Composition and Letter Writing (Rachna): Formats That Earn Format Marks
Composition and Letter Writing (Rachna)
Rachna tests guided writing: an essay (مضمون), a letter (خط), an application (درخواست) and occasionally a paragraph or dialogue. Format carries separate marks, so structure is as important as language.
Formats to memorise
- Letter to a friend: date, salutation (پيارو دوست), سلام/آداب, an opening reference to the last letter, two or three body paragraphs, closing (تنهنجو) and your name.
- Application to the Headmaster: "جنابِ مهربان" / "محترم پرنسپال صاحب", then "عرض هيءُ آهي ته…", the request, and "انهيءَ لاءِ اوهان جي مهرباني ٿيندي."
- Essay: عنوان, تمهيد of two or three lines, three or four paragraphs each carrying one idea, then نتيجو.
Worked example
Topic: "اسڪول ۾ صفائي" (cleanliness in school). Reasoning: a ten-mark essay needs a plan, not a flood of sentences. Opening - why cleanliness matters. Body 1 - classrooms and drinking water. Body 2 - students' duties and the sweeper's role. Body 3 - a practical suggestion such as dustbins and a weekly drive. Conclusion - cleanliness as discipline. One idiom used correctly, such as صفائي اڌ ايمان آهي, earns credit; forced idioms do not.
Traps that cost marks
- Omitting salutation or signature in a letter.
- Mixing تون and اوهان within one letter.
- Padding an essay off-topic instead of developing three clear points.
- Ignoring the word limit; overlong answers are cut.
- Writing an application without a clear request line.