DSE Chinese Paper 1 Reading Comprehension Tips
Master the techniques of answering questions in vernacular and classical Chinese to easily cope with the "Death Paper".
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We have a team of experienced tutors who are dedicated to helping students improve their DSE results in Chinese.
DSE Chinese Paper 1 Structure and Mark Scale
Understand the examination structure and marking scheme, and develop effective examination strategies.
Weightage of Paper I in Arts in DSE
Based on the information available in 2024, the DSE Chinese Reading Comprehension Paper 1 accounted for40%The examination will be conducted in the form of a written examination.1 hour 30 minutes.
Paper 2, which accounts for 451 TP6T of the total marks, is also a written examination and lasts for 2 hours and 15 minutes. The remaining 151 TP6T comes from the reading reports.
Percentage of Paper 1 Parts A and B
The Chinese volume is divided into two parts, Part A and Part B. The Chinese volume is divided into two parts, Part A and Part B:
- armor plating: Twelve sample essays are assessed, which account for the full paper marks.30%
- beta- or beta-bisection (chemistry): One chapter in classical Chinese and one to two chapters in extra-curricular vernacular language for the whole paper.70%
The modes of assessment include quiz, multiple choice, form-filling and fill-in.
Cut-off scores by level
According to the data of the past years, the cut-off scores of different grades are about:
- 5** (71%)
- 5* (66%)
- Level 5 (62%)
- Level 4 (56%)
- Level 3 (59%)
The Liberal Arts Cut Off Score in DSE varies slightly from year to year, but generally stays within this range.
Percentage of points in DSE Chinese paper
DSE Chinese Paper 1 Time Allocation Strategy
Grasp the "2+2+5" principle and allocate examination time wisely.
Part A: Twelve Model Texts
Answers should be concise, to the point and to the heart of the question. Don't spend too much time on this part of the question as it may affect your answer later on.
Part B: Literary texts
The types of questions in the Chinese language were relatively simple and straightforward, and all candidates needed to do was to look for the answer in the original sentence and then translate it into vernacular.
Part B: White Dialogue
Since the length of the questions and the reading material in the vernacular language is relatively long, it is recommended that the remaining 50 minutes should be spent entirely on the vernacular language. It is better to have a long answer to a question than to have a long answer to a question.
DSE Chinese Paper 1 Time Allocation
Principle of "225": 20 mins for Part A, 20 mins for the Chinese language and 50 mins for the Putonghua language.
GETUTOR Exclusive Example Analysis
Exclusive sample answers and analyses from our team of experienced tutors
Examples of reading comprehension in vernacular language
Title:
According to the article, what does the author consider to be the main reason for modern people's over-reliance on technology? Try to find out the relevant arguments from the text and analyse the author's viewpoint. (6 marks)
Model Answer:
The author argues that the main reason for modern people's over-reliance on technology is that the convenience and immediacy it brings have caused people to gradually lose their ability to think and solve problems independently.
The third paragraph of the text mentions that "the popularity of smartphones has made people accustomed to getting information at any time, but reduced the opportunity for deeper thinking", suggesting that the immediacy of technology has made people accustomed to getting quick answers rather than thinking for themselves.
The fifth paragraph further states that "when faced with a problem, modern people's first reaction is often to seek technological solutions rather than rely on their own abilities", reflecting the psychological state of over-reliance.
The author's point is that technology itself is not the problem, but rather it is people's dependence on technology that is the key. This is reflected in the concluding paragraph "Technology should be an aid, not a substitute for thinking".
GETUTOR Instructor Analysis:
This is a typical 'point of view' question which requires candidates to identify the author's point of view and analyse the relevant arguments. The key to scoring marks in this type of question is:
- Accurately state the author's point of view: The answer begins with a direct and clear statement of why the author thinks this is so.
- Cite the original argument: Two directly related arguments were selected from the text and paragraph positions were labelled to increase the accuracy of the answer.
- Analysing the relationship between arguments and opinions: Each quotation is followed by a short analysis of its relevance to the topic.
- Summarise the author's core points: The final paragraph summarises the author's core position and forms a complete exposition.
This answer gained 5-6 marks because it not only identified relevant arguments but also analysed the author's viewpoint and was clearly structured with a complete exposition.
Examples of Language Translation in the Chinese Language
Title:
Let's try to translate the following sentence into vernacular: "I try to think all day long, but it's better to learn in a few moments. I try to look up and down, but it is not as good to see as to climb up and see. (4 marks)
Model Answer:
I have thought all day long, but I have not learnt as much as I have learnt in a short time. I have stood on tiptoe and looked into the distance, but I have not seen as much as I have seen when I have climbed to a higher place.
GETUTOR Instructor Analysis:
This is a Chinese translation question from Xunzi (荀子). The key to scoring well on the translation question is:
- Accurate comprehension of real words in the Chinese languageThe translations of "終日" as "全天日", "須遲" as "短時間", "跂" as "踮踮尖", and "博見" as "看到的廣闊" have accurately captured the meanings of the original words.
- Correct understanding of sentence structure: The original text uses a comparative sentence of 'not as good as' and the answer retains this structure and accurately expresses the comparison.
- Retain the original meaning: The answer fully conveys the core idea of "practice is better than fantasy" in the original text.
- Smooth vernacular: The translation is fluent and natural, in line with modern Chinese.
This answer gained the full mark of 4 because it accurately understood the meaning of the words and sentence structure of the language and expressed them in fluent vernacular without adding, subtracting or misinterpreting the original meaning.
Twelve model texts analysed
Mastering the key points and answering techniques of the four major types of sample essays.
Biography
范文：《廉頗藺相如列传》 (Biography of Lin Xiangru)
Biographies are mainly used to portray the character traits of a person through the recounting of events in order to create a character image.
Appraisal Highlights:
- Characterisation and portrayal
- Relationship between events and characters
- Authors' writing and presentation skills
Answer Techniques:Analyse the motivation and characterisation behind a character's actions, noting how the author presents the character's traits through specific events.
Travel notes
範文：《岳陽樓記》、《始得西山宴遊記》 (A Record of a Banquet in the Western Mountains)
Generally speaking, authors would express their feelings through the scenery and bring out their aspirations and views through what they have seen and heard during their travels.
Appraisal Highlights:
- Relationship between scene description and emotion expression
- The author's thoughts, feelings and ambitions
- The structure and writing characteristics of travelogues
Answer Techniques:Pay attention to how the author expresses his emotions through descriptions of scenery and analyse the writing technique of "blending of scenes".
poetry
Paradigm: "Nian Nu Jiao - Reminiscences of Red Cliff", etc.
Writers may choose to describe scenery in their poems and then use it to recall the past or look to the future to bring out their own feelings.
Appraisal Highlights:
- Emotions expressed in poetry
- Imagery and Contextualisation
- Rhetorical and expressive techniques
Answer Techniques:To understand the imagery and mood in poems, and to analyse how authors express their emotions through scenery.
essay
範文：《六國論》 (The Six Kingdoms)
In an essay, it is most important to refer to the central point, sub-points, the process of argumentation and thesis statement in the essay.
Appraisal Highlights:
- Central point and sub-points
- Methodology and process of argumentation
- Selection and persuasiveness of arguments
Answer Techniques:Clearly state the author's central thesis and analyse the logic and persuasiveness of the argumentative process.
Chinese Reading Comprehension Tips
Mastering the strategies of answering questions in both literary and vernacular languages to improve the scoring rate
Tips for answering questions in classical Chinese
1. Familiarise yourself with common real and imaginary words in the Chinese language
Real and virtual words in the Chinese language are the key to understanding the text. Candidates are advised to familiarise themselves with common real and virtual words in the Chinese language, such as "而", "以", "乎", and so on.
2. Mastering Interpretation Skills
Translation is a common question type in the Chinese language, where candidates need to translate the Chinese text into the vernacular language. Care should be taken when translating:
- Retain the meaning of the original text, do not add or delete content
- Pay attention to special sentence patterns in literary texts, such as inverted and elliptical sentences
- Understand special usage of words in Chinese, e.g. multiple meanings of one word, adaptive use of words, etc.
3. understand the context of the text
Reading in Chinese requires understanding the overall context of the text and grasping the main idea of the text and the author's thoughts and feelings.
Techniques for answering questions in vernacular languages
1. Segmental reading
The vernacular text is relatively long, so the segmented reading method is recommended:
- Read the first and last paragraphs first to grasp the main idea of the article.
- Re-read the first and last sentences of each paragraph to get the general idea of the passage
- Finally, read the whole text carefully, paying attention to key words and phrases and transitions.
2. How to answer the keynote question
The main idea question is a common question type in vernacular literature:
- Summarise the central idea of the text, not just one part of it
- Use your own words, don't copy directly from the original text.
- Pay attention to the position and point of view of the article
3. Analyse the author's writing techniques
When analysing the author's writing style, you can start from the following aspects:
- Rhetorical devices: metaphor, simile, contrast, etc.
- Structural arrangement: Clockwise, reverse, interlude, etc.
- Expression: narration, description, discussion, etc.
Student Success Stories
Hear how our students improved their DSE Chinese grades with GETUTOR!
After studying with GETUTOR for three months, I mastered the skills of reading comprehension and how to answer the questions, and eventually I got a good grade 5 in the DSE," he said! My tutor taught me the "2-2-5" method of time allocation, which was particularly useful and enabled me to organise my exam time wisely."
DSE Chinese: Level 3 → Level 5
"The Chinese language has always been my weak point, I can't read it, let alone answer questions. GETUTOR's tutors taught me how to analyse the sentence structure and meaning of the language, and provided me with plenty of opportunities to practise. In the end, I got nearly full marks in the Chinese Language section of DSE Chinese Paper 1!
DSE Chinese: Level 4 → Level 5**
"I didn't know anything about the 12 model essays, I couldn't remember the content and writing style. GETUTOR taught me to categorise the essays into four main types and master the core points of each type, which made my study much more efficient. In the end, I got a 5* in DSE Chinese Language!
DSE Chinese: Level 3 → Level 5*
DSE Chinese Reading Comprehension Quiz
Test your mastery of DSE Chinese Paper 1
Reading comprehension test
Complete the following five questions to test your reading comprehension and answering skills
DSE Chinese Learning Resources
Selected quality learning resources to help you prepare for DSE Chinese Paper 1 efficiently
Official Past Paper Resources
The Hong Kong Examinations and Assessment Authority (HKEAA) has provided Chinese questions and sample papers for previous DSEs, which are essential resources for exam preparation.
Go to the official website →
HKEAA Official Resources
The marking references, examples of candidates' performance and grade descriptors provided by HKEAA are useful for understanding the marking standards and requirements.
View Details →
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