Primary School Student Full Score Competition Essay Book

Author: Xiong Shu'an
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-10-01
Features: How to Write High-Scoring Essays
Many students find writing essays a nightmare. They might have a solid grasp of basic knowledge, but when faced with essays in exams, they feel lost and struggle to produce anything coherent. After pouring their hearts out, they end up with abysmal scores. Because essay writing accounts for a significant portion of exam scores, poor performance in this area naturally pulls down overall grades. Students are anxious, parents are worried, yet no one seems to have a practical solution to this problem.
Since winning the first prize in the National New Concept Composition Competition, I have received numerous manuscript requests from publishers and have published many articles on how to write good essays. I have also received many letters from readers. The content of these letters is remarkably similar—complaining and venting their frustrations. "I was simply born without the gift of writing!" Many people hastily judge themselves this way. While it’s true that not everyone can become a writer, and many are not skilled or even clueless about writing, we cannot expect to instantly master techniques and produce beautiful essays by reading a few books or learning a few writing tips. Writing is an accumulative process, not something that can be achieved overnight. The key lies in how to accumulate: the objects of accumulation, the methods of accumulation, and how to appropriately apply what you have accumulated.
Since not everyone aspires to be a writer (and those who do may not even succeed), let’s realistically address the issue of how to write high-scoring essays in exams. Why do teachers give high or low scores to an essay? That’s because there are scoring standards, and the higher an essay aligns with these standards, the higher the score. So, what are the main points the scoring standards focus on?
1. Fluent Language: It’s hard to imagine an essay praised for being disjointed and illogical. The primary purpose of an essay is to communicate through words, making it clear to the reader what scene, event, or feelings you want to convey.
2. Clear Structure: When you first start learning to write essays, you should still remember your teacher’s earnest advice: "Don’t just write a chronological account." An essay that starts strong but fizzles out is unacceptable, just as is one where the setup overshadows the main point. The event is the essay’s core; don’t get lost in fancy words or lengthy descriptions. Remember, all embellishments are supplementary—nothing should overshadow the main content.
3. Sincerity and Authenticity: This is the most crucial element of a good essay, if not a good piece of writing at all. A moving essay is truly a good essay. If a "new eight-paragraph" essay structure only earns you an average score and satisfies you, you’ll never experience the joy of writing your own thoughts and feelings, evoking resonance or even a sense of awe or emotion in others.
Many students like to "make things up" when writing essays. The moment they receive a topic, their imaginations run wild, and they start inventing stories. Is life really that dull? "Days pass by, and so do days," but changes always happen when you turn around or raise your hand. You’ve cried, you’ve laughed—behind those tears and smiles are stories, your own stories, stories that leap off the page, making readers laugh with you and cry for you. It’s simple: pay attention to the small things around you, even if it’s just a few hundred words. Record them. This is accumulation, and it’s precious material.
If you’re unsure about writing a complete essay, referencing excellent examples is the way to go. Especially the compositions of peers are easier to grasp, and improvement can be gradual through imitation. Some students treat essay collections as trashy books, laugh after reading them, and gain nothing. Others dismiss them entirely, believing that essays learned from references are nothing to be proud of and that they should write their own. In reality, both make the same mistake: they don’t know how to use essay collections correctly.
Referencing is not plagiarism, nor is it just about reading the content. First, accumulate vocabulary. An excellent composition must contain good words and phrases—record them as you admire them. Next, learn how to use these words and phrases appropriately. This isn’t about doing whatever feels right. Then, carefully analyze the structure and layout of the entire essay, identifying the setup, the core, and the conclusion, and understanding the weight of each part. As the ancients said, "Read ten thousand books, and your pen will write as if guided by the gods." This is the principle here. The "reading" here isn’t about skimming—instead, it’s about learning and absorbing with your heart.
Here, I still wholeheartedly urge everyone to write with interest and emotion. Maybe your language is still plain, maybe your story isn’t as thrilling or dramatic, but that no longer matters. What matters is a heart that wants to pour out and share. When you feel the joy of words flowing, when you feel like you’re describing your own story, when you laugh or cry with the characters—don’t doubt it, you’ve already written a good essay. If you’re still worried about scores, then why worry? This isn’t just an average essay, not just an above-average essay—it’s a high-scoring essay!
Finally, I sincerely hope everyone gains significant insights from this book, and more importantly, knows what they want to write about. I also hope you can enjoy the joy of writing and achieve high scores with ease!