Vocabulary & Grammar Hacks for IBPS PO Descriptive English
The descriptive paper for IBPS PO (Essay + Comprehension) carries 25 marks and must be completed in 30 minutes.
In this brief time, vocabulary and grammar become your best allies to express ideas clearly, accurately, and impactfully. In this post, I share targeted hacks to sharpen your vocabulary usage and minimize grammar slips under exam pressure.
Why Focus on Vocabulary & Grammar?
- The evaluation is automated (for many exams), meaning grammar, spelling, coherence, relevancy, and word count all matter.
- Strong vocabulary helps you avoid repetition, express nuance, and sound more polished.
- Grammar mistakes (especially common ones) are easily flagged and detract from the quality of writing.
- When vocabulary and grammar are under control, you free “mental bandwidth” to focus on content, structure, and flow.
Vocabulary Hacks
Here are some strategies to build and use vocabulary smartly — not just learn words, but use them.
| Hack | What You Do | Why It Helps |
|---|---|---|
| Root + Affix Awareness | Learn 10–15 common Latin/Greek roots (e.g. bene, port, struct, tract) and common prefixes/suffixes | Helps in guessing meaning of unfamiliar words, expanding your active vocabulary |
| Thematic Word Lists | Maintain small lists for core themes: banking, economy, environment, technology, governance | In many essays/comprehensions, you’ll get topics from these domains; having ready vocabulary around them helps |
| Phrase Banks (Chunks) | Instead of single words, collect useful short phrases / collocations (e.g. in light of, in view of, in contrast to, be cognizant of, sustainable growth) | These help you sound natural and connect ideas more smoothly |
| “Learn + Use Immediately” | When you learn 2-3 new words daily, force yourself to use them in your own sentences (or in your mock essays) | Active usage ensures retention; passive recognition isn’t enough |
| Synonym Ladder | For each new word, note 2–3 synonyms and contexts where each one is better | Gives flexibility so you don’t overuse a single word |
| Daily Micro-Recall | At day’s end, mentally recall all new words you encountered (or write them down) | Strengthens memory and helps avoid forgetting them |
Caution: Don’t stretch for “big words” if they don’t fit. Simplicity + correctness is better than forced complexity.
Grammar Hacks & Shortcuts
Grammar is often the trickiest part under time pressure. These hacks help reduce errors and build the habit of self-checking.
- Pattern Recognition over Rules
Rather than cramming every grammar rule, train yourself to spot common error patterns:- Subject-verb disagreement
- Misplaced / dangling modifiers
- Article misuse (a / an / the / zero article)
- Preposition errors
- Tense inconsistency
- Faulty parallelism
- Redundancy / wordiness
- Chunk / Clause Proofreading
While proofreading, don’t read word by word. Read phrase by phrase or clause by clause and check if each chunk is grammatically coherent.
Example chunk: “Given the current volatility in global markets,” — check Given clause, volatility usage, in global markets etc. - Template Structures (with Placeholders)
Practice a few sentence templates that you can “plug in” your ideas. For example: “In view of [issue], it is imperative to [action]. While [counterpoint] merits attention, [your view] remains more consequential because [reason / benefit].” With a few such templates internalized, your cognitive load in exam reduces. - Tense Planning (Mental Timeline Map)
Before writing, map out which time-frames you’ll refer to (past / present / future). Decide which tense dominates each paragraph to avoid sudden shifts. - One-Scan Subject-Verb Check
After finishing a paragraph, quickly scan for subject–verb pairs and verify agreement (singular vs plural). This often catches errors that slip through. - Error Log + Periodic Revision
Maintain your personal “grammar slip notebook” — every mistake you commit in practice gets noted, corrected, and briefly reviewed before your next writing session.
Putting It All Together: Execution in Exam
Here’s a mini “playbook” combining vocabulary + grammar hacks in the exam context:
- First 2 minutes – Planning & Word-Choice Brainstorm
- Decide which essay topic to attempt.
- Quickly jot down 2–3 key terms / phrases from your thematic vocabulary list.
- Sketch a micro outline (intro, 2–3 pillars / arguments, conclusion).
- Writing Phase
- Use your phrase banks (connectors, transition phrases) to link ideas.
- Reuse your template sentences or clauses with content inserted.
- Stay within ~250 words (or what’s prescribed).
- Avoid stray ideas; stick to theme.
- Last 2–3 minutes – Proofreading / Cleanup
- Read in chunks / clauses.
- Use the one-scan subject–verb check.
- Watch for common patterns you tend to err in (check your error log).
- Remove redundant phrases or filler sentences.
- Confirm you haven’t violated word limit drastically.
- Time Division
- Allocate about 15–18 minutes for essay and 10–12 minutes for comprehension. (Adjust slightly depending on length and comfort)
- Leave 2–3 minutes for final proofreading.
Sample Mini-Paragraph (Vocabulary + Grammar in Action)
“In view of the burgeoning digital economy, banks must recalibrate their operations to integrate robust cybersecurity frameworks. While critics contend that such integration raises operational costs, I maintain that long-term risk mitigation and customer trust justify the investment. Indeed, prudent governance and phased rollout can help ameliorate transition challenges.”
In the snippet above:
- Phrases: In view of, robust cybersecurity frameworks, long-term risk mitigation
- Vocabulary: recalibrate, robust, ameliorate
- Balanced structure, parallelism, appropriate connectors, no glaring grammar errors