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6 tips to write the perfect answer in CBSE Board exams

With this approach of writing smart answers, you will be just a step away from scoring your dream marks in the exams! 

Aysha Anam

New Delhi, February 22, 2017 | UPDATED 18:03 IST

 

The CBSE board examinations are currently shaking up every nook and corner of the country. Every influential personality, from a political figure to an entertainment personality, is giving their advice to students appearing for the boards exams. Barring the heap of tips and tricks over their shoulders, students can add another feather in their hat of ideas to make a mark for themselves in the boards.

How do students learn?

Some students read the whole text first and then write the answers. Mugging up answers is a cake walk for a huge number of learners, while reading a chapter alone would be suffice for many other aspirants. Often, students turn hysterical and collect a huge chuck of information on every particular topic in their syllabus. Reading and learning is a simple way of completing the syllabus in time.
Everybody has their own style of learning, but none of the above is sufficient to score well. If a student is not able to perform well in the exam hall, all the effort towards preparation will go in vain. Every student wants to clear the exam with flying colours and make their family proud about the same.

Here are 6 tips that will show you clearly how to write CBSE answers to get the best marks:

1.

Students generally get panic and try to pour out whatever they know to make the answer look lengthy. This indeed puts an average impression on the examiner; therefore, it is advisable to keep the gate-keeping theory in mind. In short, you need to write the answer strategically-- frame long and short sentences with the required information, meticulously choose the right words, and structure your answer in a compact and concise manner.
Students should completely turn a deaf ear to those who advise them to write all that they know about a topic in an answer. Your answer should be concise and to-the-point as per the question asked, when it comes to CBSE papers.
If you aim for the moon, you have to run a mile extra.

For writing an innovative and smart answer, show your skills perfectly by knowing the tips and tricks, here:

• Start you answer with a generic line about the subject

• Add some meat to your answer with figures, examples, theories and quotes

• Keep the flow of the information coherent

• Make sure the concluding line clearly shows that you have answered what the question exactly asked for

2.

Nowadays, the medium of instruction in most of the CBSE schools is English, and so, students must know how to write in a simple and clear language. It is indeed the root cause why a number of students flunk in complicated subjects carrying advanced vocabulary such as history, science, geography.
Before reading the article further, ask yourself this simple question:
Q. Why is retaining an entertainment news article way easier than learning a history topic?
The answer lies mostly in the writing style used in textbooks. Most use a very academic style of writing with little colour in the language to draw in students and grab their interest. On the other hand, novels or magazine or certain newspapers and most websites use the easiest, least complicated language possible in order to connect with their audience and make sure that they can retain in their memory whatever they read.
Accordingly, whatever you write in your answer sheet should be simple and easy to follow. It shouldn't consist of paragraphs that you mugged up from your NCERT text, but rather, you should try to explain the concepts in your own words.

What is academic English?

According to bbc.com, "Academic English still needs to be clear and easy to follow but it does tend to use more complicated vocabulary and less personal grammar forms."

A quick comparison between academic and general English

Example:
Academic English: The scientific consensus holds that humankind bears a significant responsibility for the extent of climate change.
General English: Most scientists say that a lot of climate change is mostly our fault.
Although the concept of Academic English is quite colossal, here is a quick-fix for the students.

3.

  Do not use contractions such as wouldn't, couldn't, should've in your answer sheets. Use the full forms like would not, could not or should have.
Incorrect: The results won't be released until they've been verified.
Correct: The results will not be released until they have been verified.

4.

  When writing long answers in the form of experiments or the step-by-step procedures in your science practicals, always avoid using the active voice.Use the passive voice as it sounds more academic and it removes you as a student out of the context of your answer which is based on facts.
Incorrect: I completed the experiment as I was told to.
Correct: The experiment was completed as instructed.
Incorrect: As you can see, the experiment was successful.
Correct: As can be seen, the experiment was successful.

5.

  Given that the answer should be framed concisely, avoid using a barrage of words just to stretch the answer. Many multi-word verbs have a single word alternative. In academic contexts it is generally advised to use the more formal single word instead of the multi-word verb.
Incorrect:It was difficult to get hold of the raw material.
Correct:It was difficult to obtain the raw material.

6.

  Students must understand the difference between spoken and written English, as they tend to write what they use in their day-to-day life in the examination. For instance, a number of students make glaring spelling errors in small words like, 'shud' instead of should, or use the word 'like' excessively in wrong contexts.
Incorrect: There was like loads of awesome stuff made before the factory closed.
Correct:  Before its closure the factory manufactured a large variety of popular goods.

Source: http://indiatoday.intoday.in/education/story/cbse-board-exams-tips/1/888678.html