一、概述
在四级考试中，最难拿分的也许就是作文了。其原因大致有三：一是作文是一项综合考察的项目，既考察学生对词汇、语法的掌握情况，也考察句型、篇章的能力；二是有的考生过分自信，认为只要写足字数，大体写一写，就能得个八、九分；三是有的考生过于缺乏自信，觉得这个部分太综合了，平时也懒得写，考试时能写到哪儿就写到哪儿，结果造成了“活马当作死马医”，自然是“医死”了。
诚然，在四级作文中想得高分是很难的，但无论如何也应当拿到6分。这是一个底线，否则就要被倒扣分了，那是大大划不来的。（请见后面我所讲的作文最低分的规定）。
但是笔者认为，要想拿到6分（或者更高一点）也并非难事，关键在于掌握正确的方法、多写多练，再加上考试时的细心。
我们先来了解一下四六级考试作文的一些常识。
二、试卷要求
ＣＥＴ试卷短文写作部分，一般用英语给出题目，然后用以下三种形式之一说明内容要求：
1. 用英文列出写作提纲；
2. 用英文段首句给定每段的大意；
3. 用英文说明图表,给出信息范畴和要求。
考试时间为30分钟,要求学生写出一篇不少于100词的短文。要求切题,能正确表达思想，意义连贯，文理基本通顺，无重大语言错误。写作内容为科技、社会、文化等方面的一般常识。
三、评分原则
1. 大学英语考试的目的是检查考生是否达到大学英语教学大纲规定的四级和六级教学要求，对作文的评分应以此要求为准则。
2. 大学英语考试作文题采用总体评分(Global Scoring)方法。阅卷人员就总的印象给出奖励分(Reward Scores),而不是按语言点的错误数目扣分。
3. 从内容和语言两个方面对作文进行综合评判。内容和语言是一个统一体。作文应表达题目所规定的内容,而内容要通过语言来表达。要考虑作文是否切题,是否充分表达思想,也要考虑是否用英语清楚而适切地表达思想,也就是要考虑语言上的错误是否造成理解上的障碍。
4. 避免趋中倾向。该给高分的给高分,包括满分;该给低分的给低分,包括零分。一名阅卷人员在所评阅的全部作文卷中不应只给中间的几种分数。
四、评分标准
1. 短文写作部分满分为15分。
2. 阅卷标准共分五等:14分、11分、8分、5分、及2分。各有参照卷一至二份。
3. 阅卷人员根据阅卷标准,对照参照卷评分,若认为与某一分数(如8分)相似,即定为该分数(即8分)；若认为稍优或稍劣于该分数,则可加一分(即9分)或减一分(即7分)，但不得加或减半分。
l 给分档
14分—— 切题。表达思想清楚,文字通顺,连贯性较好。基本上无语言错误,仅有个别小错。
11分—— 切题。表达思想清楚,文字连贯,但有少量语言错误。
8分 —— 基本切题。有些地方表达思想不够清楚, 文字勉强连贯；语言错误相当多,其中有一些是严重错误。
5分 —— 基本切题。表达思想不清楚,连贯性差。有较多的严重语言错误。
2分 —— 条理不清,思路紊乱,语言支离破碎或大部分句子均有错误,且多数为严重错误。
五、作文最低分的规定：
自1997年6月起，全国大学英语考试委员会正式实施了在计算成绩时设“作文最低分”的规定，其目的是为了鼓励各个院校扎扎实实地搞好课堂教学，提高学生的实际应用能力。[计算方法]如下：
（1）根据学生目前的作文分均值，将作文的最低分定为6分；
（2）作文分为0分，总分若高于60分，最后报导一律按59分不及格处理；若低于60分则报导时一律再减6分；
（3）作文分大于0分，小于6分，则按下面的公式计算成绩：
最后报导分=原计算总分-6分+实得作文分
例1：原计算总分为63分，实得作文分为2分，最后报导分=63-6+2=59分。
例2：原计算总分为80分，实得作文分为4分，最后报导分=80-6+4=78分。
例3：原计算总分为58分，实得作文分为2分，最后报导分=58-6+2=54分。
六、作文评分标准示例
请对照评分标准，研究一下2002年12月四级考试作文的评分标准示例，找出失分的原因，以避免在自己的作文中出现。括号中为作者的点评。
Directions: For this part, you are allowed thirty minutes to write a composition on the topic: It pays to Be Honest. You should write at least 120 words according to the outline given below in Chinese.
1. 当前社会上存在许多不诚实的现象。
2. 诚实利人利己，做人应该诚实。
It Pays to Be Honest
14 points
Although honesty is believed to be a virtue, there are still dishonest people in our society. For example, some businessmen sell fake product to their consumers; some students cheat in the exams.（第一句点明话题，同时用although引导的从句指出诚实是美德，为后文作了铺垫，再用例子阐释第一句提纲。）
Dishonest people are short-sighted. Those who sell fake products may make money at first, but consumers won’t buy their products any more. As a result, they will lose their fortune or even be sent to prison. By contrast, honest people gain a lot. （从反面论述不诚实的坏处，得出结论） Those who always tell truth or keep to their promise not only let others trust them but gain respect from other people as well. Such persons are sure to have a lot of good friends. Because they are trustable and respectable, everyone is eager to make friends with them, Besides, it is easier for a person with a good record to get a good job. Generally speaking, every employer wants his employees to be honest. So we can say that anyone who is honest will be paid back later. （从其它方面认述诚实的好处）
In a word, honesty wins trust, respect and honor. So it is important that we should be honest. （这两句分别进行了总结和点题）
11 points
Nowadays, many people choose not be honest in our modern society. We almost can find such things every day of our life: some students cheat in the exam for higher marks; some corporations tell wrong data to the public in order to get more investment; and some doctors treat their patients with unnecessary and expensive medicines in order to make money, sometimes damaged the patient’s health, even their life.
Seeing this situation, I think it must be changed. Being honest will benefit not only others, but also ourselves. First, your honesty will make others willing to trust you. Second, being honest can lead you to face your problem bravely, which helps to solve it. And the last, honesty surely helps to make the society more harmony.
So, I think everyone should start to be honest and everyone should have the idea that our society can not do without honesty.
这篇文章全部采取正面论述的方法，略显苍白和单调，但文章尚连贯。
8 points
In our modern social life, there are many examples around us show many people are cheated. Advertisements cheat people, salesmen cheat people, even one’s closest friends cheat him or her. So many heartbreaks are heard everyday that we cannot help asking: where is our honest exist?
Everybody is taught honest in the primary school or even in the kindergarten. Honesty does good not only to ourseives, but to others as well. If we are honest to others, we will be happier and be in a better mood. Otherwise, we’ll feel guilt at last. To a company and its advertisement, honesty will bring it more consumer and more profit. If we cheat others, friends will not believe you and they will leave you alone. To a company, no consumer will buy your product again!
So, as the above is said, it pays to be honest. Let’s create a morally outstanding social.
仅在第一段就有那么多的错误和不规范的表达，其余的就不用说了。好在还能扣题，连贯性也过得去。
5 points
With the development of modern economic and industry, competitive is becoming more and more obvious. At the same time, the performance of dishonest is becoming more and more clearly.
Nowadays, there are many dishonest performance in our society. For example, some people found that he saled goods had past the preservation date. Not throw them away, the revised the preservation date, and saled them again after several day. Another case in the point, a pair of shoes was made from goat. However, in order to sale at a high price, the salers would say they were made from cow which has good quality.
From the foregoing, we can see that dishonest does not only harm to yourselves but also harm to others. And it is no use only realize the harmness of dishonest. We should be honest from now on and be honest on our daily life. It is only that people all over the world are honest then our country will be beautiful and wealthy.
2 points
Now in our society, many people are not honest in doing soming. we often can meet with soming happened cause by people who are not honest. For example, Now we take the bus need carry cents own, and when you upstairs the bus, you should put the cent into the money box. Every people do that, but some of the people put the other things instead the cents. For another example, it is more normal that in the exams we can always find some students see others.
I consider that every people should be honest. As a people, honest should be first, because it can make us to be increase and make our society develop. In doing everything we should be honest all, study, work, life and so on. If you re honest, every people will be friend to you, and who will regard you good people. But if you don’t be honest, people must unwilling to trath with you. So if you are want to be a good people, remember honest first.