Compulsory Subject 2 ; English (Precis and Composition)

CSS English (Precis & Composition) tests practical English language skills for official communication. It’s a 100-mark paper with 20% MCQs, focusing on summarization, comprehension, and grammar usage.

Paper Pattern (100 Marks, 3 Hours)

Section	Marks	Description
I. Precis Writing	20	Summarize passage to 1/3 length (15 marks) + title (5 marks) ​
II. Reading Comprehension	20	Passage + 5 questions (4 marks each) ​
III. Grammar & Vocabulary	20	Tenses, prepositions, phrasal verbs, synonyms/antonyms ​
IV. Sentence Correction	10	Fix 10 sentences (grammar/punctuation flaws) ​
V. Grouping of Words	10	Pair 20 words by similarity/opposites ​
VI. Pairs of Words	10	Explain/use 5 confused word pairs in sentences ​
VII. Translation	10	10 Urdu sentences to English ​

MCQs: ~20 marks from Grammar/Vocabulary sections.

Core Skills Tested

• Precis: Capture essence without details (logical compression)
• Comprehension: Identify main ideas, inferences, tone
• Grammar: Active/passive, conditionals, reported speech
• Vocabulary: Idioms, collocations, word families
• Translation: Idiomatic Urdu → formal English

Scoring Benchmarks

• Pass: 40/100
• Good: 55-65 (precis 14+, comprehension perfect)
• Topper: 70+ (flawless grammar + elegant precis)

8-Week Preparation Plan

1. Weeks 1-2: Grammar rules (Wren & Martin) + 50 Precis (Dogar book)
2. Weeks 3-4: Past papers 2016-2025 + Translation practice
3. Weeks 5-6: Vocabulary (500 words) + Grouping/Pairs daily
4. Weeks 7-8: 2 full papers/week + mentor marking

Essential Resources

text**Books (Must-Have)**
1. "Precis & Composition" - Prof. Ferozuddin
2. "Exploring the World of English" - Saadat Ali Shah
3. "English Grammar in Use" - Raymond Murphy
4. JWT Precis/Composition magazines (2018-2025)

**Practice**
- FPSC Past Papers (fpsc.gov.pk)
- CSS Forums Precis solutions
- Dawn newspaper editorials (Precis practice)

High-Score Precis Technique (15/15)

1. Read 3x: 1st overall, 2nd identify main ideas, 3rd details
2. Count words: Original ÷ 3 = target length
3. Single sentence per idea: No examples, no quotes
4. Neutral title: 4-7 words, no articles
5. Third person: Replace “I/we/you” with “the author/government”

Example Title: “Government Initiatives” ✓ | “The Govt Does This” ✗

Common Mistakes (Cost 20-30 Marks)

• Precis >1/3 length → 8/15 max
• Translation literal → loses idioms
• Grammar: Subject-verb disagreement
• Vocabulary: Over-ambitious wrong words
• Illegible handwriting → examiner skips

Here is English (Precis and Composition) (100 marks) Book