English essay writing was part of our school syllabus but now, it is an important paper in bank & insurance exams.In addition to the objective papers, there is a separate descriptive section that intends to test candidates english knowledge.Since essay writing questions are to be asked in the exam, we tell you how to write essays in the correct format for upcoming exams.
Since the descriptive tests are conducted online, papers wont be provided in the exam centre.Answers have to typed on a computer using a keyboard including letter writing
Essay Writing Basics
Reading an english essay in books or newspaper could be simple but writing it yourself is not an easy task.With just 30 minutes to complete the paper, it is necessary to know how to write a proper essay within the given time.
The total marks allotted for essays could range between 20 to 30.Generally, the number of words is specified in the question paper itself.If its not mentioned, you may write an essay in 250 – 300 words.
It is always best to follow a format while writing an essay.So here are the important parts of a good essay:
- Introduction
- Main body
- Conclusion
Let me explain this format with a sample essay topic asked in one of the previous year UIIC AO descriptive test.
Steps taken by government to increase insurance penetration
India with a population of over 1 billion is the 2nd most populous country in the world. But the number of insured people is only around 20% which is very less compared to other countries.There could be many reasons for this shortfall such as lack of awareness or the inability of companies to reach the masses.But the government of India on its part has taken many steps to increase insurance penetration.Let us see some of them.
The biggest step taken by the government in recent years was raising the Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to 49% from the earlier 26%.This amendment paved way for foreign insurance companies to start operations in India by partnering with existing entities & offer more products suited for Indian public.
In a major push to increase insurance penetration, the Indian PM Narendra modi launched “Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Bima Yojana (PMSBY), a personal accident insurance scheme with coverage of Rs.2 lakh at a premium of Rs.12 / annum & Pradhan Mantri Jeevan Jyoti Bima Yojana (PMJJBY), a life insurance scheme with coverage of Rs.2 lakh at a premium of Rs.330 / annum.
Nearly 124 million Indians have enrolled for these schemes, as of February 2016.
To promote the need for retirement savings, the central government reduced the service tax on single premium annuity policies from 3.5% to 1.4%.It brought down the premium amount to be paid by the policy holder significantly.
Although the government has brought many reforms in the insurance sector, the above steps have helped more people to take up insurance policies. So in the coming years, we can be confident of seeing higher growth in insurance penetration among Indians.
How I Wrote an Essay?
I wrote the above essay in 275 words by sticking to the already mentioned format.Any essay article should be divided into three parts for easier writing.
Introduction: It should always be the first paragraph.You must write 5 – 6 sentences covering only the general points about the question/ topic.
The topic that i chose to write was about insurance penetration.So a broad outline of the present insurance sector in India can be the only introduction that one can write.
Similarly, you should write a suitable introduction for any topic but make sure it does not exceed 6 sentences or 70 words.
Also checkout: SBI PO descriptive test pattern & cutoffs
Main body of the essay: This is where you are supposed to write all the relevant content regarding the topic.You should not explain about the introduction or the overall view here because the word limit is just 250 – 350 words.So start describing the points directly.
In the sample essay, there are only 3 paragraphs in the body section but i have mentioned 3 important steps taken by the government.
There are marks given to the structure of your content as well.So write in paras as it not only looks good but makes reading also easy.
Conclusion: Finally, the last paragraph should always be the conclusion.But it should be framed in such a way that the reader must feel like “Oh, he/ she is concluding the article”.
Look at the concluding paragraph of my passage.It contains 2 sentences but i have summarized the entire essay by stating that these steps were taken by the government & connected it with the topic (how it helps to increase insurance penetration).
Whatever topic is given, your conclusion should sum up the complete article linking it to the title.Do not end the essay abruptly without writing a proper ending statement.
How to Practice Essay Writing?
Newspapers can be the best guide to practice essay writing.We recommend you to read The Hindu or The Indian Express or The Business Line & see how they frame sentences.
- Pick any general topic & read the complete article
- Write an essay on it in the format given above
Try to write atleast 2 articles per day so that you are comfortable & confident to attend the questions on the exam day.
Books covering essays on various topics are available at cheap rates nowadays.They can be bought but remember, it is just a reference & practice guide.
* Modern Essays (more than 150) for Rs.109 – Click here to buy online
Dont expect the same articles you read in books & papers to be asked in the exam as well.Questions can be framed based on anything but if you know the basics, you can easily crack it.
Struggling to write letters?Then checkout how to write proper letters for letter writing in descriptive test
