MATSEC AM Arabic

The MATSEC Examinations Board publishes its syllabi on its website at um.edu.mt/matsec, in the Syllabi section. The syllabus is the authoritative document for paper structure, set texts and prescribed topics, so read it before buying any other material, and check that you are using the version that applies to your examination session.

Assessment is by written examination, with reading comprehension and translation components, grammar work, composition and questions on literature and civilisation. The exact number of papers and their internal structure are defined in the current syllabus rather than on the general website pages, so confirm the layout there before you plan revision.

The MATSEC public pages do not state the duration or item count for AM Arabic; these appear in the syllabus and in the Current Session Information for your session. Do not rely on timings quoted in older forum posts, since papers are revised. Practise with recent past papers, timed to the figures in the current documents.

Retake arrangements are governed by MATSEC's regulations and guidelines, which are published on the Board's website; the general pages do not set out a separate retake policy for this subject. If the grade matters for a university offer, contact the Board on +356 2340 2814/5/6 or at [email protected] well before the relevant deadlines.

The fee is not published on the general MATSEC pages, and it can change between sessions, so confirm the current amount with the Board rather than relying on second-hand figures. The MATSEC Examinations Board can be reached on +356 2340 2814/5/6 or at [email protected], or by post at University of Malta, Msida MSD 2080, Malta.

Start with grammar and morphology, because they feed every other section. Move next to translation, drilling the structures you have just learned in both directions. Then take on composition, where you apply them at length, and read the set literary and cultural material throughout rather than leaving it to the end. Finish with timed past papers marked against the published schemes.

Typical losses come from translating word for word and producing English or Arabic that does not read naturally; letting dialect forms slip into what should be modern standard Arabic; writing a memorised essay that does not answer the set title; and answering comprehension questions from general knowledge instead of from the passage. Weak case endings and broken plurals also cost marks in the grammar section.

Expect to read and write modern standard Arabic. Dialect forms are not normally acceptable in formal written work, and mixing registers is penalised. The syllabus states the register and set texts for your session, so check it, and read modern standard Arabic prose such as newspapers, short stories and essays regularly to internalise the formal style.

Yes. The MATSEC website has sections for Past Papers and for Marking Schemes and Exemplars, and these are the most useful free resources available to you. Work a paper under timed conditions, then mark it yourself against the scheme; seeing how marks are allocated is often more instructive than the paper alone.

No. This is an independent study resource written for candidates researching the MATSEC AM Arabic examination. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or connected to the MATSEC Examinations Board or L-Università ta' Malta. For anything binding - dates, fees, regulations or syllabus content - use the Board's own website or contact the Board directly.