IB ACIO Tier 2 Preparation Tips - How to Prepare for IB ACIO Descriptive Exam

IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam Pattern 2023

IB ACIO selection process comprises 3 stages, stage 1 is computer-based exam which is objective in nature and the second stage exam is a descriptive paper. Those who qualify for the first two stages are eligible for the third and the last stage, i.e., the interview round. Check out the table given below

Medium of IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam

The IB ACIO Tier 2 exam is an important stage in the selection process for aspiring candidates. The medium of the exam plays a crucial role as it determines the language in which candidates can attempt the paper, allowing them to showcase their comprehension and analytical skills effectively. Unlike SSC exams, IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam is conducted in the English Language only.

IB ACIO Tier 2 Descriptive Syllabus 

IB ACIO syllabus for tier 2 can be categorized into three sections:

• Essays on General Topics, Current Social Issues, Internal Security, Environment based/Climate Change
• Précis writing
• English Comprehension

Let us understand each section in detail in our next segment. 

IB ACIO Tier 2 Expected Topics

Here is a list of expected essay topics for IB ACIO Tier 2 Descriptive Paper 2023. Students can practice essay on these topics. 

• Indian Education System: Producing rote learners or innovators?
• Global Climate Change: Changing the Earth in a negative way
• Education without values makes a man cleaver devil
• Environmental Pollution: Making the planet unhealthy for living
• Sustainable Development: Relevance in Today’s World
• Technology cannot replace manpower
• Genetically Modified Crops: Boon or Bane?
• Problems of Indian Agriculture and its role in Indian Economy
• Planning in India: From Independence till now
• Make in India: Big Boost to industry and employment
• Crime against women is on rise in India
• The problem of unemployment in India
• Women empowerment: Can change the face of India
• Illiteracy: A bane to Society
• Poverty in India: Can we ever able to eradicate it?

How to Prepare for IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam?

In the IB ACIO Grade 2 Exam, Tier 2 accounts for 50 marks out of 250 marks. There are mainly 3 sections in the IB ACIO Tier 2 question paper, they are:

1. Essay Writing 
2. English Comprehension
3. Precis Writing

The table below mentions the detailed pattern of IB ACIO Tier 2

IB ACIO Descriptive Paper: Essay Writing

Essay writing weighs 30 out of 50 marks in IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam. Candidates are given choices of 3-4 essay topics. They expected to write an essay on any one topic of their choice in 400 words. These topics are related to important social events, current affairs events or Environmental Issues.

How to Write a Good Essay?

Writing a good essay is an art. There are the six most important elements which make an essay a good essay. Let us learn these aspects one by one to maximize our score in IB ACIO Tier 2 Exam. 

• Word Limit: While writing an essay in the exam, try to write it in the word limit prescribed in the question. For IB ACIO, the word limit is 400 words. Candidates are awarded negative marks for exceeding the word limit. 
• Clean Copy: It is vital to write the essay in simple handwriting. The reader should be able to read the essay easily and not get confused. Also, students should keep their copies clean and with fewer errors. 
• Use of quotation: Using famous quotations or saying of important personalities and leaders would get you good brownie points. These quotations can be used at the start of the introduction or in the conclusion. The use of quotations makes an essay more interesting. 
• Idiom/Vocabulary: Using good words and idioms helps writers express their thoughts more lucidly. It shows the language skills and gets you extra points.
• Format: An ideal essay is always written in a proper format. The format of an essay is "Introduction- Body - Conclusion". 
  • Introduction: An introduction of an essay must be interesting that can catch readers' attention and prompt them to read the whole essay. Candidates can start the introduction with some quotation, saying, or some famous expression. An introduction should give an overview of a topic and introduce the topic. It should not be in too much detail. 
  • Body: This is the main segment of the essay, wherein all the aspects of a particular topic should be covered. 
  • Conclusion: The conclusion should be written in a positive tone. In this segment, a writer can conclude the whole topic. 
• Grammatical error: The main purpose of the IB ACIO Tier 2 descriptive paper is to check the language skills of aspirants. It is very important that there should not be any grammatical mistakes in the essay. Make sure that the sentences are following the subject-verb agreement and following the grammar rules. In addition to that, take care of spelling mistakes and proper punctuation too. The last 5 minutes of the exam should be devoted to proofreading. 

Essay Topics from the Previous Years Question Paper of IB ACIO Tier 2

IB ACIO TIER-2 Essay topics can be categorized into the following 4 sections based on the essay topics in the previous years' question papers. 

• General Topic
• Current Social Issues
• Internal Security 
• Environment based/Climate Change

The table below mentions the essay topics (along with the year of question paper) from the previous years' papers of IB ACIO Tier 2:

Things to keep in mind while writing Essay 

• Make sure you are writing the essay in an unbiased manner. Do not write your own opinion or judgment on any particular topic
• While writing an essay on current political events, try to escape from writing any political instigated expression or over-criticizing any group or authority
• While making an argument, support the statement with proper facts or study from an authorized source/institution
• Try to use more positive words in your essay
• Aim at covering all the aspects of the topic

IB ACIO Tier 2 Précis Writing

Précis writing is nothing but summarizing the passage. In this type of question, candidates are given a long passage and are supposed to summarize the passage. Though précis writing holds only 10 marks, one must not take this section for granted. Précis writing sounds easy in the first state, but it is not that easy. It is just not summarizing the topic. There are proper rules for précis writing which most of the aspirants remain clueless and tend to lose marks in the final exam. 
Let us learn some important aspects of précis writing:

• One-Third of the Passage: While summarizing a passage, one must know the ratio in which passage needs to be summarized. An idea Précis must be one-third of the original passage. It should not be too small or too much lengthy. 
• Use of Indirect Speech: While writing a Précis, indirect speech should be preferred. 
• Concise and Well Connected: While attempting Précis writing, One must aim at writing a Précis that is brief but informative at the same time. Thoughts should be expressed clearly and giving the gist of the main idea of the passage. One more important aspect is Précis should be well connected while jumping to the next point of the passage.  
• No personal interpretation or opinions: Personal opinions and interpretation should not be added. Précis should represent every idea that has been given in the passage. Nothing should be added, which is not mentioned in the given passage. 
• Grammatical accurate: As Tier 2 checks the language skill of an individual, make sure that the summarised passage is grammatically correct and there are no errors of tenses, voices or speech. Grammatical accuracy would help in clearly conveying the thoughts without creating any confusion. 
• No point should be missed: Précis should contain every important idea that is given in the passage. While writing précis, ensure that no aspect of the passage is left. Sometimes, to write a small summary, candidates end up leaving an important idea and mention some irrelevant details.

Tips for Writing a Good Précis

• Before jumping on to write Précis, do read the passage attentively and understand the passage. 
• In any passage, there is the main idea, and then there are some supporting details. This would help in structuring the summary. 
• Identify the main idea and supporting details. Write the title of the Précis. While choosing the title, make sure the title is the one that concludes every aspect that is being discussed in detail and not just a segment of the passage. 
• Identify the essential and non-essential point of the passage. This would make sure that you mention the details that are worth mentioning without leaving anything important. 
• One can also prepare a rough draft. 
• To make it simpler, aspirants can summarize one paragraph at a point then try to connect points. 
• Try to write the gist in clear and simpler language. Avoid complex language or expression. Also, the use of proverbs, idioms, metaphors etc., should be avoided. 
• To write a concise and brief summary, the one-word substitution would be very beneficial. At the same time, make sure that you are using the correct word. 

IB ACIO Tier 2 English Comprehension

In this segment, aspirants are given a passage to comprehend and based on that passage; candidates are expected to answer 5 questions. There are as such no rules for English comprehension type questions as it totally depends on the analytical abilities of an individual. One can only practice this type of question and improve in it.

Here are a few tips that can be practiced to make solve English Comprehension: 

• Read the passage carefully and thoroughly. 
• For Vocabulary based questions like synonyms, antonyms, the meaning of a word or Idioms, try to read the sentence and find the context in which the given word has been used in the passage.
• Adopt a daily reading habit. One can read any newspaper, magazine or novel. This would help in comprehending better and read faster. 
• Try to learn new words from the newspaper. This would help in all three sections of the Tier 2 paper.

All the Best for the upcoming exams.