2006 Master's Degree Entrance English Exam Wang Changxi's Twelve Sentence Essay Method

Author: Wang Changxi
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-01-01
Features: Writing is difficult because it not only requires candidates to grasp the overall structure and layout of the essay from a macro perspective but also demands precise control of sentence patterns and vocabulary usage at a micro level. English writing is an advanced cognitive process, representing the highest level of language proficiency and intellectual ability for an English learner. When faced with an essay prompt, candidates often either have nothing to say and don’t know where to start, or have many ideas and a wealth of material but struggle to organize them and figure out how to begin. The writing process must ensure clear structure and logical flow, relevant content, standardized language, varied sentence patterns, accurate word choice, and meet the required word count—all within a short time, which is indeed challenging. The purpose of this book is to help candidates overcome these difficulties. In summary, the book has the following features:
1. Flexible "Building Block" Essay Model
The "building block" writing approach views essay writing as constructing a house with building blocks. The paragraphs that form the essay are seen as the materials—building blocks. To build a house (write an essay), one must first determine the layout (essay structure) and then select suitable building blocks (paragraphs). The building blocks (paragraph templates) are fixed, but the construction process (essay writing) is flexible, which is the greatest feature of Wang Changxi’s "Twelve-Sentence Essay Method." Many candidates fail to consider the overall structure of the essay or outline their ideas, writing one sentence at a time and becoming stuck after just a few. This, of course, leads to poor essays. This book aims to help students grasp the overall structure and layout of the essay and provide comprehensive paragraph templates for all types of postgraduate entrance exam essays, teaching them a new way of thinking about writing.
2. Constant "Three-Part" Essay Structure
Every essay should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. The introduction can describe information, reveal problems or implications, explain phenomena, or express the main theme, serving as a "bird’s-eye view." The body can explain causes, provide examples, illustrate results, analyze strengths, or compare differences, being the main part of the essay. The conclusion can propose solutions, express personal opinions or suggestions, summarize the content, and is key to a well-completed essay.
3. Clear "Four-Sentence" Paragraph Organization
Each of the three paragraphs forms a complete unit, interconnecting and complementing each other to create an organic whole. Each paragraph should have a topic sentence, supporting sentences (2-3 sentences), and a concluding sentence, totaling four sentences, thus forming the complete structure of the "Twelve-Sentence Essay Method." The book selects 11 genuine exam questions from 1994 to 2005. Each question applies a different combination of paragraph templates, provides excellent model essays, and uses commentary to guide candidates step by step in mastering the writing process, gradually familiarizing them with the templates, internalizing them, and applying them effectively. To help students understand the patterns and trends of postgraduate entrance exam essays and further strengthen their ability to choose the correct paragraph templates, the book includes 40 short-essay prediction questions and 25 application-letter prediction questions. Candidates must complete these exercises according to the actual exam requirements. This will allow them to truly experience the practicality of the "Twelve-Sentence Essay Method" in practice.