Composition: Essay, Letter and Precis
Composition: essay, letter and precis
The composition section tests three separate products: கட்டுரை (essay), கடிதம் (letter) and சுருக்கம் (precis). Each has its own format and its own marking logic, so do not use one structure for all three.
Core rules
- Essay: one clear thesis, two or three developed points, and a conclusion that returns to the question. Use Tamil linking words: முதலில், மேலும், ஆகவே.
- Letter: sender's address, date, receiver's designation, subject, salutation, body, closing. Formal letters avoid contractions and personal jokes.
- Precis: reduce to about one-third, use your own words, keep the main idea, drop examples and repetition, and do not add opinion.
Worked example
Passage: 'Tamil Nadu receives rain from both monsoons. Farmers depend on these rains, but uneven distribution causes drought in some districts.' A precis is: 'Tamil Nadu's monsoon rains support farming, though uneven rainfall can cause drought.' Reasoning: the two causes and the contrast are retained; the repeated idea of farmers depending on rain is compressed; no new fact is added. The length is roughly one-third of the original.
Traps
- Writing an essay that never answers the exact prompt.
- Omitting the subject line or date in a formal letter.
- Copying whole phrases into a precis.
- Making the precis longer than the original.
- Adding a personal opinion to a summary.
Format check
Match the product to its shape: essay thesis, letter subject line, precis one-third.