Bhavna Singh

With the CISCE and CBSE class X and XII board exams set to begin on February 21, children (and parents) are burning the proverbial midnight oil swotting for the all-important boards. But it’s not just pre-exam jitters that stress out children. In exam season all children experience anxiety and nervousness. More specifically in the exam hall while answering the question paper, pressure and performance anxiety can overwhelm children resulting in blank-outs prompting them to skip important questions. Here are some exam paper writing strategies to enable senior students to give their best.

Use the opening time well Use the first few minutes to read through the entire question paper and make a quick mental plan to complete the paper on time. The CBSE board provides an additional 15 minutes for students writing the class X and XII exams for reading through the question paper. Use this time judiciously to read the whole paper.

Set your priorities Select questions which you are confident about answering well. There’s no mandate by exam boards to write answers in the same order as in the question paper. By writing your best answers first, you will impress the examiner. It will also give you confidence while answering the remaining questions.

Write brief, to-the-point answers Read and dissect the questions carefully, and limit your answer to the requirement of the question. Avoid repetition and providing unnecessary information. Write your answers left justified.

Choose questions wisely Usually, some questions in an exam paper are provided with internal choice. The student has the freedom to select preferred questions. Think and select the questions that will get you the best marks.

Attempt all questions The CBSE/CISCE/state boards don’t do negative marking for wrong answers. So don’t be afraid to answer all the questions, even those you are confused about as you have nothing to lose. If you don’t know the exact answer, write something relevant/related to it so you get some marks for that answer.

Don’t decorate the answer sheet Many students have a habit of writing their answer sheet in a colourful manner by using blue, green and black coloured pointers or markers for headings and underlining each one of them. This is not necessary and can distract the examiner.

Space out each word properly Ensure your words are properly spaced out in the answer paper. Don’t squeeze in ten or more words in a line. Examiners find it difficult to read overlapped words. This may get you low marks. Your exam paper should be neat and clean. Write clearly and legibly so that there is no difficulty in reading and understanding answers. Good handwriting goes a long way in creating a favourable impression on examiners. 

(Bhavna Singh is a Ghaziabad-based IELTS (International English Language Testing System) trainer, emcee and media anchor)