In this article you will see SIDBI Assistant Manager Grade A Essay writing tips, Letter writing template and tips.
Dear SIDBI Aspirants
We hope that your preparation for SIDBI examination is going great. The English Language and drafting ability test of SIDBI consists of one Essay (35 Marks) and one Business Letter Writing (15 Marks ) totaling 50 marks to be attempted in a duration of 45 minutes.
We will take up tips for Essay and letter writing one by one. Let us start with the Essay.
SIDBI Assistant Manager – Essay Writing Tips
The essay carries 35 marks. Ask any banking aspirant and they will complain about the drudgery of writing descriptive answers. We simply dread writing essays and letters. With most of us getting cold sweats thinking about how to write a 500 words essay and ace the English language section.
Well do not be afraid. Below are the tips, tricks and secret potion which will turn you into an English Wizard.
A good essay is basically keeping in mind the following topics:
- Correct Grammar
- Flow or structure of points
- Minimal knowledge about the topic and
- Decent vocabulary.
SIDBI Essay Writing Tips No. 1: Correct Grammar
Correct grammar doesn’t means perfecting all the rules of English or using a dictionary for the complex words. Rather it means getting the language right. Do not aim for high end words. Keep it simple. The tips below will make your look more professional.
He is looking at the wall.
Here, is looking is the verb. You cannot write are looking because that would become plural tense. You have to maintain a singular tense in the verb because he is singular. Makes sense? Similarly, They are playing a game. Here, you cannot write they is playing. Is playing is singular tense, while they is plural.
She is using her glasses.
They are using their glasses.
He is using his glasses.
This situation is different when Ram is using Radha’s glasses. Then, he is using her glasses.
This is a bit more complicated than the other two.
Simple – Perfect – Continuous: These are the three types of any tense.
Therefore, we have nine tenses. The technique is that whenever past perfect, present perfect or future perfect occurs, then the words had done, are doing, will do will appear.
|Simple Past||I did|
|Past Perfect||I had done|
|Past Continuous||I was doing|
|Past perfect continuous||I had been doing|
|Simple Present||I do|
|Present Perfect||I have done|
|Present Continuous||I am doing|
|Present perfect continuous||I have been doing|
|Simple Future||I will do|
|Future Perfect||I will have done|
|Future Continuous||I will be doing|
|Future Perfect Continuous||I will have been doing|
The above rules will set your grammar straight. Time for Tip# 2.
SIDBI Essay Writing Tips No. 2: Flow/Structure of Points
This is the easiest as well as the most important point for producing a good professional essay which will get you 90%+ marks. The first point is to select the topic. If there are two options, pick up the one you have prior knowledge about (More information about this in Tip #3.)
- Step 1: PointsBefore jumping in to typing whatever thoughts that come to your mind. Spend 3-4 minutes to gather your thoughts and frame at least 4-5 points in your mind. These points will make up the content for the body of the essay.
- Step 2: IntroductionSpend a maximum of 5 minutes for writing the introduction.The first line is what we call the ‘welcome’ line. It is the line which puts the tilak on the head of the person reading the essay. Such a line should begin with stating the problem. For example, if you the question says, write about the pros and cons of media, then your first line will be, The media in the 21st century has pros as well as cons. Once you write the welcome line, you write the ‘history’ line. This line is one line about what the track record of the topic has been, or what the subject has been like over the past few years. For example, you may write, In the past few years, the media in India, especially has grown to be the fourth pillar of democracy, acting as a watchdog over the other three pillars. Makes sense?
Next you write about how the topic has evolved or grown to today. How it exists today, and how it is in the present day. This line will be along the lines of Today, however, the media has been exposed to several corrupt practices and biases, which make the news not very reliable.
After these three lines, you may write another description line or you may give the introduction to the body. For instance, In the following paragraphs, the pros and cons of X topic is discussed.
Limit the introduction to 150-200 words.
- Step 3: BodySpend 3-4 minutes per point, which makes it 15 minutes for the body.Remember the points you noted down in the first three minutes? You will write about them in the body of the essay. The best part of the body is that every point will be like the introduction itself, so you just have to follow a pattern.First you take the first point you thought about, and write the introductory line to it. Such as, the first positive thing about the media is…etc. Once you are done with this introductory line, you continue with how the point began, or the history of the point. Once you finish that, you write two more lines describing the point, and how it is related to the main topic. Then, you write a concluding line to this point such as, therefore, this is how this point directly affects the main point.
Repeat this process with the other three or four points you have and you have 5 paragraphs successfully in your kitty.
- Step 4: ConclusionSpend exactly 5 minutes for the conclusion.This is basically the summary of your essay, and the solution to the problem.In this paragraph, you first mention all the points written in the body and say what relation they have to the topic. For instance, Thus, a, b, c, and d are the pros of the media today, and e, f, g and h are the cons of the media.
The next sentence would be about the solution to the problem that exists. The solution can be of various types. The first type of solution is partial, where you give the solution to the few negatives that you have written in the body. The second type of solution is whole solution, where the topic itself is the problem, for example, air pollution and you give some solutions as to how to curb air pollution.
And finally, the last sentence is the advice. The general statement. You have to end the entire essay with a general statement applicable to the topic, or to majority of the people. This could be like. Hence, we should all make sure to do our best to remain eco-friendly and not expand the hole in the ozone layer anymore. Or, hence, we must all make sure to keep an eye on the kind of news that we are being fed with and not take any news given for its face value.
3. SIDBI Essay Writing Tips No. 3: Minimal Knowledge about the Topic
Don’t worry about not knowing the topic either. If you can think logically, the points will occur to you immediately. If on the other hand, you find it difficult to explain about topics you don’t know enough about, here is a list of topics generally covered in SIDBI Assistant Manager examination.
- Current Affairs – happenings in politics, international affairs, sports, moral or ethical issues, etc.
- Great thought leaders
- Freedom Fighters
- Mahatma Gandhi
- The environment – pollution, conservation, etc.
- Sustainable development
- Rural development
- Banks in the rural areas
- Nuclear weapons
- Virtual Workplace
- Health insurance and wealth
- Education and technology
- Peace and India
- Political relations
- Growth and inflation
- Travel and tourism
- The RBI
- Economic issues
- The internet
If you have four points for these major topics, that is more than sufficient. For preparation, just glance through these topics on the internet and in the newspapers, and you will be thoroughly prepared in no time. Do you want us to post about these topics? Click here to drop us a word, and we will take it up.
4. SIDBI Essay Writing Tips No. 4: Vocabulary
You do not need extraordinary vocabulary in order to write an essay. If you are able to construct a decent sentence, then you are prepared to write an essay. Think of the most grammatically correct, complicated sentence and post it in the comments below, we will review it for you.
There are three main tips to expand your vocabulary:
- Talk in English. All the time. When you are less confident, look it up or ask us the question and you will find the right word to put in to that sentence.
- Take MockBank’s Daily Vocabulary Challenge.
- Read The Hindu, and listen to BBC News. They write and speak amazing English. Write down the words you don’t understand and look it up online or in the dictionary.
- Start writing e-mails with the grammarly app. This will teach you how to write a correct sentence.
5. SIDBI Essay Writing Tips No. 5: Proofread
After getting the above points right, spend exactly 3 minutes to read the essay again. Look for any spelling, punctuation or grammatical error and edit them.
The bottom line is, you can write an essay with the simplest of words possible. You don’t need high funda words. Follow the above tips and you will be so thoroughly prepared to write the essay in the exam.
Practice is the key to writing good essays. Type some pieces of your writing in the comments section below and receive a personalized feedback about it.
SIDBI Business Letter Writing Tips
The business letter will be asked for 15 marks. The rules for writing a formal letter are simple.
- Whatever you write, get to the main point quickly and simply.
- There is no need for lengthy preambles or spending ages to set the scene or explain the background.
The first Step for writing a perfect business letter is to get the template right:
1. Template for SIDBI letter writing
- Sender’s address and telephone number on the top left hand side of the page.
- Date should be below the sender’s address: The date is important when you’re trying to get the person or organization to complete a task in a timely manner.
- Recipient’s name one line beneath the date: Include his or her title (Mr., Mrs., Ms., Miss, Dr. etc). Follow the recipient’s name with his/her job title.
- Salutation. “Dear Sir/Madam” works almost every time, or if you know the name of the person, address them directly with proper salutation like ‘Mr., Mrs, Rev etc.’
- Body of the letter. The body of the letter should have a maximum of three paragraphs.
- In the first paragraph, cut straight to the chase by writing a friendly opening and then stating the reason of the letter.
- In the second paragraph, refer examples to stress your point. Remember, real examples are always preferred than hypothetical examples.
- In the final paragraph, summarize your purpose in writing briefly along with suggestions on how to take it further
- Signing off the letter with the appropriate salutation. Leave space between your salutation and your printed name for a signature, if possible. “Yours sincerely,” “Sincerely,” and “Best,” are all appropriate.
- Add the word ‘Enclosure’ or ‘Attachments’ below your signature block or job title. Only do this if you enclosing other material.
- Proofread your letter. Double check the spelling of names, addresses etc. Make sure your writing is clear and concise. Fix any grammar errors.
Save the above template in your mind and practice writing one letter everyday. You can use the comments section below for writing and reviewing purposes. Keep in mind the following after getting the template right.
2. Identify the main issue and make it the sole focus. If you introduce other points, it will only distract and confuse the intended recipient.
3. Avoid grammatical errors, like incorrectly inserting single apostrophes. The rule of thumb for apostrophes is to restrict their use to possessive (boy’s bat, girl’s book etc) and missing letters in words (You’ve, I’m, etc).
Below are some common mistakes and their corrections as well as justifications:
- the team played it’s part (should be: the team played its part – its, although possessive, is like his, my, hers, theirs, etc., and does not use the possessive apostrophe)
- its been a long day (should be: it’s been a long day – it’s is an abbreviation of it has)
- your correct (should be: you’re correct – you’re is an abbreviation of you are)
- one months notice (should be: one month’s notice – the notice is governed by the month, hence the possessive apostrophe)
- the groups’ task (should be: the group’s task – group is a collective noun and treated as singular not plural)
- the womens’ decisions (should be the women’s decisions – same as above – women is treated as singular, irrespective of the plural decisions)
4. Avoid long sentences. Stick to short sentences. After you are finished drafting your communication, find commas and ‘and’s, and replace with full-stops.
5. Avoid jargon, acronyms, technical terms unless essential.
Remember to not go beyond the specified word limit. Going beyond the word limit results in less marks. Keep the number of words in your letter between 225-275.
6. Proofread your letter/report before submitting it.
7. Take care that the tone of the letter is formal. Avoid any references that may sound funny, disrespectful or intimate.
8. Give 10-15 minutes for letter writing.
If you follow the above tips for letter and essay writing, you will clear the descriptive paper with flying colors. Remember practice regularly for the remaining days to avoid the writer’s block.
Friends, this is it for SIDBI Grade A -Essay, Letter Writing Template & Tips. If you have any questions please ask them in the comments section below. You can also post your essay’s and letter’s for review below. All the best.