IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims Important Tips: Check how to prepare for English Language
IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims English Langauge Important Tips: The Institute of Banking Personnel Selection (IBPS) is conducting the IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims on December 12th, 18th, and 19th, 2021. The IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims includes three sections English Language, Reasoning Ability, and Numerical Ability. The English Language is one of the scoring sections of the IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims that tests the basic grammar & language skills in English. In this article, candidates can read the top 7 tips on how to prepare for the English Language for IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims, check important topics, weightage, expected number of questions, and the number of questions asked in Reasoning Ability in the IBPS Clerk 2020. The IBPS Clerk 2021 exam will be held in two phases - Online Preliminary and Online Mains. Candidates who have applied for the IBPS Clerk Recruitment 2021 need to appear for the IBPS Clerk Prelims and Mains Exams to get shortlisted for the Provisional Allotment. The IBPS Clerk 2021 Mains exams will be held in January 2022/February 2022 (Tentative) for the recruitment of 7,858 vacancies of clerks in Public Sector Banks.
| IBPS CLERK 2021 RELATED LINKS |
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| IBPS Clerk Prelims Memory Based Question Paper 2021: Download English PDF with Answer Keys |
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IBPS Clerk 2021: Important Dates
| Event |
Date |
| Prelims Admit Card Release Date |
November 26, 2021 |
| IBPS Clerk Prelims Exam Date |
12th, 18th, 19th December 2021 |
| Prelims Result |
December 2021/January 2022 (Tentative) |
IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims: Exam Pattern
Prelims Exam: In IBPS Clerk Prelims 2021, candidates will be asked Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) from three sections- English Language, Numerical Ability & Reasoning Ability. There is a sectional timing for each section. The exam will be conducted online. Have a look at the exam pattern of the IBPS Clerk Prelims:
| Subject |
Total Questions |
Marks |
Duration |
Medium of Exam |
| English Language |
30 |
30 |
20 minutes |
English |
| Numerical Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
As per State applied for |
| Reasoning Ability |
35 |
35 |
20 minutes |
As per State applied for |
| Total |
100 Questions |
100 Marks |
1 Hour |
|
Marking Scheme: In the IBPS Clerk Prelims 2021 Exam, 100 MCQs will be asked. Each question will be of 1 mark. There would be a penalty for the wrong answer marked by the candidate. Every wrong answer will deduct 0.25 marks.
IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims English Language Syllabus
| Topics |
Topics |
| Reading Comprehensions |
Grammar/ Tenses Rules |
| Cloze Test (Fill in the blanks) |
Antonyms & Synonyms |
| Idioms & Phrases |
Phrase Replacement/ Sentence Correction |
| Error Detection |
Para Jumbles/ Sentence Rearrangement |
| One Word Substitution |
Active & Passive Voice |
| Sentence Connectors |
Vocabulary |
IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims English Language Important Topics
| Important English LanguageTopics | Expected Number of Questions in IBPS Clerk Prelims 2021 |
| Reading Comprehension | 10 -15 |
| Cloze Test | 5 - 10 |
| Error Detection | 3 - 5 |
| Spell Correction/Phrase Replacement | 3 - 5 |
| Fill in the Blanks | 3 -5 |
| Vocabulary | 3 - 5 |
IBPS Clerk Prelims English Language: Number of Questions asked in 2020
| IBPS Clerk Exam (12th Dec 2020) Topics |
No. of MCQs | Difficulty Level |
| Reading Comprehensions |
8 | Easy-Moderate |
| Cloze Test | 6 | Easy |
| Error Detection | 6 | Easy |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 5 | Easy |
| Fill in the Blanks | 5 | Easy |
| Total Questions | 35 | Easy to Moderate |
| IBPS Clerk Exam (5th Dec 2020) Topic |
No. of MCQs | Difficulty Level |
| Reading Comprehensions |
7 | Easy-Moderate |
| Cloze Test | 5 | Easy |
| Error Detection | 5 | Easy |
| Sentence Rearrangement | 3 | Easy |
| Word Swap | 5 | Easy |
| Phrase Correction | 5 | Easy |
| Total Questions | 35 | Easy-Moderate |
| IBPS Clerk 2021 Important Links |
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| IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims Last-Minute Tips: Check Best 7 Preparation Strategies |
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Top 7 Tips: How to prepare for English Language in IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims
The English Language section in the IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims is an important section that carries 30 marks. Candidates will be asked 30 Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs) from the English Language. There is a sectional timing of 20 minutes. The English Language section in IBPS Clerk is based on grammar and vocabulary to test the basic skills of the candidates in the English language. The questions usually are tricky but if a candidate has a good command of the language and expansive reading habits, they can score really high in the English Language section in the IBPS Clerk exam. Candidates who appeared in the IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims exam on 12th December 2021 shared their feedback that the overall difficulty level of the English Language questions was ‘Easy to Moderate‘ and they were able to make 21 to 24 good attempts. The remaining candidates are advised to follow these top 7 tips below:
(i) Understand the syllabus, important topics, exam pattern, exam analysis, expected number of questions
One should understand the entire syllabus, important topics, exam pattern, exam analysis, the expected number of questions, cut-off to prepare a study plan for the English Language section in the IBPS Clerk 2021 Prelims. Go through previous years’ questions to understand the kind of questions and their difficulty level. Refer to sources of reading comprehension. Usually, the passages are taken from business newspapers on banking and economy themes. Mark your strong and weak areas while studying the syllabus. Keep sufficient time in your study plan for revision and mock tests.
(ii) Regularly solve at least 20 English Language questions and 3 to 5 Reading Comprehensions
Solve at least 10 questions each from Grammar and Vocabulary topics to improve your memory, concepts, and learn new words. Attempt 3 to 5 Reading Comprehensions to develop a strategy while reading and answering the questions related to the passages. This will help in increasing your ability to spot keywords, phrases, and find the right answers to the questions. The maximum number of questions come from Reading Comprehension, hence practice a lot.
(iii) English Language Topic-wise preparation tips and strategies
Reading Comprehension tops the list of the important topics in the IBPS Clerk English Language section. In grammar, important topics are error-spotting, active & passive voice, idioms & phrases, sentence rearrangement, direct & indirect speech, fill in the blanks (verb, article, preposition, etc). In vocabulary, important topics are synonyms & antonyms, cloze test, fill in the blanks, idioms & phrases, one-word substitution, spell correction, etc.
(iv) Reading newspapers, magazines, and English books for expanding language skills
Reading comprehensions come from newspapers, magazines, books related to business, banking, economy, current affairs, etc. Reading is a must to score high in the English Language in the IBPS Clerk exam. Comprehensions are either theme-based or conclusion-based. Make a habit of reading at least 2 – 4 papers for 30 minutes every day. Sit with a dictionary to study new words found while reading. This will help you with vocabulary questions a lot.
(v) Practice English Language quizzes, mock test papers, previous years’ papers
Practice is the key to scoring high in the English Language in the IBPS Clerk 2021. The mock tests, quizzes, previous years’ papers give an assessment of your strong and weak areas, overall performance, current score average, and speed at solving questions. Solve as many grammar exercises from Wren and Martin as possible. Sit with a timer always to adapt to the real-time exam settings.
(vi) Quick tips to solve important topic-wise questions in English Language
Quick tips to solve: Fill in the Blanks (use the elimination method to choose the correct option), Cloze Test (find the logical relation between all options while eliminating options), Para Jumbles (find the first sentence and concluding sentences to connect the fitting sequence), Sentence Correction (assess the grammar of the original sentence and eliminate options that grammatically incorrect), Spotting Error (spot the subject-verb agreement, read each individual part to spot further error), Reading Comprehension (solve antonym & synonym first, never use any knowledge outside the passage, grasp what the author is trying to say, spot keywords, phrases in notes sections).
(vii) Attempt what you know correctly to avoid negative marking
Remember, there will be a negative marking for each wrong answer. 1/4th or 0.25 of the marks assigned to a question will be deducted to arrive at a final score. If a question is left blank, no marks will be deducted. Candidates are advised to attempt questions only what they are sure of to avoid penalty. The IBPS Clerk exams are qualifying in nature for candidates to reach the Mains. Attempt the paper wisely and calmly as one will not have the option to go back to a question in a computer-based exam once the allotted time is over.
Wish you the best!