Students often neglect English, but it is imperative that they perform well in the exam, especially if they want to obtain a high aggregate.
Individual sections can be attempted in any order, but questions of a single section should be attempted together and in a sequential manner.
If you want to skip a question, leave space for it and come back to it later.
Neatness is extremely important as this is a subjective paper. The examiner’s mindset will influence correction as the basis of marking is not as rigid as other subjects and it becomes relative to the examiner.
Plan which order you want to attempt the sections in beforehand, depending on your relative speed in each section. If you feel you end up spending an excessive amount of time on a particular section, attempt it last, so that you don’t eat into time meant for other sections.
Time management:
Before the exam:
The structure of the English paper is almost the same each year. Decide beforehand how much time you want to spend on each question on the basis of the marks it carries and practice accordingly. For example, you may decide to spend 20 minutes on each 10-mark writing task.
Reading time:
Skim through the question paper (but read the comprehension passage carefully).
If required, change your pre-planned order of attempting based on the paper.
Leave the last 15 minutes for editing the paper.
If time permits, draw lines with a pencil at the end of each answer.
Writing and grammar:
Formats carry marks, so don’t forget to revise them.
Make boxes for notices, posters and classifieds.
Do not break a notice, poster, classifieds, etc. across two pages.
Stick to the word limit for notices and classifieds.
Paragraphing is mandatory, especially in speeches, articles and reports. Change paragraphs whenever you change the subtopic.
Keep a skeleton prepared for all letter formats, such as letter of complaint, placement of order and job application. You will only need to change these a little according to question.
Remember to write the enclosure lines in formal letters.
Long write-ups (speeches, articles and reports): Spend two minutes in making a rough draft with a pencil in the margin or on the last page, so that you have a structure in mind and do not have to pause while writing.
Do not use text language or abbreviations.
Error correction:
Read the given text as a whole once before you begin correcting it, so that you understand its gist and flow, making it easier to spot errors.
Questionnaires:
Questions should preferably begin with what, why or how. Do not write yes/no questions.
Literature
Remember the names of the chapters and the authors.
Use complete sentences even while answering short questions, such as the name of the poet.
Revise all figures of speech.
When asked to identify the figures of speech used in a particular extract, select a figure of speech and quote the line/ phrase in which it is used. Then explain how the line you have chosen has the figure of speech you claim it does. Simply stating the figure of speech used is not sufficient. If required by the question, go on to explain why it has been used.
In the exam, you will not have the time to frame new answers. For questions such as the significance of the title, character sketch, chapter summaries and the meaning the author is trying to convey, read, analyse and form your opinions regarding the texts beforehand, so that you only have to pen down the answers.
Substantiate your answers, especially character analyses, with examples from the text.
Novels:
Answer in paragraphs.
Substantiate your answers with examples from the text. (They needn’t be written word for word but relevant instances should be mentioned).
Begin with a short, general description of the novel and then contextualise as required by the question.
Keep character sketches prepared beforehand.
Hope this helps! Good luck!
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