Hello folks,

I think blaming FPSC for our shortcomings is reflective of a holier than thou mindset.The examiners ,in most cases,are retired Professors with a wealth of experience.They do not harbour vendetta towards any candidate.

This year the Essay paper was the filter to separate the chaff from the grain.Those with the best essays passed while others,whose essays were-not-that-good could not pass.

I totally support FPSC's marking criteria.

Not to forget that what most candidates write in the Essay is utter rubbish; lacking coherence,relevance and originality.

i wrote my essay with perfection and it was a piece of art yet i couldn't fetch passing marks for it (24 marks) some of the candidates might have been chaff according to your applied terminology but not me, i personally think FPSC is a flawed institution and its examination could only be passed by the "LUCK" factor, you just observe the results carefully and you will realize that many stalwarts have bee fallen just because of that essay :mad:

The Fault in Our Stars
 

"Dear Brutus,fault lies not in stars,but in ourselves ; for we are underlings"
(Shakespeare)

Laying the blame on someone else's door is easy.But self-introspection and soul-searching are difficult.

The experience of the examiner is more than twice our ages.

The examiner has a benchmark,those who satisfy the minimum requirement to pass the Essay are passed while the others are failed.Period.

Sadly,as a nation,we do not like to take responsibility for our mistakes.No wonder we find an "external hand" in every calamity that befalls us.In India, 3-4 lac people sit the preliminary exam for Indian Civil Service and only 2,3 thousand pass.Yet,you will not see them criticising the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC).

[QUOTE=Alwayswajid;879102]i wrote my essay with perfection and it was a piece of art yet i couldn't fetch passing marks for it (24 marks) some of the candidates might have been chaff according to your applied terminology but not me, i personally think FPSC is a flawed institution and its examination could only be passed by the "LUCK" factor, you just observe the results carefully and you will realize that many stalwarts have bee fallen just because of that essay :mad:[/QUOTE]

Your essay might be "perfect" in your opinion,but it was faulty in the opinion of an experienced English teacher.Whether you like it or not,only the latter's opinion matters.

@Wheeler
 

For your information, my dear brother, I got my practice essays checked from around 10-15 people, some of them being ex-Examiners and some were CSS qualifiers.

It all boils down to luck and whether Allah has destined it for you or not. It's hard to decipher this system where the top 3 officers from 43rd Common failed to clear the exam this year. It is all dependent on the whims of the examiner. Also, a cursory glance at the previous years' result tells us that there is a fixed pattern that is being followed. Every year, either the Preci or the essay exam is picked up, and simply butchered! A lot of worthy candidates fall short of meeting this senseless butchering criteria. And quite interestingly, when the odds are not stacked against them, they manage to clear the exam.

Happy with 10 Marks in Essay Writing
 

[QUOTE=Wheeler;878448]Hello folks,

I think blaming FPSC for our shortcomings is reflective of a holier than thou mindset.The examiners ,in most cases,are retired Professors with a wealth of experience.They do not harbour vendetta towards any candidate.

This year the Essay paper was the filter to separate the chaff from the grain.Those with the best essays passed while others,whose essays were-not-that-good could not pass.

I totally support FPSC's marking criteria.

Not to forget that what most candidates write in the Essay is utter rubbish; lacking coherence,relevance and originality.[/QUOTE]

I fully support your views.coherence,relevance and originality are some of the parameters set by FPSC.

To be honest, I am satisfied with 10 marks in Essay Writing because I did not bother reading instructions.It was clearly written on top of question paper that:
[B]"Make sure you use different forms of discourses,e.g.,exposition,argumentation,description and narration.Credit will be given for organization, relevance and clarity."[/B]

Now I have started working on this and hopefully I will pass in 2017.

Crying and bickering won't change the results of exams. We should learn from our mistakes and try to do better next time.

Reflect upon the past year(s) and grow from it. Good luck!

In the end, it's all about "Luck"..!

FPSC has damaged its credibility in the eyes of many people. There is no set standard or criteria for awarding marks, there is no consistency or correlation when you look at various exams/papers.

If they gave rightful marks to everyone and then selected the top 300 or 400 according to aggregate marks, that would've been acceptable. I mean, if 7000 people passed all subjects, so be it, just select the top 400 instead of humiliating and destroying the self-esteem of so many people. Don't do injustice, practice merit.

Problem is that we are confusing merit with justice. Justice is supreme, merit comes later.

[QUOTE=gintino;879197]For your information, my dear brother, I got my practice essays checked from around 10-15 people, some of them being ex-Examiners and some were CSS qualifiers.

It all boils down to luck and whether Allah has destined it for you or not. It's hard to decipher this system where the top 3 officers from 43rd Common failed to clear the exam this year. It is all dependent on the whims of the examiner. Also, a cursory glance at the previous years' result tells us that there is a fixed pattern that is being followed. Every year, either the Preci or the essay exam is picked up, and simply butchered! A lot of worthy candidates fall short of meeting this senseless butchering criteria. And quite interestingly, when the odds are not stacked against them, they manage to clear the exam.[/QUOTE]

Thank you for your post.

In 2014,the Essay marks were an exception rather than the norm,because the axe fell on Precis and Composition paper.I have seen people who failed all compulsories in 2014 ,yet they were declared pass in the Essay.So if the top position holders cleared the Essay in 2014 ,it does not mean that they had skill in the art of essay writing.

Whenever the Essay is targetted only the best essays are passed.The results of 2013 and 2015 are a case in point.

As far as your getting essays checked by various teachers and CSPs is concerned, please be mindful of the fact that there are many such teachers who do not have command over English.If they were to appear in 2013 or 2015,I am almost certain they would have failed the Essay.

Sir Manzoor Mirza,Sir Razi Abedi,Sir Muzaffar Bukhari ,Madam Maria and Sir Agha Mohsin are all quality teachers but they seem not to have kept up with the march of time.

Post 2013,the trend has changed.Now the examiners are setting analytical essays and attempting them requires wide reading.For example, in 2014 exam,there were essay topics like postmodernism and Islam and globalisation ; now I do not think the aforementioned teachers know anything about postmodernism or globalisation.The reason is that these are new branches of knowledge.Essay is 60% knowledge in my humble opinion.No matter how many teachers you visit for getting your essays marked,if you do not possess sufficient knowledge and the ability to construct and defend an argument,the chances of your passing the essay are slim.

[QUOTE=kingfalcon;879214]In the end, it's all about "Luck"..!

FPSC has damaged its credibility in the eyes of many people. There is no set standard or criteria for awarding marks, there is no consistency or correlation when you look at various exams/papers.

If they gave rightful marks to everyone and then selected the top 300 or 400 according to aggregate marks, that would've been acceptable. I mean, if 7000 people passed all subjects, so be it, just select the top 400 instead of humiliating and destroying the self-esteem of so many people. Don't do injustice, practice merit.

Problem is that we are confusing merit with justice. Justice is supreme, merit comes later.[/QUOTE]

I am not saying you're wrong; in fact part of me agrees with you wholeheartedly.

All I am saying is that there is no reason to be upset. It's a waste of time to hold ill feelings towards anything or anyone, especially if there's nothing you can do about it.

Holding on to words like 'justice' and waiting for retribution in any sense will not solve anything. On the contrary, it'll leave you miserable, and ultimately you'll be at a loss and no one else.

Godspeed, friend.