During preparation, one needs to focus on writing a good answer, right?  So what is a good answer – that is a million dollar question? Mains exam questions reveal many things about word limit, keywords like analyse, critically comment etc, analytical demand of question etc.

I strongly recommend the future aspirants to take answer writing on daily basis very seriously and practice to improve their writing skills, structure, speed and time management so that one can get maximum marks in GS papers.

These are a few ways to improve your answer writing for IAS Mains:

1. More time should be spent on thinking about the topic and making innovations, rather than on reading too many study materials available in market.
2. The previous papers should be thoroughly analyzed to understand the trends and the expectations of the examiner.
3. The preparation should be focused and all the hard work should be channelized in the right direction.

Here are few common mistakes to be avoided while writing in GS mains papers:

1. First, try to address the question in the introduction rather than giving irrelevant answers.
2. A balanced approach in answers are usually missing, either it will be very critical or totally out of context.
3. Most of the times, aspirants is unable to fully understand the requirement of the question.
4. Most of the times, only few of required aspects/dimensions were covered in answers
5. Write in points so that you can more marks rather than writing same point in big paragraph.

Few tips for better GS Mains answers:

The competition is highly relative, our answers in the mains examination should not only be correct but also different with a touch of creativity and relevant to the question that is asked. Basics with clarity will come when there is lot of questioning while studying. The topic has to be studied in a logical manner.

The creativity and innovation is not something that you will get in the textbooks. They have to be developed on your own. It requires lot of thinking and observation. By innovation in answers what I mean is this:

1. Catchy introduction which addresses the question head-on
2. Diagrams – so that one can break a monotonous answers
3. Graphs – to better represent data.
4. Flow charts
5. Maps – draw India or world maps in geography/history papers
6. Contemporary touch and applicability -use current affairs to strengthen your argument
7. Using Facts – it is important to mention the facts, it is equally important to handle various dimensions of your answer and write something different which makes your answer unique.
8. Catchy conclusion – giving solutions

Final Points:

I too wrote almost all my answers in points but still I gave a proper introduction, proper headings and sub-headings and then a conclusion.

As writing speed tends to be slow initially, one can complete 7-8 questions in 1st hour and compensate that in last hour. Thus one can finish the paper.

Make sentences short, carefully use tenses and appropriate prepositions. Avoid unnecessary elongation of sentences which makes it hazy and equivocal rather use simple and straight-forward presentations.