The 100–120 Character Letter: A Clash With the HSC Practical
A Maharashtra HSC Chinese candidate has been invited by the school's Chinese teacher, Ms. Chen, to attend a 'Chinese Bridge' showcase on Sunday, 9 June, from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the Pune school hall. The invitation says, '请务必参加；无故缺席将影响平时分.' The candidate's HSC practical examination is on the same day from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at a different centre, and travel between the two venues takes 45 minutes. The candidate cannot attend the whole showcase but could arrive by 1:30 p.m. if the exam ends on time. The writing task is a formal Chinese letter of 100–120 characters to Ms. Chen: thank her, explain the clash with specific times, apologise once without over-apologising, propose a concrete partial attendance plan or alternative contribution, and ask for any materials. The candidate must also decide whether to mention the '平时分' warning and why.
1. Before writing, decide the register, the minimum facts to include, and how to handle the '平时分' warning. Explain your choices.
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Register: Formal but warm. Use 您, 感谢, 抱歉 and 请. Avoid slang and avoid a defensive tone.
Minimum facts: the event name and date; the exact clash (11:00–12:30 HSC practical); the reason the candidate cannot attend the whole event; one concrete alternative (arrive 13:30 to help pack up or write a report, or submit a two-minute video by 7 June); a request for materials.
Handling the warning: Do not quote '无故缺席将影响平时分' back at the teacher. The candidate has a legitimate clash, not an unexplained absence. Quoting the warning sounds accusatory and wastes characters. Instead, show responsibility by proposing a substitute contribution. One apology is enough; repeated apology looks panicked and may suggest the candidate is asking the teacher to solve the timetable problem.
2. Write the 100–120-character Chinese letter and verify the character count. Add a brief note on why each sentence is there.
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Letter: 陈老师： 您好！感谢您邀请我参加6月9日上午10点至下午4点的“汉语桥”活动。非常抱歉，当天11点至12点30分我有HSC实践考试，无法全程参加。我能否在下午1点30分到场，帮助整理会场或写一篇活动报道？如果不能，我可以在6月7日前提交一段两分钟的中文介绍视频。请把活动资料发给我。谢谢！ 学生 李明 6月2日
Why each part: Sentence 1 thanks and names the event precisely. Sentence 2 gives the clash with times and one apology. Sentence 3 offers partial attendance and a useful role, not just 'I cannot come'. Sentence 4 offers a backup contribution with a deadline. Sentence 5 asks for materials. The closing is formal.
Count check: Counting Chinese characters only and excluding digits, Latin letters and punctuation gives 115 characters, inside 100–120. If the paper counts every mark including punctuation and digits, the total rises above 120; in that case, delete the video sentence and keep the 13:30 offer. Always check the rubric's counting convention before writing.
3. Why is 'arrive by 1:30' a stronger proposal than simply saying the whole day is impossible?
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Answer: Because the exam ends at 12:30 and travel takes 45 minutes, the candidate could reach the venue around 13:15 and be useful from 13:30 to 16:00. Saying the whole day is impossible is factually false and gives the teacher no way to include the candidate. A partial plan shows the candidate has calculated the timetable and is still willing to contribute. It also keeps the letter positive: the focus moves from the clash to what the candidate can still do.