Writing Essays by Following the Example: A Guide to Writing and Forecasting for Postgraduate Entrance Exam English

Author: Mao Fenghua
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-06-01
Features: Since the English writing section was added to the postgraduate entrance examination in 1991, writing has always been the "weak point" of examinees and the "heartache" of teachers. The postgraduate entrance examination writing requires completing the four steps of "topic review—brainstorming—organizing the article—revising and finalizing" within 40 minutes, and writing an article with about 200 words that is vivid, logical, well-structured, well-organized, and coherent. It is not an easy task for general students, let alone English teachers with years of experience. The fundamental contradiction lies in the examinees' inability to determine the genre, framework, and focus of the essay. To solve these problems, the author has analyzed the 14 years of postgraduate entrance examination English writing test questions, drawing on the strengths of various methods, and proposed some unique and feasible methods and techniques based on the characteristics of postgraduate entrance examination writing questions and the problems encountered by examinees in writing. It is believed that as long as examinees practice according to the book, they will achieve twice the result with half the effort.
The book is divided into seven chapters, each of which is carefully researched and argued, refined based on the actual situation of examinees. The main features of the book are as follows:
1. Breaking Down the Test Questions and Establishing Templates
The book starts with the postgraduate entrance examination English writing test questions from previous years. Based on the themes of each year's writing question, it analyzes, synthesizes, and categorizes them, focusing on establishing eight writing models: "Illustrative Essay," "Cartoon Analysis and Comment," "Chart Description and Analysis," "Problem-Solving," "Elaborating on a Viewpoint," "Argumentative Essay," "Problem Analysis," and "Commentary on the Pros and Cons of a Certain Thing." Each model is introduced in detail, aiming to address the specific needs of examinees.
2. Interpreting the Templates and Clarifying the Approach
The book provides a detailed explanation of the characteristics, question formats, and solving methods of the eight writing models. Following the three-step writing structure, it clearly indicates what should be written and how to write it in each step, giving examinees a clear problem-solving approach. This solves the problem of examinees not understanding the text or lacking a framework, saving them a significant amount of time in writing.
3. Simple Operation and Easy to Imitate
For the eight writing templates, the book provides model essays and analyses based on previous postgraduate entrance examination English writing test questions. Using a fill-in-the-blank approach, it offers simulated essays and common expressions for each template. Once examinees master these expressions, they can "remain unchanged while adapting to changes" no matter what the question is, achieving the goal of writing quickly.
4. Rich Materials and Convenient for Broadening Horizons
The book carefully selects 30 excellent model essays on popular topics according to the postgraduate entrance examination English writing syllabus and provides paragraph planning and essay reviews. Additionally, it includes 25 simulated predictive essays for reference and imitation. Improving writing skills is not just about learning methods and patterns; it also requires rich language knowledge and broad thinking. Imitating model essays is one of the most effective ways to improve writing skills.