The written component of Gaokao, like DSE, consists of two parts:

The first part of the Gaokao writing exam is a "proofreading" component. Here, students are required to identify errors and make corrections to grammar, spelling, punctuation, and overall structure. This div is particularly challenging if you have concerns about your English technical skills, as it accounts for 10 out of 35 marks in the Writing exam. Conversely, the DSE exam doesn't include a proofreading div in its writing test, instead, it might appear in the reading exam. This isn't a certainty, though - over the last three years, a "proofreading" div has only been included once in the DSE. This could be a relief to students apprehensive about their technical writing skills, as there's a good chance you won't be asked to correct grammar or spelling errors. It's also important to note that the DSE differs from the Gaokao in the second part of the writing exam - it offers a choice of 8 writing questions, rather than one mandatory question as in Gaokao’s Part 2. This provides more options for students familiar with a range of styles, formats, and subject matter.

Gaokao’s Part 2 writing question bears similarities to DSE’s Part B in numerous aspects. Both examinations provide a writing scenario, requiring candidates to consider contextual information when crafting their response. For instance, Gaokao candidates may be asked to pen an essay or email tailored to the scenario presented in the question. For example, Gaokao candidates may be asked to write an essay or email that fits a specific situation. In the Gaokao that just ended this year, the situation was a discussion between a student named 'Li Hua' and foreign English teacher Ryan on the group discussion learning method. In this aspect, the two examinations show significant overlap.

For the content, both Gaokao and the DSE English writing involve essays with practical purposes. For example, in this year's Gaokao, candidates are asked to give advice to foreign teacher Ryan. In the 2022 Gaokao Exam paper, candidates were asked to write an invitation letter for an interview. From this perspective, both Gaokao and DSE English assign students with different roles and students need to use an appropriate tone to satisfy the requirements of the question.

A key difference is the language in which instructions are delivered. While Gaokao's writing instruction and Part 2 writing question are given in Chinese, the DSE English exam (all parts) is entirely in English. It's a crucial distinction to note for students considering these examination formats.

The length of the written response varies between the two exams. Gaokao requires about 100 words, whereas DSE's Part B requires students to write approximately 400 words.