DSE Chinese｜Narrative Writing: Six Elements and Description — Tutor Prep Guide｜Seven-minute planning, five-paragraph shape, four common errors

2026-11-02

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary Chinese

Students hand in a story with time, place and people all present, yet a reader cannot recall a single scene. This lesson replaces reporting with showing.

Objectives — Students can: 1) spend the first seven minutes underlining what the prompt demands and writing one planning sentence; 2) shape the whole piece in five paragraphs, each holding one visible moment; 3) name what action, dialogue, expression and setting description each do in a paragraph.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

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

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Six elements	Name the six elements of a narrative.	Time, place, people, cause, process, result.
Paragraph budget	650 words in 5 paragraphs: average length?	About 130 words each.
Punctuation	How is quoted speech punctuated?	Quotation marks around the words; end punctuation inside the closing mark.

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Opening question	Read two student paragraphs and ask which one they can picture	Vote by hand and give one reason
5-15 min	Prerequisite check	Hand out three quick checks, ask each student to read the answer aloud	Write answers, fix errors on the spot
15-35 min	Three-act script	Deliver the six elements, the paragraph shape and the four techniques; ask one student to restate each act	Restate each act in one sentence
35-45 min	Modelled questions	Model the planning sentence, an opening paragraph and one description paragraph, numbering each step	Copy and label the technique used
45-55 min	Independent practice	Circulate and only ask what the reader can see, never supply wording	Work three items and self-check
55-60 min	Exit check	Collect the three answers and count errors immediately	Written answers, no discussion

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Act one: plan before you write

The first seven minutes are not writing, they are circling. Circle the time, the place, the people and the event named in the prompt, then write one sentence: who does what, where, and what they come to understand. That sentence is your direction. Without it the piece drifts by the second paragraph. Then spend eight minutes writing five sentences, one per paragraph.

Which four things must the planning sentence contain?

Scene 2: Act two: five paragraphs is rhythm, not format

Six hundred and fifty words in five paragraphs means about 130 words each. That is not a rule but a budget that lets every paragraph hold one complete scene. Paragraph one sets the place, two breaks something, three tightens, four turns, five closes on an action or a line of speech. The usual failure is finishing the event in paragraph two, after which three paragraphs of feelings leave the reader with nothing to see.

What does each of the five paragraphs do, and which one runs too fast?

Scene 3: Act three: description replaces adjectives

Action, dialogue, expression and setting are not decoration; they let the reader conclude. Writing that a character is nervous tells; writing that he opens and closes his pen cap shows. Every paragraph needs at least one detail a sense can catch: sight, sound, smell, touch, taste. One such line inside a paragraph of a hundred and thirty words is enough.

Which adjective does each of the four techniques replace?

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Planning sentence	Prompt: one experience of failure. Write your planning sentence.	1) Circle the key words; 2) fix time, place and people; 3) write one sentence containing a change.	Example: Backstage at the S3 speech festival I forgot my lines, and learned that preparation is not memorising.
Opening paragraph	Write about 80 words that set the scene.	1) Start with one sensory detail; 2) give time and place; 3) add no comment.	Example: The hall air-conditioning was louder than usual, and my palms pressed the rough curtain backstage.
Description paragraph	Show nervousness in 130 words without using the word nervous.	1) Choose one physical action; 2) add one reaction from a bystander; 3) end on a short sentence.	Example: I folded the script into a square, flattened it out, and pressed the crease; the boy in front turned round.
Closing paragraph	Close in about 60 words without stating a moral.	1) Return to the object from the opening; 2) write one action; 3) stop.	Example: I slid the creased script into my textbook and did not open it again.

Sanity check (teach this): Check the arithmetic: 5 paragraphs of 130 words make 650 words, and 7 + 8 + 55 + 5 minutes make 75. Count words and paragraphs before reading for quality; a shortfall over a hundred words almost always sits in the tensest paragraph.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
List the six elements in this sentence: on a rainy morning I fixed my bicycle chain alone on the old stairs.	Time: rainy morning. Place: old stairs. People: I. Cause: broken chain. Process: fixing it. Result: fixed or not fixed.	Watch for a missing cause; a student who misses it is copying words, not reading.
Rewrite he was angry as an action line under thirty words.	Example: He shut the textbook, pushed it to the edge of the desk, and his chair scraped the floor.	Look for a physical action and a sound rather than a stronger adjective.
In 130 words start with the classroom clock and end on an action.	Example: The clock reached five past four and each tick landed beside my ear; I put the pen down and stopped turning pages.	Check the last sentence is an action, not a comment.

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Narration without a single scene	That day I was happy because I won and everyone praised me.	That sentence is a result report, not a scene. Pick one minute and write what your hands were doing.
Timeline jumping	I got home, then remembered the teacher shouting, then thought about tomorrow homework.	Put the three events in order first: earliest, middle, latest. Write them in the corner of your draft.
Reflection swallowing the last two paragraphs	This taught me that life has failure and we must face it bravely.	Keep one sentence of that and spend the rest on an action you actually performed.
Description made of adjectives	The atmosphere was tense and everyone was afraid.	Tense is your conclusion. Write one movement you saw and let the reader decide.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Secondary Chinese chapter index: do the three practice items on this page, then compare with the classical vocabulary chapter — Practice 1-3 on this page

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
A prompt asks about one wait. Which four things must the planning sentence carry?	Who, when and where, what is awaited, what finally happens	Two or more missing means redo act one
650 words in 5 paragraphs: the minimum for the tensest paragraph?	About 130 words	Under 100 words means reteach act two
Turn she was sad into one action line under twenty words.	Example: She turned the photograph face down and pressed it under the desk mat.	An adjective instead of an action means redo act three

09 Tutor FAQ

Which year is this for?

Mainly S4, also useful in S3 second term and S5 catch-up, and for S6 students rewriting narrative pieces.

Must it be five paragraphs?

No. Four to six works for 650 words, as long as each paragraph holds one complete scene.

Is there supporting practice?

The homework row links to the secondary Chinese chapter index, where the classical vocabulary and reading chapters sit.

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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.