DSE Chinese | Argumentative Chain Lesson-Prep Guide (Tutor Edition) | A 150/900/100/50 Structure, 80-Character Examples and Rebuttal

2026-11-03

Tutor lesson-prep guides · Secondary Chinese

Students can write I agree, but all three paragraphs say the same thing. This lesson turns a stance into a chain using word counts and steps.

Objectives — Students can: (1) budget 1200 characters across introduction, body, rebuttal and conclusion; (2) run each paragraph through claim, reason, evidence and link, keeping examples under 80 characters; (3) rebut the strongest version of the opposing case instead of a straw man.

01 Prerequisites (3-minute check)

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

Skill	Quick check	Pass mark
Claim and evidence	How do the two differ	A judgement and the material supporting it
Paragraph function	Can one paragraph hold two centres	No: one centre per paragraph
Percentages	What percentage is 80 of 300	26.7%

02 Lesson flow (60 minutes)

Time	Stage	Tutor does	Student does
0-5 min	Read and commit	Find the pivot, choose how far to agree	One defensible line
5-13 min	Plan four blocks	Introduction, three body paragraphs, rebuttal, conclusion	One centre per block
13-53 min	Write 40 minutes	Four steps a paragraph, 80-character examples	300 characters a paragraph
53-58 min	Check reasoning	Every paragraph has a link; examples do not replace reasons	All four steps present
58-60 min	Exit check	Three questions marked now	All three right

03 Teaching script (read it out)

Scene 1: Twelve hundred characters is four blocks, not five paragraphs

The introduction takes 150 characters (12.5%), the three body paragraphs 900 (300 each), the rebuttal 100 and the conclusion 50, which totals exactly 1200.
The introduction does two things only: name the issue and state the stance. Students often spend 300 characters on background, leaving 600 for the argument, which guarantees thin reasoning.
The conclusion is not a repeat of the introduction: it states the bottom line after concessions, and the conditions under which the stance still holds.

Ask students: what a 300-character introduction costs (body paragraphs starved of space, examples piled up).

Scene 2: A four-step chain with examples at a quarter

Each body paragraph of 300 characters allows at most 80 characters of example, 26.7%. The chain is claim, reason, evidence, link.
Reason and link are the steps most often missing: students jump from claim to example, so the reader gets a story with no inference in it.
Past 80 characters the example takes over, the paragraph turns narrative, and the reasoning mark falls even though the writing reads well.

Ask students: which steps disappear when a paragraph is only claim plus example (reason and link).

Scene 3: Rebuttal means fighting the strongest version

The 100-character rebuttal does three things: state the strongest point of the other side, name its limit, then say how your stance adjusts. Knocking down a straw man such as nobody thinks this matters scores nothing, because examiners are testing whether real tension is handled.
At 8.3% of the piece the rebuttal signals reasoning rather than opening a second front. If the opposing case is genuinely stronger, soften the stance in the introduction instead of forcing it.

Ask students: what comes first in a rebuttal (the opponent’s most reasonable reason).

04 Question types and worked steps

Type	Example	Steps	Answer
Stance	Do you agree	A stance that can be defended, never an extreme	One line decides
Comparison	Which matters more	Set a criterion, then compare	Criterion first
Comment	Evaluate a trend	Phenomenon, cause, effect, evaluation	Four layers
Rebuttal	Handle the other side	Strongest version, limit, adjustment	100 characters, three steps

Sanity check (teach this): The four blocks must total 1200: 150 plus 900 plus 100 plus 50. A shortfall means the rebuttal was dropped.
Three body paragraphs average 300 characters; 400 against 150 means the plan was lopsided.
Examples above a third of the body turn the piece into narrative and break the chain.
Once the stance is set in the introduction it cannot change; mid-essay switches are the commonest structural loss.

05 Independent practice (3 questions)

Question	Answer	What to watch
Total characters in the three body paragraphs	900 characters	1200 minus 150 minus 100 minus 50
Ceiling on an example	80 characters	300 times 26.7%
Introduction as a share of the piece	12.5%	150 divided by 1200

06 Common mistakes and what to say

Mistake	Student writes	Say this
Three paragraphs, one idea	Three examples of the same benefit	Three paragraphs need three different reasons, not three examples.
Example instead of reasoning	200 characters retelling a story	Eighty characters of example, then reason and link.
Attacking a straw man	Writing that some say it never matters	Rebuttal must take the strongest opposing case.
Conclusion copied from the introduction	The last paragraph repeats the first	The conclusion states the bottom line after concessions.

07 Homework (paper, section and question numbers)

Secondary Chinese chapter index — All chapters and practice
All lesson-prep guides — Compare other subjects

08 Exit check (last 5 minutes)

Question	Answer	Decision
Characters in the three body paragraphs	900 characters	All three right: move to the integrated paper
Example ceiling	80 characters	One wrong: rewrite one paragraph
Introduction share	12.5%	Two wrong: return to the budget

09 Tutor FAQ

Can there be four body paragraphs?

Yes, but each gets 225 characters and the four steps rarely fit; three is safer.

Is a rebuttal compulsory?

Nearly every high-scoring script has one; without it the reasoning mark rarely rises.

Can examples come from the news?

Yes, but give the date and context rather than a vague recent report.

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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.