If you are beginning your PFRDA Grade A Precis Writing preparation, the first few attempts can feel confusing. You read a long passage, understand most of it, but then face the difficult question:
What should I keep, what should I remove, and how should I rewrite it?
This is exactly where beginners often struggle.
Precis Writing is not simply about shortening a passage. It requires you to understand the author’s central message, identify essential ideas, eliminate unnecessary details, paraphrase accurately and reconstruct the passage in a concise and coherent form.
The good news is that Precis Writing is a learnable skill.
At Bank Whizz, we recommend beginners follow a fixed process initially:
READ → UNDERSTAND → IDENTIFY → FILTER → ORGANISE → PARAPHRASE → COMPRESS → TITLE → REVIEW
Once this process becomes natural, you can handle even unfamiliar passages with greater confidence.
What Is Precis Writing?
A précis is a short, accurate and coherent version of a longer passage.
Imagine that someone gives you a long article and asks:
“Tell me the essential message without losing anything important.”
That is essentially what Precis Writing requires.
However, three things must happen simultaneously:
The passage becomes shorter.
The important ideas remain.
The author’s original meaning does not change.
This third condition is particularly important.
A précis is not your opinion about the passage. You are representing the author’s argument accurately.
Why Do Beginners Find Precis Writing Difficult?
Most beginners make one of two mistakes.
The first group retains too much information. They remove a few sentences but essentially reproduce most of the passage.
The second group compresses too aggressively and removes important arguments.
The real skill lies between these extremes:
Remove what is unnecessary without removing what is essential.
That ability develops through systematic practice.
Let’s learn the process step by step.
Step 1: READ – Read the Entire Passage
Do not start writing after reading the first paragraph.
Your first job is simply to understand the passage.
During your first reading, ask:
What is this passage broadly about?
Suppose a passage discusses Artificial Intelligence, automation, productivity, changing employment patterns and reskilling.
The broad subject is:
Artificial Intelligence and Employment
That’s enough for the first reading.
Do not immediately worry about the title or final précis.
First understand the territory.
Step 2: UNDERSTAND – Find the Author’s Message
Now read more carefully.
Ask a deeper question:
What is the author actually saying about the subject?
This distinction is crucial.
The subject might be Artificial Intelligence.
But the central message might be:
AI can improve productivity and create new opportunities, but workers need reskilling to adapt to changing employment patterns.
That central message should become the backbone of your précis.
If you misunderstand it, the entire answer can move in the wrong direction.
Step 3: IDENTIFY – Find the Essential Points
During the next reading, identify the major ideas supporting the central message.
For example:
Central Idea: Technology is transforming employment.
Major Point 1: Automation can replace certain routine tasks.
Major Point 2: Technology can also create new opportunities.
Major Point 3: Future jobs may require different skills.
Major Point 4: Education and reskilling are therefore important.
You now have the essential skeleton of the passage.
Do not write the final précis yet.
Step 4: FILTER – Remove What Is Not Essential
This is where real compression begins.
A passage may contain:
- Examples
- Illustrations
- Repetition
- Anecdotes
- Detailed explanations
- Minor facts
- Decorative descriptions
Ask one simple question:
“If I remove this, will the central meaning remain complete?”
If yes, it may not need to appear in your précis.
Suppose the author provides examples of five professions affected by automation.
You usually do not need to reproduce all five.
You can compress them into:
Automation is transforming several traditional occupations.
One sentence can preserve the underlying idea behind several examples.
Step 5: ORGANISE – Create a Mini Outline
Before writing, arrange the essential points logically.
For example:
Technological Advancement
↓
Greater Productivity
↓
Automation of Routine Work
↓
Changing Employment Requirements
↓
Need for Reskilling
This mini outline prevents you from producing disconnected sentences.
It also makes the final writing considerably easier because you already know what comes next.
Step 6: PARAPHRASE – Write in Your Own Words
Beginners often think Precis Writing means selecting important sentences from the passage and copying them.
Avoid this.
You should express the essential meaning in your own language wherever possible.
Original Sentence
The rapid expansion of digital financial services has considerably improved the ability of individuals in geographically remote locations to access formal financial products.
Possible Paraphrase
Digital finance has improved access to formal financial services in remote areas.
Notice that the meaning remains intact, but the sentence becomes much shorter.
That is effective paraphrasing.
Do not mechanically replace every word with a synonym. Natural English is more important than unusual vocabulary.
Step 7: COMPRESS – Say More with Fewer Words
Now examine every sentence.
Can you make it shorter without losing meaning?
Consider:
Financial literacy enables individuals to understand different financial products and allows them to make better decisions regarding their savings, investments, insurance and borrowing.
This can become:
Financial literacy enables informed decisions on savings, investment, insurance and credit.
The essential idea remains.
This is the heart of Precis Writing:
Maximum Essential Meaning + Minimum Necessary Words
However, don’t become obsessed with making every sentence extremely short.
Clarity must remain intact.
Step 8: TITLE – Choose a Suitable Title
If the question asks for a title, choose one that represents the central idea of the entire passage.
Suppose the passage discusses:
- Growth of digital banking
- Better accessibility
- Cybersecurity concerns
- Consumer awareness
A weak title might be:
“Banking”
It is too broad.
A better title might be:
“Digital Banking: Opportunities and Risks”
Your title should generally be:
Short + Relevant + Representative
A useful trick is to decide the final title after writing your précis. By then, the central idea should be completely clear.
Step 9: REVIEW – Check Before Submission
Never submit immediately after typing the final sentence.
Use the last few minutes to review four areas.
Meaning
Have you preserved the author’s central argument?
Content
Have you accidentally removed an important point?
Language
Check grammar, spelling, punctuation and sentence construction.
Length
Ensure that your response follows the length required by the question.
The official PFRDA Phase II material available for preparation has included an illustrative Precis task requiring a passage to be condensed to approximately 150 words with a suitable title. Always follow the exact instruction given in your actual examination.
A Simple Precis Example for Beginners
Consider this short passage:
Financial literacy helps people understand financial products and make informed decisions. Without sufficient knowledge, individuals may borrow excessively, select unsuitable investments or become vulnerable to fraud. The growth of digital finance has made financial awareness even more important because consumers must also understand online risks. Improving financial literacy can therefore strengthen both financial inclusion and household financial security.
Step 1: Central Idea
Financial literacy is essential for safe and informed financial participation.
Step 2: Essential Points
- Better financial decisions
- Protection from poor choices and fraud
- Growing importance due to digital finance
- Supports inclusion and financial security
Step 3: Possible Precis
Title: Importance of Financial Literacy
Financial literacy enables individuals to make informed financial decisions and protects them from unsuitable choices and fraud. Its importance has increased with digital finance, which requires greater awareness of online financial risks. Strengthening financial literacy can consequently promote meaningful financial inclusion and improve household financial security.
Notice that the précis preserves the essential message without reproducing every sentence.
Common Beginner Mistakes
Avoid these errors:
Copying the passage instead of paraphrasing.
Adding your opinion about the issue.
Removing important arguments just to reduce the word count.
Retaining every example from the original passage.
Changing the author’s viewpoint.
Writing disconnected sentences.
Using difficult synonyms unnecessarily.
Ignoring the title when one is required.
Ignoring the prescribed length.
Most importantly, do not treat Precis Writing as a vocabulary test.
Your first priority is understanding.
How Should a Beginner Practise?
Do not start with extremely complicated passages under strict examination timing.
Progress gradually.
Stage 1: Central Idea Practice
Read passages and write only their central idea.
Stage 2: Filtering Practice
Separate essential points from examples and repetition.
Stage 3: Paraphrasing Practice
Rewrite individual sentences concisely.
Stage 4: Complete Precis
Combine all these skills and write full answers.
Stage 5: Timed Practice
Once your technique improves, introduce examination-style time pressure.
Stage 6: Evaluation and Correction
Get your précis evaluated and identify recurring weaknesses.
Then rewrite.
The improvement cycle should be:
Attempt → Evaluate → Identify Errors → Correct → Rewrite → Attempt Again
Final Strategy for PFRDA Grade A Precis Writing
If you are a beginner, don’t try to produce a perfect précis on Day 1.
First learn to understand.
Then learn to identify.
Then learn to filter.
Then learn to paraphrase.
Finally, learn to compress.
Remember the complete Bank Whizz method:
READ → UNDERSTAND → IDENTIFY → FILTER → ORGANISE → PARAPHRASE → COMPRESS → TITLE → REVIEW
With regular practice, these nine separate steps gradually become one natural writing process.
For PFRDA Grade A Precis Writing, your goal is not merely to make a long passage short.
Your goal is to make it short without making it incomplete, inaccurate or disconnected.
At Bank Whizz, we believe that is the difference between ordinary summarisation and effective Precis Writing.
Understand first. Compress second. Review always.
Bank Whizz – Descriptive English मतलब Bank Whizz.