As you are well aware the UPSC mains exam consists of nine descriptive papers. Here also, you must score the minimum required marks to get the interview call from the board. Thousands of people take the mains written exam and mostly all study similar material.
So, how do you distinguish your best answers from the rest?
You need to write in a style that is good, neat, systematic, error-free, aesthetic, and one that shows your clean grasp of facts. This blog will give you insights on how to improve your answer writing skills for the UPSC mains exam and more tips on answer writing skills for the IAS exam.
Understand the question in depth:
- Before writing down your answers, take a moment to make sure you understand the question.
- Use the terms and words that best express the question.
- Examine the question to see if it asks for your opinion, analysis, comparison, evaluation, or any mix.
- Adjust your reaction appropriately.
Organize Your Response: A clear esponse improves readability and showcases your ability to stay organised. Start with a brief introduction outlining your position or strategy for answering the topic. The main body, organized into paragraphs and presented as a compelling argument or thesis, comes next. Provide a meaningful closure and a summary of your main points before closing.
Be Brief but Comprehensive:
- Try to respond thoroughly using the few words available, avoiding excessive detail that is of no use in the answer..
- Don’t waste words; instead, concentrate on providing important material.Choose your words wisely.
- Make sure that each statement is clear and concise.Don’t just try to fill the whole sheet.
Provide Facts and Examples to Back Up Your Statements: Straightforward claims could be more reliable without evidence. Use pertinent examples, case studies, statistical information, or historical details to support your points of contention. This supports your arguments and demonstrates your breadth of knowledge and capacity to translate abstract concepts into practical situations.
Make your writing error-free as much as possible: Always make sure that your answers are free from grammatical and spelling errors.Inculcate all the above-mentioned tips in your writing practise daily and you will see yourself becoming more adept at this art. Mere knowledge is not enough to pass the IAS exam. You need to convince the examiner correcting your answer booklet that you have good knowledge and ideas to become a first-class civil servant. This is possible by writing simple yet effective answers that not only give the required information but also are a pleasure to read as well.
Practice Frequently: Answer writing improves with practice, like any other ability. Allocate a specific time slot for composing practice answers on various subjects and topics. Examine your advantages and disadvantages, and improve the areas that want development. Seek input from peers or mentors to learn about areas that need improvement.
Time management: In competitive exams, time is of the essence. During the exam, learn how to manage your time efficiently. Give each question a certain amount of time according to its importance and difficulty. To ensure you finish answering all the questions in the allocated time, stick to the time limit.
Seek Mentorship and Guidance: Ask successful candidates, faculty members, or mentors with expertise for advice. Their tips and techniques can be quite helpful in improving your response writing and figuring out the intricacies of the test.
Bringing It to an End:
In summary, developing your answer writing skills for the mains is a long process that calls for commitment, repetition, and a systematic approach. Following the previously described strategies to improve your answer writing will help you become much more proficient and self-assured when answering questions on the main examination. Recall that producing excellent answers is a method to successfully convey your information, perspectives, and thoughts to the examiner rather than an aim in and of itself.