The English Paper is one of the most significant papers for a student aiming for a good aggregate or BFS (Best Four Subjects), yet it receives the least importance. English might demand less time, but must be given appropriate attention, focus and dedication when preparing for the exam. Though the English paper isn’t usually a tricky one, certain points MUST be kept in mind so as to score high (a 95+ isn’t a hard nut to crack in English if the following points are kept in mind while preparing for and attempting the paper).
The following are a few general tips:
1. The Time Crunch
The English paper is a 100-mark language paper, which makes it way lengthier. This raises the chances of skipping few questions, and/or poorly and hurriedly attempting a few of them, which has to be avoided at any cost.
a) Divide the total time into the 3 sections of the paper, and the questions within beforehand appropriately, keeping 15 minutes for revision or just as a buffer.
b) My distribution was: 45 Minutes for the Reading Section; 1 hour 10-15 mins for Literature; 50-55 Minutes for Writing; 10-15 Minutes Revision (approximately). (This is only suggestive, and it can vary to a certain extent depending upon one’s relative speed in the different sections; yet more or less this is the ideal time allocation.)
c) Follow YOUR time allocation strictly if and when you practise attempting questions, say any writing skill, character sketch from the Long Reading Text (LRT) or Note-Making.
d) It is advisable to practise at least one complete sample paper (preferably one of the past year papers) within 2-3 days before the exam. (You can write one paper the day before the exam to test yourself)
SAMPLE PAPER and MARKING SCHEME:
http://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/SQP/CLASS_XII_2017_18_final/English_Core_SQP.pdf http://cbseacademic.nic.in/web_material/SQP/CLASS_XII_2017_18_final/English_Core_MS.pdf (This will give you a fair idea of the structure of the paper and what keywords or what answers are roughly expected from you)
e) One can attempt the different sections of the paper in any order. There is no standard sequence for this. Thus, one should decide the sequence on her/his convenience and relative speed in the three sections, but questions of a single section should be attempted together. (Few common strategies include- one may begin with literature so that all the stuff one remembers is let out initially itself and then one can focus on the part which demands imagination, creativity and brainstorming. I personally followed – A,C,B, keeping the writing section at the end since in case of a time crunch, the answers can be curtailed to a certain extent in the writing skills. (This is a personal opinion.)
2. Presentation
● Presentation is one of the most significant aspects of any paper, especially in English. ● Always start a long question (including all the writing skills too) from a fresh page. ● Do mention the section as well as the question number explicitly, especially when you aren’t attempting the paper in sequence. ● Do not use text language or abbreviations. ● Access the toppers’ answer sheets and answer keys here
http://cbse.nic.in/newsite/examination.html English Core: 2017 CBSE Topper Answer Sheet:
All the best! Stay tuned for more!
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