Written Production: Imaginative and Informative Texts
What this domain tests
You will produce extended Chinese texts of different genres: narratives, diary entries, letters, articles, reports, and descriptions. Assessment covers task fulfilment, structure and cohesion, range and accuracy of vocabulary and grammar, and appropriateness of register and format.
Concepts to master
- Genre conventions: a letter needs 称呼 and 祝语; a diary uses time markers and reflection; an article needs a headline and a thesis; a narrative needs orientation, complication, and resolution.
- Cohesion devices: 首先, 接着, 然后, 最后; 因为……所以; 虽然……但是; 不仅……还.
- Aspect markers: 了 (completion), 过 (experience), 着 (ongoing state), 正在 (progressive).
- Complements: 得 (degree), 结果补语 (写完, 看见), 趋向补语 (起来, 下去).
- Register: 书面语 versus 口语; avoid slang in formal articles.
Common traps
- Writing English structure in Chinese words: long relative clauses placed after the noun.
- Overusing 了 in every sentence; 了 marks completion, not past tense.
- Ignoring the prompt's audience and purpose - a letter to a friend and a report for a school newsletter need different tones.
- Character errors in high-frequency words (的/得/地, 在/再, 做/作).
- Under-length responses that fail to develop ideas.
Rule of thumb
Spend the first three minutes planning in Chinese: a five-line outline with the key vocabulary for each section. This prevents mid-text stalls and ensures you cover every bullet of the prompt.
Worked example
Prompt: 写一篇关于你第一次参加志愿活动的日记。 Outline: 时间地点 → 做了什么 → 遇到的困难 → 感受和收获. Sample sentence showing 得 and 了: 那天我们忙得连午饭都没吃，但是看到老人们开心的样子，我觉得特别有意义。 Note 得 introduces the degree complement, 了 marks completion, and 但是 signals contrast.