- P4
Four paragraphs with a turn in the third, and description rather than reporting.
Practise P4 Chinese Composition (作文) — 8 questions → Practise P4 Higher Chinese Composition (作文) — 8 questions →42% of P4 Chinese papers
55% of P4 Higher Chinese papers
- P5
Longer compositions, idioms and dialogue, and endings that answer the title.
Practise P5 Chinese Composition (作文) — 8 questions →40% of P5 Chinese papers
- P6
Full-length compositions judged on content, language and organisation together.
Practise P6 Chinese Composition (作文) — 8 questions →55% of P6 Chinese papers
07 Mistakes worth knowing about
Each of these is wrong. Decide why before you open it.
“I started writing straight away to save time.”
Five minutes of planning is what decides the mark. Without it the composition wanders off the title.
“一件难忘的事 — I wrote about the whole holiday.”
One event. The title says 一件, and a composition covering a week has already missed the topic.
“I used lots of 成语 to get more marks.”
Only ones you are sure of. A misused idiom costs more than the plain sentence it replaced.
“他很紧张。”
A report, not a description. 他的手心全是汗 shows the same thing and scores more.
“I wrote well past the minimum length.”
Length beyond the minimum earns nothing by itself, and every extra sentence is another chance for a wrong character.
Now try it
32 questions across 4 levels, marked as you go with the working shown.