DSE Chinese | Methods of Exposition Guide (for tutors) — five methods, effect sentences, four-step answers

2026-11-05

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary Chinese

The problem this lesson solves: students can name examples and figures, but every effect answer says the same thing, that it makes the writing more concrete.

Objectives — By the end students can (1) identify the five methods with an example each, (2) write an effect sentence naming the reading difficulty removed, and (3) decide which method is main when a paragraph uses two.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

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

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
What expository writing is	Say that it explains rather than narrates	If the answer is ‘same as narrative’, spend three minutes first
Paragraph main idea	State the main idea of a given paragraph in one sentence	If the answer is ‘it gives a lot of information’, practise finding the topic sentence
Conditions for comparison	Say that comparison needs the same category and the same standard	If the answer is ‘compare anything’, reteach the third demonstration

02 Lesson flow (45 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
5 minutes	Opening diagnosis	Hand out 80 characters of exposition and ask students to circle every method used	Work alone, no discussion
8 minutes	Definition and classification	Show definition as category plus differentia, then show classification with one standard	Rewrite one vague definition
12 minutes	Three demonstrations	Show definition, examples and figures, and comparison, naming the difficulty each removes	Write one effect sentence after each
10 minutes	Effect sentences	Give five sentences and require a method plus effect for each	Write five, then swap and mark with a partner
6 minutes	Main method	Show a paragraph using two methods and how to decide which is main	Circle the main method and give a reason
4 minutes	Closing feedback	Read three effect sentences aloud and mark the ones still saying ‘more concrete’	Fix their weakest sentence

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Definition: category plus differentia

Write two versions. A: photosynthesis is the process by which plants make food. B: photosynthesis is the process by which green plants use light energy to convert carbon dioxide and water into glucose and release oxygen.

Ask which one lets a beginner tell photosynthesis from respiration. B does, because it names the category, a process, and then the differentia: light energy, raw materials, products. A definition is not shorter, it is precise enough to separate.

A definition gives the category and what makes it different.

Scene 2: Examples and figures: when they fail

The commonest misunderstanding: more numbers means more authority, so students stuff in percentages with no source and no baseline.

Compare two sentences. A: many people are short-sighted. B: a 2023 Hong Kong Department of Health survey found about sixty per cent of Primary 6 students were short-sighted. Ask which can be checked. B can, because it has a source, a year, a group and a proportion.

Then show a failing example: one exceptional child used to prove a whole system works.

Figures need a source and a year; examples must represent the majority.

Scene 3: Comparison: same category, standard and unit

Test three sentences. A: Hong Kong flats cost more than Shenzhen wages. It fails: different categories. B: School A averages 4.2 and School B 4.0 on the same paper and scale. It holds. C: School A does better because its building is newer. It fails: no evidence of cause.

Students must state the three conditions; miss one and the comparison proves nothing.

Comparison needs the same category, standard and unit.

Scene 4: Deciding the main method

A paragraph often has both figures and comparison. Two tests decide which is main: which takes more space, and does the paragraph survive without it.

Model a paragraph on Hong Kong waste: 1.5 kg per person per day, then Seoul and Taipei. Remove the comparison and the quantity still stands; remove the figures and it collapses. The main method is figures.

Remove a method and the paragraph collapses: that is the main one.

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Identification	Name two methods of exposition used in this paragraph	Look for markers such as for example and compared with, name the method, quote a line for each	Figures and comparison.
Effect	What is the advantage of using figures?	State the method’s job, say what the reader gains, link to the paragraph’s main idea, avoid ‘concrete’ alone	They turn an abstract waste problem into quantities that can be judged and compared.
Rewriting	Rewrite this paragraph using classification	Choose one standard, split into three or four groups, give each a feature, check for overlap	By source, Hong Kong waste falls into domestic, commercial, industrial and construction waste, each collected and treated differently.
Main method	Which method is the main one in this paragraph?	Compare space, run the removal test, state the judgement with a reason	Comparison is main, because the conclusion rests on the gap between the two places.

Sanity check (teach this): Only use figures that can be checked, and always name the source and year. Comparisons must share category and standard. Classification groups must be mutually exclusive; one group may not contain another.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Define inflation in 40 characters with a category and differentia	Inflation is a sustained rise in the general price level over a period, usually measured by the year-on-year change in the consumer price index.	Is there a category and a differentia, not just ‘prices rise’?
Turn ‘many students lack sleep’ into a checkable sentence	A 2022 University of Hong Kong survey found about seventy per cent of surveyed secondary students slept fewer than seven hours a night.	Are the source, year, group and proportion all present?
Explain why this comparison fails: School A has younger teachers, so its results are better	The comparison mixes teacher age with results and offers no result data or causal evidence.	Can they name which condition is missing?

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
One-size-fits-all effect	Using figures makes the writing more concrete and persuasive.	That sentence fits all five methods. Say which difficulty it removes: not knowing how many, or not knowing what to compare with.
Circular definition	Democracy is a democratic system.	You copied the word back. Say which category it belongs to, then how it differs from other systems.
Overlapping classification	Library books are fiction, English books and reference books.	An English novel belongs to two groups. Use one standard, not two at once.
Percentage without a baseline	Usage rose 300 per cent.	From what to what? A percentage without a baseline says nothing.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

S6 Chinese argumentative evidence guide: section 7, practice question 2 — Carry the source, year and group habit into evidence sentences
S6 Chinese practical writing guide: section 7, practice question 1 — Practical writing also needs figures and comparison; check your effect sentences against it

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Name the two parts of a definition	Category and differentia	Answering ‘explain it clearly’ means reteaching the first demonstration
Turn a sourceless figure sentence into a checkable one	Add body, year, group and a proportion or baseline	Adding ‘many’ still fails; reteach the second demonstration
State the three conditions for comparison	Same category, same standard, same unit	Missing one means reteaching the third demonstration

09 Tutor FAQ

Which year is this for

Mainly S5. S4 classes starting the exposition unit can use the first and third demonstrations alone.

Must all five methods be taught

All five must be recognised, but only three effect sentences need to be written well: definition, figures and comparison.

Is 45 minutes enough

Yes. Demonstrations take 12 minutes; the rest is writing and peer marking. One question type fewer is better than skipping the five sentences.

Are the three language versions in sync

Yes. Traditional Chinese, Simplified Chinese and English carry the same content; the English version is written by hand.

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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.