Cambridge International Advanced

Cambridge International Advanced Level 9686 Urdu November 2010 Principal Examiner Report for Teachers Paper 9686/03 Essay GENERAL: This paper is designed to test candidates’ ability to write a composition in Urdu on one of a range of five topics, selected as being relevant to their countries of origin. Overall, the performance of candidates was good, with a high proportion of excellent scripts. The problem for most candidates is not writing accurate Urdu but responding to the stimulus topics in an organised and well-structured way There were five given topics, on which candidates were expected to write between 250 and 400 words. The topics this year were: “insani ta’luqat” “Human relations” 1 gheyron par apnon ko tarjih dena ansan ki fytrat hai’ “It’s human nature to prefer one’s own to strangers.“ “shehri awr dehi zindagi” “Urban and rural life” 2 “berhte hue shehron ka dehaton par asar”

‘’The effect of expanding cities on the countryside” “sahyt awr tandurusti” “health and fitness” 3 “jadeed terz-e-zindagi tandurwsti ki rah men sab se bari rwkavat” ‘A modern lifestyle is the biggest obstacle to health.’ “musawi muwaq’e” “Equal opportunities” 4 “har shakhs ke liye hwsul-e-ta’lim ke yeksan muvaq’e” ‘Equal opportunities for everyone in acquiring education.” “Mahauliat” 5 “Environment” ‘aap khwd apne mwhale ko keyse behter bana sakte hain’ “What you can do yourself to improve your neighbourhood.” The wide range of topics allowed candidates the opportunity to choose one that that was appropriate for them and demonstrate their linguistic skills in Urdu. Of course, at this advanced level, not only is a high standard of written Urdu expected but it is equally important that candidates also need to be able to organise and structure their work, and present an argument where appropriate. This component is marked out of 40: 24 are awarded for quality of language and 16 for content, structure.