Ok now U have done the current scenario portion of the essay..I forgot 2 tell u ppl a very basic thing..U dont make any headings in the essay..the headings M using are just a guideline..these are 'imaginary headings' that u divide ur essay into..but in outline,u must give these headings so dat the examiner wud knw abt the logical flow n sequence of ur essay..
The next thing that u shud the 'Causes' and 'effects' of the thing discussed..if its an essay that emphasizez or is based more on 'description' then this shud be the body of ur essay..the causes wud preceede the effects,abd shud be detailed as followings:
1.Economic causes
2.Political causes
3.Ideological causes
4.Social causes
5.Technological causes
and so on.....

The effects shud be written in the same sequence too..it wubbe gud if u make short paragraphs for each of the above causes n effects,as the examiner cud then follow the essay wid ur logical outline..
after writing abt the causes n effects of the issue/problem/topic,Ull move on to the "Remedies and Recommendations" portion..here u wud write in detail about the remedies or solutions to a certain problem,and ur recommendations for solving/mitigating it..these shud be backed up with proper argument and reasoning,as an essay requires not only enlisting things,but critically analyzing and presenting them in an 'essay; rather than a mere 'pointer' form...if the essay is of the nature that it demands emphasis on remedies and recommendatnz,then naturally u shud stress upon n elongate this portion of the essay..it all dependz on the requirement of a particular essay..
after this,add a small 'prediction' section to ur essay,in which u predict what the future wud be like n wat developments abt a particular issue u envision..again,these shudnt be fanciful,,rather they shud be realistic..
And finally comes the conclusion..here u re-emphasize ur thesis statement and summarize ur arguments,and try to get a result out of them..Important tip:Always try ending ur essay on a positive and optimistic note,giving a bright view of the future..try not to sound pessimistic,as I was told dat this approach is discouraged in CSS..Ur essay shud seem result oriented,and not merely a haphazard discussion and a jumble of arguments..

REMEMBER:
Writing an essay is like cooking a delicacy..u have to add all the necesary ingredients at proper times in proper amounts,cook it up slowly,get it to the climax,and then garnish it n give it the finishing touches:ready to be served!The outline and first paragraph will tell the examiner if it smells nice..n as we know,first impression is often the last..

So here is how the general Outline of Ur essay,and the general sequence n flow of it will simply look like:

1.Introduction to the topic
2.Definition of the topic
3.Background n History
4.Current Scenario
5.Related problems and issues
6.Causes
7.Effects
8.Remedies and Recommendations
9.Prediction and forecast
10.Conclusion

@Hamza

Sir thanks alot for your invaluable guidance and information! I would really appreciate if you could

1)Share your email address
2)Let us know your optionals so that we may ask questions related to those specific subjects
3)Let us know how we are supposed to write the outline in the essay paper. You did mentioned outline in your earlier posts but would be really thankful if you can give us a detailed account on how to write an impeccable outline

Thanks again !

My email ID is *******@hotmail.com
My optionals were:
Indo -Pak History
Journalism
Muslim Law & Jurisprudence
Sociology
Business administration

U can see my hotmail id on my profile info

bro tell me in what aspect of outline ur having problem..Then Ill clarify dat Inshallah

Size does not matter
The issue of Length of an answer..
M@terial and the quality of the answer u give m@tters alot in CSS..no doubts in it..but according to my view(n dis iznt only my personal opinion..I hve been told dis by sum positn holders as well),length of the answer m@tterz in getting u gud scores..remember,we are taking a Pakistani civil service examination,n the 'gitthey naapna' culture can never be eradicated frm our educational system..I think that a question in CSS paperz is usually so multi-faceted and demanding dat u cant do justice to it in 3-4 pages(when I tawk of pages,I mean the sides..so 1 page=1 side)
Ofcourse how m@ny pages u write dependz upon the size of ur writing..but lets assume that u write 7 words per line,n ur writing isnt too minute as well as not too huge,i.e its mediocre in size(The quality dznt m@tter much in CSS..My mentor had 5th positn in CSS-2008 n sumtimez he wdnt even comprehend his own handwriting:p)..
so now lets answer that what shud be the length of the answer..In my view,an ideal answer in histories and Pakistan affrz+current affairs+C.Awud be 9 pages long..ofcourse it can go to more than it..some of my answrz in CA n PA were 14 pages long..n for a fact I can tell u dat one of my teachers who is in Customs group nw wrote answers in CA that were on the avge 15 pages in length..in Sociology and Business Add I guess 7-8 pages are gud..In islamiyat 5+ pages(as they are 16 m@rk questions)..In EDS,answers are normally short n to the point as the credits(M@rks) are also small..questions are divided in2 small parts here n u hve 2 give short answers..in Muslim Law,the Law questions are normally short..u canr write much..even 1-1.5 pages are gud enuff(n that M tawkin on a higher syd),while the answers of jurisprudence can go upto 8+ pages..as far as english essay is concerned,to be on the safe side,Ull have to write 20-22 pages at most times..My friend wrote 35 pages n got 66 m@rks..but I knw sm1 who wrote 12 n got 60..its quiet unpredictible in essay paper..bt still..to be on the safe side..u need 20-22 pages of solid m@terial..I repeat.."Solid M@terial"..

Ppl wil tell u dat it is not much of a scoring subject..Ill say that it is potentially a high scoring subject..y I emphasize on potentially?coz Muslim law m@rks are always spread over a large range..how many m@rks u get in it obviously depend upon how well u prepare it..the syllabus isnt vry lengthy..but still u need to prepare it thoroughly to get gud m@arks..if u have prepared well n u do da paper well,I dont think therez any reason u shudnt get 70+ m@rks in it..especially as the law questions are m@thematically scoring..
Another very important point Id like to mention here is dat ppl who score 40s n 50s in this subject are often the ones who prepare the Law portion,but neglect the Jurisprudence section..Nearly 80% of my fellows never even touchd the jurisprudence sectn or did it superficially n vry selectively..dis strategy really hurtzz..Ill say that a lil bit of selective study iznt sch a bad thing..but u shd atleast cover 80% of the syllabus..like In law,I covered every topic except the law of inheritance..in jurisprudence I did Crime n tort,Ownership n possesion,sources of Islamic Law,Witness and procedure,Constitutional law,sovereignity n Shura system..n left other 3,4 topics..my fellowz used to tell me not to pay mch heed to jurisprudence section..but my preparing for it has paid off in the end..M quiet positive dat Inshallah Inshallah I'll get 70+ in this paper coz I got 16 mcqz right,the 2 law questions rite,did the sovereignity question very well and attempted the last question reasonably well,coz I had atleast gone thru those small topics..n dis answers DPO's question as well..ppl didnt score v.well this yr coz the trend of paper was changed..normally we get 4,5 questnz frm the Law sectn,n 2 or atmostttt 3 questnz frm the Jurisprudence sectn..dis tym the trend was reversed..the paper was more analytical type this year,n u had to have sum knwlg abt Islamic history n examples from it as well..

Do ur first preparation from the standard text books..Mulla and Sir Abdul Raheem..make ur own notes side by side..this will go a long way to assist u..coz in my case I remember dat when I finished making the notes I had automatically memorized 80% of the subject..this is the biggest benefit of making notes urself..therez no need to memorize the section numbers,but yes Ill advise u to memorize 1 example wid every question..although I dint do it..I m@de up my own examples in the paper:p
in ur 2nd n 3rd revisions,consult the helping books as well..I consulted the Q&A books by Mansoor book depot coz they give every topic in a questn n answr form..The Jahangir book is also gud..Ill say that 5,6 thorough revisions of Muslim Law are needed for an impeccable preparation(I did 15)..the syllabus is short n u can revise all of the subject in a day..(in the end I was even revising it inside 3 hrz..)
writing the answer in the paper shudnt be mch of a problem..its not as difficult as a PA or history questn,nor do u need a format for it..U shud just define the topic under dscsn,name the law governing it and then write the relevant answer..in hurisprudence questions u do need to discuss issues at length,and it wud be gud if u cud quote sum Quranic or hadith references too..All in all,preparing for MLJ was the most enjoyable n m@zze ka task in whole of the prep stage..
Any questions wubbe entertained..

Hi u r providing some excellent tips which i am sure are appreciated by a lot of people..
Coming back to the point...i wanted to ask that what do u mean by writing an example in the answer...do u mean the citation of a case?? coz i havnt been able to find any example per se in Mullah's book at least, not even some detailed info abt a particular case...but yes sometimes the comments of the presiding judge are given...
another thing that i wanted to ask is that there are some questions in the past papers whose answers are pretty short..especially when the questions are specifically abt a law and this really troubles me coz i don't think that writing 1 n a half page of law for a 20 mark qsn wud help me fetch the maximum possible marks...
also as u said that MLJ can be a scoring subject but the maximum possible marks that i have seen in this subject in the recent years are in the 60s n that too received by only a handful...do u know of any other cases in which a person has received marks in the 70s or even 80s??

There are a number of 70s in 2008 and 2009..n if my memory serves me rite there was sm1 frm 2005 or 2006..a guy frm jhang..who had lyk 85 m@rks in Muslim law..
comin 2 ur questn abt the length thing,my friend u cant go over 1 n a half pages in Law questions..the answers are very specific..n if u get the answer rite,ull get nearly full credit for it..length isnt an issue here
Mulla has some case examples like X vs Y I am sure..there are plenty of sch instances..but as M nt gud ay cramming I made my own imaginary examples in the paper just to elucidate the law..

REPOSTED FROM C.A SECTION

know Current Affairs proves to be a very tricky subject for most of CSS candidates..When I started preparing for it,I too,was in a fix..The problem is that You don't know where to start,how to go about it and how to make proper arguments and substantiate answers for exam questions,especially with the barrage of contradicting information u get about a single topic from different newspapers,internet etc.Thanks to Allah,in my case I deciphered the situation early enough and was able to prepare for C.A in a systematic way.I am not saying these are all my ideas.I got majority of them form some of my teachers,who had scored 65-70 odd in this subject..I add my findings,and my insights on the preparation of this subject..I think they should help..

First things First,buy a BIG register or notebook for Current Affairs.Make a list of about 15-20 topics which are the current hot issues and u expect things to be asked about them in the exam..Now bear in mind,that C.A has two kind of topics:
1-Those topics that are of permanent nature,and have been asked in CA since the dawn of CSS (e.g Kashmir Issue,Pakistan's foreign relations,terrorism etc.)
2.Those topics that are really 'current'.i.e,which have arisen recently (e.g Raymond Davis case,OBL fiasco,ISI incompetence etc)

Now put all the topics that u have decided upon in ur register so that u write a topic name,leave atleast 9,10 pages after that,then write the name of another topic,leave another 9,10 pages blank and so on..I called this my scrapbook,and believe me,it was a really precious thing(And it was almost stolen by one of my CSS students)How this is going to help??I will come to that.
So now,ur sources for knowledge of C.A should be
1-DAWN
2-Contemporary Affairs Book series by Imtiaz Shahid
3-Economist/Washington post or/and stuff from the internet
4-An atlas
5-Dudes u seriously need to improve ur general knowledge.I don't know from where u do so,but u gotta do it.Us internet,use books,use anything but u need a stock of general knowledge,especially about geography,politics,history and a little I.R
Now ur 'scrapbook' comes in..Start with a topic..Lets say 'PAK-INDIA RELATIONS'..study relevant material about the history of this issue.Write this material down in ur scrapbook in the form of bullets.Under the main topic make subheadings of different issues like Kashmir,Siachen,Sircreek,Most Favoured nation Debate etc and so on..Study about these issues and write their history as well as the current developments and the future predictions/solutions regarding them.REMEMBER.This is Current Affair paper so ur emphasis should be more on Current scenario and developments.U need a background knowledge so u can connect it and derive logic about the present from the past,but emphasis should be on current affairs.Hope u get me here.Write facts,information,statistics,quotes about every subtopic.Make a mock answer(in bullets) about every subtopic,as u would be giving/ attempting it if it came in the exam.This would help u in arranging the facts and quickly go about writing about it properly if that topic comes in the exams.Also,if there are topics that u think have pros and cons,Positives and negatives,convergence and divergence,prepare points in favour and against them.This would help u in analyzing it critically.
Now,u must be reading DAWN daily.U would come across an article or two about these topics u have chosen every week.Read that article.If u think it is half good,cut it from the newspaper.Highlight the important things in it.Now paste/staple it onto ur scrapbook under the relevant topic head.My scrapbook had about 8,9 articles about major topics.This would help in revision.U can go through the highlighted points quickly during revision.This wouldn't only help u in keeping abreast with the current perspectives,but also keep it fresh in ur mind(depending upon if u revise current affairs 4,5 times)Bar bar ja k akhbaron ka bundle khojney ki zaroorat nahy pre giKeep on updating ur scrapbook.Whatever new information u get from anywhere regarding that topic,write it down in ur scrapbook.Now u understand y I asked u to leave so many pages blank after every topic?
In my view,contemporary Affairs books by Imtiaz Shahid are excellent.Nobody of us has the nerve to go about reading dozens of newspapers and journals.Imtiaz Shahid collects the articles on current affairs from across the newspapers and journals of the world in a single book.So I found that thing very helpful.
Start your preparation thiway and u are going to find that suddenly the monster of C.A seems a lot smaller.
In the next post I am going to shed light on how to attempt a C.A question in the exam.

__________________
I shall either find a way,or make one
'Wa tu izzu man-ta shaa, wa tu zillu man-ta shaa'

Prepare ur own notes.I am not saying make detailed notes and write each and every thing down.U don't have to do it.Read a topic from a couple of books.And make bullet points for it.Like if u are doing sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi the bullet points might look like this:
1.Born in:
2.Educated at:
3.Went to Hajj in:
4.Problems with Muslim society:Akbar's heterodoxy,diversion from Islamic values,Emphasis on Peeri Faqeeri and karishmat etc
5.Steps taken by Sheikh A.S to counter these:
i.emphasized upon following basic tenets of Islam
ii.Teachings to folllower
iii.Wahdat ul Shahood
iv.Call back to Muhammad(SAW)
Books written

This is just an example to demonstrate as to how to go about this task.I remember these bullet notes I made for Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi were over 1.5 pages just.This way make important bullets for every topic.Write down 2,3 quotations with every topic.By reading this again n again u will be able to memorize the important points and I am sure u wud be able to write the explanation and details urself.I noticed that on 45h revision,I seemed to remember everything on my fingertips.I did 8 revisions and by then I cud tel about any topic in my sleep.This is natural.If u do 8 revisions of a topic,u would realize that u have ended up memorizing it indeliberately.And remember there are some things in css papers that u will have to memorize at any cost.But trust me,when u revise it time and again,ur brain will automatically start remembering things.I am very bad at 'ratta' honestly.But I revised everything so many times that up till now I remember the place on my book or notes where I wrote a particular thing.
p.s:Try using a highlighter or red pen to underline important things in ur book too.This would also help.Another thing that I found useful was that I made small chits of paper,wrote important points on them and stapled them on the book on the specific page of that topic.That helped me in final revisions.U can try this too.Try and write things.If ur sitting idle pick up a register,and try writing the points about Sheikh Ahmed Sirhindi,Sir Syed,Cripps Mission etc..This would not only sharpen ur memory,but also give u the confidence that U can reproduce things.Dont take it lightly this is the single most important thing I discovered during CSS prep.Whenever I was down or depressed abt my preparation,I did the same.It really lifted me and freshened up that topic in my mind.
Please remember me in ur prayers thats all I ask for in return.

__________________
I shall either find a way,or make one
'Wa tu izzu man-ta shaa, wa tu zillu man-ta shaa'

EDS as I see it,isn't a subject that u can buckle down and prepare in 5-7 days and then leave it to that..U need to keep updating ur knowledge of EDS on a continuous basis..The problem with EDS is that it has no descriptive syllabus line,so U will have to look at the past 10 year papers to get an idea about the syllabus..It generally contains these major topics and their subtopics:
1.Human Physiology and Human systems(Digestive,respiratory,Nervous,Excretory,Ge netic,ENT etc)
2.Basic botany
3.Names of endangered animal species and their location
4.Solar system and the Earth(Geology,climate etc)
5.Functions of daily appliances,and daily scientific phenomenons.
6.Basic chemicals,their chemical formulas,usage etc
7.Muslim scientists and their inventions
8.Current scientific developments,abbreviations of terms and units of measurements.
This list is by no means exhaustive.Now to prepare for these,I shall advie u following things:
1.Get ur hands on the Biology,Physics and Chemistry books written for O-levels.Apart from this,buy either Kashmiri or Imtiaz Shahid EDS book.Also don't forget to buy Imtiaz Shahid's book for EDS MCQ's,considering its50% objective type paper.
2.Keep ur eyes and mind open.Watch science segments on tv and newspapers.There would be plenty of things in the paper that wud pertain to current scientific developments and abbreviations.There is no end to the preparation of this paper.But do remember DO NOT prepare very deeply for this paper.They are looking for a basic scientific know-how,not a scientist's perspectives.U have to maintain a delicate balance while answering an EDS question coz neither they demand a very lengthy answer form you,nor they demand a scientist's caliber.Writing tiny details wouldn't fetch u any extra marks.A good mark in EDS might mean the difference between allocation and non allocation.Strive for a 70+ in EDS.As for mcq's,u may prepare 1000s of them and in the paper the examiner may start asking from mcq nmber 1001 and onwards..so ur never sure about it.Nevertheless,try ur level best to get a cushion of 10-15 marks in EDS above the other competitors.Pray to Allah for the best.
Hope this stuff would be of some use to u,EDS ko hawwa mt banao ahista ahista kro hojayega.
Regards,

__________________
I shall either find a way,or make one
'Wa tu izzu man-ta shaa, wa tu zillu man-ta shaa'

For the preparation and most importantly for attempting the Islamiyat paper,u shud have an open,receptive and witty mind..coz questions would be put in such a way that u will quickly have to gather all the bits and pieces of knowledge,whether general,islamic or current and manufacture an answer...REMEMBER..Attempt the paper as a tolerant and a forward looking muslim,not an Al-qaeda type muslim..if in paper u wud write things like 'Mar do sb kufaar ko','Kashmir ki azadi tk jung jari rhe gi','auraton ko dhakk do parde me or bara khandn jihad asan',then u are as good as donein islamiyat..Have enlightened vies..Quran shareef ki tafseer parho.Coz it is the best explanation regarding every question and if u back up ur arguments with logic from quran(NOT NECESSARILY QUOTING FROM IT),nobody can refute u..Paper nowadays is much more discussion and argument oriented..jazbati naarey or taqreerain wouldn't get u good marks..Dont overload ur paper with rferences from Quran and Hadith..put 3,4 in every question but keep the emphasis on ur arguments..use references only to back up ur arguments..
It has been rightly said k ub paper bookish nahy ata..it is more like a paper of current affairs than hardcore islamiyat..U can use the following material for preparation:
1.Read Maulana Maw'dudi's tafseer or listen to Dr Israr's tafseer
2.Islami Nazriya e Hayat by Prof Khurshid Ahmed
3.Pamphlets and 'Khutbat' by Maulana Maudoodi
4.Zakir Naik's lectures
5.Articles on Islam and the CURRENT ISSUES whether in DAWN or on the internet
As I mentioned b4,dont be a slave of bookish knowledge and what the Local masjid's molvi sahab says.Prepare well for Jihad,Terrorism,Women rights in Islam,Islamic moral and political systems,and the burning issues and questions about Islam and the Ummah...give examples in the paper..combine logic and rhetoric..Do prepare for Islamiyat well as it has proven to be a nemsis for many a man this time in CSS..keep at hand solutions for every problem faced by Muslim world,they might come in handy..practice the writing speed...hope this helps,
Regards
p.s:U don't need to remember countless references.their arabic and quotes..Only remember a few..And dont write too many references in the paper.Ur emphasis should be on arguments and analysis of the question rather than giving a reference after every line or 2.U do that,u most probably will fail..Purana zamana gya..Now Islamiyat has become a very discussion oriented paper..Support ur answer with 2,3 good references..do not do the other way round by loading it with references..Also,therez no need to draw any sort of maps etc..concentrate on writing quality stuff+a good quantity.
Questions shall be entertained

__________________
I shall either find a way,or make one
'Wa tu izzu man-ta shaa, wa tu zillu man-ta shaa'