Study Guide

Field 251: World Language: Chinese (Mandarin) 
Presentational Writing

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This study guide contains some Chinese. To hear Chinese please use a screenreader that has Chinese enabled.

Review the IME instructions for Mandarin . The IME instruction document will be available to you during the actual test.

Directions for Presentational Writing Assignment

For this section of the test, you will compose a written response to an assignment presented on screen. You must respond to the assignment in the target language.

The assignment appears on the screen with a response box. Type your response in this box. Note that the assignment includes a prompt and an exhibit. Read the assignment carefully before you begin to write. Think about how you will organize your response. You may use the erasable notebooklet provided to make notes, write an outline, or otherwise prepare your response. However, your final response must be typed in the response box provided for the assignment.

For this assignment, you will type your response in the target language using Input Method Editor (IME) technology. You may access specific instructions for IME use by selecting the button above the response box. Note that because the default input language is set as English, you will need to select the target language before you begin typing by clicking on the arrow in the language selection box at the top left corner of the screen. Please note that all punctuation should be entered while the target language is the selected input language.

Your response to the assignment will be evaluated on the basis of the following criteria:

• PURPOSE: the extent to which the response fulfills the tasks outlined in the assignment, demonstrates engagement with the exhibit, and uses writing conventions appropriate for the specified context and audience
• SUPPORT: the extent to which the response is elaborated with explanations and comparisons that are supported with relevant details from the exhibit and the candidate's own ideas
• ORGANIZATION: the extent to which the response communicates a logically sequenced and coherent written message
• VOCABULARY: the extent to which the response uses words and idiomatic language appropriate for the specified context and audience
• GRAMMAR: the extent to which the response uses appropriate narrative time frames, sentence structures, cohesive devices, and mechanics (spelling, punctuation, and if applicable, capitalization and diacritical marks)

Your response will be evaluated on the criteria above, not on any personal opinions expressed in the response. Be sure to write about the assigned topic and use multiple paragraphs. You may not use any reference materials during the test. This should be your original work, written in your own words, and not copied or paraphrased from some other work. Remember to review what you have written and make any changes you think will improve your response.

A response will be considered unscorable if it is unrelated to the assigned topic, not written in the required language, not of sufficient length to score, or merely a repetition of the assignment.

Select the Next button to continue.

Sample Presentational Writing Assignment

Objective 0007 
Apply knowledge of target-language structures and writing conventions to compose an effective, coherent, and clear response to a prompt.

[The examinee will see on screen the following directions:
To view the exhibit, click the button above. A pop-up window will appear. The pop-up window can then be resized and/or repositioned on your screen so that you can access the information while completing your response.]

Use the exhibit provided to complete the assignment below.

Imagine that you are currently living in Beijing. You are planning to go on an excursion with the goal of learning about local cultures. You want to invite a Chinese-speaking friend to join you. Drawing on the excursion options advertised in the provided exhibit and your knowledge of Chinese writing conventions, write an e-mail in Chinese to your friend in which you:

• explain how you made the decision to go on an excursion and invite your friend to join you;
• compare the two excursion options advertised in the exhibit, providing one advantage and one disadvantage for each option; and
• explain which option would best help you and your friend learn about the products, practices, and/or perspectives of local cultures.

Your response must be written in your own words, except for quotations and paraphrases from the exhibit used as evidence to support your ideas.

Exhibit

[Simplified]

The image is a tourist pamphlet in simplified Mandarin.
At the very top of the pamphlet in the header section it says ????????. Then, ????? (??: 010-12345688 www.smiletravel.cn).
Below the header, the pamphlet is divided into 2 sections. I will describe both.
The first section is labeled ?????????(????,?????). Then, it reads ???????????,????????,?????????????.
There are two subsections of text. The first reads ????. Then, ???????????,???,????,???????,????,?????????????????????????. The second reads ????:. Then, it lists ???:????,??????????? / ?????:?????,?????? / ???????????:??????,?????? / ?????:???????.
There is some additional text in its own box at the bottom of the section. It reads ???????.
Finally, there are two pictures within this section. The first, located on the left side, shows the Yangtze river running through Three Gorges. The second, on the right side, shows a Sichuan hot pot.
The second section is labeled ???????. Then, it reads ???????????,?????,???????,????????????.
There are three subsections of text. The first reads ??. Then, ???????,?????,??????,??????????????. The second reads ????. Then, ?????????????,?????????????????!?????????????????. The third reads ????:. Then, it lists ???:????,??????????? / ???:??????????? / ???:????,????,??????? / ?????:??????,??????.
There is some additional text in its own box at the bottom of the section. It reads ???????.
Finally, there are two pictures within this section. The first, located on the left side, shows Qingdao Laoshan. The second, on the right side, shows Taiqing Palace in Liaoning Province, Shenyang. This picture is labeled. The label reads ???.

 

[Traditional]

The image is a tourist pamphlet in traditional Mandarin.
At the very top of the pamphlet in the header section it says ????????. Then, ????? (?? : 010-12345688 www.smiletravel.cn).
Below the header, the pamphlet is divided into 2 sections. I will describe both.
The first section is labeled ?????????(????,?????). Then, it reads ???????????,????????,?????????????.
There are two subsections of text. The first reads ????. Then, ???????????,???,????,???????,????,?????????????????????????. The second reads ????:. Then, it lists ???:????,??????????? / ?????:?????,?????? / ???????????:??????,?????? / ?????:???????.
There is some additional text in its own box at the bottom of the section. It reads ???????.
Finally, there are two pictures within this section. The first, located on the left side, shows the Yangtze river running through Three Gorges. The second, on the right side, shows a Sichuan hot pot.
The second section is labeled ???????. Then, it reads ???????????,?????,???????,????????????.
There are three subsections of text. The first reads ??. Then, ???????,?????,??????,??????????????. The second reads ????. Then, ?????????????,?????????????????!?????????????????. The third reads ????:. Then, it lists ???:????,??????????? / ???:??????????? / ???:????,????,??????? / ?????:??????,??????.
There is some additional text in its own box at the bottom of the section. It reads ???????.
Finally, there are two pictures within this section. The first, located on the left side, shows Qingdao Laoshan. The second, on the right side, shows Taiqing Palace in Liaoning Province, Shenyang. This picture is labeled. The label reads ???.

Sample Strong Response to Presentational Writing Assignment

Rationale for Sample Strong Response to Presentational Writing Assignment

The response largely fulfills the tasks outlined in the assignment and effectively uses Chinese writing conventions appropriate for the specified context and audience. It is an e-mail to a friend and maintains a somewhat polite mode to seek some advice. It explicitly addresses the three tasks presented in the assignment starting with the reason for the decision to go on the trip ("????????, ??????????????????????????? / ????????, ???????????????????????????"), followed by an invitation for the friend to join ("????????????????????? / ?????????????????????"). The two options presented in the exhibit are compared, and an advantage and a disadvantage of each option are provided (how many cities in the plan, total time needed, tourist spots, etc.). The e-mail concludes by explaining why the writer would like to choose option two ("?????????????,???????? / ?????????????,????????"). The response demonstrates engagement with the exhibit, and explanations and comparisons are supported with relevant details from the exhibit as well as the candidate's own ideas ("???????????????????; ????????? / ???????????????????; ?????????").

The response communicates an effectively sequenced, coherent written message. It is written in a series of paragraphs with a clear beginning, middle, and conclusion that is reasonable based on the preceding ideas.

With the exception of quotations and paraphrases from the exhibit, the e-mail is written in the candidate's own words. Vocabulary ("??; ??; ??; ?? / ??; ??; ??; ??") and idiomatic language ("???? / ????") used are appropriate for the context and audience. Narrative time frames, sentence structures, cohesive devices ("???; ??;???; ??; ?? / ???; ??;???; ??; ??"), and mechanics are largely appropriate and effective. Minor errors do not interfere with comprehensibility. Examples of such errors include the use of the wrong measure word or classifier ("?? / ??" instead of "?? / ??") to describe the different transportation options, the use of a wrong cohesive device ("?? / ??" instead of "?? / ??"), the use of a less appropriate adverb ("??? / ???" instead of "??? / ???"), and the use of wrong word order ("???? / ????" instead of "???? / ????").

Performance Characteristics for Presentational Writing Assignment

The following characteristics guide the scoring of responses to the Presentational Writing assignment.

Purpose	the extent to which the response fulfills the tasks outlined in the assignment, demonstrates engagement with the exhibit, and uses writing conventions appropriate for the specified context and audience
Support	the extent to which the response is elaborated with explanations and comparisons that are supported with relevant details from the exhibit and the candidate's own ideas
Organization	the extent to which the response communicates a logically sequenced and coherent written message
Vocabulary	the extent to which the response uses words and idiomatic language appropriate for the specified context and audience
Grammar	the extent to which the response uses appropriate narrative time frames, sentence structures, cohesive devices, and mechanics (spelling, punctuation, and if applicable, capitalization and diacritical marks)

Score Scale for Presentational Writing Assignment

A score will be assigned to the response to the Presentational Writing assignment according to the following score scale.

Score Point	Score Point Description
4	The "4" response demonstrates effective presentational writing skills. The response largely fulfills the tasks outlined in the assignment, demonstrates engagement with the exhibit, and uses writing conventions appropriate for the specified context and audience. The response is largely elaborated with explanations and comparisons that are largely supported with relevant details from the exhibit and the candidate's own ideas. The response largely communicates an effectively sequenced, coherent written message. Minor errors in connecting ideas do not interfere with comprehensibility. The response uses words and idiomatic language largely appropriate for the specified context and audience. Minor errors do not interfere with comprehensibility. The response uses largely appropriate narrative time frames, sentence structures, cohesive devices, and mechanics. Minor errors do not interfere with comprehensibility.
3	The "3" response demonstrates generally effective presentational writing skills. The response generally fulfills the tasks outlined in the assignment, demonstrates general engagement with the exhibit, and uses writing conventions generally appropriate for the specified context and audience. The response is generally elaborated with explanations and comparisons that are generally supported with relevant details from the exhibit and the candidate's own ideas. The response communicates a generally effective, sequenced, coherent written message. Some errors in connecting ideas interfere with comprehensibility. The response uses words and idiomatic language generally appropriate for the specified context and audience. Some errors interfere with comprehensibility. The response uses generally appropriate narrative time frames, sentence structures, cohesive devices, and mechanics. Some errors interfere with comprehensibility.
2	The "2" response demonstrates partially effective presentational writing skills. The response only partially fulfills the tasks outlined in the assignment, demonstrates limited engagement with the exhibit, and uses writing conventions that are only partially appropriate for the specified context and audience. The response is only partially elaborated. Explanations and/or comparisons are only partially supported, with few relevant details from the exhibit and/or the candidate's own ideas. The response communicates a written message that is only partially effective and/or only partially coherent. Frequent errors in connecting ideas interfere with comprehensibility. The response uses basic words and idiomatic language that are only partially appropriate for the specified context and audience. Frequent errors interfere with comprehensibility. The response uses only basic and/or only partially appropriate narrative time frames, sentence structures, cohesive devices, and mechanics. Frequent errors interfere with comprehensibility.
1	The "1" response demonstrates ineffective presentational writing skills. The response does not fulfill the tasks outlined in the assignment, demonstrates little or no engagement with the exhibit, and uses writing conventions that are inappropriate for the specified context and audience. The response is ineffectively elaborated, with few or no explanations or comparisons and few or no details from the exhibit or the candidate's own ideas. Any support present may be irrelevant. The response communicates an ineffective, incoherent written message. Constant errors in connecting ideas significantly interfere with comprehensibility. The response uses few or no words and little or no idiomatic language appropriate for the specified context and audience. Constant errors significantly interfere with comprehensibility. The response uses few or no appropriate narrative time frames, sentence structures, cohesive devices, or mechanics. Constant errors significantly interfere with comprehensibility.
U	The response is unscorable because it is unrelated to the assigned topic, illegible, not written in the required language, not of sufficient length to score, or merely a repetition of the assignment.
B	There is no response to the assignment.

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