Composition and Writing Skills (Rachna): Formats, Register and Structure
ਰਚਨਾ questions carry fixed format marks before content is even read. A correct layout with plain language scores higher than elegant prose in the wrong shape.
The formats you must know cold
- ਪੱਤਰ (letter): sender's address, date, receiver's address, ਵਿਸ਼ਾ (formal only), salutation (ਮਾਣਯੋਗ for officials, ਪਿਆਰੇ for relatives), body paragraphs, closing (ਭਵਦੀਆ / ਤੁਹਾਡਾ) and signature.
- ਲੇਖ (essay): introduction, two or three body paragraphs each with one idea, conclusion. No headings needed unless asked.
- ਸਾਰ / ਸੰਖੇਪ: roughly one-third of the original, in your own words, keeping only the main argument.
- ਵਿਗਿਆਪਨ, ਸੂਚਨਾ and ਰਿਪੋਰਟ: short, with the essential facts - what, where, when, who to contact.
Worked example
Task: write a letter to a friend inviting him to your sister's wedding. Reasoning: first secure the format marks - address, date, ਪਿਆਰੇ + name, then three short paragraphs (reason for writing, details of date and place, request to attend), then closing and your name. Keep the register informal but the spelling formal: every ਮਾਤਰਾ counts. Content stays under the word limit so nothing is cut mid-sentence.
Traps that cost marks
- Mixing registers: ਮਾਣਯੋਗ in a letter to a cousin, or slang in an application.
- Leaving out the date, ਵਿਸ਼ਾ or signature - each is a separate format mark.
- Writing a ਸਾਰ that is as long as the original passage.
- One unbroken block of text with no paragraphing.