The English language is the language of international communication which is important for socializing, entertainment, and work. It is also important for students as it broadens their minds, develops emotional skills, and improves the quality of life by offering job opportunities. This article discusses techniques for scoring better in the English language and literature exam for Class 9. Try out the CBSE Class 9 English Language & Literature Sample Paper 1 for getting a better idea about the exam.
There are two-term exams. The total score is assessed based on the exam and internal assessment. The exam consists of a reading section for 10 marks, a writing and grammar section for 10 marks, literature for 20, and an internal assessment for 10 adding up to a total of 50.
Reading section-
The reading section has questions based on unseen passages that aim to assess inference, evaluation, vocabulary, analysis, and interpretation. The unseen passages provided is either a discursive passage (a passage where the writer rambles from topic to topic) for about 400-450 words, or a case-based factual passage (visual input, statistical data, or chart is described for 200-250 words)
There are several solutions on how to get better in your comprehension skills but none of them includes panicking. There are going to be complex words and taking time to understand every word is time-consuming. Instead, eliminate the words or phrases that are not useful. Try to focus on the keywords instead and draw a summary of them. There are two methods on how to solve these passages. Either read the passage first, read questions and then read the passage again to find answers or read the questions first and then try to find the answers from the passage by reading it once and focusing on the keywords. Strengthen your vocabulary by reading stories, comics, textbooks, newspapers, or even English shows. Aim at learning a certain amount of words every day and you’ll notice a difference rapidly. Do mental math quickly to understand how many questions you have to solve in the paper to reach your goal. Another important thing in comprehending the passage better is to not wander off while reading something uninteresting. If that does happen, go back to the beginning of the passage and ensure that you are truly focused. Ask your brain to stay focused until the end of the passage.
Improve your reading speed by reading novels frequently, and try to understand the meaning of a word in the passage from the given sentence. If you need more practice, solve passages from different fields of knowledge (eg: science, arts, politics). And don’t try to conclude from the passage if nothing is given. Stick with the knowledge that’s provided in the passage.
Writing section-
The writing section asks for writing a descriptive paragraph and/or a short story where the beginning line, outline, and cues are provided. The syllabus includes writing a descriptive paragraph (on a person or diary writing) and/or a short story that is based on the beginning line, outline, cues, etc.
Although there’s nothing that works for everyone, here are some tips on improving your writing style to score more marks. Good writing is clear and concise, and so loses all the filler words that are simply taking up space and weighing the sentence down. Choose words wisely as there are different words to convey the same idea. Some recommend using familiar vocabulary instead of super fancy words as it would make the job of the reader easier. Use active words and read a few pieces by famous authors to draw inspiration.
Grammar section-
The grammar section asks questions based on tenses, modals, subject-verb concord, determiner, reported speech, commands and requests, statements, and questions. Grammar can be confusing and complicated but it can be mastered easily by reading. Reading frequently reinforces correct grammar in your mind. Especially if you read out a sentence aloud with the right tone, it becomes a whole lot easier to understand if the sentence has followed the right grammar rules. Reading also makes it second nature to find out grammatical errors. If it is difficult to understand grammar, get a grammar manual that will help you obtain answers faster while practising and you will remember the rules in the long run. Spend some time reviewing the basic grammar to strengthen your foundation and google common grammatical errors people tend to make. Practice is also the key to becoming better at grammar. DO grammar exercises every day if it’s something that you struggle with.
Literature section-
This section aims at assessing interpretation, inference, extrapolation beyond text and across the texts. The term-1 syllabus includes ‘The Lost Child’, ‘The Adventures of Toto’, ‘In the Kingdom of Fools’, ‘The Happy Prince’ from Moments, Beehive has prose and poems. The prose includes ‘The Fun They Had’, ‘The Sound of Music ‘, ‘The Little Girl’, ‘A Truly Beautiful Mind’, and ‘My Childhood’. The poems include ‘The Road Not Taken, ‘Wind’, ‘Rain on the Roof’, ‘A Legend of the Northland’.
The term-2 syllabus includes ‘Weathering the Storm in Ersama’, ‘The Last Leaf’, ‘A House is not a Home’, ‘The Beggar’ from Moments. The Beehive consists of 4 prose and 3 poems. The proses include ‘Packing’, ‘Reach for the Top’, ‘The Bond of Love’, and ‘If I were You’. The poems include ‘No Men are Foreign’, ‘On killing a tree, and ‘The Snake Trying’.
Because the literature section accounts for 20 marks, focusing on this section is important. Thorough yourself with all the poems, proses, etc by reading them over and over. Try to catch the essence of the poems and what they truly mean by paying attention to class. If it gets too confusing, refer to online resources like YouTube where they explain the whole lesson in an easy-to-understand way.
Lastly, the exam can be unpredictable (questions might be lengthy, tricky, etc), but try to solve a few previous year papers to get better at time management and to prepare yourself for anything that is yet to come.
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