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#1
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Does the examiner actually read through?
AOA,
Dear Members, I have just been wondering to discuss here what the process of marking of a CSS essay is. In particular, is the essay marked primarily on the basis of the outline and headings OR the substance within the skeleton is also as important and actually read by the examiner...? |
#2
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#3
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"I look at the outline first and foremost. There are three possible types of outlines
1) relevant, to the point 2) twisted, convoluted and confusing 3) incomprehensible due to poor English The last two outline-producing varieties of candidates are half-failed in my mind when I reach the end of their outlines. Then I look for the thesis statements and again there can be three types of them 1) coherent and relevant 2) irrelevant 3) incomprehensible For the third variety, their thesis statement marks the end of their stories. I skim through the pages of their sheets in next few seconds just to find out more blunders and finally award them marks in 0-20 range. For the second type of thesis statements, if the outline is irrelevant too, I give a read to their introductory and concluding paragraphs, and just a fleeting glance to the material they've written in the body. If they used correct English, I award them marks just for doing that. If the thesis is irrelevant but the outline was relevant, I give them a fighting chance. I read the introductory paragraph, if it conveys some sense as a whole, I continue. If the essay is coherent and strong till the end, and my eyes don't find mistakes while turning the pages, this type of candidate can make through. For the candidates who have relevant outlines and thesis statements, they are already half-passed when I reach the end of their introductory paragraphs. I skim through their essays just to check if they have written the same stuff as their outline inside or if they have digressed and gone beyond the scope of the title. If they haven't done that to an unforgiving extent, they are clear. Some candidates produce very good outlines and introductory paragraphs. Once I have decided to pass them, I read whole of their essays just to decide how much they deserve above 40. But this is a very rare variety." I have quoted a person who used to be an examiner for FPSC. I hope this can answer your questions, Aik Admi. And brother Xing Lee, they don't need to read the whole essay just to ascertain this. The guy I quoted above also said that he could know whether a candidate knew proper English just by reading five or six of his sentences. Lol
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Aamish Bhatti (Saturday, October 17, 2015), Aik Admi (Wednesday, September 16, 2015), dandelion (Wednesday, September 16, 2015), darkmoon (Thursday, September 17, 2015), Davidd (Sunday, October 04, 2015), Demonstrative (Wednesday, September 16, 2015), Geminie (Friday, September 18, 2015), imranazeem (Friday, September 18, 2015), Man Jaanbazam (Wednesday, September 30, 2015), Mansoor Ahmed Ali (Wednesday, September 16, 2015), safeer khan (Saturday, October 17, 2015), Tupac Shakur (Wednesday, September 16, 2015), Xing Lee (Thursday, September 17, 2015) |
#4
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My experience could obliquely shed some light.
I scored 41 in essay back in 2014 (So not impressive, I know). I attempted tge topic "Great nations win without fighting." I wrote hardly 15 pages. Since I had not practiced writing at all, I too suffered from that "perfect-word-syndrome". So for the first three pages, I tried to come up with flowery expression and avoided banalities. While I was still left with quite a lot of content, it dawned upon me that only ten minutes were left. In a rush, I quickly jotted down my outline (that I had written with pencil on the answer sheet). Then I quickly wrote down conclusion which was technically wrong. The paucity of time made me feel nervy and I introduced new ideas in the conclusion and the not so apposite quote by Imam Shafi. My conclusiom stretched from 1-2 pages (IMAGINE!). In my essay, I had also marked my mistakes with pencil, thinking that I would correct them later. I never found time to erasw those pencil marks, let alone their correction. Not to forget, my essay was also devoid of any thesis statement. I made a slight mistake in the quotation of Dwiht D. Eisenhower that I wrote on the first page. I also made a mistake in quoting Kahlil Gibran (something I realized only after I was out). Add to it that irrelevant quote of Imam Shami (it did not fit the context) and the absence of a thesis statement coupled with a technically wrong conclusion and the mistakes that I had made manifest myself. I was not expecting to get through, yet I did. Whether I sailed through out of sheer luck or whether it was my content that earned me 41 marks is something only the examiner can tell; I am inclined to believe that it was the former case though. |
The Following 2 Users Say Thank You to Demonstrative For This Useful Post: | ||
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#5
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Alright. JazakAllah everyone for helpful responses, especially Cogito! But Cogito where did you get this? Is it the complete response of the Ex-Examiner? Any more such resources to share?
Anyway, that takes us to the second problem I am facing. Hope you can help. How does one expand a reasonable essay to spread over tens of pages without sounding redundant and stupid? |
#6
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Do the examiners of the essay (and other subjects as well) have access to laptops and the internet when marking the papers? How do they ascertain the accuracy of facts and figures mentioned in an essay or answer?
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#7
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As for the expansion of an essay, I personally think there is only one way of doing this: choose an essay upon which you have sufficient material in your mind. This reminds me of another interesting story. A friend of mine appeared in 2012 exam and chose the essay topic in a bit of haste—his choice was dictated by the deceivingly easy appearance of the particular topic. After 1 hour and 20 minutes, he was completely clueless about what to write next! He was out of material in his mind to regurgitate on the paper! In a state of panic, he crossed that essay and began to write another one! He wrote 8 pages, managed to make an outline and furnished the essay with a proper introduction and conclusion as well. After appearing in all the compulsories, he was so disheartened with his essay paper that he didn't even appear in the optionals. 7 months passed quickly, and guess what? Lo and behold, his essay was clear
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Aik Admi (Wednesday, September 30, 2015) |
#8
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#9
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#10
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