Learn Hardcore Turkish: Ayşe’nin bu yaz kursa yazılmasına gerek kalmadı. - Ayşe no longer needs to sign up for the course this summer.

Because the action is turned into a verbal noun with -mA plus a possessive ending, and the “subject” of that verbal noun must be in the genitive. Think of it as “Ayşe’s enrolling.” So: Ayşe’nin … yazılması = “Ayşe’s enrolling.”

Why is yazılmasına in the dative case?

With gerek var/yok/kalmak, the action is expressed as a verbal noun in the dative. Pattern:

(Doer)-nin V-mA-(Poss) + (Dative) + gerek var/yok/kalmak Examples:
Gelmene gerek yok. (There’s no need for you to come.)
Sınava girmelerine gerek kalmadı. (There was no need left for them to take the exam.) So here: Ayşe’nin … yazılmasına gerek kalmadı.

What does yazılmasına consist of morphologically?

yaz-: write → (in this context) register
-ıl-: passive/intransitive (“be written/registered” → “enroll”)
-ma-: verbal noun (“enrolling”)
-sı: 3rd person possessive (“her/his enrolling”)
-na: dative (“to/for [her enrolling]”)
Altogether: yaz-ıl-ma-sı-na.

Why passive yazılmak instead of yazmak?

In Turkish, “to enroll (oneself)” is expressed with the passive/intransitive yazılmak plus a destination: kursa yazılmak.

kursa yazılmak = to enroll in a course (oneself is the patient)
birini kursa yazmak = to enroll someone else in a course (active, transitive)

Why is it kursa (dative) after yazılmak?

Because yazılmak takes a dative complement indicating the target/institution: okula yazılmak, derse yazılmak, kursa yazılmak (“enroll in/for X”).

What nuance does gerek kalmadı add?

Literally “the need did not remain,” it implies there had been a need earlier, but it disappeared. It often suggests a change due to new circumstances (e.g., “We found a solution, so the need to enroll is gone.”)

How does this differ from gerek yoktu, gerekmiyordu, or gerekmedi?

gerek yoktu: There was no need (simple state in the past).
gerekmiyordu: It wasn’t necessary (ongoing/characteristic in the past).
gerekmedi: It didn’t turn out necessary (event result).
gerek kalmadı: The need existed but then ceased.
Your sentence chooses the last nuance (need disappeared).

Can I say “Ayşe bu yaz kursa yazılmasına gerek kalmadı”?

No. In this structure, the doer must appear in genitive tied to the verbal noun: Ayşe’nin … yazılmasına. A bare nominative Ayşe outside the verbal noun is ungrammatical here.

Can I drop Ayşe’nin?

Yes, but then it becomes impersonal/ambiguous: Bu yaz kursa yazılmasına gerek kalmadı. (“There was no need left for [someone] to enroll this summer.”) The 3rd-person possessive on yazılmasına would then refer to an understood person from context. You can also use a pronoun: Onun bu yaz…

Where can I place bu yaz and other elements?

Word order is flexible. Natural options include:

Ayşe’nin bu yaz kursa yazılmasına gerek kalmadı.
Bu yaz Ayşe’nin kursa yazılmasına gerek kalmadı.
Keeping time/place words near the verb inside the verbal-noun phrase usually feels smooth.

How would the person marking change (my/your/our…)?

Change the possessive on the verbal noun:

my enrolling: yazılmam → dative: yazılmama
your (sg) enrolling: yazılman → yazılmana
our enrolling: yazılmamız → yazılmamıza
Note: “my not enrolling” would be yazılmamam (double -mA), dative yazılmamama. Don’t confuse that with yazılmama (“to my enrolling”).

Can I use lazım instead of gerek here?

Yes, but the structure changes: with lazım, you typically do NOT use the dative on the verbal noun.

Ayşe’nin bu yaz kursa yazılması lazım değildi. (It wasn’t necessary.)
Compare: … yazılmasına gerek yoktu/kalmadı. (with dative after gerek)

Are there synonyms for kursa yazılmak?

Yes: kaydolmak or kayıt olmak. You can say:

Ayşe’nin bu yaz kursa kaydolmasına gerek kalmadı.
Ayşe’nin bu yaz kursa kayıt olmasına gerek kalmadı.

Does yaz mean two different things here?

Yes. bu yaz = “this summer.” In yazılmak, the root yaz- is the verb “write/register.” Same spelling, different words.

What tense/aspect is kalmadı, and can I change it?

It’s simple past. You can adapt it:

Present: gerek kalmıyor (there ends up being no need, habitually/now).
Future: gerek kalmayacak (there won’t be any need).
Perfective past: gerek kaldı (there ended up being a need).

Can I add artık to emphasize “no longer”?

Yes, it’s very natural:

Artık Ayşe’nin bu yaz kursa yazılmasına gerek kalmadı.
Ayşe’nin bu yaz kursa yazılmasına artık gerek kalmadı.
Both highlight the “anymore/no longer” sense.

Any spelling gotchas, like apostrophes?

Use an apostrophe only with proper names before suffixes. Ayşe’nin takes one because it’s a proper name. Common nouns don’t: kursa, not “kurs’a.”