Writing (Composition, Letter, Report, Notice)
Writing carries the largest block of marks in the FLE paper, and it is where format marks are lost fastest. Four task types recur: a composition on a topical or reflective subject, a letter (formal or informal), a newspaper report, and a notice for a school or club.
Format is marks
- Composition: opening stance, two or three developed points with examples, closing position; usually 200–250 words. Argue or discuss - do not narrate a story.
- Formal letter: sender's address, date, receiver's designation, subject line, Dear Sir/Madam, two or three body paragraphs, Yours faithfully and name.
- Informal letter: address, date, Dear [name], conversational body, Yours affectionately.
- Report: headline, byline, dateline with place and date, past tense, third person throughout.
- Notice: inside a box, the heading NOTICE, institution name, date, a body answering what/when/where/who, then name and designation.
Worked example - notice (about 50 words)
NOTICE - 15 August 2024 ABC High School, Cuttack INTER-HOUSE DEBATE The Literary Club will hold a debate on 'Social media does more harm than good' on 25 August at 10 a.m. in the school hall. Students of Classes IX and X may give their names to the undersigned by 20 August. R. Mohanty, Secretary
Reasoning: the heading and box are compulsory; the date sits at the top because a notice is a dated instruction; the body uses passive/modals ("may give") instead of first person; the designation under the name tells readers who to approach.
Traps that cost marks
- A notice with no date or no designation.
- Yours faithfully in a letter to a friend.
- A report written in the first person or in the present tense.
- Omitting the subject line in a formal letter.
- Exceeding the word limit and cramming the format into the margin.