Tips to succeed gaokao's English essay writing

A screen grab of a CCTV interview with English teacher Hu Xiaofeng.

While different tests have their own criteria to define a good English essay, China's university entrance exam, gaokao, has its own tricks to succeed, advises an English teacher via a recent CCTV interview.

Hu Xiaofeng, a high school teacher from Changsha, capital of Central China's Hunan Province, offered solid points on the dos and don'ts.

She said that a successful essay needs to begin with advanced vocabulary, and have both short and long sentences, including complicated sentences like an inverted sentence. Using connective words including firstly, last but not least, to begin with and furthermore can further earn a credit.

On the other hand, she warned students not to miss any key words in the given topic, and never to copy a complete sentence directly from the topic or anywhere else on the paper.

Essay writing accounts for 25 points of a total of 150 points in gaokao's English test.