Cambridge O Level Urdu (First Language) (3247): syllabus, papers and marking
June series only, and cannot be combined with 3248. Half the marks are literature essays on the set ghazals, nazms and prose, so the marking rubric is text-specific and still being built.
Syllabus for examination in 2025 and 2026 (2027 separate; same set texts) · June series · grades A*–E
Urdu (First Language) 3247: where the marks go
O Level First Language Urdu 3247 is a June-only qualification of two papers, each 50 marks. Paper 1 (1 hour 30 minutes) splits into a 25-mark reading section, with comprehension on a non-literary passage of about 400 words, and a 25-mark writing section, where the student writes one composition. Paper 2 (2 hours) has three parts: an unseen poetry or prose passage (20 marks), an essay on the set poetry (15) and an essay on the set prose (15).
The reading section has a points scheme; everything else is judged in levels. Compositions are marked on content (10), structure (5) and language (10), and the text essays are marked on how well the student responds to the writer’s methods and effects. We set original passages and tasks and mark each criterion on its own, so a student knows whether the lost marks were in ideas, structure or language. Marking for the set texts is still being built.
Paper structure and what we mark
| Paper | Time | Marks | Weight | Questions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper 1 — Reading and Writing | 1 h 30 min | 50 | 50% | Comprehension on a 400-word passage (25 marks) and one 300–400 word composition from a choice of titles (25 marks) |
| Paper 2 — Texts | 2 h | 50 | 50% | Unseen poetry or prose passage (20 marks), one essay on the set poetry (15) and one on the set prose (15) |
Syllabus outline
- Comprehension of non-literary passages
- Composition: argumentative, discursive, descriptive and narrative
- Unseen poetry or prose
- Set poetry: ghazals and nazms by the poets named in the syllabus
- Set prose: essays, short stories, letters and humour by the writers named in the syllabus
How each paper is marked here
- Comprehension answers are marked against the points in the text that the question depends on.
- Compositions are marked on three criteria separately, content, structure and language, each against its level descriptors.
- Paper 2 essays are marked against the level descriptors for personal response and for the writer’s methods, with reference to the set text and not to a general impression.
Where Urdu (First Language) 3247 candidates lose marks
- Composition ideas that are thin or off the title — The content mark is awarded in five levels from a weak attempt to a very detailed response. A composition that wanders from the set title, or states opinions without examples, tops out in the middle levels.
- No visible structure — Five of the 25 composition marks are for structure: a clear introduction, linked paragraphs and a conclusion that follows. Students who write one long block lose most of them.
- Simple, repetitive sentences — The language mark rises with range and control of sentence structures. Repeating the same pattern, even without errors, keeps a student in the lower levels.
- Text essays that narrate and do not analyse — The poetry and prose essays reward a personal response to the way the writer achieves effects. Summarising a ghazal or story, without discussing imagery, tone or technique, stays in the lower levels.
- Comprehension answers copied in chunks — Reading marks go to the information that answers the question. Copying a whole sentence that happens to contain it shows weak selection.
Sample papers, mark schemes and marked reports for 3247
See a real handwritten script marked by eight examiners at admitportfolio.com/examiners.
Questions teachers ask
- Can a student combine 3247 with Second Language Urdu?
- No. Cambridge does not allow the two in the same series, so a school chooses one.
- Is it offered in November?
- No. The 2027 syllabus lists the June series only.
- Are the set texts the same each year?
- The syllabus names the poets and prose writers for the years it covers, and a school should check the list for the year being sat.
- Is this official Cambridge marking?
- No. Cambridge International Education marks the real exam. This is examiner-style marking of mocks and homework for 3247. Only you see the marking, and you decide what reaches the student.
- Do you reproduce past-paper questions?
- No. Every 3247 paper here is original and written to the syllabus for examination in 2025 and 2026 (2027 separate; same set texts), in the same structure as the real papers shown above.
- Which papers are marked?
- None yet are marked question by question. Practical exams sat at the centre are not marked here.
- How is the next paper chosen?
- From the marks a student lost: the concepts behind them are ranked by marks dropped, and the new paper weights those topics. It is the same syllabus and structure, with new questions.
- When are the exams?
- June series. Grades A*–E.
Other Cambridge O Level courses
- Cambridge O Level Physics (5054)
- Cambridge O Level Chemistry (5070)
- Cambridge O Level Biology (5090)
- Cambridge O Level Mathematics D (4024)
- Cambridge O Level Additional Mathematics (4037)
- Cambridge O Level Pakistan Studies (2059)
- Cambridge O Level English Language (1123)
- Cambridge O Level Economics (2281)
- Cambridge O Level Business Studies (7115)
- Cambridge O Level Accounting (7707)
- Cambridge O Level Computer Science (2210)
- Cambridge O Level Environmental Management (5014)
- Cambridge O Level Sociology (2251)
- Cambridge O Level Geography (2217)
- Cambridge O Level Statistics (4040)
- Cambridge O Level Islamiyat (2058)
- Cambridge O Level Urdu as a Second Language (3248)
- Cambridge O Level Literature in English (2010)
- Cambridge O Level Commerce (7100)
- Cambridge O Level Combined Science (5129)
- Cambridge O Level History (2147)
- Cambridge O Level Business (7081)
- Cambridge O Level Food & Nutrition (6065)
Start marking Urdu (First Language) scripts · See a real marked script