Answer all three bullets exactly as asked
Exercise 4 gives three bullet points, each worth about a third of the marks. Before writing, restate each bullet in your own words and check WHO is asked and from what ANGLE (your reason, not someone else's). A bullet asking 你自己为什么决定参加 (nǐ zìjǐ wèishénme juédìng cānjiā, why did YOU take part) is answered from your own view: 我决定参加，是因为我想试试没有手机的生活。(Wǒ juédìng cānjiā, shì yīnwèi wǒ xiǎng shìshi méiyǒu shǒujī de shēnghuó.)
Match format and register to the task
Each task sets a FORMAT (diary 日记, note 便条, email 电子邮件) and an AUDIENCE. A diary opens with the date and day: 三月十日，星期一 (sān yuè shí rì, xīngqīyī, 10 March, Monday). A note or email needs a greeting matched to the reader -- informal 亲爱的小华 (qīn'ài de Xiǎohuá, dear Xiaohua) for a friend, polite 老师，您好 (lǎoshī, nín hǎo, using 您) for a teacher -- and a matching close (祝好 for a friend; 此致敬礼 for a formal note). Wrong register loses marks even when the content is right.
100-120 characters; accuracy first
Exercise 4 sets a strict length (about 100 to 120 characters) and a strict script rule: characters ONLY, never pinyin. Build most of the answer from accurate SIMPLE sentences (subject + verb + object, complete and grammatical), then add one or two complex structures -- a connective such as 虽然……，但是…… or 因为……，所以…… -- to reach the top band. An inaccurate complex sentence scores lower than an accurate simple one, so accuracy comes first.
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Writing well under or over 100-120 characters
Stay within about 100 to 120 characters. Far under-length under-develops the three bullets; far over-length wastes the time you need to check accuracy and can bury a bullet in off-point detail. Aim for the range, then trim padding or add a needed detail to land inside it.
Digest S2 functional writing: Exercise 4 answers stay within 100-120 characters (s22 & s23 Ex4).
Answering a near-miss version of a bullet
A common lost mark is a plausible but WRONG-ANGLE answer: if the bullet asks 你自己为什么决定参加 (why did YOU take part), explaining why the school ran the event does not answer it. ✗ 因为学校觉得手机太多人用了，所以举办了这次活动。(the school's reason.) ✓ 我决定参加，是因为我想试试没有手机的生活。(Wǒ juédìng cānjiā, shì yīnwèi wǒ xiǎng shìshi méiyǒu shǒujī de shēnghuó.) Reread each bullet and check WHO the answer comes from.
Digest S2 functional writing: a lost mark for answering a near version of a bullet -- why the organisers banned devices, not why the candidate joined (s23 Q27).
Writing a word in pinyin, not characters
Pinyin is accepted only as a substitute in LISTENING answers, never in the writing paper. If you cannot recall a character, do not fall back on pinyin -- choose a simpler synonym you CAN write. ✗ 我和 pengyou 一起去公园。 ✓ 我和朋友一起去公园。(Wǒ hé péngyou yìqǐ qù gōngyuán.) — I went to the park with my friend.
Digest: candidates are reminded not to use pinyin in the writing paper -- pinyin substitutes for a character only in Listening (s22 & s23 Ex4).
Incomplete or imprecise simple sentences
Even candidates attempting complex structures lose marks on incomplete or imprecise SIMPLE sentences -- one missing its verb or object, or not fully stating the point, is not credited even if the idea is guessable. Get the basic SVO right first. ✗ 我今天很开心因为。(incomplete -- no cause given.) ✓ 我今天很开心，因为认识了新朋友。(Wǒ jīntiān hěn kāixīn, yīnwèi rènshi le xīn péngyou.)
Digest cross-cutting: incomplete simple sentences with incomplete meaning are not credited (s22 Q10; s23 Q10).
Wrong format or register for the reader
Match format AND register to the task. A diary does not open with a greeting like a letter (no 亲爱的日记); a note to a teacher must not read like a text to a friend -- use 您/您好/请教, not 嗨/你. ✗ 嗨，老师，你最近怎么样？ ✓ 老师，您好！(Lǎoshī, nín hǎo!) — Hello Teacher. Using the wrong register loses marks even when the content is correct.
Digest key messages: appropriate register, format and audience must be matched to the task (s22 & s23).
Pinyin is an acceptable fallback in writing
Learners assume that because pinyin is tolerated in LISTENING answers, the same leniency applies to WRITING. It does not: Paper 1 Exercise 4/5 require characters only, and pinyin in place of a character earns nothing, however clear. If a character is forgotten, substitute a simpler word you CAN write. ✗ 我觉得很 kaixin。 ✓ 我觉得很开心。(Wǒ juéde hěn kāixīn.)
Digest: pinyin is only acceptable in Listening; candidates are reminded not to use pinyin in the writing paper (s22 & s23 Ex4).
Plan the three bullets in your own words
Plan first: note the FORMAT (diary/note/email) and audience, then restate the three bullets in your own words, checking WHO each answer comes from. A near-miss (the school's reason, not your own) is the classic lost mark, so fix the angle before drafting.
Simple-accurate first, then one complex link
Draft one or two accurate SIMPLE sentences per bullet, then add a connective (虽然……，但是……; 因为……，所以……) to reach the top band -- but never at the cost of accuracy. Write in characters only; if a character escapes you, swap in a simpler word you can write, never pinyin.
Add format, count characters, proofread
Finish with the correct opening/closing for the format (date + day for a diary; greeting + close for a note), then count your characters -- aim 100 to 120. Proofread: characters only, correct measure words, no 了 on habitual actions, no 很/非常 with 比.
Paper 1 Exercise 4 asks you to write a short piece of functional writing -- typically a diary entry, a note or an informal email -- worth about 8 marks. It tests AO2 Writing: whether you can communicate clearly and accurately (W1), use a range of simple and some complex structures (W3), control punctuation and character formation (W4), and match the register/format to the purpose and audience (W5). You are given a task with three bullet points and must write about 100-120 characters in Chinese characters only.
How do you open an informal diary entry in Chinese? (what two things go at the very start)
阅读下面这道功能性写作题目，写出你必须在日记里回答的三个要点（用你自己的话概括，不要照抄题目）：
「你参加了学校的一次义卖活动。请写一篇日记，说明：你为什么参加这次义卖；你在活动中做了什么；你觉得这次活动怎么样，为什么。」
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
这是你参加学校「无手机日」活动后写的一篇日记。请写一篇日记，说明以下三点：（1）你自己为什么决定参加这次活动（不是学校为什么组织这次活动）；（2）活动当天你做了什么、有什么感受；（3）你下次会不会再参加，为什么。请用中文（汉字）书写，约100-120字，注意日记的格式与语气。（8分）
