How to Write Your Board Exam Papers (TIPS)

Hey everyone! You may recall me promising that I would be posting tips on how to write your answers well for your ICSE Class 10 Board Exams. Anyway, here they are:

Tips on How to Present Your Paper in the ICSE Class 10 Board Exams:

1. Keep your answers left justified. Don’t leave an inch of space next to the the left margin and then begin writing your answers. (*You are however, supposed to leave a margin, just not additional space even after the margin.)

2. Write in points as much as you can, except in English papers. Don’t write a whole paragraph explaining something that either does not need explaining or has not even been asked.

3. Read the question very carefully. Re-read the question. Ask yourself what the question is asking. If you know the answer, then write it. If you’re confused, try your best to make sense of what the question may be asking. If you can’t, then use your brains and make a smart guess.

4. Don’t leave any question. Don’t skip any question. Don’t leave the space blank. Answer each question. Examiners are always looking for technical terms or points where they may be able to give you marks. They aren’t always there to eat your heads off! Even if you don’t know the correct answer, make a guess. There is no negative marking, so you have nothing to lose.

5. Check your answer sheet. Check it twice. If you have the time, check it thrice. While checking, don’t look at your answers. Instead, try to answer the questions again in your mind. Tally your answer script answers with those you just thought of, and see whether they are the same or not. If not, make up your mind as to which one is the correct answer.

6. Don’t rush. You will have plenty of time to finish the paper. Don’t be in such a hurry that you overlook any sub-question or forget to write a step. You will lose marks, and we don’t want that! Be calm and focused.

7. Don’t panic. You can’t always know everything (though, that’s not at all impossible). You may find that there is a question whose answer you don’t know. At times like those, don’t panic or be afraid. Think wisely, and remain calm.

8. Use a black ball pen if you can. They are the best. They don’t leak, and they rarely leave an impression on the back of the paper. The black ink will be more pleasing to the examiner’s eye. We want the examiner to be in a good mood while checking our paper. 😉

Update as on Feb 13, 2019*: But ultimately, the Council gives you the choice to write your answers with either a fountain pen or a ballpoint pen. However, the information on the answer book has to be filled in with BLUE/BLACK ballpoint pen ONLY. See the notice where it specifies the same.

9. Make sure your words are properly spaced out. Don’t squeeze in ten words in the same line! Your paper should look neat and clean, and to ensure that, your sentences shouldn’t be all bunched together.

10. Leave space, e.g. at least 2 to 3 lines, before and after each question or sub-question. This is a precautionary measure so that if, later on, you feel you want to add something to your answer, you can easily do so without making a mess of your answer script.

11. Number your questions correctly! Number them only and exactly as per the numbering system given on the question paper. Don’t write Q1(a) instead of Q1(i). Also remember to write the question number in the left hand margin. 

12. Before you number your questions correctly, you must first remember to actually number them! The examiner won’t check your answer if the question number hasn’t been mentioned. Or, if the incorrect question number is written, you will most likely lose marks.

*13. Always draw a margin on the right and left side of the paper for each examination.

14. While drawing diagrams, you must always use a pencil! Label your diagrams even if you have not been asked to (but make sure that you are absolutely sure of the labels!). There’s no harm in staying on the safe side. Label the diagrams clearly and with legible handwriting. If your handwriting isn’t that good, you may want to label your diagrams in uppercase letters. (*P.S. The Council says that it will take handwriting and spelling into account, so be careful!)

15. Always write your full name, unique identification number, index number, and if possible, date, on any supplementary sheets and continuation booklets that you will have to attach to your answer script. For example, including maps, graph papers, etc. You may also want to write the question number of the map/graph, etc.

Update as on Feb 16, 2019: 16. Always show your rough work no matter how insignificant you may think it is. Also remember to show the rough work for a question on the same page as the rest of the answer for that question. (According to our interpretation of the CISCE’s notice to candidates for the ICSE 2019 board exams, the margins are supposed to be kept blank.)

 

Students always keep forgetting the above tips and this is just to remind you once again of what has to be done. There are many more tips to come, so keep visiting! 🙂

If you have any confusion regarding any of the above, do leave a comment below, and we will do our best to help.

 

Update 02/03/14: Please visit Tip of the Day #8 for more tips.

 

Note: You are forbidden to reproduce any part of this work without our prior permission. For more information, please contact us or go through our copyright policy. 

 

Also see other posts to help you prepare for the ICSE 2019 Board Exams:

Pre-examination Checklist!

Last One Month Revision Tips for the ICSE Board Exams

ICSE English I: Last-minute Tips before Board Exams