Cambridge O Level Second Language Urdu: Paper 2 Grammar, Writing and Translation (3248)

This guide covers Paper 2 Grammar, Writing and Translation, the second of two papers in Cambridge O Level Second Language Urdu (3248), 2027–2029 series. Marlbridge’s existing O-Level Urdu resources cover Paper 1 (Reading and Writing, a title sibling syllabus 3247 First Language Urdu also uses, for a paper with a different duration and structure) and 3247’s own Paper 2 (Texts); this guide is the first Marlbridge resource dedicated specifically to 3248’s own distinct second paper, which has no equivalent in 3247.

Where this fits in Cambridge O-Level Urdu

Cambridge offers two separate, currently examined O Level Urdu syllabuses: 3247 First Language Urdu, whose Paper 2 (Texts) tests literary set texts, and 3248 Second Language Urdu, whose Paper 2 (Grammar, Writing and Translation) instead tests applied language skills — grammar in context, extended writing and translation from English into Urdu. Candidates take one syllabus or the other, never both, in the same series, so this guide is specifically for 3248 candidates; 3247 candidates should use Marlbridge’s Paper 2 Texts guide instead.

Syllabus coverage

CAMBRIDGE O LEVEL SECOND LANGUAGE URDU 3248 — PAPER 2: GRAMMAR, WRITING AND TRANSLATION

• Written paper, 1 hour 30 minutes, 50 marks, weighted 50% of the qualification (alongside Paper 1 Reading and Writing, also 50%)
• Candidates attempt all four exercises — there is no choice
• For Exercises 1–3, questions and responses are in Urdu; for Exercise 4, the question is in English and the response in Urdu
• Exercise 1 — Sentence transformation (5 marks): candidates read five short sentences and transform each using a given prompt, without changing the original meaning
• Exercise 2 — Multiple-choice cloze passage (10 marks): candidates read a short text with gaps, filling each from multiple-choice options, testing grammatical usage in context — verb conjugation, subject/verb agreement, comparatives, superlatives, parts of speech, nouns, prepositions, postpositions, articles and context-appropriate vocabulary
• Exercise 3 — Extended writing (20 marks): a piece of continuous prose of approximately 200 words, from a stimulus of short prompts, with a specified purpose, format and audience
• Exercise 4 — Translation (15 marks): translating a short passage of approximately 150 words from English into Urdu

Exercise 1: Sentence transformation

This exercise is worth the fewest marks (5) but tests a precise skill: rewriting a sentence according to a given prompt (for example, changing tense, voice, or sentence type) while preserving its original meaning exactly. Because only five sentences are set, each is worth a full mark, so accuracy on grammatical structures — verb endings, correct postposition use, word order — matters more here than on longer exercises where partial credit is easier to earn.

Exercise 2: Multiple-choice cloze passage

The cloze passage tests grammatical usage in context rather than grammar as an abstract rule set. The syllabus names the specific grammar points candidates should expect: conjugation of verbs, subject/verb agreement, comparatives, superlatives, parts of speech, nouns, prepositions, postpositions, articles, and vocabulary appropriate to the passage’s context. Because every gap is multiple-choice, this exercise rewards recognising which option fits grammatically and makes sense in context — an option can be grammatically valid in isolation but wrong for the specific passage, so read a full sentence around each gap before choosing.

Exercise 3: Extended writing

Candidates write approximately 200 words of continuous prose from a set of short stimulus prompts, with the purpose, format and audience specified on the question paper — for example, a letter, a diary entry, or a description written for a particular reader. At 20 marks, this is the single highest-value exercise on the paper, so revision time should weight extended writing practice accordingly: prepare vocabulary and structures across the common purposes (narrative, descriptive, persuasive, informational) rather than only one, since the specific purpose set varies by series.

Exercise 4: Translation

Candidates translate an English passage of approximately 150 words into Urdu. Unlike Exercises 1–3, this exercise’s question is presented in English, which is a deliberate design choice testing candidates’ ability to move between the two languages rather than only comprehend or produce Urdu in isolation. At 15 marks for a relatively short passage, precision matters: a literal, word-for-word translation that produces unnatural Urdu is marked down compared with an accurate translation that also reads naturally in the target language.

Common mistakes

• Changing the meaning of a sentence while transforming its structure in Exercise 1 — the instruction is always to preserve meaning, not just alter form.
• Choosing a cloze option that is grammatically possible but contextually wrong in Exercise 2 — always read beyond the gap itself.
• Ignoring the specified purpose, format or audience in Exercise 3’s extended writing, which caps marks regardless of language accuracy.
• Translating word-for-word in Exercise 4 rather than producing natural Urdu that preserves the original meaning.

How to approach it

Because Exercises 3 and 4 together carry 35 of the paper’s 50 marks, prioritise timed practice on extended writing and translation once the grammar points in Exercises 1–2 are secure. For grammar specifically, build a personal checklist from the syllabus’s own named points (verb conjugation, subject/verb agreement, comparatives and superlatives, parts of speech, prepositions and postpositions, articles) and test yourself against each one individually, since cloze passages are designed to probe exactly this list.

Related resources

• Cambridge O-Level Urdu: First and Second Language (3247/3248)
• Cambridge O-Level First Language Urdu: Paper 2 Texts (3247)

Official syllabus

Cambridge Assessment International Education, Cambridge O Level Second Language Urdu 3248 syllabus for 2027, 2028 and 2029: https://www.cambridgeinternational.org/Images/721465-2027-2029-syllabus.pdf (verified 2026-09-16; its Paper 2 description is the same as in the 2024-2026 syllabus it replaces).