Performance Plus for the HKDSE — All-in-one Exam Practice (Vol.

2) (2nd Edition) Set 6 Paper 2

Part B Question 8
Learning English through Poems and Songs
You are a reporter for the school magazine. You want to write a special article about Cantonese pop music for
the next issue. Write an email to the editor of the school magazine, David, describing what you plan to write,
which famous Hong Kong singers you will feature in the article and the reasons for featuring them. Sign
your email ‘Pat Chan’.

Topic Analysis
Your Role A student and a reporter for the school magazine
Situation / Task Requirements You want to write an article about Cantonese pop music
• Describe what you plan to write
Sub-topics • Describe which famous Hong Kong singers you will feature in
the article and explain why you want to feature them
Text Type Email
Target Audience David / The editor of the school magazine
• Informal
Language and Tone
• Use the simple present tense to express opinions
• To describe
Purpose of Writing
• To explain

Topic-related Vocabulary
artist cantopop contribution fan
following genre household name international
jazz notable singer other forms of music popularity
record company soundtrack talent to kick start
to perform in Cantonese to rock the industry

Writing Plan
Informal/Friendly greeting
Greeting
• Dear David,
Introductory paragraph Tell David you want to write an article about Cantonese pop music
Tell David what you plan to write
• I will write about the origins of Cantonese pop music and when the
music became popular.
Body paragraphs Describe which famous Hong Kong singers you will feature and explain why
you want to feature them
• I will highlight the contributions of Sam Hui as he is the King of
Cantopop.
Closing paragraph Ask David for comments

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Performance Plus for the HKDSE — All-in-one Exam Practice (Vol. 2) (2nd Edition) Set 6 Paper 2
Informal/Friendly closing
Closing • Best wishes,
Pat Chan

Sample Essay
Dear David,

I hope you’re well. I have an idea for the school magazine that I want to run past you. As you know, almost
everyone in the school is crazy about Cantopop and I think it’s time that somebody wrote an article about the
current scene — who they should be listening to, who they should be taking notice of and maybe a short
introduction on the origins of Cantopop. The reason I want to do the latter is that I think a lot of people have
no idea about the origins of the style; they just listen to it without realising how important it is to our culture.

I’m sure that most Cantopop fans have no idea that the genre originated in the 1920s in Shanghai. Apparently,
Shanghai was then very open to Western influences and this is when the jazz era was sweeping the world. It
influenced musicians in Shanghai and they started looking to the West for their inspiration.

So despite what many young people think, the origins go back to the 1920s and they’re comprised of
traditional Chinese musical styles mixed with those from the West. These musicians migrated to Hong Kong
and influenced musicians here.

In line with the history of Cantopop and despite the younger generation being willing to acknowledge this,
our parents were the ones to really give the music a kick start. The golden age started in the 1970s with stars
like Sam Hui, Alan Tam, Roman Tam and later, Leslie Cheung. I will elaborate on this era in my article.
Particularly, I will highlight the contributions of Sam Hui to Cantonese pop music as he is the King of
Cantopop. Mention must also be made of the ‘Four Heavenly Kings’ — Jacky Cheung, Leon Lai, Aaron
Kwok and Andy Lau. Wow, these singers still live on for many people today!

But David, my story will not just be about the past as I would like to mention the latest singers such as Hins
Cheung, Eason Chan and GEM, and how they’re making a contribution.

In the article, I would also like to make reference to how the style has moved out of its base in Hong Kong
and into other places where Chinese is spoken. This means making reference to Taiwan, the mainland of
China, Canada and Singapore where each have their own stars.

Let me know what you think.

Best wishes,
Pat Chan

© Pilot Publishing Company Ltd. 2018 All rights reserved. 21