HKDSE Chinese｜Explanatory Texts and Chart Integration Lesson-Prep Guide (for tutors)｜Six methods, a three-step chart reading and a four-step data answer

2026-11-03

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary Chinese

Show students a chart and they copy a number; ask which explanation method a paragraph uses and they all answer data. Neither earns marks. The problem is not comprehension but not knowing what each method is for, nor that a chart is read for its title, unit and trend rather than its most dramatic figure.

Objectives — Students can: (1) name the 6 explanation methods (definition, classification, example, comparison, data, quotation) and state what each does in a paragraph; (2) read a chart in 3 steps (title and unit, then trend, then extremes) so that a rise is never reported as a peak; (3) produce a complete data-integration answer in 4 steps (locate the demand, read the chart, match the text, write one comparative sentence) within 9 minutes for a 6-mark question; (4) self-check with 5 practice items, each answering both method and function.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

If any of these fails, fix it before the lesson starts.

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Paragraph main idea	Where does a topic sentence usually sit?	Usually first, occasionally last
Comparison wording	What do xiang bi and jiao signal?	A contrast between two items
Reading numbers	How does 3 percentage points differ from 3%?	The first is an absolute gap, the second a relative change
Chart types	What does a bar chart show that a line chart does not?	Bars compare size, lines show trend

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0–8 min	Six jobs, not six labels	6 methods and their functions	Function first, name second
8–18 min	Model one passage	1200 characters at 200 per minute	Label methods while reading
18–30 min	Three chart steps	Title and unit, trend, extremes	Unit before number
30–42 min	Four-step sentence	Locate, read, match, write	The answer must compare
42–52 min	Timed attempt	6 marks in 9 minutes	Frame first, figures later
52–60 min	Peer marking and exit	5 items, two parts each	Method plus function

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Teach the job before the label

Write the 6 methods as six jobs: definition draws the boundary, classification tidies the set, example makes it concrete, comparison sharpens the difference, data persuades, quotation borrows authority. The commonest error is naming a method without its function, for example writing that the writer uses an example when the question asks why. Ask first what the paragraph wants you to believe, then which method does that work most cheaply.

Ask: this paragraph uses figures, so what does the writer want you to believe? (Purpose before label)

Scene 2: Read only three things on a chart

Every chart has 3 must-read positions: the title (what is measured), the unit (ten thousand or per cent), and the trend (up, down, flat). Skipping the unit is how 3 percentage points becomes 3%. Only then look for extremes and turning points. Ask the same chart three times, allowing one answer each time, and students discover which step they usually skip.

Ask: is the unit a percentage or a headcount, and what breaks if you get it wrong?

Scene 3: Turn figures into a sentence in four steps

The 4 steps are fixed: circle what the question asks for, locate it on the chart, find the matching sentence in the passage, then write a comparative sentence of the form A is higher than B, which suggests. A 6-mark question gets 9 minutes because the marking scheme usually has three layers: the figure, the comparison and the significance. Copying the figure earns only the first layer.

Ask: why is a bare rise not enough for full marks? (Comparison and significance missing)

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Identify the method	Name two methods used in paragraph three and explain their effect.	Fix the paragraph purpose, match the method, then state the effect	Method plus function, both required
Describe a chart	Describe how places A and B changed between 2010 and 2020.	Read title and unit, state trend, then contrast the two	Needs comparative wording and size
Integrate data	Using the chart and the passage, explain why A grew faster.	Four steps: locate, read, match, infer	Figure plus textual cause
Order of explanation	Why move from definition to example?	Argue from cognition: boundary first, concrete second	Abstract to concrete aids understanding

Sanity check (teach this): There are 6 explanation methods and every answer needs method plus function, a name alone scores nothing; read title and unit first, trend second, extremes last; percentage points and per cent are not interchangeable; a data answer without a comparison is not an answer; a 6-mark item is marked in about three layers and copying a figure reaches only the first; a 1200-character passage at 200 characters per minute takes 6 minutes, so timed practice must budget for it; data and quotation are support, never the argument itself; a classification must keep one criterion throughout, since mixing criteria is a structural error.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Identify: this paragraph lists figures for four years from 1990 to 2020, which method is it?	Data, that is, citing figures	It persuades by concrete numbers
Chart: usage rose from 45% to 52%, how many percentage points is that?	7 percentage points	Subtract the two percentages, it is not 7%
Integrate: the chart shows A growing faster, which sentence explains why?	The causal sentence in paragraph three, quoted	Always return to the passage for the cause

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Confusing explanation methods with rhetorical devices	A student answers metaphor when the paragraph gives an example.	Tutor line: “A metaphor gives you a picture, an example gives you a real case. Different jobs.”
Naming the method without its function	A student writes that the writer uses data and stops.	Tutor line: “You told me he used a hammer. The question asks why he used it. Where is the effect?”
Writing percentage points as per cent	A student says usage rose 7% when it went from 45% to 52%.	Tutor line: “Forty-five to fifty-two is seven points. Seven per cent is a different animal.”
A chart answer with no comparison	A student says A rose, when the question asks about both places.	Tutor line: “The question names two places. You answered one, so you answered half.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Secondary Chinese chapter index — Pick two chapters and copy the six methods with their functions
S5 Chinese: explanatory text reading — Mark three methods in the passage used in practice question 1
S4 Chinese: argumentative reading — Contrast its argument methods with the explanation methods here

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Which two parts must a method answer contain?	The method and its function	Name only means the mark scheme is unmet
What comes first when reading a chart?	The title and the unit	Numbers first is how units go wrong
How do percentage points differ from per cent?	Points are the absolute gap between two percentages	Confusing them loses data marks

09 Tutor FAQ

Which year group?

S4 Chinese reading, explanatory text unit; S3 can start with the six methods.

How many names must be memorised?

6 names, with the emphasis on what each does rather than on definitions.

Is there practice?

Three of the 5 items come with answers and explanations, plus three linked chapters.

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A TutorZone lesson-prep guide. Written by the TutorZone team; questions and lesson flow are original and are not taken from any school or publisher material.