Writing Skills: Essay, Report, Letter and Précis
The writing domain carries fixed formats and fixed penalties. Learn the shape of each piece before polishing its language.
প্ৰবন্ধ (essay)
Three movements: ভূমিকা (define the issue in two or three sentences), মূল অংশ (three or four paragraphs, one idea each, with an example and a consequence), উপসংহাৰ (a position, not a repetition).
প্ৰতিবেদন (report)
- Heading, place and date, then objective, description, findings, conclusion.
- Past tense, third person, no personal opinion.
- A report on a school function names the date, the chief guest, the programme and attendance.
পত্ৰ (letter)
- Informal: sender's address, date, salutation (প্ৰিয় ...), body, closing (ইতি ...).
- Formal: sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject line, salutation (মহোদয়), body, Yours faithfully.
সাৰাংশ (précis)
About one-third of the original, in your own words, third person, one paragraph, no examples and no comment.
Worked example
Original: বৰষুণৰ বাবে কালি বিদ্যালয় বন্ধ আছিল। পিছদিনা পুৱা শিক্ষকে পৰীক্ষাৰ তাৰিখ সলনি কৰা কথা জনালে। ছাত্ৰ-ছাত্ৰীসকলে নতুন তাৰিখ মেনি ল'লে। Précis: বৰষুণৰ বাবে বিদ্যালয় বন্ধ থকাত পৰীক্ষাৰ তাৰিখ পিছুৱাই দিয়া হয় আৰু ছাত্ৰ-ছাত্ৰীয়ে তাক মেনি লয়। Reasoning: the cause is retained, the later sentences are merged, nothing is invented, and the length falls to roughly one-third.
Traps
- Omitting the subject line when the question demands আনুষ্ঠানিক পত্ৰ.
- Adding opinion to a report or a সাৰাংশ.
- Exceeding the word limit; examiners stop reading at the limit.