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Mains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread

Now that 1 week is over, it is time to shift focus to Mains. With barely 103 days left there is no time to waste.

curious_kid,rootand2 otherslike this
1.1m views

10.7k comments

@Biryanimafia_which optional

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@jumboThis is my opinion (not an expert one)
what constitute good answer varies from candidate to candidate and evaluator to evaluator,
but some points which i consider more or less settled are this -

  1. exceptional and excellent answers -
    a.Addresses the demand. (definitions are written well, body is in relation to whats asked)
    b.relevant answer and structured accordingly.
    c. visual presentation(graphs, diagrams, flow charts), plethora of elaborative examples (data strong answers use of eco survey, iyb, govt schemes, ngos, international organisations etc)
    d.follows format needed in question.
    e. coherence.

  2. Good answer has two or three of the above elements.

  3. average answer - is correct write up but lacks compregensive coverage of demands of answer, is not data strong and lacks depth but some dimensions are superficial,and some are somewhat covered to looklike you have answered.

  4. bakwas answer is when you dont complete the demands or dimensions of question due to lack of understanding of topic, lack of comprehension of whats asked, or due to time constraint (most common reason).

when it comes to marking pattern for all these, it varies from year to year, for e.g gs paper 3 15 marker, excellent answers in 2017 fetched even 10 or 11 but in 2018 hardly 8 or 9 may have been awarded..
so it depends upon standard they set and directives for evaluators.

*no one student can write 20 answers of a single category, all 20 questions are mix up of some excellent varying from 2 to 6, giod answer varying from 5 to 8, rest average to bakwas.

  • i am no expert, this is all my personal opinion and plz dont abuse if anyone has a different view.
    Happy diwali
2.2k views

@azam-imame434So you want me to do pooja and burn the whole thing down Joker style ???
Not a terrible idea actually.

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@sat_009That's a good alternative. But I dont drink so...?♂
Are you writing IFoS mains ?

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@Rand_Al_ThorNah bhai do optional nahi hote apne se

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UPSC marking pattern bhi change kr deti hai.
We don't know...ho sakta hai iss baar GS me liberal and optional me tight marking ho ..

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@sat_009said inMains 2019 Preparation and Discussion Thread:

@jumboThis is my opinion (not an expert one)
what constitute good answer varies from candidate to candidate and evaluator to evaluator,
but some points which i consider more or less settled are this -

  1. exceptional and excellent answers -
    a.Addresses the demand. (definitions are written well, body is in relation to whats asked)
    b.relevant answer and structured accordingly.
    c. visual presentation(graphs, diagrams, flow charts), plethora of elaborative examples (data strong answers use of eco survey, iyb, govt schemes, ngos, international organisations etc)
    d.follows format needed in question.
    e. coherence.

  2. Good answer has two or three of the above elements.

  3. average answer - is correct write up but lacks compregensive coverage of demands of answer, is not data strong and lacks depth but some dimensions are superficial,and some are somewhat covered to looklike you have answered.

  4. bakwas answer is when you dont complete the demands or dimensions of question due to lack of understanding of topic, lack of comprehension of whats asked, or due to time constraint (most common reason).

when it comes to marking pattern for all these, it varies from year to year, for e.g gs paper 3 15 marker, excellent answers in 2017 fetched even 10 or 11 but in 2018 hardly 8 or 9 may have been awarded..
so it depends upon standard they set and directives for evaluators.

*no one student can write 20 answers of a single category, all 20 questions are mix up of some excellent varying from 2 to 6, giod answer varying from 5 to 8, rest average to bakwas.

  • i am no expert, this is all my personal opinion and plz dont abuse if anyone has a different view.
    Happy diwali

Thanks for a detailed analysis. Does filling of all pages for 15,10 marker have any impact if answer are average type

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@Yes_I_am_inyes like in 2017 type

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@jumbowill get half or 1 mark more if filled pages, its my opinion only

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filling pages fetches marks in upsc is a common misconception naturally because it happens at school/ college level.

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@al_biruniupsc me bhi college profeesor hi correct karta hai,he is not programmed by upsc to change his 30 years mindset

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Pages to mai saare bhar k aaya hu jitni jagah thi utne??

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Word limit naam ki bhi koi cheez hai.

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@Deltaword limit to follow ho jati hai 15 words upar neeche

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How do you guys fill the pages ? My handwriting is small and I write in a sort of compressed way. I regularly fill 1.5 pages for 10m and 2 pages for 15m with 3rd page having conclusion or way fwd. Rarely I touch 2.5 pages in 15m.

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@Rand_Al_Thorfilling pages is overrated, imo. Janta apna font size bada kar ke pages bharti hai. Examiner itna toh pakad hi leta hai. Ab log McBride mein UNESCO ke baare likh ke ye expect Kar rahe the ki 1-2 number mil jaenge then I think it is being over optimistic.

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@Rand_Al_Thorby creating more subpoints rather than writing many things under single point..
Increasing spacing between two lines etc..
Making boxes, maps, hub n spoke type etc

(By practise)

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