This study compares the continuation task writing of Chinese senior high school students across three proficiency levels (high

intermediate

low). Sixty participants completed a narrative continuation task

and their writings were analyzed for syntactic complexity

lexical richness

accuracy

and discourse coherence. Results revealed significant disparities: high-proficiency students produced more complex and accurate sentences

used a richer vocabulary

and constructed more coherent narratives. Intermediate students showed basic competence but exhibited a trade-off between complexity and accuracy. Low-proficiency outputs were constrained by simple structures

repetitive lexicon

and frequent errors

leading to fragmented discourse. The findings confirm that general English proficiency is a critical determinant of continuation task performance. The study advocates for differentiated instruction with targeted scaffolding to address the distinct needs of each proficiency level.