Examination is the core of the education system from which one
can test their skills based on what they have learned over a period of time. It
is indeed the most important part of student life. But as important as it
sounds, it also comes with great difficulties for some students to face the
challenges of an examination and it becomes a herculean task for them to score
higher marks in the exams. The student may well prepare for the examinations
thoroughly, but can still be unable to fetch their desired marks from the
assessments. In this article, we are going to discuss the key factors that a
student must keep in mind while writing in an examination to get the desired
result.
PAPER PRESENTATION
While preparing for any examination, in the midst of studying
the textbooks and related topics, one thing that the student forgets to get a
grip on is Paper presentation. Paper-presentation
in simple words can be explained as the way of writing your answers in the
answer sheet of any given examination. It should be noted that paper
presentation doesn’t only mean the writing of answers; instead it is the look
of your answer sheet as a whole.
WHY PAPER PRESENTATION IS NEEDED?
On most of the occasions such as HSLC, HS and any other
examination, the student is needed to sit in the examination from a different
school or college in which he/she has never studied before. Even if the student
sits in the examination from the very school or college he has been studying,
it is quite certain the answer scripts of the student are not going to be
checked by their own teachers. In Assam, the answer scripts of HSLC and HS
examination is checked by the teachers of different zones of the state. No
district is allowed to check the answer scripts of the students of the same
district. Hence, the teacher who is going to check your answer script will be
completely unknown to you and your knowledge. The teacher will be checking
around 30 copies a day and even more. In most of the time, he will be keen to
go with the flow of checking the answers quickly rather than diving deep into
the answer script. But to score high in
the paper, you need to get the eye of the examiner straight away. How can you
do so..? Well, here comes the need for paper presentation. With a clean and well
sort out answer sheet, you can easily attract the examiner’s focus on your copy
among the other unsorted answer scripts. The examiner will fall into your
writing and presentation skills, which will make him, focus on your answers
more than a normal answer script. Thus earning you if not extra, but your
desired and hard-fought marks.
HOW TO PRESENT THE PAPER?
Presenting your paper or answer script will start from the
very first page of it. You should consider drawing borders on all four sides if
possible. And if not, draw at least two i.e. on the top and on the left side of
each page. It will automatically make your copy more organized and attractive
to look at.
While writing your roll number and other details in the given
space, always write every digit distinctly and do not overwrite anything. Try
to make it look clear by all means and never make any mistake while filling up
these data.
Do not start writing your answers from the very first page,
instead leave the opening page and start from the next page on the right. Many
students are found to have started writing the answer from the very first page
or the next left page. It is not recommended at all and by doing so; you will
directly give a negative impression of you to the examiner checking your copy.
Start writing down your answers by mentioning the
question number to which you are giving the answer. Never start writing
directly from the extreme left of your answer page. Leave at least a 1 cm gap
from your left borderline and write down the number of questions to which you
are going to give your answer. For example: Question
No. 01 (a) or Qstn. No. 01 etc.
Do not start writing the answer in the same line of the
number of the question. Instead, start writing from right below the question
number line i.e. leaving 1 cm gap from your left borderline underneath the
letter ‘Q’ from your question number line mentioned above.
Try to maintain the left alignment i.e. the gap of 1 cm from
the left borderline, throughout the answer script in each line of answer that
you write. It will make your copy more organized and it will boost your chance
of scoring higher significantly.
Always try to start writing your answers from the very first
question. If you are unable to answer the first question then start from the
second question and so on. It is always recommended to start writing from the
very first question itself as it sets off your answer script for better
insights.
Do not leave unnecessary gaps for the questions that you
haven’t answered. In case you do not know the answer to question no. 01, then
start from question no. 02 without leaving any gaps for the 1st
question. You can do the 1st question later if you can find the
answer for it.
Try to avoid any spelling errors and overwriting. In case
you have written something wrong then cut it smoothly by just a single stroke of
line and do not overwrite it. It looks highly untidy if you cut abruptly or
overwrite any word or number in your answer scripts.
While moving from one page to the next, always write P.T.O.
i.e. Please Turn Over, if you have an unfinished answer that you are writing
on. Put a ‘-‘ on the last word on the page and start writing with another ‘-‘
on the next page.
What should be your strategy for exams? Read Here
In subjects such as Mathematics and Advanced Mathematics, try
to write the solutions of a problem in such a manner that each line should start to write below the above line. For example if a line starts 3 cm to the right of
the left borderline then the next line should also start from 3 cm to the left
borderline as well. It makes the page more attractive and draws more attention
to your answer scripts.
In case of multiple-choice questions, always write the option
number along with the answer. Many students only write either the option number
or the answer. But it is better if you mention both in your answer scripts.
While writing the answers of Science and Social Science,
always try to answer the questions in discrete points and also draw pictures
whenever applicable. Writing long paragraphs in Science and Social Science
isn’t going to help you score higher marks. Instead write all the required
answers in simple points and explain them briefly. It will definitely help you
boost your marks.
Never try to elongate your answer unnecessarily. Many students
seemed to have a thought in their mind that if the question contains 6 marks
then they need to write a minimum of two pages to get the full marks. It is
completely incorrect. In most of the scenarios, the examiner will not read the
complete answer if it is that long. So better you write your answers in points
and divide them into small-small paragraphs and explain them briefly. 6 correct
points and a good explanation of each one of them is good enough to yield 6
complete marks regardless of the length of the answer.
Try to avoid writing two long answers together. In subjects
such as Social Science, you should avoid writing two long questions together.
Instead you can write one answer and then draw the map of either Assam or India
whichever comes in the exam. And then proceed to the next long question. It
will definitely save you from loosing at least one mark.
After completion of every question, draw a line so that it is
clearly visible to the examiner that the answer to the question finishes there.
It makes the answer script way more organized and helps you obtain good
marks.
Do not use multiple colored pens while writing in the
examination. Many students are found using two colored pen while writing the
answers. It is not recommended to use multiple pens in the exams. Instead,
bring some colored pens to the exam hall in case there is any difficulty with a
pen you are using. But remember that the color of your pens should always be the same. It is recommended to use a black ball pen in exams as it makes it quite
visible to the examiner as well as computers in some cases.
While reading this article, you and your parents may have a
question in their mind. That is, if the handwriting of the student isn’t good,
will it hamper him in the exams? Well, let me assure you one thing. The
handwriting is not a factor in scoring good marks until and unless it is
readable. Try to write the answer clearly leaving small gaps between words so
that the examiner understands every bit of word that you are writing. If the
examiner can read what you write and you follow all the above-mentioned
factors, you will definitely score good marks in the examinations.
With all these factors well covered in the examination paper
along with great preparation of textbooks, I can assure you of a great result
in any examination you sit on. Focus hard while study and let the pen flow in
the examinations. Always remember, “WORK
SMART, NOT HARD”.
-By Kaustov Duwarah, HSLC 4TH RANK, 2016
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