Composition
What this domain tests
This domain tests planned writing in Bodo: essays, letters, reports, notices and précis. Marks depend on relevance, organisation, register, grammar and format. A good composition has a clear controlling idea and paragraphs that each do one job.
Core rules
- Essay: introduction with a thesis, body paragraphs with topic sentences, conclusion that returns to the thesis. Use connectors for contrast, cause and sequence.
- Formal letter: sender’s address, date, receiver’s address, subject, salutation, body, closing and signature. Keep the register formal and the purpose explicit.
- Report: headline, byline, lead paragraph answering what, when, where, who and why, then factual detail and quotation. Do not invent unsupported facts.
- Notice: short, centred heading, date, purpose, venue, time and contact or signature. Use impersonal, concise language.
- Précis: capture the main idea in your own words, keep the proportion of the original, and do not add opinion.
Worked example
For an essay on ‘Bodo language and identity’, a weak opening says ‘Language is very important.’ A stronger thesis says: ‘Bodo language is central to identity because it carries oral tradition, but its future depends on education and daily use.’ The first body paragraph can discuss oral tradition, the second education, the third media and public life. Reasoning: the thesis gives a claim and a qualification, and each paragraph has a distinct function.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing formal and informal register in a letter.
- Omitting the subject line or signature.
- Writing a report as a personal narrative.
- Copying whole sentences into a précis.
- Using long, unchecked sentences with agreement errors.