Role of English in Mains Paper

English language has now been a way of communicating with people all around the world. The objective of the paper is to test a candidate’s ability to read and understand serious descriptive prose and to express his ideas clearly and correctly. The intent of an essay is not to test a candidate’s in-depth knowledge regarding the topic chosen rather the objective is to test whether a candidate can express his thoughts, emotions and opinions in English at a basic level.

Selected UPSC candidates are to become the representatives of their state. Therefore, the administration demands a professional that can manage daily operations about administration in the native and second language, i.e., English. Examinees can score higher if they have good English communication skills. Moreover, the comprehension skills become handy while writing content on advanced topics. Other benefits of English communication include answering English questions from non-native speakers, enhances vocabulary, builds a better impression.

Tips to Overcome: (Topic Wise)

You should read the following section to know the tips to answer the comprehension questions properly. The comprehension section carried 75 marks.

• You should read the question before reading the passage.
• While reading the passage, underline the keywords that were mentioned in the question.
• Read English newspapers daily to improve the vocabulary. Having good vocabulary would help candidates to read and understand the context of the passage in less consumption of time.

Precise writing is summarizing a given comprehension in limited words by covering all the key points mentioned in the passage. You can follow the steps mentioned below to avoid mistakes while writing a passage precisely.

• You should read the comprehension carefully.
• Essential points mentioned in the passage should be noted down.
• You should make a rough draft with the important points which were noted down before.
• You should use simple language while writing the comprehension precisely.
• After including all the points in the rough draft, the final draft should be written.
• You should read the comprehension carefully.

You should improve their vocabulary to attend this section easily. Candidates could practice the previous year question paper and enhance their vocabulary skills.

The short essay which comes in the English language paper will be general and completely different from the essays which would be asked in other UPSC IAS Mains Examinations.

• You should choose their topics carefully.
• Write a rough structure of the essay which should consist of an introduction, body, and conclusion.
• You should use active voice while writing an essay and passive voice should not be preferred.
• You should use different choices of words and usage of repetitive words should be avoided.
• The essay should be more in the number of lines when compared to the essay written in schools and colleges.
• You should use relevant quotes in the appropriate places.

You should give more importance to the English language paper. Though the minimum mark required to qualify in the English Language paper is 75 out of 300, you need to put more effort into this paper.

You cannot not proceed further to write other papers if they fail to qualify for the UPSE IAS Mains 2021 English Language Paper.

The qualifying paper on the English Language in Civil Services Mains Exam will be of Matriculation or equivalent standard. The marks obtained in this paper will not be counted for ranking. The aim of the paper is to test the candidates’ ability to read and understand serious discursive prose and to express his ideas clearly and correctly, in the English Language. The minimum marks needed is 25%. Out of 300 which is 75. So, you should not take this lightly or neglect it. You should practice with all your hard work and dedication.

Best of luck!!!

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