Dhivehi paper reference letter confuses students!

Students have expressed widespread confusion and complaints regarding a question in the SSC examination’s Dhivehi paper that required them to write a reference letter, a task that has appeared in the exam for the first time in approximately 10 years.

The O-Level and SSC examinations for students who began Grade 10 last April commenced on the 28th of last month, starting with the two Dhivehi language papers. After completing Dhivehi Paper 1 on Wednesday and Paper 2 last Saturday, students took to social media to voice their concerns about the letter-writing component.

Some students sharing their grievances on social media stated that the reference letter question was presented in a manner very different from how they were taught in the syllabus.

Consequently, many expressed anxiety over the marks they might receive due to this confusion. TikTok videos also emerged showing students discussing their inability to write the reference letter, with some claiming they were never taught this specific format and were uncertain if their answers were correct.

In the reactions circulating online, several students described the task as very difficult. They noted that they had never previously written a letter requesting a job by referring to a gazetted announcement.

"Maybe we will pass Dhivehi, but whether Layali (the character in the prompt) gets the job or not, what is it to us?" wrote one frustrated student on social media.

Others remarked that this letter became the primary "headache" of the entire Dhivehi exam.

A reference letter is distinguished by starting the main body with a specific reference to an announcement number.

In this year’s paper, the prompt asked students to write a letter from a person named Layali to Easa Shareef, the Principal of HDh. Kunburudhoo School, applying for a teaching position in Quran, Islam, or Dhivehi. The requirements included three years of teaching experience and a Diploma or Degree in the relevant field. The job responsibilities involved lesson planning, student instruction, attending relief classes, cooperating with activities, and participating in professional development programs.

Some students even raised questions about whether the Principal, Easa Shareef, was intended to be male or female.

A Dhivehi teacher speaking to Mihaaru News stated that the new syllabus does not include the instruction for writing such reference letters. Some teachers noted that the last time a reference letter appeared in an SSC exam was in 2007, while others recalled one in 2011, but none have been featured in any papers since.

"Students prepare for exams by doing past papers. In 2026, even teachers do not make them practice papers from that long ago," said a teacher with many years of experience.

Another teacher suggested that these issues arise because test papers are sometimes prepared by individuals not actively involved in practical teaching.

"While Cambridge papers are made by a university, SSC papers are made by the DPE. Often, the papers are not made by active teachers but by those far removed from the classroom," they said.

They added that the problem lies in preparing papers according to outdated formats without considering modern changes or the students' current learning context.

Last year, student complaints centered on a question including the phrase "<i>jaaminuvun</i>" in the Islam paper, a word many did not understand; this year, the reference letter has become the main cause of concern.