These tips will help you tackle the DSE English reading and writing exam. Photo: ShutterstockThe Diploma of Secondary Education (DSE) English exams are just around the corner. Alan Chan, a top tutor at King’s Glory Education Centre, offered some key revision tips for this final stretch of preparation and hacks on how students can leverage AI to boost their performance.
Avoid common mistakes
Chan identified a number of slip-ups that candidates make year after year. For example, many students do not pay close attention to the specific words used in each question, and they simply copy parts of the passage to answer questions they do not understand.
“While this might be a tempting strategy for weaker students, it won’t earn you high marks,” he cautioned.
He also reminded students to directly answer “yes” or “no” questions before providing explanations. The tutor said that even with a correct explanation, candidates might not receive the full marks if they do not explicitly state “yes” or “no” first.
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In addition, there are many instances in which students understand the passage and can find the right clues but still lose marks because they do not answer according to the marking scheme. For example, in an autobiography, they might copy the word “I” directly from the text instead of changing it to the name of the person the text is about.
It is equally crucial to pay close attention to the instructions, particularly when it comes to proofreading and fill-in-the-blank questions. Chan noted: “I have seen many cases in the latter where even though the instructions state that more than one word can be taken from the paragraph to fill in the blank, students still stick to one word.”
As for proofreading questions, the tutor reminded students that the number of ticks required is already indicated in the instructions, i.e. “In xx of the lines, there is no mistake; put a tick in the Correction column.”
“Don’t miss out on easy marks by making these common mistakes,” he said.
Identify the main ideas
Many students find it challenging to pinpoint the key messages the writer wants to convey. One tip is to use the time for checking the exam script for missing pages to also skim through the title and the first and last paragraphs and look at any pictures included. “This will give you a general overview and help you form a basic understanding of the passage,” he advised.
The questions often reveal the key concept or purpose of a part of the passage, Chan explained. “If you see a question in paragraph two about why something happened, you can guess that the whole paragraph is mostly about explaining that reason. The question and the main idea are usually connected,” he said.
Decode the writer’s intention and purpose
In Part B2 especially, candidates are more likely to come across passages in which the writer might use subtle clues like irony or sarcasm that can be difficult to grasp. “If you get stuck on one part, try reading the surrounding sentences to help you understand,” Chan said.
One way is to pay attention to conjunctions like “but” because they signal a change in the writer’s opinion and attitude. On the other hand, words like “because,” “and,” and “so” show that the ideas are connected.
Students may be asked about specific words that appear in the passage in quotation marks, italics, or capital letters. “This is to make you think about the writer’s intention. When you come across such questions, don’t just look at that one word. Look at other similar words in the text. This can help you understand the reason behind the writer’s choice,” Chan said.
He pointed to 2019’s question five, which asked: “Why does the word “Messy” have a capital letter?” In this case, students needed to look at the whole text again to make it clear that all the book titles mentioned in the passage were written in the same format.
It is also important to learn words that describe a writer’s attitude, such as “complimentary,” “pessimistic,” and “optimistic.”
“This is because sometimes the exam will directly ask you about the writer’s feelings or opinion. If you don’t know these words, you’ll have to guess the answer,” Chan said.
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Make use of AI
The tutor said that AI chatbots can be very useful for reading technical and scientific texts or historical passages, as they can quickly explain unfamiliar terms and concepts. However, he stressed that it is important not to rely on them too much.
“Don’t use AI to do the work for you. When you’re practising Paper 1, try to answer the questions on your own first. Then, you can use AI to check your understanding or get more information about the text,” Chan said.
AI can help by providing summaries and alternative viewpoints and encouraging candidates to consider different interpretations of the same text. It could also allow students to identify parts where their answers might be incomplete.
“By using AI this way, you can develop your critical thinking skills and learn to analyse information more effectively,” Chan said.
Time management
Chan stressed that candidates should always attempt Part A first, regardless of whether they choose B1 or B2. They should also spend 45 minutes on Part A and 40 minutes on Part B. And as a general rule, they should spend about 70 seconds for each mark a question is worth.
Tips for the writing exam
Avoid overusing commas
Hong Kong students tend to overuse commas because they are used to Chinese punctuation rules, which are a lot more flexible. “In Chinese writing, the emphasis is on sharing an idea clearly, and it is common to have longer sentences with multiple clauses that might be considered run-on sentences in English,” Chan explained.
An example of a run-on sentence that could seem perfectly fine in Chinese is: “It’s a bright and sunny morning, I went to the grocery store, I bought some bread.”
Solid paragraphs and conclusion
The key to writing good paragraphs is to start each one with a sentence that tells the reader what the main idea is. It is also important to use transitional sentences and connectors such as “and”, “because”, “so” and “but” to link up sentences and ideas together.
Candidates should also include convincing examples from local or international news. These are especially crucial when making an argument. An opinion or claim also needs to be supported with facts and evidence.
However, it is not necessary to provide an example in every paragraph. Sometimes, elaborating on an idea using reasons, suggestions, or explaining what might happen is better.
Weak conclusions could cost students valuable marks, the tutor said. Many candidates often either summarise their earlier points or repeat the main parts already mentioned in their essays without offering any new insights or perspectives.
This is usually due to time constraints or a lack of planning. “The ending paragraph shouldn’t feel like an afterthought. There are so many ways to go about it, including connecting your ideas to a broader context, suggested solutions or future implications,” Chan explained.
Topics and formats to practise
Areas that candidates can pay more attention to this year include: the pros and cons of AI and how it is changing our lives; morality and conduct on public transport; changes in daily life and their effect (taxis vs. Uber, online vs. offline shopping); ways of harnessing technology to protect the environment; Hong Kong-mainland China student exchange programmes; cyber scams and online safety; customer service excellence in Hong Kong tourism; and holding major entertaining events and sports events in the city with the opening of the Kai Tak Stadium.
Some formats that candidates should put more time into studying are letters to the editor, reports, proposals, speeches and blogs.
Use AI as your practice partner
Chan said that although many students have great ideas in mind, they may struggle to explain them logically or expand on them. “This is where AI can really help make a difference in your writing,” he said.
He recommended that candidates write their first draft without AI, then use it to get feedback and look at the changes made in terms of sentence structure and essay organisation. Those with more time to practise can prompt the AI to identify logical gaps in the draft and provide examples based on credible cited sources.
“Again, AI is just a tool for support to help you learn to write better on your own. It is not a replacement for your own thinking, logic and creativity,” he stressed.
Time management
This paper is where students often run out of time. Chan strongly suggested candidates allocate between 40 and 50 minutes for Part A, and 70 and 80 minutes for Part B.
For Part A, take about five minutes to plan the outline, 30 minutes on the actual writing, and spend the last five to 10 minutes proofreading.
For Part B, students can use five to 10 minutes to choose which question to attempt and draft the outline, an hour to write their answer and at least five minutes for checking.