Gurukul School: Exam Advice

How to Draft Perfect Answers for your CBSE Board Exams

CBSE or the Central Board of Secondary Education Board exam is an important exam in India. Lakhs of students appear for this examination every year. While it is essential to have knowledge across all topics for a subject, candidates must also know how to write perfect answers, in order to score more in the exam.

CBSE Board Exams

Here are some essential tips that students from some of the best CBSE schools in Chandigarh adopt in order to make impressive scores in CBSE Board exam.

Don't write everything you know
Rather than writing down everything you know, it is important 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. Start your answer with a generic line about the subject. Make your answer impressive with figures, examples, theories and quotes. Keep the flow of the content coherent, simple and to the point. Emphasize on the conclusion part such that it clearly shows that you have answered the question exactly as required.
Use simple language
While writing your answer, make sure that the language used is simple and easy to understand. The writing style adopted by the examinee is very important. A conceptual answer written in simple language is more likely to impress an examiner and grab his interest rather than an answer written in complex and flowery language. Answers should not appear to have been mugged up but should be explained in the student's own words. It is advisable to use general English instead of academic English which uses more complicated vocabulary and less personal grammar forms.
Avoid using contractions
Avoid using contractions such as wouldn't, couldn't, should've in your answers. Instead, use the full forms like would not, could not or should have, as this language is more formal.
Avoid Active Voice
While writing answers for science practical’s, experiments and procedures, avoid using the active voice. Use the passive voice as it sounds more academic and makes the answers look formal, written on facts rather than the student's own judgment. Thus, a sentence such as "I completed the experiment as I was told to" should be written as " The experiment was completed as instructed".
Replace long phrases with short sentences
Avoid using long phrases just to stretch the answer. Concise answers are more impressive to the examiners. Replace long phrases with short sentences and single words. It is advisable to use the more formal single word instead of the multi-word verb.
Differentiate between spoken English and written English
Students must understand the difference between spoken and written English. Do not write your answers in a language that you use in your day-to-day life. Some common mistakes include using short forms of words like, 'shud' instead of should, or using the word 'like' excessively in wrong contexts.
Make your answer sheets presentable
Make your answer sheets presentable to make an impression with the examiner. Here are some strategies that can be used to make your answer sheets presentable. Underline each heading or subheading in your answer. Make a border on the right side of the page for rough work. Use more diagrams, tables and charts to make your content more pictographic. Use bullet points with properly highlighted headers. Make sure that the important points are highlighted or underlined. Write the answers in legible handwriting. Write the question numbers properly.
Be neat and clean
Write your answers in a clean and legible handwriting. Use proper space and punctuation in your sentences. Keep your answer sheet clean and use margins wherever necessary, label each diagram and map, clearly.
Maintain word count
Stick to the word count, especially for questions, where word count for the answer is provided. Do exceed the word limit. Neither is it advisable to wrap up your answer in very less word count.
Revise your answers
Try to spare at least 5-10 minutes for revision, after writing your paper. Revising your answers will give you an opportunity to identify any mistakes or gaps in the answers. This will also give you time to make your answer sheet more presentable.