On June 7th, the 2026 National College Entrance Examination officially commenced, with 12.9 million candidates across the country sitting for the tests. The Chinese language essay questions are a major focus of public attention every year. This year's essay prompts, released nationwide, included topics related to technological development and artificial intelligence (AI) in the Beijing and Shanghai papers.
The Beijing paper featured a micro-writing task. With the Double Ninth Festival approaching, a school plans to organize volunteers to hold an "AI and Happy Golden Years" event at a senior care home. The task was to write a promotional message to encourage elderly participation.
The Shanghai paper presented a major essay question worth 70 points, posing a deeply philosophical proposition: "Everyone has their own imagination of the world. When technology transforms the world, it also transforms our imagination. What are your thoughts and reflections on this?"
According to a recent ranking of major Chinese AI models, DeepSeek, Qwen, and Doubao are the top three industry leaders. Today, we pit these three leading AIs against each other, presenting their "perfect score" responses to these two exam questions. How would you grade these AI-written essays?
DeepSeek
Beijing Paper Micro-Writing Task
Dear grandparents, would you like to experience the wonders of AI? It can chat with you to ease boredom, help you reminisce about the past, and even teach you health exercises! For the Double Ninth Festival, volunteers will personally teach you how to use smart devices to take photos, listen to operas, and contact your children. Technology isn't distant; warmth is right beside you. Come to the activity room at the senior home, and let's embrace AI together for a happy golden age!
Shanghai Paper Essay Question
"The Nirvana of Imagination"
From the lingering fantasy of Chang'e flying to the moon to the resolute form of the "Jade Rabbit" lunar rover; from the fantastical journey in Jules Verne's "Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea" to the feat of the "Striver" submersible diving to the abyssal depths. Each instance of human imagination about the world seems, propelled by technology, to descend from the clouds back to earth, moving from illusion to reality. Yet, as technology transforms the world, does it truly stifle the wings of imagination as we fear? I believe not. Far from being the terminator of imagination, technology is its most powerful catalyst for rebirth from the ashes.
Admittedly, technological development often lifts the veil of mystery from the world's surface, rendering many once-distant imaginations concrete and mundane. Faced with a solar eclipse, ancient people imagined it as a "heavenly dog devouring the sun," filled with awe and fear. Once we grasped the laws of celestial motion, this primal imagination lost its footing. Technology seems to be "disenchanting" the world, explaining it in a rational, logical way, leaving imagination with nowhere to hide. However, this is merely the demise of one form of imagination, not the end of imagination itself.
In fact, it is the ever-expanding frontiers of the unknown opened by technology that provide new habitats for imagination. When Mark Twain read scientific descriptions of the Mississippi River, he lamented that science had made "the romance and the poetry" vanish from the river. Yet, from another perspective, it is precisely science that informs us of the river's length, depth, and flow rate, giving us a more three-dimensional understanding of this "muddy, sluggish, vast" river, thereby fostering more concrete and grand literary imaginings. Isn't the paradox of "Schrödinger's cat" in quantum mechanics a vivid example of scientists using philosophical imagination to explore the microscopic world? With each step forward in technology, the world's complexity reveals itself a little more to humanity, and this complexity is precisely the infinite material for inspiring grander, more exquisite imagination.
More importantly, technology itself has become the most glorious achievement and the broadest testing ground of human collective imagination. From "ears that hear the wind" to telephones and mobile phones, from "eyes that see a thousand miles" to video calls, modern technology has turned countless ancient imaginings into reality. And when these imaginings become commonplace, we do not stop imagining. Instead, we use them as a foundation to begin constructing even loftier blueprints: space elevators, interstellar travel, digital immortality... Technology liberates humanity from purely empty fantasies, anchoring imagination in solid scientific logic, making it more forward-looking and creative. As Liu Cixin said, even the most "crazy" imaginings now require the most rigorous scientific support.
From this perspective, the relationship between technology and the world is not a simple matter of "understanding" and "transforming," but a profound "dialogue" and "reshaping." The development of technology is a spiraling process where human imagination is constantly "negated" by reality and yet constantly transcends it. Technology continuously "negates" our existing imaginings of the world while simultaneously paving the way for newer, deeper imaginings. We should embrace technology, but also cherish and exercise that never-ceasing power of imagination. For it is this very ability that drives us to constantly transcend the known, explore the unknown, and build a more promising future.
Qwen
Beijing Paper Micro-Writing Task
Dear grandparents, for the Double Ninth Festival, we've brought an "AI little helper" to keep you company! It can listen to old songs with you, chat about daily life, and even teach you how to use your phone for video calls with distant family, adding a touch of technological warmth to your golden years. At the event, patient volunteers will provide one-on-one guidance, making it easy to learn without pressure. There will also be Double Ninth pastries and warm refreshments waiting for you. Come make friends with AI, let wisdom brighten your happy later years. We await your company!
Shanghai Paper Essay Question
"Planting Flowers in the Cracks of the Algorithm"
As algorithms precisely push "you might like" short videos, and as AI generates paintings that conform to popular aesthetics with a single click, we seem to be living in a world meticulously "remodeled" by technology. Technology not only reshapes mountains, rivers, and cities but also invisibly reshapes the contours of how we imagine the world. However, true imagination should not be a product fed by algorithms; it should be the wildflower that stubbornly grows in the cracks of technological discipline.
Technology has indeed given imagination wings, but it has also quietly placed shackles upon it. Once, our imagination of distant places was the desolation of "a lone smoke plume in the vast desert" or the expansiveness of "the moon rising over the sea." Now, with satellite maps and VR panoramas, distant places are rendered precisely down to every inch of land, every brick and tile. Technology strips away the mystery of the unknown, making imagination "efficient" and "accurate," but it also robs us of the right to construct poetry from ambiguity. More frighteningly, as recommendation algorithms weave comfortable information cocoons for us, the boundaries of our imagination are unconsciously drawn. We think we are envisioning the future, but in reality, we are merely gliding along tracks preset by algorithms; imagination becomes a vassal of big data.
Yet the greatness of human imagination lies precisely in its freedom from being disciplined. Technology can calculate the trajectory of stars but cannot imagine the loneliness of "stars hanging over the vast plain." AI can generate millions of flower forms but cannot comprehend the flutter of "a face among peach blossoms." True imagination is the life experience that transcends data and logic; it is that unique, warm confusion and longing a person feels when facing the world. Just like the sea in "Imagining the Sea"—a sea that cannot be watched, only imagined—it is the part of the human spirit that cannot be quantified by technology. It reminds us that some imaginings are destined never to be "realized" but are forever worth "preserving."
Therefore, facing technological transformation, we need not fear, nor should we blindly follow. We must learn to plant flowers in the cracks of the algorithm—enjoying the convenience technology brings while deliberately preserving a measure of "imprecise" imagination. Allow yourself to gaze blankly at the moon without searching for its geological structure; permit yourself to have a dream without logic, without questioning its scientific basis. This "clumsy" imagination is precisely our weapon against technological alienation, our way of affirming our own subjectivity.
Technology transforms the world, but imagination defines us. As the world is recoded by code and algorithms, only those imaginations that grow in the cracks, undisciplined, allow us to exist still as "human." They may not be "correct" enough, not "efficient" enough, but they are real enough, free enough.
Planting flowers in the cracks of the algorithm is not to oppose technology, but to guard that inner wilderness within ourselves, untouched by transformation, amidst the technological torrent. There lies our initial imagination, and there lies our final destination.
Doubao
Beijing Paper Micro-Writing Task
The Double Ninth Festival is here, bringing warmth and care! Dear grandparents, welcome to join the fun "AI and Happy Golden Years" activity. We will patiently accompany everyone to experience artificial intelligence, unlock smart little skills, and feel the convenience and joy technology brings. Don't feel unfamiliar or restrained. Amid laughter and joy, let's enjoy new things together, share a warm Double Ninth, and make life in our golden years more wonderful and colorful!
Shanghai Paper Essay Question
"Broadening Horizons with Technology, Journeying to Distant Places with Imagination"
Everyone harbors a unique mental picture of the world. Imagination is an innate human gift, the spiritual wings with which we touch the unknown and yearn for the future. As the tide of technology surges forward, it not only tangibly reshapes the real world but also quietly rewrites how we perceive all things and conceive the future. Technology and imagination move towards each other, mutually achieving, composing the dynamic melody of human civilization's continuous progress.
Looking back, humanity's earliest imaginings were often rooted in barren reality, carrying simple yearnings. Ancient people gazing at the starry sky wove tales of the cold Moon Palace, Chang'e, and the Jade Rabbit into poetry and myth—the most beautiful imaginings of the vast cosmos in an era lacking astronomical technology. People longing to communicate across mountains and seas conceived the fantasy of "transmitting sound over a thousand miles," hoping to break the barriers of space. Imagination then was limited by cognition and productive forces—romantic yet constrained. The emergence of technology allowed past fantasies to take root. Airplanes soared into the sky, fulfilling humanity's millennia-old dream of flight. The spread of mobile communications and the internet brought people thousands of miles away close at hand. Lunar exploration projects lifted the moon's mysterious veil; once a mythical realm, it became territory for human exploration. Technology transformed the objective world and shattered the real shackles binding imagination, extending our vision from a confined space to the vast universe.
While reshaping the world, technology also subtly updates the dimensions of human imagination. The technological level of different eras determines the boundaries of people's imagination. In the agrarian age, the ultimate imaginable was merely bountiful harvests and swift carriages and horses. The arrival of the industrial age, with the roar of machinery, spurred imaginings of mechanized, large-scale living. Entering the digital age, with emerging technologies like artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and big data, our imagination has leaped beyond traditional frameworks. Today, people envision a smart life of interconnected things, new models of human-machine collaboration, and deep space exploration to the stars. New phenomena like AI painting, digital art, and the metaverse open new avenues for artistic creation and life experience. We are no longer confined to existing life patterns, daring to conceive more diverse and cutting-edge futures. Technology acts like fertile soil, nurturing more creative and forward-looking imagination.
Of course, we must also soberly examine the relationship between the two, remaining vigilant against the mental inertia technology can bring. When every unknown can be answered by technology, when all problems can be solved with tools, some people may halt their thinking, letting imagination become a passive vassal. Some indulge in readily available information and entertainment, no longer actively exploring or boldly conceiving; their thinking becomes framed by technology, and imagination gradually loses its edge. It must be understood that technology is a ladder to expand imagination, not a cage to imprison thought. What is truly valuable is maintaining independent thinking and romantic reverie even with technological empowerment.
Imagination is the wellspring of technology; technology is the bridge for imagination to land. Without free-ranging imagination, technology loses its direction forward; without ever-evolving technology, imagination remains trapped in empty dreams. Living in an era of rapid technological development, we must embrace the convenience and change technology brings, using it to broaden our cognitive horizons. We must also steadfastly guard our inner imaginative power, forever preserving curiosity and aspiration.
Using technology as wings to break free from reality's constraints; using imagination as a lamp to illuminate the path ahead. In the fusion and symbiosis of technology and imagination, we will ultimately see a vaster world and create a more brilliant future.
Five Major Models "Predict" Exam Essay Topics, But Are They All Wrong?
Yesterday, an AI-focused media outlet used five major models—Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini, Doubao, and Kimi—to "predict" the 2026 college entrance exam essay topics a day in advance. They all received the same prompt: "Based on your research and analytical understanding, propose a Chinese language essay topic for the 2026 college entrance exam."
According to the disclosure, Gemini's proposed topic was "Frictionless Life": algorithms precisely push content, navigation avoids traffic, smart living eliminates the hassle of offline interactions—people enjoy frictionless convenience. Yet, philosophers point out that human growth often occurs when encountering resistance and taking detours. Kimi drew a contrast between past and present. In 1936, at the end of the Long March, an old Red Army soldier said, "The destination is ahead; you only know it after you've walked there." In 2026, with "intelligent path planning deeply integrated into life," a young person writes on social media: "Every step I take is 'correct,' but I increasingly don't know where I want to go."
Doubao took the angle of the "Shortcut Era." ChatGPT offered a topic on "Scale." Claude proposed a topic from the perspective of "Scenery Along the Way." However, judging by the 2026 college entrance exam Chinese essay questions released today, the predictions from these five major models were almost entirely "incorrect."
Taking the National Paper I as an example, this year's essay topic did not trend towards the "grand narratives" or "technology ethics debates" that the AIs collectively bet on. Instead, it presented a proposition full of "humanistic warmth": "Words are carriers for expressing thoughts and emotions, and also windows showing changes in social life. Currently, changes in the world, the times, and history are unfolding in unprecedented ways. Youth is constantly renewing itself. In your growth process, which word's meaning has changed for you? This change bears the imprint of your growth and holds special significance for you..."
It is worth noting that on June 2nd, the Ministry of Education issued a warning about the 2026 college entrance exam. As the exam approaches, the market for "prediction papers" is being hyped, with "top-secret" prediction papers flooding the market. Teachers and AI are both being deployed. Unscrupulous individuals, exploiting the speculative mindset of some candidates and parents, often impersonate "members of the exam-setting committee" or "established institutions,"大肆宣传能提供“绝密真题”“精准押题卷”, vigorously promoting their ability to provide "top-secret real questions" and "accurate prediction papers," hyping "expert prediction" and "AI prediction" as false marketing tactics. They also use marketing models like advance sales, limited-time offers, and time-limited sales to induce candidates and parents to purchase at high prices, disrupting their own study plans. Some even ask parents to click on links, requesting payments under the guise of "advance deposits," only to be blocked after payment.
The Ministry of Education cautions that in recent years, college entrance exam question setting has continued to deepen reforms. Its direction and content are constantly changing and innovating, placing greater emphasis on examining candidates' key competencies, subject literacy, and thinking quality, highlighting an anti-prediction, anti-formula orientation. Relying on AI or so-called "expert" predictions to achieve high scores is unrealistic. Devoting significant energy to "prediction papers" can disrupt one's normal study methods and rhythm, proving more costly than beneficial. It also makes candidates susceptible to fraud by unscrupulous businesses, leading to both financial and psychological losses.
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