1. 内容切题
内容切题是命题作文的基本要求，考生可从以下几个方面入手：
第一要认真审题。根据题目类别，弄清文体的要求，并判明文章的种类(议论文、说明文、记叙文)，同时确定文章要阐明的主题或要表达的中心思想，若题目已经提供了提纲，还要注意弄清各提纲要点之间的逻辑关系。考生在拿到作文题后，切勿惟恐时间不够，提笔就写。一旦跑题，发现了再改就来不及了，常言道：“磨刀不误砍柴工”。
第二要注意设计安排段落。根据文章的中心思想，确定各个段落的主题内容和主题句。如果是议论文，一般要从论点的正反两个方面来考虑，首先是某观点的合理成分或某物的长处，然后是该观点的不合理成分或该物的短处，最后阐明自己的观点。如果题目提供了提纲，只要把提纲扩展成主题句即可。
第三要避免将记忆里较熟悉的句子生拉硬扯地搬进作文，使作文结构松散，意思不明确，甚至会偏离主题。
2. 表达清楚，文字连贯
文章要做到表达清楚，文字连贯，文章各段落就必须根据提纲所确立的不同主题来展开，而且各段落的主题句要将段落的各个部分凝聚在一起，流利地表达段落大意，使段落中各部分以及段落之间的联系一目了然。下面，我们来看一篇99年CET-4考试范文：WWw.hAOZUowEn.com
Reading Selectively Or Extenively
How hould we read? Should we read electively or extenively? Everyone ha hi own view.
Some people think we hould read electively. They argue that with the development of modern cience and technology, more and more book are publihed every day. It i impoible for u to read all the book. What’ more, there are many bad book that are poionou to our mind, and we houldn’t read them. Since we can’t read all the book, and we houldn’t read bad book, we mut read electively.
But other may not agree. They emphaize that today’ ociety i not what it ued to be. If you want to be ucceful, you mut read widely and acquire knowledge in both natural cience and humanitie. If a man know much in one field but know nothing in other, he may be uele. Since we mut have many kind of knowledge, we mut read extenively.
Who’ right? There i a lot to be aid for both ide of the argument. However, I think we hould read extenively firt and then learn deeply about the ubject we are intereted in.
在上面的作文中，考生采用了明确的主题句，各段落都紧紧围绕主题句写作而成。文章上下文衔接紧凑、连贯，例如第二段开头用Some people think…， 第三段开头用Other may not agree…， 而最后一段用一个问句Who’ right?作为连接，都显得相当自然。另外，英语中常见的一些连接手段，如what’ more, and, ince, but, one (field)…other, however, firt, then等，也都用的很恰当。
3. 句式有变化
有些考生对写作没信心，不敢大胆地使用所掌握的语言基础知识，包括英语句法知识，结果整篇文章都是以主、谓、宾句式为主的简单句子，文章显得刻板无生气。实际上，同汉语一样，英语的句子结构也是丰富多彩，变化多样的。阅读下面的段落，注意句式的变化：
Clearly our chool and ociety face the ame problem. It ha become neceary for all people, not jut educator, to be more aware of the problem. Although ome intervention program have been implemented and in ome cae are very ucceful, it i becoming more obviou that thee problem are going to continue and will have a direct conequence on our future in thi country. Unfortunately, we a a ociety tend to look for the “quick fix” to our problem without realizing the conequence for the future. Our ociety need to undertand that the chool are not reponible for the caue of thee problem or the olution, but rather, all apect of ociety, including chool, are involved and need to collectively work together if we are ever to make progre toward reolving thee problem in the long run.
在这一段落中既有长短句子的交插运用，又有语序的变化，既有简单句又有复合句，不失为在句式变化方面的一个典范。
4. 句子结构和用词正确
要在写作中选择恰当的词汇，使用正确的句子结构，首先要勤学多练，背记常用词和短语，扩大词汇量，拓展知识面。要深刻理解所背词语的内在含义，并了解它们所使用的语言环境。为了备考应试，要熟记一些常用的过渡词和英语句型，切忌自己编造汉语式的句子和词组。尽量使用学习过的、比较熟悉的、有把握的句式和词汇。
In the world, million of people believe that ome thing can bring good luck for them. They make their pirit to depend on thee thing. We ay they have a religion.
Some of thee people have a trange religion. They believe in “Luck number”, they believe luck number would bring good luck. When they do th. with relation to number, they uually chooe the number they believe.
In fact, many people aid that they don’t believe it, but mot of them can tell a number they like. Many people like the number 8 or 6 in China. They believe 8 can make them ucceded in buine and make them uhealth. They alo believe ix bring the good luck, and thing i mooth without a hitch. In fact, many people couldn’t explain why the number can bring good luck and How he know jut the number i hi luck number. Sometime, people decide one thing depended on their feeling, becaue they uually couldn’t know whole the thing. Maybe, One day, Sb. Can tell the reaon and truth.
这是一篇得8分的试卷，内容切题，并有所发挥，但有些地方的表达不够清楚;结构还算符合要求，文字勉强连贯，但是语言方面的错误多，尤其是在主谓搭配、动词的时态、名词的单复数、词性、语序等方面。此外有的拼写也不规范，如：b, th。 画线部分可作以下修改：
to depend → depend
They believe in “ Luck number”, they → They believe in “ lucky number ”, o they
th. → omething
aid → ay
ucceded → ucceed
uhealth → wealthy
bring the good luck → bring good luck
thing i → the thing are
How he know → how he know
people decide one thing → people’ deciion on one thing
depended → depend
uually couldn’t → couldn’t uually
One day → one day
Sb. Can → omeone can
另外，考生还要注意卷面印象分这一问题。卷面要力求整洁，答题纸四周都要留空边，正确使用标点符号。短文要避免使用令阅卷老师反感的词句，如“Do you know…? Let me tell you”之类的过分口语化的表达方式。
最后，写作考试过程中合理分配时间，对提高成绩，稳定发挥起着重要作用。