Composition and Letter/Essay Writing
What the domain tests
Composition tests your ability to produce connected, correct Arabic for a purpose: informal/formal letter, application, paragraph, or short essay on a familiar topic (education, environment, technology, family, national days).
Core rules
- Formal letter: place/date, addressee, greeting (تحية طيبة وبعد), subject (الموضوع), body in paragraphs, closing (وتفضلوا بقبول فائق الاحترام), signature. Informal letter uses dear + personal closing.
- Application: state the purpose in the first line, give relevant details, request politely with أرجو/أتمنى, and include contact details if asked.
- Essay: مقدمة (define/pose the issue), عرض (2–3 arguments with examples), خاتمة (summary/opinion). Use connectors: أولًا، ثانيًا، بالإضافة إلى ذلك، في المقابل، لذلك، خلاصة القول.
- Keep sentences short and grammatically controlled; use vocabulary you can spell.
Worked example
Task: Write a letter to the principal requesting three days' leave. Opening: سعادة مدير المدرسة المحترم، تحية طيبة وبعد، Purpose: أرجو من سيادتكم منحي إذنًا بالغياب لمدة ثلاثة أيام من 10 إلى 12 مارس بسبب مرض عارض. Reasoning: The request is polite (أرجو), dates are explicit, and the reason is stated. Close with وتفضلوا بقبول فائق الاحترام. Avoid dialect like عايز.
Traps
Forgetting the subject line; mixing formal and colloquial; writing one long paragraph; incorrect date/preposition; and making unsupported claims in an essay.