Lacking confidence in the written components of your Chinese exams? Find out how to become more proficient in answering these open-ended questions.
By EPH Editorial Team
The Chinese exams can be a daunting challenge for many pupils, particularly the composition and comprehension sections. However, there are distinct skills and strategies that can be developed through practice to help you ace these sections. Here are some useful tips to help you improve in both areas.
Improving Composition
- Plan Before Writing: Rushing into writing your composition without a plan can result in messy work. Take a few minutes to brainstorm ideas and outline the main points. An organised and coherent composition follows a clear structure: introduction, body, and conclusion.
- Vary Vocabulary and Sentence Structures: Incorporating a range of sentence structures and vocabulary can make your composition more engaging. The more creative and varied the language, the more impressive the composition becomes.
- Stay On Topic: Going off-topic is one of the greatest pitfalls in composition writing. Stay focused and ensure each paragraph supports your main idea. Practise writing under timed conditions to help develop discipline and sharpen your focus to prevent straying from the topic.
- Conclude with Impact: A well-crafted conclusion gives your composition a sense of closure and leaves a lasting impression. Wrap up your ideas with a thoughtful and concise statement that reinforces your main points and ties everything together.
Acing Comprehension
- Understand the Question First: Before reading the passage, look at the questions. This will help you know what to focus on while reading. Understand the question type and whether it is asking for a specific fact, an explanation, or an analysis.
- Read the Passage Carefully: It is crucial to read the entire passage thoroughly. You can underline key phrases, make annotations, and highlight important information that are relevant to the questions you’ve read to help you draw references quickly.
- Look for Key Details: Providing specific details and evidence from the text is important when answering comprehension questions. When explaining a term or analysing the author’s tone, quote exact lines or phrases that support your answer.
- Analyse Critically: Think beyond literal meanings and analyse critically instead of just summarising. Many comprehension questions require analysis rather than regurgitation. Analysing the passage in depth will help you provide a well-thought-out response.
To supplement your learning, refer to the Primary Chinese Complete Practice series ($10.90 - $11.90) by Educational Publishing House. This series not only tests syllabus words and phrases but also provides plenty of composition and comprehension exercises. Grab a copy today and start your journey towards achieving good grades in the Chinese language!
