MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE EXAM

MOROCCAN BACCALAUREATE EXAM

WRITING PAPER

TYPES OF COMPOSITION

When you write a composition or essay, you are often asked to write your
answer in the form of an article, a report, a letter, etc.

ARTICLES are found in magazines and newspapers (e.g. school newspaper,

magazine for young children, etc). All of the following may be written in the form

of an article:

• Descriptive compositions about people, places, objects, etc

• Narrative descriptions or stories about real or imaginary events which

happened in the past

• Discursive essays, about arguments concerning particular subjects, which

include:

- opinion essays, giving your Personal opinion

- for-and-against essays, giving the opposing arguments for both sides (e.g.

pros v. cons / advantages v. drawbacks - disadvantages)

- cause – effect essays, discussing the causes and the consequences

REPORTS are similar to articles but have a more formal, factual style, and

each kind has its own special format and features. Compositions in the form of

reports include:

• News reports about recent events (e.g. accidents, earthquakes, etc). such as

those found in newspapers

• Assessment reports discussing the suitability of a person, a place, a

proposed plan, etc

• Reviews discussing a film, book, restaurant, etc and giving your

opinion/recommendation

LETTERS and e-mails are written to a specific person/group (e.g. your parents,

the Town Council, etc) for a specific reason (e.g. to make a complaint, to apply for a job, etc). Compositions in this form include:

• Friendly letters to people we know, usually about Personal matters, in

informal style

• Formal letters to officials/managers/etc, about official/business matters, in

formal style

• Postcards to friends or relatives

There are several other kinds of informative writing, each with its own format

and features. (You are not often asked to write compositions in these forms.)

They include:

• Friendly or formal e-mails