Composition and Writing Skills (Rachna)
What Rachna tests
Writing tasks - essay, letter, report, dialogue - test format, register, organisation, and relevance. Marks are lost before content if the format is wrong.
Core rules
- Essay: one clear thesis, 3–4 paragraphs, each with a topic sentence and example; avoid a list of slogans.
- Formal letter: sender’s address, date, receiver’s designation, subject, salutation, body, closing, signature. Keep “آپ”/formal address throughout.
- Report: headline, byline, date/place, lead paragraph answering what/when/where/who/why, then details.
- Dialogue: one speaker per line, natural turn-taking, punctuation around speech; keep register consistent.
- Plan for two minutes: jot 3 points and the order before writing.
Worked example
Task: letter to the headmaster requesting more library books. Reasoning: the receiver is formal, so use “محترم جناب” and a subject line; state the problem, give two reasons, make one clear request, and close politely. Do not open with “هائو” or slang. The body should not narrate your whole reading history; relevance is part of the mark.
Traps
- Mixing formal and informal address.
- Missing subject line or date in a formal letter.
- Writing a report without a headline.
- Dialogue with no speaker tags or with all turns in one paragraph.
- Essay that never states a position.