Core
Identify the audience, purpose and every required content point in a writing task.
01
Orient
Your goal هَدَفُكَ
This lesson does not ask you to write a full composition immediately. It teaches the decision-making that comes first, so your eventual answer is relevant, complete and organised.
Develop
Match each point to a suitable time frame, idea and useful Arabic language.
Stretch
Create a balanced plan that covers the task naturally without padding or memorised detours.
By the end
You will be able to turn an unfamiliar prompt into a clear writing plan in about three to five minutes.
02
Diagnostic pre-check
What would you do first? مَاذَا سَتَفْعَلُ أَوَّلًا؟
Answer from your current knowledge. The feedback will show what to watch during the lesson.
Quick diagnostic
Choose one answer for each question, then check your thinking.
Your score will appear here.
03
Big picture
Relevance before brilliance الْمُلَاءَمَةُ قَبْلَ الزِّينَةِ
A beautiful paragraph does not fully succeed if it answers the wrong question. Task completion begins with proving that you understood what you were asked to communicate.
Three common writing situations
- Form filling: accurate single words or short phrases.
- Directed response: approximately 80–90 words on a familiar topic.
- Extended response: approximately 130–140 words as an email/letter or article/blog.
The planning principle
Different formats need different amounts of planning, but the same questions always matter:
Who am I writing to?
Why am I writing?
What must I include?
Which time frames?
How much detail?
Exam relevance
The current 0544 writing assessment contains a 5-mark form, a 10-mark directed task and a 25-mark extended task. Planning becomes increasingly important as the response grows, but accuracy and relevance matter in all three.
04
Deep explanation
The Miftah Task Map خَرِيطَةُ الْمَطْلُوبِ
Use the five steps in order. They turn a crowded prompt into manageable decisions.
Useful task words
| Instruction | What it requires |
|---|---|
| اُذْكُرْ | State or mention the information clearly. |
| صِفْ | Give relevant details that help the reader picture or understand it. |
| اِشْرَحْ | Give a reason, cause or fuller explanation. |
| عَبِّرْ عَنْ رَأْيِكَ | Give your view and usually support it. |
| اِقْتَرِحْ | Offer a suitable idea or solution. |
Time-clue bank
| Clue | Likely time frame |
|---|---|
| أَمْسِ / فِي الأُسْبُوعِ الْمَاضِي | Past event |
| عَادَةً / كُلَّ يَوْمٍ | Present habit |
| الآنَ / فِي رَأْيِي | Present situation or opinion |
| غَدًا / فِي الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ | Future plan or prediction |
| فِي الْمَرَّةِ الْقَادِمَةِ | Future intention |
Do not confuse topic with task
“A school trip” is only the topic. The task may ask you to describe what happened, explain a problem, give an opinion and suggest a future improvement. Your plan must follow the instructions, not merely everything you know about trips.
05
Worked example
Decode before you write فَكِّكِ الْمَطْلُوبَ قَبْلَ الْكِتَابَةِ
This is an exam-style practice task. Read it as a set of decisions rather than a block of text.
Practice task · approximately 80–90 words
تَدْرِيبٌ عَلَى فَهْمِ الْمَطْلُوبِ
Exam-style practice prompt
ذَهَبْتَ فِي الأُسْبُوعِ الْمَاضِي إِلَى مَرْكَزٍ رِيَاضِيٍّ جَدِيدٍ. اُكْتُبْ رِسَالَةً إِلِكْتِرُونِيَّةً إِلَى صَدِيقِكَ:
- اُذْكُرْ مَتَى ذَهَبْتَ وَمَعَ مَنْ.
- صِفْ نَشَاطَيْنِ قُمْتَ بِهِمَا.
- اِشْرَحْ مَا أَعْجَبَكَ فِي الْمَرْكَزِ.
- اُذْكُرْ مَا سَتَفْعَلُهُ فِي الْمَرَّةِ الْقَادِمَةِ.
English support: You visited a new sports centre last week. Email a friend: say when you went and with whom; describe two activities; explain what you liked; say what you will do next time.
Choose an answer in every box, then check.
Model thought process
Format: friendly email. Purpose: report a visit and share a future intention. Coverage: four points. Time frames: mainly past, with a present opinion and a future final point. Register: natural and friendly, not a formal article.
| Required point | Time frame | Useful planning idea |
|---|---|---|
| When and with whom | Past | ذَهَبْتُ يَوْمَ السَّبْتِ مَعَ أَخِي الأَكْبَرِ. |
| Two activities | Past | سَبَحْنَا نِصْفَ سَاعَةٍ، ثُمَّ لَعِبْنَا كُرَةَ السَّلَّةِ. |
| What you liked | Present opinion + past experience | أَعْجَبَنِي الْمَكَانُ لِأَنَّهُ نَظِيفٌ وَالْمُدَرِّبُونَ مُتَعَاوِنُونَ. |
| Next time | Future | فِي الْمَرَّةِ الْقَادِمَةِ سَأُجَرِّبُ تَسَلُّقَ الْجِدَارِ. |
06
Misconception repair
Why good language can still lose marks لِمَاذَا لَا تَكْفِي اللُّغَةُ الْجَيِّدَةُ وَحْدَهَا؟
Open each repair panel. Notice that the solution is usually a planning decision, not a more complicated grammar rule.
1. The student forgets the final bullet
Problem The answer is fluent but contains no future plan.
Why it happens: the student began writing after reading the topic, without numbering the required points.
Repair Draw one box for every bullet and tick each box only after the content appears in the draft.
2. The opening uses too many words
صَدِيقِي الْعَزِيزُ، كَيْفَ حَالُكَ وَحَالُ أُسْرَتِكَ الْكَرِيمَةِ؟ أَرْجُو أَنْ تَكُونُوا جَمِيعًا بِخَيْرٍ وَصِحَّةٍ وَسَعَادَةٍ...
Problem A long memorised greeting consumes space but does not answer a required point.
Repair Use a brief suitable opening, then move directly to the purpose: أَكْتُبُ إِلَيْكَ لِأُخْبِرَكَ عَنْ زِيَارَتِي...
3. The student writes everything in the present tense
Problem The task describes a completed visit and asks about next time, but the response remains in one tense.
Repair Mark each bullet PAST, PRESENT or FUTURE before choosing verbs.
4. The student answers the topic instead of the instructions
Problem The student writes general facts about sport, health and exercise but says little about the visit.
Repair Every paragraph or sentence cluster should connect directly to one required point.
5. The plan is a full essay
Problem The student spends too long writing a draft in note form and has less time to produce and check the real answer.
Repair Use brief Arabic prompts, verbs, connectors and content ideas—not complete memorised paragraphs.
07
Guided application
Build your own task plan اِبْنِ خُطَّةَ إِجَابَتِكَ
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Fresh task · extended response
مَهَمَّةٌ جَدِيدَةٌ
Exam-style practice prompt
نَظَّمَتْ مَدْرَسَتُكَ يَوْمًا ثَقَافِيًّا. اُكْتُبْ مَقَالًا لِمَجَلَّةِ الْمَدْرَسَةِ:
- صِفْ أَهَمَّ الأَنْشِطَةِ الَّتِي حَدَثَتْ.
- اِشْرَحْ دَوْرَكَ فِي هَذَا الْيَوْمِ.
- عَبِّرْ عَنْ رَأْيِكَ فِي فَائِدَةِ الْيَوْمِ الثَّقَافِيِّ.
- اِقْتَرِحْ تَحْسِينًا لِلْعَامِ الْقَادِمِ.
English support: Write a school-magazine article about a cultural day: describe the main activities, explain your role, give your opinion on its value and suggest an improvement for next year.
Plan required point 11
Plan required point 22
Plan required point 33
Plan required point 44
Self-check your plan
- I have one clear idea for every required point.
- I marked the correct time frame for each point.
- My ideas fit the audience and purpose.
- I planned useful Arabic, not a full memorised essay.
- I left enough space to develop the most important points.
08
Mastery check
Can you protect task completion? هَلْ تَسْتَطِيعُ تَغْطِيَةَ الْمَطْلُوبِ كُلِّهِ؟
This final check tests the decisions, not your knowledge of one particular topic.
WM-01 mastery check
Your score will appear here.
09
Consolidate and continue
Your personal next step خُطْوَتُكَ التَّالِيَةُ
Final demonstration
Choose any writing task from a lesson or authorised practice paper. Give yourself five minutes to produce:
- format, audience and purpose
- one numbered box per required point
- a time-frame label for each box
- one Arabic idea and one useful phrase per point
Then write the response and tick each point when it appears.
Rate your readiness
Spaced revisit
Repeat the five-minute planning demonstration in one week using a different topic. Do not reread this lesson first. Your aim is to remember the five Task Map decisions independently.
Still missing points?
Repeat the numbered-box method with two short tasks before attempting a full extended response.
Ideas are too brief?
Your next resource is WM-02 · Develop Better Writing.
Planning is secure?
Use this method during normal pathway writing and move to checking and improvement in WM-03.
Printable reminder: Format → Audience → Purpose → Number every point → Mark time frames → Plan one relevant idea per point.