Exam guide

1. Paper structure

The syllabus changed in 2024. Both papers were rebuilt, each now carries 50 marks, and the two papers swapped much of their content.

Main changes in 2024:

• No choice any more. The old "1 of 2" letter/speech/dialogue task has gone. Every question is compulsory.
• Translation moved to Paper 2 and dropped from 20 to 15 marks.
• Idioms are no longer tested directly. The 5-idiom exercise was removed. Grammar is now tested by rewriting sentences, plus a longer multiple-choice cloze.
• New reading formats: paragraph matching (A–D) and note-making under headings came in. The note-making answers feed straight into the summary.
• Emails replaced letters, and the open composition is now always an opinion article (agree or disagree with a statement).
• The June 2026 grade-threshold sheet also lists a Component 50 (out of 90) as a separate route to a grade. No question paper for it is in this sample.

2. Topic weights

The figures below are marks from all 18 papers. The two old-syllabus Paper 1 choices are weighted half each (see Method).

In short, about half the marks are for writing in Urdu (composition, directed writing, summary and translation). Most of the rest is for reading.

3. Bankers

These appeared in every session, so expect them in every exam:

• Translation of an English passage into Urdu. It is always three short paragraphs on an everyday issue, such as health, education, the environment, charity work, the media or friendship.
• A guided piece of writing with three bullet points. On the old papers this was a poster article. On current papers it is an email, and there is always a three-bullet email in Paper 1 Exercise 5.
• An opinion article of about 200 words (current Paper 2 Exercise 3). It has appeared in all five sessions since 2024. The topic is always a statement for you to agree or disagree with, with two opposing speech bubbles to help you.
• A summary of about 100 words. It is now built from your own notes in Exercise 3.
• Cloze. It is now always 10 gaps, each with four options A–D.
• Five sentence rewrites that keep the original meaning. You are given the start or end of the new sentence.
• Paragraph matching (A–D) and note-making questions (2 to 3 marks each) in Paper 1. They have appeared in all five current-syllabus sessions.

4. Rarely tested

• Formal emails. Only two of the five current sessions (2024) asked for one: a thank-you to a principal and a complaint to a restaurant manager. Since 2025 every email has been to a friend. A formal email could still come back, so practise both.
• Dialogue and speech. These were old-syllabus Paper 1 options and have not been set since 2023.
• Idioms (muhavare) on their own. They were dropped in 2024. Using a few correct idioms still earns language marks in your writing.
• Narrative or story writing. It has not been set in any session in this sample.

5. Trends

• Comprehension texts follow a pattern. Exercise 1 is usually a biography or a famous place: Mirza Ghalib, astronaut Mae Jemison, Abbas ibn Firnas, baseball, Mount Machapuchare. Exercise 2 (matching) is about a country, an animal, a hobby or a culture: fast food, Iran, a school in Waziristan, parrots, Japanese flower arranging. Exercise 3 (notes and summary) is on a social issue: a very cold village, punctuality, hobbies, advertising, digital citizenship.
• The summary has a fixed angle. It usually asks for the effects, measures or importance of the Exercise 3 topic, for example the negative effects of advertising or why digital citizenship matters.
• Opinion topics are close to students' lives: holidays abroad, films and dramas in free time, whether higher education is needed for a good job, school uniform, cycling to school or work.
• The email is now informal. In 2025–2026 it was always to a friend about a personal experience: an online purchase, a holiday, a museum visit.
• The cloze doubled from 5 to 10 marks in 2024.
• Grade boundaries fell slightly in Nov 2025 and June 2026 (see section 8).

6. Question styles

• Short-answer comprehension. The question names the number of points ("give 2 things", "3 ways"), and marks equal points. Answer in your own words (the papers say "as far as possible in your own words").
• Paragraph matching. You read a statement and tick the paragraph (A–D) that says it. One mark each. Paragraphs can be used more than once.
• Note-making. You write short notes under headings, for example "the lowest temperature" or "2 problems". Each answer is worth 2 or 3 marks.
• Summary. Write about 100 words, in your own words as far as possible, built from your notes. The marks are 4 for content and 6 for language.
• Writing tasks. Each has a word target (about 150 or 200 words), three bullet points or two prompts, and separate content and language marks. Cover every bullet.
• Sentence rewriting. The original sentence is given with the start or end of the new version. Fill the gap so the meaning stays the same, for example by changing to a negative, a different verb or a passive form.
• Translation. You translate the whole passage. Each missing word or phrase costs marks.

7. Common mistakes

Examiner reports are only available for June 2022, Nov 2022 and June 2023 (old syllabus), but most of the points still apply:

• Writing too much. This was the most common reason for lost marks. Content written after the word limit was not credited, so points placed at the end of a long answer earned nothing.
• Missing or misreading a bullet point. Examples: writing to an uncle instead of a cousin; confusing similar-looking words (such as "wildlife" read as "war life") in the topic.
• Weak language. Spelling mistakes, few complex sentences and little varied vocabulary or idiom kept many candidates out of the top band.
• Translation gaps. Linking words such as "however", "in addition", "after all" and "regardless", and words like "entire" or "always", were often left out. Spelling is not penalised in translation as long as the meaning is clear, but omissions are.
• Copying from the passage. Lifting whole sentences gives long, unfocused answers, especially for inference questions and the summary.
• Questions with two or three parts. Candidates often gave only one point when two or three were needed.
• Grammar tasks. Candidates mixed tenses, ignored the worked example or changed the sentence structure.
• Idioms. Candidates confused idioms that share a key word, or used them literally.
• Blank answers. Some candidates left questions unanswered. Always attempt an answer.

8. Grade thresholds

Overall raw marks needed (Option A, Papers 01 + 02):

Under the current syllabus, an A* needs about 88–91% and an A about 77–82%.

9. Revision priorities for Oct/Nov 2026 and 2027

1. Translation (15 marks). Practise one short English passage a week on everyday topics such as health, technology, the media, the environment, family and volunteering. Translate every word, including the linking words.
2. The opinion article (20 marks). Plan an introduction, two or three paragraphs (for, against, your view) and a conclusion in about 200 words. Use the two speech bubbles and add ideas of your own.
3. The email (14 marks). Practise informal emails to a friend first, but prepare a formal one too (complaint, request or thanks). Give each bullet its own paragraph and keep to about 150 words.
4. Note-making and summary (19 marks together). Pick out short, exact points under each heading, then join them in your own words in about 100 words.
5. Reading techniques. For matching, underline the key idea in each statement and find the paragraph that says the same thing in different words. For short answers, count the marks and give that many points.
6. Grammar and cloze (15 marks). Revise tenses, negatives, active and passive, postpositions (ka/ki/ke, se, ko) and common collocations. Do timed multiple-choice cloze practice.
7. Language quality throughout. Learn 20–30 common idioms and a set of linking phrases, and check spelling. These are what lift writing into the top band.