Master the DSE English essay format and improve your English Paper 2 results.
Comprehensively analyses Article format, Letter format, Report format and Proposal format, providing high scoring examples and unique writing strategies.
DSE Complete Guide to English Composition Format
In DSE English Paper 2, mastering the correct format of articles, letters, reports and proposals is the key to obtaining high marks. This guide will provide a comprehensive analysis of the formatting requirements, marking criteria and techniques for scoring high marks in DSE writing.
DSE English Essay Format Comparison
| Features | Article Articles | Letter | Report | Proposal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| primary purpose | Providing information or expressing an opinion | Communication, Complaint or Request | Presentation of findings and analyses | Proposing Solutions |
| Intonation | Adjusted for readers | Formal or informal | Formal and objective | Formal, Convincing |
| Structural features | Title, Introduction, Main Body, Conclusion | Address, Date, Title, Body, Concluding Remarks | Title, Introduction, Findings, Conclusion, Recommendations | Title, Background, Issues, Programme, Implementation Plan |
| Frequently Asked Questions | Magazine articles, newspaper columns | Complaint Letter, Application Letter, Thank You Letter | Investigation reports, incident reports | Improvement Suggestions, Event Planning |
Article Article format
Most Common DSE English Essay Format
Article is one of the most common formats in DSE English essays, and mastering its structure and writing skills is crucial to improving your English Paper 2 results.
Article Article format structure
Title
Engaging and reflective of the theme
Introduction
Engage the reader and introduce the topic
Body
Different points of view are discussed in separate paragraphs
Conclusion
Conclusion and recommendations
Letter Format
Formal and Informal Letter Writing Requirements
The Letter format, which appears frequently in DSE English Paper 2, is divided into formal and informal letters, each with specific formatting requirements and language styles.
Letter Format Structure
sender's address
upper right
date
address below
Recipient Information
left side
Name
Dear Sir/Madam or Dear [name].
main text (as opposed footnotes)
Closing Remarks and Attribution
Yours faithfully/sincerely etc.
Report Format
Structured Presentation of Survey Findings and Recommendations
The Report format requires a clear structure and objective language style for presenting findings, analysing issues and making recommendations.
- Title: Clearly state the purpose of the report
- Introduction: Explaining the background and purpose of the report
- Main body: use subheadings to separate different sections
- Conclusion and Recommendations: Summary of Findings and Recommendations
Proposal Format
Professional Format for Presenting Solutions to Problems
The Proposal format is used to present a solution to a problem and requires a clear analysis of the problem, a specific solution and an implementation plan.
- Title: Indicate the purpose of the proposal
- Introduction: Setting the scene
- Problem Analysis: Detailed analysis of the current problem
- Suggested solution: propose a concrete solution
- Implementation plan: explains how the programme will be implemented
- Conclusion: Summarising the key recommendations
DSE English Composition Marking Scheme
Understand the marking criteria for DSE English Paper 2 and the key differences from Level 4 to Level 5.
DSE English Composition Marking Scheme
- Relevant and informative
- Demonstrate a sense of purpose
- Attracting readers' interest
- Show creativity where appropriate
- Content Related
- Partial Details
- Captures the reader's interest
- Partial display of creativity
- Diverse sentence structure
- Punctuation and grammatical accuracy
- Rich and appropriate vocabulary
- Tone for text type
- range
- Grammatical accuracy
- Appropriate vocabulary
- The tone is generally appropriate.
- The structure is completely coherent
- Effective paragraph segmentation
- Strong coherence between sentences and paragraphs
- Suitable for genre and text type
- Mostly coherent structure
- Paragraph segmentation is generally effective
- Some continuity
- Roughly suitable for text type
Unique Writing Strategies
Master these unique writing strategies to improve your DSE English essays
DSE English Composition Level 5 Features
Content richness
- Unique and insightful
- Examples are specific and relevant
- Comprehensive and convincing
- Creative and purposeful
Language Quality
- Rich and precise vocabulary
- Sentences are varied and flexible
- Grammatical and punctuation accuracy
- Consistent and appropriate tone
Organisational Structure
- Clear and coherent structure
- Effective paragraph segmentation
- The transition is natural and smooth.
- The format is fully compliant
Three-stage Writing Method
Ensure essay quality and time management by dividing the writing process into three stages: in-depth planning (5-7 minutes), structured writing (25-30 minutes), and refining and checking (5-7 minutes).
Differentiated Content Strategy
Make your essay stand out from the crowd and impress the examiners with your unique choice of perspectives, diversity of evidence and personalisation of language.
Format Optimisation Strategy
Specialised optimisation strategies for different formats (Article, Letter, Report, Proposal) ensure that your essays are fully formatted and professionally presented.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Understand and avoid content errors, language errors, organisational errors and DSE-specific errors to improve the quality and score of your essays.
Level 4 to Level 5
Master the key differences from Level 4 to Level 5 and make targeted improvements in content, language and organisation to achieve the highest graded levels.
Time Management Tips
Learn effective time allocation strategies to ensure that high quality essays are completed within the limited time available for the examination and that performance is not compromised by lack of time.
Interactive Learning Tools
Enhance your DSE English Composition studies with these interactive tools!
DSE English Essay Format Selector
Please answer the following questions to help you choose the most appropriate writing format:
1. Do you need to express a personal opinion or provide objective information?
2. do you need to communicate directly with specific readers?
3. do you need to propose a solution to the problem?
4. do you need to present the results of the survey or study?
Please answer the above questions for a suggested format.
DSE English Essay Pre-Submission Checklist
Content Checking
Language Check
Organisational Inspection
DSE English Essay High Score Example
Study examples of Level 5 high grades and learn about the marking scheme and the characteristics of high grade essays.
Article Article High Score Example
This essay on an environmental topic demonstrates Level 5 level features including rich content, varied sentence structure and clear organisation.
View Example
Example of a letter with a high score
This formal complaint letter demonstrates the characteristics of Level 5 level, including detailed and relevant content, a formal tone of voice and a structure that fully complies with formatting requirements.
View Example
Samples of high scores in report reports
This School Facilities Survey demonstrates the characteristics of Level 5 levels, including comprehensive survey results, objective language style and clear structure.
View Example
Examples of High Score Proposal
This Eco-Schools Programme proposal demonstrates the features of Level 5, including a specific problem analysis, detailed solutions and a clear implementation plan.
View ExampleDSE English Composition Learning Resources
Get access to quality learning resources to enhance your DSE English composition skills
HKEAA Official Resources
The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) provides the most authoritative reference materials on the official DSE English Language sample examination papers, marking schemes and candidate performance examples.
View ResourcesHigh Score Sample Essay Collection
A selection of DSE English Paper 2 Level 5 high scoring essays with detailed marking analyses and writing skills analysis to help you understand the characteristics of high scoring essays.
Acquisition of model collectionsWriting Tips Guide
A comprehensive guide to DSE English essay writing techniques, including unique writing approaches such as the three-stage writing method, differentiated content strategies and formatting optimisation strategies.
Acquisition GuideCommon Error Analysis
Detailed analysis of common errors in DSE English essays, including content errors, language errors, organisational errors and DSE-specific errors, with strategies for avoiding them.
View AnalyticsVocabulary and Sentence Bank
A library of advanced vocabulary and sentence patterns categorised by topic and function to help you enrich your expressions and improve the language quality of your compositions.
Get GlossaryProfessional tutor guidance
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