ICSE Class 9 Answered

Here are some tips which will help you score good marks in English:

Unseen Passage: Unseen passage is one section in which you can score great deal and needs the least amount of effort comparatively. Before reading the passage, take a preliminary glance at the questions related to the passage. Now read the passage carefully and underline sentences or phrases which match with those in the questions. This will help you write answers more quickly, thus saving time. To prepare for unseen passages, practice past year question papers and sample papers.

Writing Section: The doctrine principle to ace the writing section is to remember the format for letters, essay etc and follow the formats religiously. These questions often carry 10 marks. A wise way to approach such questions is to first write bullet points you should cover in your answer in a rough sheet/section. Stick to the word limit mentioned in the question. Writing a longer answer would not fetch you more marks. So just try to wrap up all your ideas in the given word limit. Glance at sample letters, articles from reference books to improve thinking skills and get an idea of presentation.

Grammar: The only way to score good in grammar section is by practicing as much as you can. Many students fall short in this particular section. Practice as many sample papers as you can. Brush up basic rules and attempt chapter-wise questions which will help you focus on individual topics such as tense, voice, speech etc.

Literature: Literature is the most interesting part of the whole question paper. Read all the chapters carefully and study all explanatory notes especially for poems. If you find any poem or story difficult to understand, take help from seniors or your teachers but make sure that you understand each chapter. Make sure that you do not confuse the names of characters and authors. Keeping this in mind, try to attempt past year papers and questions from other reference material and try to frame long answers. Each of these long answers should have an introduction, body and conclusion. Aim for about 150-200 words spread across 3-4 paragraphs.

Write neat and precise answers: This is the most important point. Try and stick to your best handwriting while writing answers in exam. Also make sure that your answers are precise, especially when writing essays and letters. Do not beat around the bush and state your ideas clearly and in a coherent way.