It is noteworthy that Arabic holds the position of being the fifth most widely spoken language across the globe. With over 200 million native speakers across the globe, it’s a genuinely fascinating language with a rich culture and famous literary icons. It is one of the many reasons the STPM Bahasa Arab paper, also known as the Arabic language, was initially introduced in 2000.
However, it underwent a revision in 2012 when the educational board realised it was essential to test students’ understanding and thinking skills instead of merely assessing their grasp on the basics and memorisation abilities. As a result, the Arabic paper now requires students to write and communicate more effectively, have good critical thinking skills, and analyse and solve problems efficiently. There are many benefits to pursuing STPM Bahasa Arab in 2024, as it serves as a gateway to great opportunities.
Students must clearly understand the marking scheme to excel in the Arabic language STPM paper. This will help them understand the exam requirements and the expectations for attempting the examination papers.
Are You Familiar with the STPM Arabic Language Format?
The syllabus is the most important thing when learning and sitting for an examination. Without understanding and knowing the syllabus and format, it is nearly impossible for students to pass and score in their STPM Arabic language examination.
There are three terms or semesters for the Arabic language STPM examination. Over these three semesters, students will learn various topics to improve their writing, understanding, grammar, vocabulary, oral and speaking skills. Below is the brief syllabus for the Arabic language:
Term 1
Students will be taught ten different themes. The themes in this semester are environment, homeland, society, customs and traditions, religion, communication, language and culture, youth and adolescence, responsibility, and the last theme is the Islamic world.
Term 2
In this term, students will be taught five themes: sports, education, prominent personalities, media and morals.
Term 3
In the third term, students will be taught science and technology, agriculture, tourism, politics, economics, and management.
What Are the Requirements for Each Term?
Let us examine the requirements for each term and the corresponding examinations students must take.
Term 1
The students will have an exam with the code 913/1 during the first term. This exam consists of two parts, Part A and Part B. Part A has five essay questions. One essay question testing comprehension skills is mandatory. To test their writing skills, students will be given four questions, and they are only required to choose one.
On the other hand, Part B consists of four compulsory essay questions that the student must attempt. All these questions will relate to the ten themes mentioned in the syllabus and format section.
Term 2
The assessment in the second term consists of one exam paper, which has the code 913/2. This exam paper has three parts to it. The first is Part A, which consists of five essay questions. One essay question testing comprehension skills is mandatory. To test their writing skills, students will be given four questions, and they are only required to choose one.
Part B has three mandatory essay questions, while Part C has one. These questions will pertain to the five themes outlined in the syllabus and format section.
Term 3
The final term of the STPM Arabic language assessment comprises three distinct papers. The third paper, with code 913/3, is divided into three parts. Part A comprises a single essay question, Part B includes two essay questions, and Part C contains two essay questions.
On the other hand, the fourth paper with the code 913/4 is an oral examination conducted verbally and not in writing.
Finally, the assessment for paper 5 with the code 913/5 will be based on coursework given to students in either term one or two. The coursework will consist of questions about the ten themes outlined in the syllabus and format section.
How Are Your STPM Arab Papers Graded?
Let us now look at how the STPM Arabic language paper is graded. This will give you a better picture of how to strategise to pass and ace your Arabic language examination.
There are a total of 5 papers that the STPM Arabic language students have to sit for.
Paper 913/1 - Arabic Language Paper 1
This is the first written assessment for students in their initial semester. The 913/1 paper is divided into two parts and is worth 70 marks, which accounts for 28% of the overall grade.
Part A
- Section 1 - Aim to test students on their language and understanding skills. In this section, students will be given one essay question they must attempt. This carries 20 marks.
- Section 2 - Aim to test students on their writing skills. Students have to pick one out of the four essay questions given. This carries ten marks.
Part B
- Functional grammar, which is the Saraf and Nahu. Students will be given two essay questions on Saraf (verb conjugation) and two essay questions on Nahu (how and why words are written). Both Saraf and Nahu carry 20 marks each.
This paper is a centralised assessed paper. Students are given 2 hours to attempt all the questions in Part A and Part B.
Paper 913/2 - Arabic Language Paper 2
This paper will be assessed in term two and carries a total of 70 marks, which accounts for 28% of the student’s overall grade.
Part A
- Understanding and language skills- Carries ten marks. Students will be given one essay question they must attempt in this part.
- Writing skills- Carries another ten marks where students must attempt one essay question out of the four they are given.
Part B
- Functional grammar. For Saraf, students will be given one essay question with ten marks. Nahu, on the other hand, carries a total of 20 marks, whereby students have to answer two essay questions that are given.
Part C
- Eloquence. This part carries 20 marks and has one compulsory essay question the students have to attempt.
This question paper is also a centralised assessed paper where students are given 2 hours to attempt the questions in all three parts.
Paper 913/3 - Arabic Language Paper 3
This paper will be a written assessment done in term three, and it carries 50 marks, which is 20% of the students’ overall marks.
Part A
- Understanding and language skills. Students will be given one essay question where they will have to summarise a short text. This carries ten marks.
Part B
- Functional grammar assessment on Saraf and Nahu. Students will be given two compulsory essay questions, which have 20 marks.
Part C
Literary texts. Students will be given two compulsory essay questions with 20 marks for this paper.
This exam paper will also be centrally assessed. Unlike the two previous papers, students will have only one and a half hours to attempt all the questions in this paper.
Paper 913/4 - Arabic Language Paper 4
The 4th examination will also be assessed in term 3. This paper is also known as the ULBA paper, which stands for “Ujian Lisan Bahasa Arab”. This assessment will test students’ ability to read, use proper grammar and vocabulary and converse. This paper carries 30 marks, which make up 12% of the total grade percentage. The assessment is only 15 minutes and is a centralised assessment as well.
Paper 913/5 - Arabic Language Paper 5
This paper is an essay coursework that is assessed in term 3. The topic of this coursework will be released at the beginning of term three and will be based on topics from either term one or term two. This assessment carries 30 marks and is 12% of the total score for the Arabic language subject. The elected school teacher will assess this paper.
What Do Your STPM Bahasa Arab Scores Mean?
The STPM’s grading system has a score from A to F, where A is the highest and F is the lowest.
The schedule above summarises the grades in STPM. The subject grade value will help the student plan and target the scores they want on their papers.
For example, if a student aims to obtain a B grade, they can know what marks they will need to obtain by taking the subject grade value divided by the full grade value times a hundred per cent:
3 / 4 *100% = 75 marks.
This would mean that to get 75 marks on your STPM Arabic language paper, you will need to get a minimum of 75 marks for each of the five examinations. For further details, refer to the Examination Rules and Schemes on the MPM website.
To ensure that you get a good score in your STPM Arabic language examination, it’s important to work smart. One effective way to do this is by hiring a private tutor from Superprof.
Superprof is an online platform that connects students with verified, experienced, qualified, and knowledgeable tutors in their respective fields. With many tutors available, Superprof can help you achieve your best in the STPM Arabic language examination.
A personal tutor will be able to explain things clearly and identify and assist you with your weak points to prepare you better. This is something valuable, especially since, more often than not, in school, teachers do not have the time or the resources to give detailed attention to every student. This is where a private tutor comes in. Superprof offers STPM students the flexibility to choose the method of classes they want and to pick the schedule and mode of lesson delivery, making it easier to fit studies into their plans.
With the tutors on Superprof, as mentioned earlier, you get personalised attention from your tutor. This also includes a personalised lesson with tips to help you ace STPM Bahasa Arab. The tutors will tailor their classes to meet your needs instead of having a brief lesson plan. Rest assured, it will be tailored to you specifically and individually.
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