Two Letters, One Marking Scheme, and No Length Column
An eight-mark letter item asks for a formal letter to the Headmaster requesting a drinking-water facility, in about 120 words. Student R writes 165 words. His format is correct: sender's address, date, receiver, subject, salutation, three body paragraphs, closing and signature. But the body opens ஹெட்மாஸ்டர் அவர்களே, நான் சொல்லுறேன் and slips between spoken and written forms throughout, and one paragraph argues about the school cricket team. Student S writes 95 words in consistent formal register with correct format, but her only request is தண்ணீர் வசதி செய்யவும், with no reason, no location and no indication of urgency. The marking scheme allots 2 marks for format, 3 for content and 3 for language, with no separate column for length. The section average must not fall below 60 per cent, and R's parents have already queried one low mark this term.
1. Mark both letters with a breakdown under the 2+3+3 scheme, and explain the surprising result.
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R - 2 + 2 + 1 = 5/8. Format is complete (2). Content earns 2 of 3: the request is made and the water problem is described, but the cricket paragraph is off-task and no detail is given about where the facility is needed. Language earns 1 of 3: the register slips repeatedly (சொல்லுறேன், ஹெட்மாஸ்டர் for முதல்வர் அவர்களே), which in a formal letter is a language fault, not a content fault.
S - 2 + 1 + 3 = 6/8. Format is complete (2). Content earns only 1 of 3: a formal request letter is marked on the case it makes. She states a wish but gives no reason, no place and no urgency, so the reader has nothing to act on. Language is fully formal and consistent (3).
Why the shorter, thinner letter scores higher: content and language are weighted equally at 3 each, so a letter that says little but says it correctly beats a longer letter that argues well in the wrong register. That is defensible - a headmaster cannot act on a grammatically perfect sentence with no information, but a request that is rude in tone also fails - but it tells you what to reteach. The class needs content and register, and R needs the cheaper of the two fixes.
2. Which single feedback line would move R up two marks on his next letter, and why that line rather than one about the cricket paragraph?
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The line should target register, because language carries 3 marks and R is sitting at 1:
'A formal letter keeps one voice throughout. Replace every spoken form with its written equivalent - நான் சொல்லுறேன் becomes தெரிவிக்கிறேன், ஹெட்மாஸ்டர் becomes முதல்வர் அவர்களே - and read the letter aloud to hear the slip.'
Why not the cricket paragraph? Deleting it would gain at most 1 content mark and might not, since R's water paragraph already carries the request. Register repair can gain 2 language marks on its own and will hold for every future letter, including the ones in the board exam.
Why the wording matters: 'be formal' is a comment students cannot act on; a substitution list is. Give R three spoken-to-written pairs on the script, ask him to find the fourth himself, and tell him the language mark is the one he is leaving on the table. Note on the script that this is a pattern, not a one-off, so the query from his parents is answered by evidence rather than by impression.
3. How do you handle the word limits - R's 165 words against a 120-word target, and S's 95 - given that the scheme has no length column?
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Do not invent a penalty. The scheme has three columns; a fourth deduction for length is unmoderatable and would be hard to defend to a parent.
Let length act through content and language, where it already acts:
- R's extra 45 words are mostly the cricket paragraph and padding, and they have already cost him a content mark. That is the correct place for the cost to appear.
- S's 95 words are not short by accident; they are short because she has nothing specific to say. Her content mark of 1 already reflects it.
- A letter at 100–140 words is fine; 'about 120 words' is a target, not a gate.
What to teach: the limit is a selection test. Before writing, list four points and cut to two. A student who can compress to 120 words usually has a clearer request, which is the mark scheme's real interest.
Fairness check: apply this reading to all scripts before returning any, and record it in the moderation note so a colleague marking the same item reaches the same marks.