Introduction
Two of the highest-scoring, most predictable items in the English Language section of BCS, Bank, and IT-officer exams are Reading Comprehension (answering questions on an unseen passage) and Precis Writing (compressing a passage to about one-third its length without losing its core meaning). Neither tests memory — both test skill. That is good news: a candidate who learns a repeatable method can score close to full marks on these, even under time pressure, because the answers are all inside the passage in front of you. This lesson builds both skills from first principles and gives you a fixed, exam-ready procedure for each.
Learning objectives
- Understand what reading comprehension and precis writing actually measure.
- Read a passage actively and locate answers fast using a systematic method.
- Distinguish literal, inferential, vocabulary, tone, and main-idea question types and answer each correctly.
- Write a precis that is exactly the right length, in your own words, in reported speech and third person, with a suitable title.
- Avoid the standard traps that cost candidates easy marks.
- Self-check your work against a rubric.