（第一节）提纲式作文
带提示的作文要求学生根据所提供的提示写作。考生首先根据提示写出主题句，然后再续写下文。
提纲式作文的写作要注意以下几个问题：
(1)写好提纲式作文的关键是认真审题和分析所给的提纲，认清题目和提纲之间的关系，然后确定文章的主题、内容以及文体等。
(2)可以将每一个提纲作为文章的一个段落层次，段落的展开围绕提纲的中心和内容，不能偏离，也不能任意增减。
(3)给出的提纲只是对文章的提示和概括，不是主题句。这需要根据提纲的性质以及自身的资源库积累，写出完整的、体现提纲主旨的句子，使之成为主题句，然后围绕主题句进行扩展。
(4)收集材料支持主题句，材料可以是事实、例证、亲身经历、名人名言、谚语警句等。应当注意的是，所选材料要与文章的主题相符，即要扣题。同时要具有典型性，能充分说明问题。在有多个例证的段落中，还要注意各个例证之间的连续性。
一、比较类作文
比较类作文一般要求比较一件事物的优点和缺点，然后下结论，提出自己的观点，或写出从实际经验中得到的体会。在论述优点和缺点时，比较常用的展开段落的方法是分析、列举和举例。通过列举，阐述优点和缺点主要表现在哪些方面。通过举例子，可以形象地突出所表述的主题。写比较类作文要特别注意的是，在阐述优点的段落和阐述缺点的段落之间，要使用一些表示转折关系的词汇或句子，如however， on the other hand， in contrast， despite等等，使文章看起来自然流畅。
现以1996年1月四级作文题目为例。
Directions：For this part， you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic The Two-Day Weekend. You should write at least 120 words according to the out1ine given below in Chinese：
(1)双休日给大学生带来的好处。
(2)双休日可能给大学生带来的问题。
(3)我应当怎样过好双休日。
范文1
Now almost all colleges and universities in China practice a twoday weekend. With so much spare time in hand， we can fully develop our interests to make our life more colorful. We can also do cleaning， go shopping， and get ready for next week"s study. We may also find a parttime job and accumulate more knowledge of the world outside the campus.
However， the twoday weekend may also bring some problem. Some students don"t make good use of their time， they sometimes stay up late playing cards or chatting. As a result， they feel tired on Mondays. Some students even violate the disciplines and go traveling， without permission from the department， which are rather unsafe.
In my view， we should plan our weekends well. I will also listen to pop music， read some literary works and write to my best friends. I will also refresh myself and get prepared for next week"s study.
评析：根据四级作文评分标准，本文是一篇11分段的作文。本文内容充实，条理较清楚，用词较贴切，按照提纲把双休日的“好处”、“问题”和“我的观点”分成三部分进行论述，论述较好；在文字连贯性上，有个别句子的结构比较混乱，如第二段中的some students...playing cards or chatting，这一句的错误之处在于用逗号连接两个句子，也就是常说的“短句”；有一些基本语法错误：problem是可数名词，应该用它的复数形式；另外，第二段最后一句中的非限定性定语从句的谓语动词应用单数形式。
范文2
The Two-day Weekend
The twoday weekend has brought a lot of benefits to college students. It not only offers us more time to get rid of tire and have a good rest， but also gives us more chances to take up some hobbies， such as fishing， reading， stampcollecting， sports etc. From these activities we can learn many things that can"t be learned in class， which will inevitably broaden our view.
Despite the convenience it brings to us， the twoday weekend has also given rise to quite a few problems. The most serious one is that the weekdays are filled with more lessons， sometimes too many. Because our classes are limited to Monday through Friday， we have to take more lessons each day than in the past. This makes us very busy during the weekdays.
In order to make full use of the twoday weekend， I have decided to plan it. For one thing， I spare some time to relax， for another， I set aside enough time to study. By doing so， I can have a good time as well as make progress in my studies.
评析：本文比较切题，思想表达清楚，文字通顺，连贯性较好，基本上无语言错误。
二、对比类作文
大学英语四级考试中出现的对比类的作文大都是对两种观点进行对比，再提出自己的看法。写这种类型的作文时，有两种构思方法：
(1)根据题目所给的概要，可以用列举或举例来充实概要的内容，逐一分析这两种观点表现在哪些方面。
(2)也可以用因果法展开段落，阐述产生这种观点的原因。
一般说来，作文提示中给出的两种观点都有可取之处，但都有点极端。所以，在写第三段，即提出自己观点的时候就要有两手准备：
(1)如果两种观点都不完全正确，最常见的方法是将这两种观点融合在一起，保留其可取之处，形成一种新观点，并解释这种观点的理由。
(2)如果两种并不是明显错误的观点而有一定道理时，即见仁见智的话题，如果考试赞成其中的一种观点，也可以在第三段表明自己支持这种观点的态度，但要言之有理、有据。
和写比较类作文一样，写对比类的作文时，也需要使用一些表示转折关系的手段。另外，因为在四级考试对比类的作文里，常要求阐述别人的观点，所以必须注意在阐述别人的观点时使用诸如To illustrate，they say...或They think...，They take it for granted that...一类的句式来表明以下阐述的是别人的观点。
下面以1999年6月的作文题为例。
Directions：For this part， you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic Reading Selectively or Extensively？ You should write at least 100 words， and base your composition on the outline (given in Chinese) below：
(1)有人认为读书要有选择。
(2)有人认为应当博览群书。
(3)我的看法。
范文1
Reading Selectively or Extensively
Some people are in favor of selective reading. Firstly， they think that one"s life is so limited that reading extensively is almost impossible. So one should only focus on the books closely connected with their majors， or which can bring them immediate benefits. Secondly they think man is incompetent in the world of knowledge explosion， and believe reading without selecting is simply a waste of time， energy and money. Finally， those who select books to read think that all books are worth reading.
However， there are many people who prefer reading extensively. First of all， they firmly believe that the more books one reads， the more knowledge one acquires. Another reason for those who like reading extensively is that the world is changing very rapidly. Only by reading extensively one can keep up with what is going on across the globe.
In my opinion， people should read both selectively and extensively. On the one hand， we should read selectively for special knowledge， which needs our concentration and careful study. On the other hand， we should read extensively for information or entertainment， which leads to a colorful life. Therefore， reading should be， according to my own understanding， both selectively and extensively.
评析：根据四级作文评分标准，本文是一篇14分段的文章。文章切题，思路清晰，把支持“有选择地读书”以及“博览群书”两种不同观点的理由分别作详细阐述，最后将“我的看法”--两种观点兼而有之提出来，并进行了言之有理的论述；文字连贯性较好，而且适当地使用连接词以及复杂句，使文章的句式结构灵活多变；当然文章仍然存在一些语法错误。比如，文中第二段最后一句Only by reading extensively one can keep up with what is going on across the globe，显然这是only+状语，用于句首表示强调的倒装语序：Only by reading extensively can one keep up with what is going on across the globe．这种错误属于典型的粗心语法错误。
范文2
Reading Selectively or Extensively
When it comes to reading， some people think that reading selectively is a good way， but some other people do not agree. They think that reading extensively is better.
Those people， who think that reading selectively is better， believe that good books are as many as bad books. Good books can give us pleasure and knowledge， while bad books can only lead us to the wrong way. Therefore， they suggest that we should only select good books to read and never touch bad books.