How to Write Answers in CBSE Board Exams
Write Answers in CBSE Board Exams: Board exam performance plays a crucial role in shaping a student’s academic career. To score well in board exams, students not only need a clear understanding of concepts but also have to write well-structured answers. Examiners give more marks to answers that are clear, precise, and well-organised.
Right from the CBSE board exam preparation phase, students should practice recommended strategies to effectively write answers. This approach helps students quickly frame answers and avoid mistakes due to confusion.
Key Strategies for Writing Effective Answers in CBSE Board Exams
Many students who have taken the board exams for the first time in their academic life seek to know “how to write answers in CBSE board exams”. These students should follow the strategies provided below to frame answers effectively:
Understand the Question Clearly
Before attempting to write an answer, students should take a moment to read the question carefully. Understand the meaning of the question by focusing on words such as explain, define, list, compare, describe, or justify. These words indicate the type of answer students should write.
For example, if a question asks to "Explain the process of photosynthesis," the answer should include a step-by-step explanation rather than just a definition. Misinterpreting the question can lead to missing crucial points, which may result in lower marks.
Keep Answers Concise and Relevant
Writing long, unnecessary paragraphs does not guarantee extra marks in CBSE board exams. Instead, students should focus on writing a well-structured, to-the-point answer. For this, it is important to stick to the core concept and avoid adding irrelevant details just to make the answer lengthy.
Select Questions Wisely
In subjects where students are given choices between questions, making the right selection is essential. It is recommended to avoid choosing questions impulsively. Rather, students should read all options carefully and select the questions for which students are confident.
Maintain a Neat and Organised Answer Sheet
A well-presented answer sheet makes a good impression on the examiner. In contrast, bad handwriting, excessive scribbling, or cluttered writing can lead to confusion, resulting in low marks even if the content of the answer is correct. Therefore, it is crucial that students use a blue pen for writing answers, a black pen for headings, and a pencil for diagrams. Additionally, students should keep margins clear and avoid overwriting.
Students should also avoid stuffing too many words into a single line as it makes the answer difficult to read. Well-spaced words and structured sentences improve clarity and make it easier for the examiner to evaluate responses.
Use Headings and Subheadings
When answering long questions, students should break down their responses using headings and subheadings. This method makes answers more structured and easier to follow. Additionally, subheading acts like points which increases the likelihood of getting more marks.
Underline Important Points
Examiners may skim through answers while evaluating papers. Underlining key terms or phrases helps them quickly identify crucial points. This is also a smart strategy to get full marks. However, one must avoid underlining entire sentences, as it may reduce its impact.
Use Bullet Points Instead of Long Paragraphs
Long paragraphs can make answers difficult to read. Using bullet points makes the response more structured and visually appealing. Aligning all the bullet points is a crucial way to effectively structure the answers.
Include Diagrams and Illustrations
Visual representation of information helps in better understanding. In subjects like Science, Geography, and Mathematics, diagrams can add clarity and improve the quality of an answer. Therefore, students should support their answers with relevant diagrams or illustrations wherever necessary.
Highlight Formulas in Boxes
In subjects like Mathematics and Physics, formulas are crucial. Always write important formulas inside a box to make them stand out. Following this approach, students can gain examiners’ attention and inform them about their knowledge of the topic.
Review Answer Sheet Before Submission
After completing the exam, take at least 5-10 minutes to review the answers. This practice is crucial for rectifying spelling mistakes, missing words, or unclear statements. While reviewing the answers, students should check whether they have attempted all the questions and if the numerical answers have correct calculations.
Write Answers in CBSE Board Exams FAQs
Q1. How to write answers in CBSE exam?
Ans. To write answers in the CBSE exam, students must clearly understand the requirements of the question and structure their answers by including necessary definitions, bullet points, diagrams, and examples.
Q2. Does handwriting affect board exam answers?
Ans. Handwriting doesn't directly impact the content of an answer. However, neat and clean handwriting improves the presentation of the answers, which slightly influences the marks awarded by the examiner.
Q3. How to improve handwriting for board exams/
Ans. To improve handwriting for the board exam, students should practice writing multiple questions from sample papers in a timed manner. With regular practice, students can improve their handwriting.
Q4. What is the best strategy to attempt CBSE board exam questions?
Ans. To attempt CBSE board exam questions, students should initially answer the easier questions and then move to the difficult ones.
Q5. In which question should students use bullet points?
Ans. Students should use bullet points in questions that have lengthy answers, and breaking them down into smaller sections can improve a student’s ability to score well.
