Paper 4: three tasks, choose ONE option
Paper 4 (AO4) has three demands: a short FUNCTIONAL task that gives information (a message or note), a longer EXTENDED task developing ideas and opinions, and a TRANSLATION from English INTO Chinese. On the extended tasks you are offered two options -- (a) or (b) -- and answer only ONE: decide which you can write most about, then commit. Example message: 你好！我下个星期五到，我想跟你一起去看电影。(Nǐ hǎo! Wǒ xià gè xīngqīwǔ dào, wǒ xiǎng gēn nǐ yìqǐ qù kàn diànyǐng.)
Cover EVERY bullet; keep the character count
Each task lists bullet points, and marks are awarded for covering them ALL. Jot the bullets down, plan a Chinese sentence for each, then tick them off. Read each precisely: 以前你在家跟家人做什么 (what you USED TO do with family AT HOME) is not 你常常做什么 (what you usually do). Keep to the length -- about 80-90 characters for a functional task, 130-150 for an extended one -- and do not pad with extra clauses that change the meaning.
Match register/format; self-check 量词, 了, 字
AO4 rewards writing that suits its reader. Match the FORMAT (an email needs a greeting and sign-off; an article a title and paragraphs) and REGISTER (formal 您 to an adult, friendly 你 to a friend), and write standard written Chinese -- spoken Cantonese loses marks. Then self-check three things: measure words (number + 量词 + noun: 三杯茶 sān bēi chá, never 三个茶); aspect 了 (only for a completed event or change of state: 我买了一本书, not every past verb); characters/tones (在/再, 的/得/地).
Drawn from real examiner reports.
Answering BOTH options, not one
✗ writing answers to option (a) AND option (b) to be safe ✓ read both, pick the ONE you can write most about, and answer only that one: 我选第一个题目。(Wǒ xuǎn dì-yī gè tímù.) — I choose the first question. Answering both gains no extra marks and eats the time you need for one good answer. Cross out the option you are not doing, then cover its bullets and add reasons with 因为……所以…….
USED TO answered as a present habit
Answer the exact wording of every bullet. ✗ answering 你以前在家跟家人做什么 (what you USED TO do at home) with a present habit, dropping "at home" ✓ 以前我常常在家跟爸爸妈妈一起看电视。(Yǐqián wǒ chángcháng zài jiā gēn bàba māma yìqǐ kàn diànshì.) Signal the time frame the bullet asks for -- past with 以前/了, present with 现在, future with 会/以后 -- and keep every qualifier such as 在家 (at home).
Spoken Cantonese in a written answer
Paper 4 must be written in standard written Chinese; spoken Cantonese forms are deducted, even when your ideas are right. Do not transcribe colloquial spoken forms; write the standard written (Mandarin) word from the specification vocabulary list instead. Read your answer back and replace any spoken-only form with its written-Chinese equivalent before you finish.
Translation trap words (笔记本电脑…)
Learn the specification translation vocabulary precisely. "Laptop computer" is 笔记本电脑 (bǐjìběn diànnǎo), NOT 平板电脑 (píngbǎn diànnǎo, tablet). "Download" is 下载 (xiàzài) -- do not miswrite 下/载; "surf the internet" is 上网 (shàngwǎng). From 2023: "several" = 几个 (jǐ gè), and "next summer holiday" = 明年暑假 (míngnián shǔjià), not 明年夏天 (míngnián xiàtiān — next summer).
Wrong or missing measure word 量词
Chinese has no plural ending, so quantity is shown by number + the correct 量词 + noun -- a wrong or omitted 量词 is a stock error. ✗ 一个书 ✓ 一本书 (yì běn shū — one book); ✗ 三个茶 ✓ 三杯茶 (sān bēi chá — three cups of tea). Learn each noun with its measure word: 本 for books, 杯 for cupfuls, 部 for films, 台 for computers. The number + 量词 is the ONLY signal of how many.
了 added to a habitual action
了 marks a completed event or a change of state, not a habit. ✗ 我每天去了学校 (了 on a daily habit) ✓ 我每天去学校 (Wǒ měi tiān qù xuéxiào — habit, no 了). Use 了 for one completed event: 我昨天去了公园 (Wǒ zuótiān qù le gōngyuán — I went to the park yesterday). Overusing 了 on habitual or general statements is a classic tense slip -- check the action is one-off before you add it.
Time and place go before the verb
Chinese puts time and place adverbials BEFORE the verb, not after as in English. ✗ 我学习在家昨天 (calquing "study at home yesterday") ✓ 我昨天在家学习 (Wǒ zuótiān zài jiā xuéxí): topic – time (昨天) – place (在家) – verb (学习). English-order calques like "学习在家" are a standard writing error, worsened by not re-reading. Fix it by moving time and place in front of the verb in your self-check.
More writing ≠ more marks
More is not automatically better on Paper 4. Answering BOTH options gains no extra marks -- choose one. Padding with extra clauses can LOSE marks if the detail changes the meaning: ✗ 我去了十个国家 when the task was about ten cities. Marks come from covering every bullet within the count, not from length. Pinyin is not accepted in a written answer, so write characters, not pinyin.
Plan–write–check routine for Paper 4
For any Paper 4 task: 1) CHOOSE one option; 2) PLAN -- list the bullets, note a sentence for each, fix format and register (您 vs 你); 3) WRITE -- cover every bullet, link with connectives, keep to the count; 4) CHECK -- reread the three traps: 量词, 了, 字 (在/再).
Translate meaning, not word-for-word
When translating into Chinese, render the MEANING, not each English word. Recall the exact word -- 笔记本电脑 (bǐjìběn diànnǎo), 下载 (xiàzài), 上网 (shàngwǎng) -- drop English function words Chinese omits. "Every evening" is a habit, so add no 了. Check each noun has its measure word.
Control the length; do not pad
Stay near the character count -- about 80-90 for a functional task, 130-150 for an extended one. Going far over or under loses marks, and extra clauses can cancel a correct point. Write only what each bullet needs: a short on-task answer beats a long one full of errors.
Lift the range mark with connectives
At Higher tier, marks for range reward varied structures and linked ideas. Do not write a list of short unlinked sentences: join them with 因为……所以……, 虽然……但是……, 不但……而且……, and add an opinion with a reason. Move across past, present and future where the task allows.
This skill (Section S, S4) is about how to score on Paper 4, the Writing paper (AO4). It is not a new topic to learn -- it is the exam technique that turns the Chinese you already know into marks. Paper 4 has three open-response writing questions plus a translation: Question 1 (12 marks, about 20-30 characters) where you describe something and give a simple opinion; Question 2 (16 marks, about 40-50 characters, formal register) where you note down key points or convey information, choosing ONE of two options; Question 3 (20 marks, about 80-110 characters, informal) where you narrate and give opinions with reasons, again choosing ONE of two options; and a five-sentence translation from English into Chinese. The examiner marks against generic level descriptors, so clarity, coverage and accuracy matter more than length.
| Task | What you do | Marks & length |
|---|---|---|
| Question 1 (AO4) | Describe something + give a simple opinion | 12 marks, about 20-30 characters |
| Question 2 (AO4, formal) | Note down key points / convey information (choose ONE of two options) | 16 marks, about 40-50 characters |
| Question 3 (AO4, informal) | Narrate + give opinions with reasons (choose ONE of two options) | 20 marks, about 80-110 characters |
| Translation into Chinese (AO4) | Translate five English sentences into accurate Chinese | five short sentences |
All the writing is assessed on communication (did you get the message across and cover the bullets?) and language (range and accuracy of structures, vocabulary, characters and register).
On a Paper 4 extended writing task you are offered options (a) and (b). How many do you answer?
在写作考试（Paper 4）交卷之前，你应该自我检查哪三样东西？请用中文简单写出来。
Level-of-response questions with model answers and mark scheme rubrics.
这是一道 Paper 4 第一题风格的短文写作练习。请用中文（汉字）写一段话，描述你的学校，并说说你喜不喜欢，为什么。约20-30字。语气可以轻松、自然。（12分）
这是一道 Paper 4 第二题风格的功能性写作练习。请从下面两个题目中选择一个来写（只写一个）。用中文（汉字）书写，约40-50字，用正式、有礼貌的语气（对长辈或不认识的人用「您」）。写清楚要点，把信息交代明白。（16分）
题目一： 给你的中文老师王老师写一封电子邮件。告诉她这个星期六你不能来参加中文活动，说明原因，并问她你能不能改到下个星期。
题目二： 给一家酒店的前台写一条留言。说明你的名字、想订什么房间（例如单人房还是双人房）、要住几个晚上，并问早餐几点开始。
这是一道 Paper 4 第三题风格的扩展写作练习。请从下面两个题目中选择一个来写（只写一个）。用中文（汉字）书写，约80-110字，语气轻松、自然。用「因为」「所以」「虽然……但是」「以后」等连接词把内容展开，并给出有理由的看法，不要只写一句「周末很好」。（20分）
题目一： 谈谈你平常的周末。写清楚你周末常常做什么、跟谁一起、你喜不喜欢这样的周末、为什么，以及以后想不想有些改变。
题目二： 谈谈一次让你难忘的活动或出游。写清楚你去了哪里、做了什么、你的感受，以及以后还想不想再去、为什么。
