In order to get an advantage over the many rivals in an exam as sought-after and difficult as the Civil Services, one must employ a clever plan in addition to diligence and endurance. It’s crucial to convey your knowledge well when taking the UPSC exam or any other exam. Writing ability is therefore highly important. When it comes to studying and speaking, some kids excel, but when it comes to writing the same thing down with a pen on paper, they struggle. Such students are incapable of writing well. Students must consequently Improve Writing Skills for UPSC focus on honing their writing abilities if they hope to pass the UPSC exams on their first try.
The objective character of the UPSC prelims test makes it simple to pass using only your knowledge and learning. But in the UPSC Mains exam, this is not the case. Since it is subjective, students must create and expand their own responses rather than merely selecting the correct response.ย There are thousands of candidates who take this exam each year, and they all study from the same textbooks and syllabus.
Therefore, it is crucial to stand out from the crowd, and you can only do this by Improve Writing Skills for UPSC. Your responses must be organized neatly, precisely reflect the requirements of the topic, and be neat.
These are the Best Tips to Improve Writing Skills for UPSC
1. For better writing, read more
We learn more when we read. It is crucial that you keep reading in order to write the greatest and most pertinent replies. By doing this, you will also get a chance to see how exam responses are written. Additionally, this can help you build the terminology and vocabulary you’ll need to write well on competitive tests like the UPSC. Reading several articles and periodicals will help students write better essays and papers. It is crucial for candidates to focus on their UPSC exam preparation first, but if they have some free time, they should attempt to read reputable newspapers and periodicals to obtain a sense of the general writing style.
Read also: What are the facilities of an IAS Officer?
2. Get Your Writing Structure Ready
Structure, and outline are important. Without first recognizing the topics that need to be addressed, you can’t just start composing the replies. Professional instructors at KSG – An Institute for Preparing IAS have advised students to Improve Writing Skills for UPSC by writing in a certain format to enhance the presentation of their responses. The introduction, which acknowledges the issue raised by the query, is the structure that is the most generic. Then type the necessary points or paragraphs. Finally, state the result to round out the response. Writing in points is preferable to writing in a paragraph. Draw charts as well, if necessary. Consistent writing will assist the exam teacher (examiner) grasp the student’s writing well enough when reviewing the answer sheet, which will result in higher marks. Additionally, the learner will find it simpler to express and explain the solutions.
3. Don’t Extrapolate Too Much
Keeping this in mind, write an answer, not a book. When drafting the replies, avoid being overly abstract or generic. It is advised that you reserve sharing your personal viewpoints for when they are specifically requested. If you like, you can use pertinent metaphors, idioms, or phrases in your writing, just make sure not to overstate the case. Students may offer pertinent quotations or phrases, but they must avoid gross exaggeration of the entire situation. The essay should be written in such a way that it always makes sense in the context of the question. Since generalisations seldom work at all, students should utilise as many facts as they can when composing their responses. Be sure to structure your writing such that it makes sense in the context of the question; otherwise, it may appear that all you want to do is fill out the answer sheet. Doing these things might be helpful if the exam is a literature question examination, though.
4. Resist Using Scientific Terms Or Acronyms That Isn’t Necessary
Students should avoid using overly technical or clichรฉd language when composing their UPSC exam answers. A response script that reads like it’s being used by the student to demonstrate their knowledge would severely annoy the examiner. In any case, it is not advised. Additionally, it is not advisable for pupils to write lengthy responses. It is not appropriate for them to write in order to increase the word count. Rather than emphasising quantity over quality, students should instead. The idea that longer answers can earn you more points than shorter ones has persisted over time, but the truth is that it has nothing to do with how lengthy or how short your responses are. In order to provide a complete response to the question, all pertinent information must be covered.
5. Keep up with all of the current events in the nation
There is no simpler way for students to keep up with current events than to read the newspapers. Students should always keep themselves updated about the country’s current affairs. The most widely read local newspapers are available to students, and they can choose one or two of them to start reading every day to Improve Writing Skills for UPSC. In addition, students must discuss current events that are reported on by news outlets on the economy, trade, taxation, and other aspects of the nation. As more than half of the whole exam syllabus is focused on current events, current affairs knowledge has always been a crucial component of the student’s preparation for the UPSC exam.
6. Review often
It is advised that students set aside a specified period of time each day to focus solely on reviewing previously studied material. Understanding and remembering the full UPSC exam syllabus requires revision. Additionally, students should take thorough notes on each subject or topic so that revision may be done whenever they want, without any complications. Because students won’t have much time to complete the entire curriculum at once, this practice will be useful before the exam. The notes created for each subject or topic should be structured so that, during the revision phase, the entire topic may be easily understood by simply reading the notes.
7. Solve previous year’s exam questions
Once students have a thorough understanding of the entire syllabus and have completed their necessary revisions, they can move on to answering questions from previous years’ exams. Students must complete the papers from the past five years in order to gain an understanding of the general test format. Understanding the pattern of questions asked on the UPSC test is also essential because it will enable the student to concentrate more on the crucial subjects and provide them with more practice. In order to aid in the entire preparation process, students should mark the topics that generate the most questions and marks.
8. Practice writing answers
Without practice, students cannot even consider improving anything. In such a tough exam, practicing response writing can mean the difference between passing and failing. Because most applicants struggle to effectively manage their test time, this is one of the most important techniques for developing writing abilities for the UPSC that is available. It is typically advised for UPSC exam candidates to begin practicing answering questions after gaining a foundational understanding of the complete syllabus. Students should time manage their responses properly because the UPSC exam has a specific time limit for each subject in order to answer all the questions in the allotted period.
9. Read NCERT Books First
It is advised that students always build a solid foundation by reading NCERT books first because they cover the majority of the UPSC syllabus. NCERT books should be used to supplement the study of books from the sixth standard to the twelfth standard. Students should begin their graduation topic books as soon as they have finished the same.
10. Instead of messing around, comprehending concepts, and enhancing your grammar and tenses
It is not recommended for students to simply memorize or copy what they have learned from their books. Instead, when taking the UPSC exam, candidates should study the issue, comprehend it, and then explain the response in their own words. Because the supervisor will be aware that the applicant has a solid understanding of the subject or issue, this procedure will be far more helpful in helping the candidate earn high scores. This will also serve as a determining factor between an excellent student who has a thorough comprehension of the subject matter and a student who has only memorized the full course material.
Apply all of the aforementioned advice to Improve Writing Skills for UPSC and you’ll find that you improve as a writer. Simply having information is insufficient to pass the IAS exam. You must persuade the examiner who is correcting your answer book that you have the information and perspectives necessary to work at the highest level of government. This is made feasible by providing clear, concise responses that are enjoyable to read in addition to providing the necessary information.
