In 2016, SSC has brought about a few changes in the examination pattern of CGL TIER 3. It is always a hard shot for SSC to decide the best suitable candidates for the right job. As SSC discontinue interview process from the  selection process and introduced a descriptive paper as TIER III. So you must be getting confuse on new pattern. In this article, we shall try to find out ways in which you can score well in descriptive paper of SSC CGL.

Descriptive paper pattern:

• Duration of Descriptive Paper is 1 Hour only
• The overall weightage of this paper is 100 Marks
• Descriptive Paper is bilingual ie You can choose to write the Paper either in Hindi Or in English.
• You need minimum 33% marks to qualify the Descriptive Paper.

With the introduction of the descriptive paper in CGL, SSC has taken a bold call to strike it hard as per the changing competency standards among the candidates and to enlighten the process somewhat more vibrant and transparent.  Some tips and tricks are going to be provided here about letter writing and how to adept its skills.

Usually, letters are of two types:
            1.Formal letter , and
2.Informal letter

Formal Letter

Formal letters are used for the official uses, business purpose etc . All those letters which are not personal letters comes under this category i.e. formal letters. Formal itself means that something full of formality. See, you don’t need to do this all the time in your writing, but you just need not  to forget that you are writing a formal letter, in which you are targeting some official person, who never wants to be misbehaved, abused in any way. Irrespective of the topic given to you, you always need to maintain the decorum of the format, and the language should be polite enough to convince him/her but there must not be the flattery in your writing. In simple words, anything that compels him/her to take action, that could be possibly considered as informal which need to be avoided. e.g. you can’t threat/abuse/flatter/bribe him/her in anyway.

Following guidelines  for the different types of formal letters.

1. Letters to the editors
   • Always start directly but with relevant news/happenings/developments related to the concerned issue.
   • Portray the proper aspects of the  issue: the basic problem, causes, effects ,efforts and possible action cum solutions.
   • Simply Remember one thing, you writing to an Editor of a leading newspaper, you can’t ask him to solve your problem, just because he is not competent enough, its not his job, he is there to prospectively align your voice towards the concerned department.

• Try to be  as precise cum effective as possible with your fewer words. Avoid telling him full story, use  appropriate and effective keywords to infuse him with the info
  
  2. Letters to the officials:
• Always introduce yourself first and then define the objective of writing.
• Here also,Portray the proper aspects of the  issue: the basic problem, causes, effects ,efforts and possible action cum solutions.
• Briefly explain the effective possible action properly.
• Do not order/abuse them to act, be polite with your request

     3.Business Letters

• Be polite and friendly in writing, even though you wish to complain.
• Be brief , clear and to the point.
• Try to build a healthy bond with your customer and give utmost importance to him/her, this must be in your writing, because business flourish if trust exists.

This type of visionary writing helps you to pull good marks in your letter writing. But there are certain suggestions to write effectively:

• First, make a rough draft of  your letter, include precise and effective points, give it a constructive frame with just essential points, relevant stuffs and required facts.
• This helps you in completing your writing within your time frame. Invest more time in drafting your letter roughly, but once its done, make sure do not indulge yourself in

Format of formal letters

Some basic keypoints to remember to start your letter

1. Keep everything in left side,
2. Use subject before/after salutation, it doesn’t matter; it just a matter of personal choice.
3. Do not write “from” or “To”. Simply start with the sender’s address followed by the receiver’s address with a line in between them.
4. For every following step, leave one separate line.
5. Keep your Subject as short and complete as possible.

Now, your letter’s format must be like this:

• Sender’s address with date
• Receiver’s designation with the address in the following line.
• Date :- 1st Jan, 2017
• SUBJECT:- Precisely in a line.
• Salutation/Greeting
• Body of the letter
• then, a Thanking You note.
• End your letter with subscription ( e.g. Yours truly—-ABC)

Write your letter in 3-4 paragraphs (i.e. body of your letter) , then, this would be more clean and effective.

Paragraphs	What to mention
1st	Your identity and the purpose of writing
2nd	Details of the issue/problem/topic/concern
3rd	Some possible solutions
4th	what you expect from the reader to do

Ending should be like following ways:

1. Letter to Editor:-
   I hope this letter will prove to be an eye opener for the concerned authority and staff that have been sleeping over this matter for months.
2. Letter to the concerned authority regarding a problem
   I hope you will take prompt actions for the redressal of my grievances and will take stern actions against the erring staff.
3. Letter including some kind of business proposal:
   a) Looking forward to getting a positive response from you.
   b) Looking forward to meeting you soon in response to my proposal.

Informal letters

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Informal letters are the ones which we write in a personalized way to a family member, friend, relative or such person with whom we don’t share a professional relationship. However, any person from work with whom you share an informal bond can be addressed through such a letter for the purposes akin. There are not many rules for writing informal letters so we will discuss the format for it in detail.

Now, your letter’s format must be like this:

• Sender’s address with date
• Date :- 1st Jan, 2017
• Informal Salutation/Greetings
• Body of the letter
• End your letter with some sort of personalization

Write your letter in 2-3 paragraphs (i.e. body of your letter) , then, this  would be more clean and effective.

Paragraphs	What to mention
1st	Indirect  Start with the reason of your writing
2nd	Explain the reason and related stuffs
3rd	Make concluding statements along with optimistic ending of personalization

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