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…….
In Writing Q1 and Q2 candidates must pick one option, yet a growing number answered both -- flagged as unresolved despite the report discouraging it every year (June 2024 1CN0/4H; June 2023 1CN0/4H).
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).
Not reading the rubric / every bullet is the single most repeated instruction -- "what you used to do with family" answered as "what you always do", "at home" dropped, and "how you WILL use social media" answered in the present (June 2024 1CN0/4H; June 2023 1CN0/4H).
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.
Marks are deducted for spoken-Cantonese forms in the Writing paper; candidates must use standard written Chinese (June 2024 1CN0/4H; June 2023 1CN0/4H).
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).
Translation trap words: laptop = 笔记本电脑 mistranslated as 平板电脑, download = 下载 with 下/载 mixed up, surf the internet = 上网; and next summer vs next summer holiday (June 2024 1CN0/4H; June 2023 1CN0/4H).
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.
Number + 量词 + noun is compulsory; a wrong or omitted measure word (一个书, 三个茶) is a stock error, and the no-singular/plural ambiguity was noted (general FL trap; June 2023 1CN0/2H).
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.
了 = completion or change of state, not habitual action; overusing 了 on habitual/general statements underlies the spoken past-tense weakness examiners flag (general FL trap; past-tense difficulty June 2024 1CN0/2H).
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.
Time and location adverbials precede the verb (我明天在家学习, not …学习在家); English-order calques are a standard writing error aggravated by not re-reading (general FL trap).
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 demands: a shorter functional writing task that gives information, a longer extended writing task where you develop ideas and opinions, and a 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 | Typical length |
|---|---|---|
| Functional writing (AO4) | Give information in a message, note or email | about 80-90 characters |
| Extended writing (AO4) | Choose ONE option, develop ideas + opinions across time frames | about 130-150 characters |
| Translation into Chinese (AO4) | Translate English sentences into accurate Chinese | 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.
这是一道功能性写作练习（Paper 4 风格）。请给你的中国朋友小林写一条信息，内容要写清楚以下三点：（1）你下个周末打算做什么；（2）你想请小林一起做什么；（3）问小林一个问题（例如时间或地点）。请用中文（汉字）书写，约80-90字，用朋友之间的语气（用「你」），并注意用问候语和结尾。（8分）
这是一道扩展写作练习（Paper 4 风格）。下面有两个题目，请只选一个回答（选好以后把另一个划掉）。请用中文（汉字）书写，约130-150字，用连接词把内容展开，并给出有理由的看法。（16分）
题目（a）我的空闲时间：（1）你平常空闲的时候喜欢做什么；（2）为什么喜欢；（3）以后你想不想尝试新的爱好，为什么。
题目（b）科技与生活：（1）你平常用手机或电脑做什么；（2）科技给你的生活带来了什么好处和坏处；（3）以后你打算怎样更好地使用科技。
这是一段口语话题讨论（Paper 2 Speaking, Topic Conversation）。主题：空闲时间与科技。老师会用中文问你问题，你要用中文回答，并把每个答案展开，加上看法和理由。请准备好谈以下几点： （1）你空闲的时候常常做什么，为什么喜欢； （2）你平常用手机或电脑做什么； （3）你觉得科技对年轻人有什么好处和坏处； （4）以后你打算怎样更好地安排空闲时间。 请用完整的句子回答，不要只回答一两个字；尽量用连接词（因为、虽然……但是……），并跨过过去、现在和将来的时间。（约30分）
