Exam Essay 11 High School Student Expository Writing, Practical Writing

Author: Shang Bi, Editor-in-Chief
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2004-01-01
Features: Among various teaching aids, none fail to highlight the spirit of "student-centered" quality-oriented education. The scientific, effective, feasible, and economical teaching methods and techniques all boil down to one word: "practice." The selection of examination essays is based on the "field effect" of the examination venue. People value mock exams because they allow students to adjust to a calm mindset and practice quick thinking skills in a simulated examination atmosphere.
First, the written exam recognizes the teaching orientation of "writing from the heart" by the two distinguished teachers, Zhang Guangluo and Zhang Guangying. "I" refers to the student, centered around the student, with heart and hand in harmony, which is practical and seemingly magical. This is a self-cultivating task that everyone can participate in. The "time period" is at the beginning of "literary creation," whether in terms of creative experience or still in the "primary stage" rather than the "advanced stage." Things like "drawing inspiration from life and surpassing it," "reading thousands of volumes to write with ease," or "creating typical characters to reflect the spirit of the times" are the "advanced" realms of a writer's creation, which students aged 6-17 still struggle to reach.
In other words, the traditional "narration—explanation—argumentation" writing teaching method stimulates interest through "reading," and supports a ladder of "memorization"—"speaking"—"discussing." The prerequisite for "memorization" is observation skills, for "speaking" is analytical skills, and for "discussing" is expressive skills. The so-called "observation—analysis—expression" "new sequence" writing teaching model, in my opinion, offers little novelty. As the main model, it has always benefited students of middle and above-average levels. Students of lower levels, or the majority of students, are not yet proficient in observation, analysis, and expression, let alone passing the writing test or using punctuation correctly, or having a rich vocabulary and clear thinking. Both the "old" and "new" main models end up being like "using one key to open dozens of locks," and the result is predictable.
I agree with the view of Mr. Zhou Xiaokui, an editor with the People's Education Press, that the development of primary and secondary school students' writing skills from low to high level requires passing five stages: 1. "Writing" stage, which cultivates writing skills through writing training; 2. "Language Usage" stage, which cultivates language usage skills through vocabulary and sentence training; 3. "Paragraph Construction" stage, which cultivates paragraph construction skills through sentence linkage training; 4. "Thesis Planning" stage, which cultivates thesis planning skills through layout and structure training; 5. "Thesis Development" stage, which cultivates thesis development skills through critical thinking training. This general development process from simple to complex is interconnected, closely linked, yet each has its own characteristics and follows a sequential order.
Therefore, although "writing has no fixed rules," writing teaching in basic education is "guided by rules." It is essential to grasp the principles, proceed steadily, guide according to circumstances, and progress step by step to ensure the healthy development of writing skills. It is crucial to avoid being arbitrary or jumping ahead, as this would be like "forcing a seedling to grow." With this understanding, discussing examination essays becomes much clearer.
Examination essays and regular essays have no qualitative difference. If a distinction must be made, perhaps what can be said is that exam scores benefit more from quick wit, while regular scores benefit more from accumulation. The saying "examinations are made in daily practice" holds meaningful insights. When the mind is in an excited state and thinking is active, the efficiency of training naturally surpasses "normal" levels. This is the charm of studying examination essays.
The basic sections of this book are:
- Exam Question Insight: A one or two sentence explanation of the essay topic.
- Outline Draft: A brief outline of the essay.
- Process Analysis: An analysis of thoughts and artistry in the order of writing.
- Reflection on Gains and Losses: A teacher's brief analysis of the essay's strengths and weaknesses.
This approach not only highlights the essence of examination essays—where "inspiration triggers quick wit"—but also incorporates the accumulation of writing knowledge.