SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper: Check the Topics and Difficulty Level
The SSC CGL Tier 3 exam is a descriptive exam. The candidates are required to attempt questions related to the English language. The candidates have to write an essay and letters. The candidates can check the detailed exam analysis about the SSC CGL Tier 3 exam. The format, topics and tips to write an essay, precis and letters have also been given for a better understanding of the candidates. The candidates can check the detailed exam analysis for the SSC CGL Tier 3 exam in this article.
Tier
|
Examination Type
|
Mode of Exam Conduction
|
Tier-I
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Multiple-choice
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Computer-Based Test
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Tier II
|
Multiple-choice
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Computer-Based Test
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Tier III
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Descriptive Paper
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Offline (Pen & Paper Mode)
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Tier-IV
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Computer Skill Test
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Online
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SSC CGL Tier 3 Exam Analysis 2022: Highlights
The SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper consisted of an essay, letter and precis. The exam tested the grammar and vocabulary of the candidates along with testing their literary abilities. The highlights of the SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper have been given below.
- The difficulty level of the SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper was easy to moderate.
- Students were given essay writing and précis writing in the SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Exam 2022 exam.
- The précis writing was easy but the essay writing was moderate because the topic was a bit twisted and candidates had to think about the content to be written.
- There was no letter or application writing in the exam.
SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper Exam Analysis 2022: Essay
In the SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper 2022, the candidates had to write an essay on the topic: "Charity benefits not only the receiver but also the giver".
The word limit of the essay was 250 words. The students who appeared for the exam, found the topic to be an unexpected one. The candidates were given no options to choose from while attempting the essay. The candidates will be marked on their expression and understanding of the topic. The grammatical errors will lwad to deduction of marks. The candidates were majorly required to use their imagination and express their thoughts on the topic given.
SSC CGL Tier 3 Exam Analysis 2022: Précis Writing
In the SSC CGL Tier 3 descriptive paper 2022, the students were given a précis writing for the passage based on the topic "Society". It was 230 words and Précis was to be written within the word limit of 80-90 words. The candidates found the precis to be a comparatively easier portion of the exam. The passage was easy to understand and the candidates could also write the summary within the specified word count very easily.
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SSC CGL Tier 3 Exam Pattern
The SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper assesses the writing skills and creativity of the candidate. It helps the examiner to understand the candidate's perspective on important social, economic, and financial topics.
- The SSC CGL Tier III examination will be a descriptive paper in pen and paper mode, It will either be in English/Hindi depending on the choice of the candidate.
- The question paper will be of 100 marks and the time allotted for the examination will be 60 minutes.
- It will consist of Essay writing, Letter/Application/Précis writing, and Passage writing.
- Candidates who are eligible for scribe will be allotted 1 hour and 20 minutes for the examination.
- To qualify for the SSC CGL Tier 3 descriptive paper, candidates must score a minimum of 33%.
- Candidates can choose to write the examination in either Hindi or English. However, mixing both languages is not allowed.
- There is no negative marking in the paper.
Know more about SSC CGL Exam Pattern here.
Subjects
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Word Count
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Total Marks
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Duration of the Examination
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Essay Writing
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200-250 words
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100 marks
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1-hour
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Letter/Application/Précis Writing
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150-200 words
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SSC CGL Essay Writing Format
An essay is a piece of writing that has a central idea around which 3-5 paragraphs are generally written. With the help of essay writing, the examiner will assess your ability to explain the given topic in your own words. An essay addresses a specific issue by bringing together certain ideas, arguments, and evidence. An important question to ask yourself before writing an essay is - What is the essay title asking me to do? An essay is written in the following situations:
- To describe or define an issue.
- To compare and contrast certain aspects of a particular subject.
- To identify the cause and effect of a matter.
- To write a narrative.
- To deliver an argument or write a critique
Essay writing forms a major section of the SSC CGL Tier III examination. A major question that often plagues the minds of students is - How do I structure my essay? Well, essays of all types generally follow a standard structure:
- An introduction (1 paragraph)
- A body (2-3 paragraphs)
- A conclusion (1 paragraph)
Introduction
The perfect introduction to your essay can grab the attention of the examiner and help you score higher marks. You must take care of the following points while writing an essay:
- Your introduction to the essay topic must be able to first and foremost introduce the reader to the broad problem that you're addressing. You can even start the introduction by posing a question to the reader.
- Once you've introduced the problem, it is time to give a thesis statement or your position or your answer to the problem. The perfect thesis statement gives a brief, specific, and narrow context about the issue.
- You can end your introduction by summarizing the specific arguments that you'll be covering throughout the essay.
- The general approach in writing an introduction is to go from a broad point of view towards a specific point of view.
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Body
A body is generally completed within 2-3 paragraphs and forms the core part of the essay. You must consider the following points when writing the body for your essay:
- Every paragraph of the body must have the following structure:
- Topic sentence: Highlight the basic topic that the body paragraph is about in a crisp sentence.
- Development: Discuss in detail the topic that the paragraph is about.
- Example: Support your argument with certain questions, examples, answers, and evidence.
- Summary: Summarize the overall main point at the end of the paragraph.
- Write clear and crisp sentences to catch the attention of the reader and highlight the WHAT, WHERE, WHY, and HOW of a given issue.
- If the given topic is about government schemes or ideas, then try to highlight the pros and cons of such schemes.
- If the given topic is about certain social, economic, or environmental issues plaguing our lives then talk about why they're prevailing in India, what can the government do about it, and what can the common man do to address the issue.
- Take care that your paragraphs have a smooth transition and are cohesive in nature.
Conclusion
To write the perfect conclusion to your essay and finish with a bang, take care of the following points while writing:
- Restate the central issue and your position or take on it.
- Summarize the key points that you've written throughout the essay in a few sentences.
- Write about the future implications or significance of the highlighted issue.
- To further improve your conclusion, you can even end with a famous quote or statistics.
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SSC CGL Tier 3 Essay Writing Topics
Find a list of the most estimated SSC CGL Descriptive Paper essay writing topics here:
Topic
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What to Write?
|
Women Empowerment
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- What has India done to achieve women empowerment?
- What more measures can be taken by the government & the masses to boost women empowerment?
- What schemes are currently focusing on it?
- Focus on examples that highlight successful women in various sectors.
- Explain in detail how women empowerment will benefit the country.
|
New Education Policy
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- What do you understand about the New Education Policy?
- When, where, and how was it formulated?
- What will be the future implications of this policy?
- Highlight the pros and cons of this policy from a students’ perspective.
- Also, give your suggestions to improve the policy.
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Government schemes such as - AAYUSHMAN BHARAT - National Health Protection Mission, Jan Arogya Yojana, Jan Dhan, etc.
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- Explain in detail the pros, cons, and future implications of such government schemes.
- Certain special schemes related to the girl child such as - Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao, etc. may also be asked.
- Explain what situations led to the formulation of such schemes.
- Highlight certain points about what can be done to improve the efficacy of these schemes.
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India’s battle against Covid-19
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- Explain the major COVID waves that shook the nation to its core.
- What were the safety measures taken such as double masking, social distancing, and hand hygiene?
- What problems delayed India’s win against the virus?
- What did the government do to prevent the health sector and the economic sector from collapsing?
- Write a short paragraph about the vaccination drive.
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Importance of Covid-19 vaccination
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- Talk about the myths and rumours that we're prevailing in the country about vaccines.
- Why initially people were not in favour of getting vaccinated?
- What did the government do to address such problems?
- How did India’s vaccination drive become successful?
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Condition of farmers in India
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- Explain the major problems faced by the farmers in India.
- Are there any government schemes currently being undertaken to improve the farmers’ condition?
- What were the three farm laws approved by the government?
- Why were the farmers against these laws?
- What is your perspective on these laws?
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Online Education
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- Why has online education become the preferred mode of teaching in the country?
- What are the pros and cons of online education?
- What can be done to improve its social outreach?
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Tokyo Olympics
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- Highlight certain statistics about India’s performance in the Tokyo Olympics and other previous Olympics.
- Explain in detail how sports other than cricket can be promoted in the country.
- Highlight what can be done by the government to improve the performance of sportspersons in various national and international tournaments.
- Mention certain government schemes related to sports and what are their pros and cons.
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Future of Electric Vehicles in India
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- Why is the demand for electric vehicles rising in the country?
- Elucidate upon how petrol and diesel can be a major source of pollution.
- Why are oil prices continuously rising?
- Highlight the pros and cons of using electric vehicles.
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Current Situation of the Indian Economy
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- Explain how the Covid-19 pandemic affected the Indian Economy.
- Did the government take any measures to improve the condition? Highlight the schemes employed at micro and macroeconomic levels.
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India’s Health Structure
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- Highlight how the Covid-19 pandemic led to the collapse of the health structure of India?
- What did the government do to help improve the health structure of the country during the pandemic?
- Highlight certain government schemes related to it.
- Give your point of view to improve the health situation in India.
|
Pollution
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- Explain various types of pollution such as - Noise pollution, Air pollution, Water pollution, etc.
- How does pollution affect the health of the nation?
- What can be done at primary, secondary, and tertiary levels to curb pollution?
- What are the various government schemes to clean the rivers, etc?
|
SSC CGL Tier 3 Essay Writing Tips
Essay writing is considered a daunting assignment by students that takes a lot of time, research, and effort to write. The key to writing an essay is to break it down into several parts and have an approximate idea about what to write in each part. Take a look at the following tips and tricks to improve your essay writing:
- Remember that your essay is basically a story and whatever you write has to transition perfectly.
- Analyze the given topic and create a basic structure in your mind about what you're going to write. Make sure that you address the topic directly.
- Plan your argument regarding the given issue in your own words.
- It is important to organize your essay in a clear cut structure. It must have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion.
- Use statistics, facts, and convincing evidence to support your argument and steer the examiner’s opinion.
- Improve your grammar and knowledge about topics that might be asked in the exam by reading the newspaper every day for 45-60 minutes.
- The key to scoring higher marks is writing your answer neatly. It is important that the examiner understands what you're trying to write clearly.
SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper Application Writing
An application letter can be written for a plethora of formal and informal purposes. In the exam, you'll be asked to write a formal application letter. It is generally written to a legal authority asking them to either consider you for a certain position or to allow you to take a leave of absence, etc. In the SSC CGL Tier 3 descriptive paper you might be asked to write an application on the following topics:
- Applying for a loan
- Application letter to the Dean of the University
- Job Application Letter
- Application Letter for a transfer
- Application Letter for business purposes
- Application for changing your address
- Application Letter to a Newspaper Correspondent
- Application Letter for Job
- Application to take a leave of absence
SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper Application Writing Format
It is important to know the correct format of the letter in order to score high marks in the SSC CGL Tier 3 descriptive paper 2022. The latest standard format for writing an application for the SSC CGL Tier 3 descriptive paper is as follows:
- Designation of the Addressee
- Address of the Addressee
- Date of writing the application
- Application subject - Elucidate the purpose of writing the application in a few lines.
- Salutation or Greeting
- Introduction - Straight away explain to whom you're writing the application and what is the purpose of writing the application. Ensure that you have a clear cut explanation for contacting the designated person.
- Body - Explain in detail the issue at hand.
- Conclusion - Restate the reason you're writing the application and thank the reader for taking out time to review it.
- Name of the sender.
- Designation of the sender.
SSC CGL Tier 3 Letter Writing
You can be asked to write either a formal or an informal letter in the examination. That being said, the chances of a formal letter are higher.
Types of Letters
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Formal Letter
|
- Write a letter to:
- The Editor
- The Director
- The Manager
- The Collector
|
Informal Letter
|
- Write a letter to:
- Family friends
- Immediate family members
- Relatives
|
SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper Letter Writing Format
The candidates need to follow the below-stated letter structure in the SSC CGL Tier III examination to score higher marks.
- Address of the sender - Add all your contact details including your email address, residential address, etc.
- Date of writing the letter
- Designation of the Addressee
- Letter subject
- Salutation - Respected Sir/Ma’am
- Introduction - Mention to whom you're writing the letter and your reason for writing it. Also, state the issue at hand in one or two lines.
- Body - Elucidate the details of the issue in clear and crisp sentences.
- Conclusion - Reiterate your purpose in writing the letter and thank the reviewer for taking the time to read it.
- Salutation
- Sender’s Name
- Sender’s Designation
SSC CGL Tier 3 Letter Writing Tips
Letter writing is a crucial part of the SSC CGL Tier III descriptive paper. The following tips and tricks will make it easier for you to write a perfect formal letter in a limited time frame. Take a look!
- Don't steer away from the subject and try to state the reason for writing the letter in the first paragraph itself.
- Use a formal tone throughout the letter.
- Proofreading your letter once you're done writing it is necessary. This practice helps you to eliminate any grammatical or spelling mistakes you might’ve made while writing
- Make sure that you stick to the format while writing the letter. Using appropriate format makes your presentation better in front of the examiner.
SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper Précis Writing
Précis writing is a technical writing piece wherein you're required to summarize a given passage in your own words. The word limit for précis writing in English is 90 words and in Hindi is 100 words. A précis writing requires you to collect important points in the given passage and write it within 100 words.
- A précis is a miniature form of a given passage.
- It includes all the essential points stated in the passage.
- You must add your perspective about the passage in the précis.
- While writing a précis it is important to retain the original voice of the author.
SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper Précis Writing Tips
Précis writing is an untouched territory for many students preparing for the SSC CGL exam. To help you boost your confidence in précis writing, take a look at the following tips and tricks:
- The précis should be concluded within 90 words or less if you're writing in English and within 100 words if writing in Hindi. It should technically be one-third of the length of the original passage.
- Ensure that the central idea of the passage remains the same in your précis.
- Your précis should be finalized in one paragraph.
- Try to retain the keywords of the passage in your précis.
SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper Preparation Tips
The SSC CGL Tier III descriptive paper tests your writing skills. To score better in the descriptive paper, make sure that you practice as much as you can. Since you have limited time to think about the topic and write in the exam, it is important to work on your creativity. Take a look at the following SSC CGL tips and tricks to ace your examination:
- Newspaper Reading: To improve your vocabulary and improve your knowledge about the subjects of national and international importance, you must take out at least 45 minutes daily to read the newspaper. Students usually prefer to read The Hindu or The Indian Express.
- Topics: Make sure that you cover the following topics at least once before your examination:
- Social issues
- The economic state of the country
- Indian and World Politics
- Environment
- Science and Technology
- Latest Government Schemes
- Time Management: Since you’ll only get one hour to write the examination, please divide the time accordingly. Devote around 15 minutes for précis writing, 15 minutes for letter writing, and the remaining 30 minutes for essay writing.
- Try to attempt the essay first because planning and structuring take some time.
- Presentation: Maintaining a proper format in the essay, letter, and précis is essential. Take a look at the individual formats above and ensure you stick to them in the exam.
- Proofread all your writing pieces before the final submission to avoid any grammatical and spelling mistakes.
- Since the time allotted for the exam is only one hour, make sure that you maintain a steady writing speed throughout the exam and write neatly.
SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam Analysis
The candidate who are appearing for the SSC CGL Exam will have to appear for the Tier 1 exam. The tier 1 exam consists of the English language, quantitative aptitude and reasoning section. The difficulty level of this exam after analysis of all the shifts came out to be between ea and moderate. The candidates found the English section to be the easiest whereas the reasoning section was comparatively difficult. The candidates can check the SSC CGL Tier 1 Exam Analysis Here.
SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam Analysis
The SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam is undertaken by candidates who qualify the cut off for tier 1 exam. The SSC CGL Tier 2 exam was of moderate difficulty. English and Quantitative Aptitude are compulsory sections whereas Financial General awareness and statistics are for certain posts only. The compulsory section was easy. The general awareness section was of a moderate difficulty. The candidates can check the detailed SSC CGL Tier 2 Exam Analysis here.
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SSC CGL Tier 3 Descriptive Paper Previous Year Exam Analysis and Questions Asked
In the SSC CGL Tier III 2017 examination held on 8th July 2018 at 11 am two questions were asked from the Letter & Essay writing sections. 60 minutes were given to the candidates to solve the entire paper. As per our analysis of the question paper, the difficulty level of the examination was moderate.
SSC CGL Tier III 2017 Exam Analysis
|
Section
|
Question
|
Word Limit
|
Marks
|
Essay Writing
|
How far Demonatization has achieved its objective?
|
200-250 words
|
50
|
Letter Writing
|
Assuming that you are Rajan/Rajani and have been selected as the Marketing Manager in a Public Enterprise and have to join immediately. Write a letter to your senior to extend the date of joining.
|
150-200 words
|
50
|
Similarly, the SSC CGL Tier III 2016 examination was held on 19th March 2017. It followed a similar exam pattern consisting of one question each from Essay and Letter writing. The difficulty level of the examination was easy to moderate.
SSC CGL Tier-III 2016 Exam Analysis
|
Section
|
Question
|
Word Limit
|
Marks
|
Essay Writing
|
In the event of earthquake, for your safety what you should do and what should you not do?
|
200-250 words
|
50
|
Letter Writing
|
Assuming that you are Suresh/Seema, write a letter to your younger brother Naresh, highlighting the distinct benefits and shortcomings of Computer Based Recruitment test, and what will be the future shortfall of it.
|
100-150 words
|
50
|
Point to be noted:
- No choice of any sort was given to the candidates in either of the previous year examinations. However, sometimes the candidates may be asked to pick one out of the two topics given by the examiner.
- A 12 pages long answer sheet will be given to candidates. Each page will consist of 14 rows and 4 columns.
- It is expected that the candidates strictly adhere to the word limit in the examination. That being said, a relaxation of up to 10% is given by the examiner.
- The examination in both 2017 and 2016 started at 11 am and ended at 12 pm.
We hope that this article will help you resolve all your doubts regarding the SSC CGL Tier III examination. To boost your preparation for the upcoming SSC CGL and other government exams download the Testbook app from the play store. You'll find exam-curated live coaching, books, and test series all in one place! All the best for your upcoming exams and we hope you crack it with flying colors!