Paper 4 Writing: form, directed message and extended response
Plan concise and extended Chinese writing for the three Paper 4 tasks and select the correct year-specific mark scheme.
Section P4 · Paper 4 · Writing
Exam scope and assessment notes
This is an original StudyForA starter sequence, not the approximately 130 guided learning hours Cambridge uses as a planning guide. A qualified Mandarin teacher still needs to check every Chinese sentence, character form, vocabulary choice, register and pronunciation cue. The complete 2025–2027 and 2028–2030 vocabulary lists have not yet been reconciled word by word. Browser speech synthesis is variable practice audio, not Cambridge recordings. Speaking rehearsal and written self-checks do not award Cambridge marks; the centre conducts, marks and records Paper 3 and Cambridge moderates it. No full-length timed mock papers are included. All Chinese examples and practice prompts are original StudyForA material, not copied Cambridge assessment content.
Before you begin
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
Which task fits Q1?
What you will learn
- Both cycles: 1 hour 15 minutes, form completion, directed writing and choice of email/letter or article/blog
- 2025–2027: 45 marks; Q1 5, Q2 12 at about 80–100 characters, Q3 28 at about 150 characters
- 2028–2030: 40 marks; Q1 5, Q2 10 at about 80–100 characters, Q3 25 at about 150 characters
- Communicate clear facts, connected ideas, opinions and reasons with suitable register and accuracy
Match the answer to the task
Q1 asks for single words or short phrases in a form. Q2 is directed writing on a familiar everyday topic. Q3 offers an email/letter or article/blog; choose the option whose audience and content you can address fully.
Build the response from the prompt points, not from a memorised paragraph. Check that every required point appears before refining word choice and character accuracy.
Switch mark weights at the cycle boundary
The 2025–2027 syllabus sets Paper 4 at 45 marks: Q1 5, Q2 12 and Q3 28. The 2028–2030 syllabus version 2 sets it at 40: Q1 5, Q2 10 and Q3 25; Q2 uses two criteria over four levels and Q3 has task completion, range and accuracy criteria.
Cambridge guidance says candidates may write in simplified or traditional characters. These lessons use simplified Chinese for examples; a qualified Mandarin teacher should review the content and forms.
Sources for this lesson
- Cambridge IGCSE Mandarin Chinese Foreign Language 0547 subject page
- 0547 syllabus for exams in 2025–2027
- 0547 syllabus, version 2, for exams in 2028–2030
- 0547 2028–2030 syllabus update
- 0547 vocabulary list for 2028
- 0547 specimen Paper 1 mark scheme for exams from 2028
- Cambridge guidance on simplified and traditional responses
Pause and explain
For a 2028 candidate, how many marks is Q2 worth?
Worked example
A class survey asks for your favourite school subject and why, one activity you did last week, and one plan for next month. How would you organise an approximately 80–100 character directed response?
Show the worked solution
- Write one short sentence for each required point.
- Use a time marker for last week and a future marker for next month.
- Connect the preference to a reason and check the cycle's mark allocation.
Answer A suitable plan is: favourite subject + because/reason; a concrete activity last week; a plan for next month. Example: «我最喜欢科学，因为我们可以做有趣的实验。上星期我和同学做了一个关于植物的小项目。下个月我打算参加学校的科学展览，希望能学到更多。» Count characters according to the current instructions and have the Mandarin reviewed.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Fill a practice form in Chinese from these facts: name Lin Mei; lives in Suzhou; favourite subject geography; wants to join a school trip in June.
Give me a hint
Use single words or short phrases, and preserve the field-to-answer links.
Compare my reasoning
- Write the name in the name field.
- Use a location phrase for the city.
- Use a short subject and month phrase.
Example entries: 姓名：林梅；城市：苏州；最喜欢的科目：地理；希望参加的活动：六月的学校旅行. Each response fits the corresponding field; this is original practice, not a Cambridge form.
Look for these in your work
- Uses concise field answers
- Keeps each fact in the right field
- Does not add unsupported details
Write an 80–100 character Mandarin message about a school event: where and when it happened, what you did and how you felt.
Give me a hint
Use one time marker, two event details and an opinion or feeling with a reason.
Compare my reasoning
- Set the event and time.
- Describe your action and one detail.
- Finish with a feeling and brief reason; count using the year's instructions.
Example: «上星期五，我们学校举行了运动会。我和同学参加了跑步比赛，老师和家长在旁边加油。虽然我没有得奖，但是我很开心，因为我认识了新朋友，也学会了坚持。» It covers time, event, action and feeling; verify the character count and language with a teacher.
Look for these in your work
- Covers each prompt point
- Uses a connected sequence
- Includes a reason and checks length
A 2028 Q3 choice offers an email to a friend about a planned trip or a blog about a completed trip. Explain how tense, audience and details change between the options.
Give me a hint
Look for planned versus completed time and the format's reader.
Compare my reasoning
- Identify which option concerns a future plan.
- Identify which option concerns a past experience.
- Name the audience and choose evidence relevant to that format.
For the email, use future markers such as «下个月» and «打算», address the friend and include practical arrangements. For the blog, use past markers such as «上星期» and «了», describe what happened and develop a reaction. A candidate should choose the option they can answer fully, not the one with a memorised script.
Look for these in your work
- Distinguishes planned and completed events
- Adapts register to audience
- Explains a reasoned choice
Common mistakes
- Using a 2025–2027 mark total for a 2028–2030 answer
- Missing a prompt bullet to preserve a memorised phrase
- Counting a plan as a completed event
- Assuming automated feedback equals an official mark
What can you explain now?
Which Q3 criterion should you check first if your draft has not answered one prompt point?
Compare with the explanation
Task completion
A polished range of language cannot replace an omitted required point.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Before leaving paper 4 writing: form, directed message and extended response, explain one idea from memory, answer the checkpoint and name one syllabus detail you still need to practise.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.