Formal and Official Writing · GPSC (Gujarat)

What the official syllabus says

Paper 1: Gujarati (Main Examination), Commission's list (in Gujarati):
3. ઔપચારિક ઉદબોધન તૈયાર કરવા. (આશરે ૧૫૦ શબ્દોમાં) (૨૦ ગુણ)
4. પ્રચાર માધ્યમો માટે નિવેદનો તૈયાર કરવા. (આશરે ૧૦૦ શબ્દોમાં) (૨૦ ગુણ)
5. પત્ર લેખન. (આશરે ૧૫૦ શબ્દોમાં) (૨૦ ગુણ)
6. ચર્ચાપત્ર. (આશરે ૧૫૦ શબ્દોમાં) (૨૦ ગુણ)
7. અહેવાલ લેખન. (આશરે ૧૫૦ શબ્દોમાં) (૨૦ ગુણ)
8. સંવાદ લેખન. (આશરે ૧૫૦ શબ્દોમાં) (૨૦ ગુણ)
11. બેઠકની કાર્યવાહી નોંધ (આશરે ૧૫૦ શબ્દોમાં) (૨૦ ગુણ)
12. અરજી લેખન (આશરે ૧૫૦ શબ્દોમાં) (૨૦ ગુણ)

These eight items carry 20 marks each, 160 marks in all: more than half of the paper. Each asks for a piece of practical writing of about 150 words (the media statement, about 100).

Topics in detail

Formal address (aupcharik udbodhan), about 150 words

Kinds of address: welcome speech, vote of thanks, speech at the inauguration of a programme, farewell, prize distribution, address on a national day or at a public awareness event.
Form: salutation to the chief guest, guests and audience in order of precedence; the occasion; the main message; closing words.
Tone: formal, courteous and suited to the occasion and the audience.

Statements for the media (nivedan), about 100 words

A press statement or press note by an office, department or organisation: an announcement, a clarification, an appeal or information about an event or a scheme.
Form: who is issuing it, the date and place, a clear first sentence with the main fact, then the details.
Facts first, short sentences, no opinion or ornament; answering who, what, when, where and why.

Letter writing (patra lekhan), about 150 words

Formal letters: to a government office or an official, a request, a complaint, an inquiry, an order or a reply.
Personal letters: to a family member or friend, on advice, congratulations, an invitation or an experience.
Form: sender's address and date, the addressee, the subject line (in a formal letter), salutation, body, closing and signature.

Letter for publication (charchapatra), about 150 words

A letter to the editor of a newspaper on a public issue, written for publication: civic problems, traffic, cleanliness, water supply, public health, a social practice.
Form: addressed to the editor, a heading for the issue, the problem stated with facts, its effect on the public, and a constructive suggestion.
Tone: reasoned and civil, not personal.

Report writing (ahewal lekhan), about 150 words

Reports of an event, a function, a meeting, a visit or inspection, an accident or a natural calamity, or a camp or campaign.
Form: a heading, place and date, who organised it and who attended, what happened in order, and the outcome.
Written in the past tense and in the third person, with facts and figures, without personal comment.

Dialogue writing (samvad lekhan), about 150 words

A conversation between two or more people on a situation given in the question: an officer and a citizen, a teacher and a student, a doctor and a patient, two friends on a current issue.
Each speaker's name before the words spoken; speech suited to each character; a natural opening and a clear ending.
The dialogue must carry the theme forward, not repeat greetings.

Minutes of a meeting (bethakni karyavahi nondh), about 150 words

The record of a meeting: name of the body, date, time and place, the chair, members present and absent.
Agenda items in order, with a brief record of the discussion and the decision or resolution on each.
Who will act on each decision and by when; the date of the next meeting; signature of the chair or secretary.
Written in the past tense, briefly and impersonally.

Application writing (arji lekhan), about 150 words

Applications to an authority: for a certificate, a licence, a permission, leave, a job, a correction in a record, or the redress of a grievance.
Form: to whom (designation and office), from whom, date, subject, respectful salutation, the request with reasons and details, list of documents attached, and closing.
Precise and polite; one request per application.

Overlaps

The administrative forms here (minutes, reports, applications, press notes) are the everyday writing of the posts filled through this examination. Careful Gujarati in them depends on the rules on the grammar page; the English paper's precis and essay test the same habit of clear, brief writing.