The uproar in Parliament over the UPSC’s decision to add weightage to English language proficiency in Civil Services mains exams has kept everyone, from the aspirants to the central agency, guessing.
A UPSC member said the changes were aimed at making the exams more penetrative and relevant to the times. If the changes take effect, it will be for the first time in decades that the examinees will have to choose only one optional subject, substantially reducing the burden on them.
Any change in the syllabus or pattern of the exams, which are taken by an estimated three lakh applicants every year, is done only after research. The new system, which was notified on March 5, has been put in abeyance after MPs cutting across party lines objected to the changes. The UPSC is clueless whether their objection is only to the mandatory English paper or the whole new pattern. “At any rate the whole schedule and syllabus will now have to be reconsidered,” said the UPSC official.
The new pattern had added an English paper of 100 marks besides the 200 mark English Essay paper. The two General Studies papers of 300 marks each have been split into four of 250 marks each. The existing pattern of two optional subjects and four papers of 300 marks each was changed to one optional subject and two papers of 500 marks.
Originally, the main focus was on optional papers with 1200 out of 2300 marks. The General Studies totalled 600/2300 while the interview carried 300 marks.
The new pattern has substantially tilted the pattern of exams in favour of General Studies making it 1000/2075, while the optional paper was reduced to 500/2075 and the interview to 275/2075.
The General Studies papers would now include areas like disaster management, technology, economic development, bio- diversity, environment, security and ethics. “It is more in keeping with the times but at the moment I can’t say what changes would stay,” the official said.