DSE Chinese: explanatory text comprehension (tutor lesson plan, Paper 1)

2026-11-03

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary Chinese

Most students read an explanatory text from the first line to the last and then copy a sentence that feels right. This lesson replaces that with labelling the paragraph function first.

Objectives — Students can: (1) label a paragraph as definition, classification, example, comparison or cause within 30 seconds and give the signal word that decided it; (2) write a paragraph summary as one topic sentence plus two supports, without copying the text; (3) place information spread over two or three paragraphs into a single table before writing a synthesis answer.

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 the topic sentence usually sit?	First or last sentence
Explanation methods	Which method does “for example” signal?	Giving examples
Percentages	What is “three tenths” as a percentage?	30 per cent

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Label paragraph function	Read only the first and last sentence	All 4 paragraphs labelled
5-15 min	Four explanation methods	Match signal words, not impressions	Method plus evidence for each paragraph
15-25 min	One-sentence summary	Subject plus judgement, no copying	Each in under 120 characters
25-40 min	Five questions	Locate within 45 seconds each	225 seconds in total
40-45 min	Synthesis table	Two or three paragraphs in one table	Three out of three

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Label the function before reading the content

A 480-character explanatory text usually runs to 4 paragraphs of about 120 characters, a quarter of the text each. There are only five functions: definition, classification, example, comparison and cause. The first and last sentence are enough to decide: “X refers to” means definition, “can be divided into” means classification, “for example” means example.
Why label first? Because the question follows the function: definition paragraphs are asked to explain a term, comparison paragraphs to state a difference, cause paragraphs to give reasons. Label the function wrongly and the answer goes the wrong way.
Write only the label, never a sentence, or the reading time disappears.

Ask the student: a paragraph opens with “can be divided into three types” – which function is that, and what will the question ask?

Scene 2: Four methods are recognised by signal words

The signals are fixed: definition uses “refers to” and “is defined as”; example uses “for example” and “taking X as an example”; figures use “per cent” and “equivalent to”; comparison uses “compared with” and “whereas”. Students confuse example with comparison because both mention concrete things.
The difference: an example lifts one member out of a class, a comparison sets two classes against each other. When a sentence carries both, name the dominant one and note the second at the end.
Marks require the method name plus the quoted evidence. The name alone earns nothing.

Ask the student: “taking the kangaroo as an example” versus “the kangaroo runs faster than the rabbit” – which is which?

Scene 3: Synthesise with a table, not a second reading

One or two of the five questions span paragraphs, with the answer spread over two or three of them. Reading time for the paper is about 3.75 minutes (225 seconds), so a second full reading costs half of it.
Build a three-column table while reading: paragraph, function, key terms. Answer from the table and return to the text only to quote, taking key terms and never whole sentences.
The synthesis sentence has a fixed shape: shared point, then difference, then why the writer placed the two paragraphs together – usually definition before example, or classification before comparison. That last clause is where the function question earns its marks.

Ask the student: is the relation definition-then-example or classification-then-comparison, and what proves it?

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Paragraph summary	Summarise paragraph 2	Label function, find the topic sentence, write subject plus judgement	Three features of the devices
Method identification	Which method does paragraph 3 use?	Find the signal word, write method plus evidence	Example: taking X as an example
Information synthesis	Explain the relation between A and B	Table, shared point, difference, reason for the order	Definition first, comparison second
Function of a paragraph	What does this paragraph do in the text?	Name the structural position and the effect on the reader	Follows the definition and introduces the classification

Sanity check (teach this): Check three things: 480 characters across 4 paragraphs of 120; five questions at 45 seconds each is 225 seconds, or 3.75 minutes. A student who spends eight minutes on a 480-character text has no time left to write, so four minutes is the working ceiling. Check answer length too: a summary runs 20 to 30 characters, and anything past 45 is copied text.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Summarise paragraph 2, which covers three kinds of sensor.	States what each of the three sensors detects and what it is used for.	Whether the answer is copied and whether the subject is clear
Which two methods does paragraph 4 use?	Comparison against the older method, and figures showing a 40 per cent saving.	Whether both the method name and the evidence appear
Using paragraphs 1 and 3, explain the link between sensors and automation.	Defines the sensor first, then shows through examples how it drives automation.	Whether the reason for the paragraph order is stated

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Copying the text as the answer	Forty characters lifted word for word	“A summary is your own sentence; copying scores nothing.”
Example mistaken for comparison	Writing comparison where the signal was “as an example”	“If the words “as an example” appear, it is an example, not a comparison.”
Synthesis answer uses one paragraph	Only paragraph 1 is discussed	“The question says synthesise, so both paragraphs must appear.”
Function answers “makes it lively”	The same line for every paragraph	“Function is structural: what it follows and what it introduces.”

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

DSE Chinese Paper 1 practice paper — Passage one, questions 4 to 6: label every paragraph function first, then answer, keeping each summary under 30 characters.
Passage two of the same paper — Question 8 (synthesis): answer from your own three-column table only, with no second reading, in five minutes.

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
The five paragraph functions	Definition, classification, example, comparison, cause	Four out of five means secure
Reading time for a 480-character text	Four minutes or less	Eight minutes means reteach labelling
Maximum length of a summary	About 30 characters	Past 45 means copying

09 Tutor FAQ

Must the whole text be read before answering?

No. Label the functions, then return only to the paragraphs the questions name.

Can two methods be given for one sentence?

Yes, but rank them and attach evidence to each.

How is a function question different from a summary?

A summary says what the paragraph states; a function says what job it does in the whole text.

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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.