Checking a response means comparing what you wrote with what the task asks. The comparison only works if the guidance you use is confirmed, meaning it comes from the current Cambridge material for your code and entry year. This lesson shows how to build and use such a checklist.
Take paper numbers, durations, weightings and grade thresholds from the current Cambridge syllabus for your exam year. Those details belong to Cambridge and your exam centre, and they can change. Treat the checklist below as a frame and fill in each blank from the current syllabus page.
What should you confirm before you build a checklist?
Open the Cambridge 0547 syllabus page and ask your teacher about the points below. Write each answer next to the item.
| Item to confirm | Where to check |
|---|---|
| Which qualification code you are entered for | School or exam centre |
| What each writing task asks for | Current syllabus and specimen material |
| Whether a length or character range applies | Current syllabus and task wording |
| How the response is assessed | Current syllabus, assessment section |
| Whether characters, pinyin or both are expected | Current syllabus and your teacher |
Any item you cannot confirm stays blank, and you ask. A guess written into a checklist can cost more than an empty line.
A checking routine in four passes
- Task pass. Read the prompt again. Tick each requested point from the points lesson.
- Time pass. Look at each verb. Does the time word and marker match, as in past and planned events?
- Link pass. Are connectors logical, as in linking sentences?
- Surface pass. Read for characters, punctuation and any length guidance you confirmed.
Each pass looks for only one kind of error, which makes the routine quick and repeatable.
Worked example
Invented task: write a message inviting a classmate to a revision session. Include when, where and what to bring. Student draft:
你好，星期六下午我们在图书馆复习中文。请带书。因为考试要到了，所以我们要努力。
Nǐ hǎo, xīngqīliù xiàwǔ wǒmen zài túshūguǎn fùxí Zhōngwén. Qǐng dài shū. Yīnwèi kǎoshì yào dào le, suǒyǐ wǒmen yào nǔlì.
Task pass. When: 星期六下午. Where: 图书馆. What to bring: 书. All three points are present.
Time pass. The session is planned, so 我们在图书馆复习 works with 星期六 as the time word.
Link pass. 因为…所以 is a logical pair here.
Surface pass. The exact time of day is vague (下午), but the prompt only asked “when”. The student could add 两点 if the task wanted more precision.
Result. The draft covers the points. One optional improvement is noted for the next draft.
A plausible mistake
A student checks only for spelling errors and calls the work finished. The draft is correct but never says where the session is. A spelling check is one pass, not the whole routine.
The correction: run the task pass first, because a missing point is more costly than a wrong character, then use the other passes.
Check yourself
1. Which item should you confirm with Cambridge material rather than a friend?
Show answer
Anything that affects how the task is assessed, such as length guidance and how the response is marked. These come from the current syllabus page and your exam centre.
2. A draft says 我昨天要去图书馆. Which pass catches it?
Show answer
The time pass. 昨天 is past, so 要 is wrong. A fix: 我昨天去了图书馆.
3. Why do you run the task pass before the surface pass?
Show answer
A missing requested point cannot be repaired by tidy characters, while a character slip does not stop the message from answering the task.
Where this leads next
The summary selection and paraphrase studio and the writing revision compare view help you apply these passes to your own drafts. Then try the mixed practice set, or return to the module overview.
A teacher in online one-to-one Chinese tuition can help you build a checklist from your own recurring errors, using the Cambridge material for your entry.