SECOND LANGUAGE URDU - Paper 3248/01 Reading and Writing - Examiner Report

Oct 1, 2026

Examiner report for SECOND LANGUAGE URDU Paper 3248/01 Reading and Writing, describing changes in format while keeping overall standard, quality, and linguistic demands consistent with previous years. It summarizes the five exercises: short-answer comprehension, multiple matching, note-making, summary writing with a one-hundred-word limit and content/language assessment, and directed email writing within about 150 words. Overall performance is described as very good for comprehension, with lower-ability challenges in summary and directed writing. Guidance highlights avoiding lifted sentences, staying within word limits and spaces, writing legibly, attempting all questions, and using appropriate vocabulary and information selection.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages7

Reading Time18 min

AccessFree to download

Key messages

Exercise overview

Exercise 1 – Short-answer questions

Exercise 2 – Multiple matching

Exercise 3 – Note-making

Exercise 4 – Summary

Exercise 5 – Writing exercise

General comments

Comments on specific questions

Exercise 1 (Question 1–6)

SECOND LANGUAGE URDU Paper 3248/01 Reading and Writing Key messages The format of this paper has undergone significant changes this year. However, the overall standard, quality, and linguistic demand remain consistent with previous years and are appropriate for the level of this examination. The topics selected for this assessment were engaging, informative and approachable for the majority of candidates. The questions maintained an appropriate level of difficulty to effectively differentiate among variable levels of candidates’ performance. Exercise 1 – Short-answer questions: This exercise consists of a comprehension passage. There are six questions worth one or two marks each, set on the information given in the passage , which require brief answers. Exercise 2 – Multiple matching: This is a multiple-choice exercise, based on a text divided into four paragraphs (A-D) . Candidates have to identify where exactly different pieces of information are located in the text. Exercise 3 – Note-making: This is a note making exercise. After reading the passage, candidates are required to select the required information and reproduce it in the form of short notes. Exercise 4 – Summary: This is the summary writing exercise, based on the text given for Exercise 3. Rather than summarising the whole passage, there are specific instructions given regarding the points to be included in the summary. Concentrating on the required aspects, candidates have to write a summary, keeping the response within the limit of one hundred words. Along with the content, candidates are also assessed on the language used. Exercise 5 – Writing exercise: This is the directed writing exercise. Candidates are asked to write an email as directed. There are three prompts given to respond to in the content of the email, keeping the response within 150 words approximately. Here also, candidates are assessed on both the content of their response, as well as the accuracy and style of the language used. Candidates are expected to use their own words while answering questions to demonstrate their understanding and therefore, should avoid lifting sentences directly from the passage and using them as their answer. Whilst minor spelling errors are not penalized in comprehension exercises, there are specific marks allocated for language in the writing tasks. Nevertheless, it is important that candidates’ work is legible throughout. It is also important that candidates write their answers in the correct spaces provided. There is an adequate provision of space for each response in the question paper. However, if the candidates find an answer exceeding the given space or they change their mind after writing an answer and want to utilize the blank pages or continue the answer on an extra sheet, they should clearly mention this in the answer space to avoid any confusion. It is recommended to always attempt an answer rather than leaving a blank space. Candidates need a good understanding of the vocabulary of questions , as well as enough practice in choosing appropriate information from the passages to write their answers. If there is still time, they should also check their responses at the end to avoid any unintentional mistakes or unanswered parts. General comments It was a balanced paper catering for the needs of all ability candidates. The content of the paper covered wider aspects of the syllabus and had a fair amount of challenge for all candidates. The overall performance of the candidates was very good, which indicates that most candidates were well prepared, and questions were within the grasp of a large majority of candidates. In general, candidates performed very well on comprehension exercises, whereas summary and directed writing were more challenging for lower ability candidates, either due to their limited exposure to the target language or lack of practice. Although many candidates managed to achieve good marks, only the most capable

FAQs

What structure does the Reading and Writing paper follow?

It includes five exercises: short-answer comprehension, multiple matching, note-making, summary writing, and a directed writing task that asks candidates to produce an email based on prompts.

How are summary and writing tasks assessed?

The summary task is assessed on both included content (based on specific instructions) and the language used, with a response limit of one hundred words. The directed email task assesses content as well as accuracy and style, targeting about 150 words.

What common issues did candidates have according to the examiner?

Some candidates lifted sentences directly from the passage, causing irrelevant or lengthy answers and harming the word limit and language quality. Others wrote over the given response spaces, produced illegible work, or left questions unanswered.

Oct 1, 2026

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