CBSE Class 12 Board Exam Tips: ‘Keep the word limit in mind while attempting the paper’

The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) has slated the English exam for February 22, 2024. Students must have already completed their initial round of prep for the exam. However, studying the chapters needs to be complemented by solving several question papers to ensure one is exam-ready.

To make it easier for students, Kuldeep Singh, PGT (English) at Apeejay School, Charkhi Dadri, shared some important tips not just for what to do a day before the exam but also how to attempt the question paper on the final day of the exam.

“Students have to remember that they are not the only ones in the position they are in right now. Everybody ignores English till the very end and it is not a big deal. So, start by reading every chapter. One of the main processes of revision is highlighting the important points in the concerned chapters. Students are supposed to mark the important points and highlight them while going through the chapters. Highlighting the important points while reading helps the students immensely during revision sessions as it saves time that can be utilised somewhere else, in a productive way. Watching videos related to the topic online also helps,” Singh said, sharing a few revision tips.

·         Solve the previous years’ question papers and sample papers as well. The more you solve the previous years’ question papers and sample papers, the more you gain confidence.

·         Abandoning using social media platforms is one of the key points while focusing on the revision part of the paper. ‘Use your smart gadgets smartly and don’t let them use you’ should be kept in mind while studying.

·         Students should also make time for their favourite activity that would help them in releasing the exam pressure positively. A fixed time slot is to be supervised by the parents of the board-appearing students.

·         During the revision phase, the division of chapters with justifiable time slots is an important aspect. Students should understand the importance of time management.

What to do on the exam day?

Students need to fully utilise the 15-minute time in thoroughly going through the question paper.

The Reading Section is one of the highest-scoring sections. It contains two unseen passages (sometimes one can be an unseen poem as well). This aspect of the paper can help the students score well in this section by tactfully going through the section.

The Writing Section needs to have great writing skills and the concepts of Correct Usage of Grammar should be well applied by the students.

The Literature part needs a good understanding of the chapters prescribed in the textbook. Having a clear picture of the character sketches and central themes is an essential part of scoring good marks in this section.

Using quotes from the chapters under consideration impacts well in scoring marks. Underlining important points is also a good idea to adopt.

The question paper contains a word limit for every answer to be written by students in it. The candidates need to keep in mind the word limit; exceeding the limit does not impress the examiner.

Have neat and legible handwriting.

Time management is one of the most important yet crucial aspects of the exam.

Revision is very important. If you follow the word limit carefully, then, you will have 10-15 minutes to revise the important aspect of the answer sheet.

Singh also said that students must know how to attempt the question paper. “It should be done properly. Don’t jumble up the questions. However, you can attempt the sections as per your choice. Your strategy would be to first attempt the reading section, then writing, and at last the literature section.  Do not panic and stay calm during the process.

“The reading section should be completed within 40-45 minutes; the writing section should be allotted about an hour. Keep the word limit in mind. If you are not getting beautiful ideas fast, write what you can think of. Even if you happen to spend too much time on the first two sections, then you can make up for the loss in the literature section,” Singh said in conclusion.