Writing Essays by Following the Example -- Writing and Prediction Guide for Postgraduate Entrance Examination English

Author: Mao Fenghua (Editor-in-Chief)
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 exam writing requires completing the four steps of "topic review—brainstorming—organizing the essay—revising and finalizing" within 40 minutes, and writing a well-structured, coherent, appropriately rhetorical, well-organized, and thematically consistent essay with about 200 words. It is not an easy task for general students, let alone English teachers with years of experience. The fundamental contradiction lies in examinees' inability to determine the genre, framework, and focus of the essay. To address these issues, the author has analyzed the past 14 years of postgraduate entrance exam English writing test papers, drawing on the strengths of various approaches, and proposed unique and feasible methods and techniques tailored to the characteristics of postgraduate entrance exam writing tasks and common problems faced by examinees. It is believed that candidates who practice these methods will achieve twice the result with half the effort. The book is divided into seven chapters, each carefully researched and argued, and refined based on the actual needs of examinees. The main features of the book are as follows:
1. Breaking Down the (Real Test Papers) and Establishing Templates
The book starts with the (past postgraduate entrance exam English writing test papers). Based on the themes of each year's writing task, it analyzes, synthesizes, and categorizes them, focusing on establishing eight writing models: "Picture-Commentary," "Cartoon-Analysis-Commentary," "Chart-Description-Analysis," "Problem-Solution," "Elaborating on a Viewpoint," "Argumentation," "Problem-Analysis," and "Commentary on Pros and Cons." Each model is detailed to provide targeted guidance.
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 outlines what and how to write in each step, giving candidates a clear problem-solving approach. This resolves the issues of not understanding the text or lacking a framework, saving candidates a significant amount of time during writing.
3. Simple Operations and Easy Imitation
For the eight writing models, the book provides sample essays and analyses from past postgraduate entrance exam English writing test papers. Using a fill-in-the-blank format, it offers simulated essays and common expressions for each model. Once candidates master these expressions, they can "remain unchanged while adapting to changes" regardless of the question type, achieving quick and effective writing.
4. Rich Materials for Broadening Perspectives
The book selects 30 excellent sample essays on popular topics according to the postgraduate entrance exam English writing syllabus, providing paragraph outlines and essay reviews. Additionally, it includes 25 simulated predictive essays for candidates to refer to and imitate. Improving writing skills requires not only learning methods and templates but also possessing rich language knowledge and broad perspectives. Imitating sample essays is one of the most effective ways to enhance writing ability.