By: Mahnoor Warrich
CSS & PMS: The best English teachers in Pakistan
CSS essay has become a dilemma for over a decade, now for almost every aspirant. The recent CSS 2020 result has shown it clearly that CSS has been carved out as a business. As you enter the fish market, you see hawkers bidding you their seafood at different rates for its quality, so has the CSS coaching been taking over all the social media platforms. The lust of money, accompanied by the access of technology, has made rank and file for their self-proclamation of CSS guides and mentors. Each year, more than twenty thousand competitive aspirants apply for the civil services exam (CSS) in Pakistan. Out of fourteen to fifteen thousand applicants, who appear in the exam, nearly 2 per cent of them qualify for the written part. This 2 per cent comprises of 250 to 350 aspirants who walk towards civil services academy (CSA). Do you know why only 2 per cent of them satiate their desire? The answer is English essay & precis papers, known by everybody but focused by a few.
What to speak of others, I, myself, being a newbie to CSS arena was successfully trapped by heavily advertised academies and CSPs’ coaching through social media, especially through Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. Entered to one of the best academies, got nothing, and yet to my hopefulness, I started switching an institute to another and a CSP to another finding that ray of light in the dark. Even after months of taking coaching classes, cramming Wren & Martin, memorizing hundreds of vocabulary words, and listening to every Tom, Dick, and Harry, who qualified by luck, I remained unable to give my thoughts words. If you are also experiencing the same, it means you also have wasted your time, money, and energy in the same way that thousands of competitive aspirants are, still, doing – and did – including me.
Continuous struggle, hard work, and faith in the Almighty Allah leads one towards one’s destination. So, after wasting a year and consulting a lot of seniors – who have qualified the CSS exam and don’t ask for money for guidance and providing tips and tricks – I come to know that the CSS exam is all about English expression. The more the explicit opinion, the more the chances to make through. As it is rightly said by Sir Syed Kazim Ali, “The CSS exam, in Pakistan, revolves around four things: knowledge, English expression, vocabulary, and opinions, not on knowledge alone. The exam is an amalgamation (mixture) of nerves, knowledge, qualifications, age, and experience. The winner is one who handles the exam pressure, and puts one’s general thoughts explicitly on the given topic by using one’s knowledge and experience.” Today, I am about to throw some light on some of the essential points – which are prerequisite for thousands who want to learn the art of writing and give their thoughts words in a way that could help them crack CSS and PMS exams.
Importance of Grammar:
The grammatical errors do affect CSS result. All academies and most of the mentors, who advertise themselves, tell aspirants that grammatical mistakes are of no importance. Moreover, they ask you to cram high-frequency words list, such as GRE, GAT, GMAT, etc.; on the other hand, the examiners always discourage complicated and fancy words, spelling errors, and grammatical mistakes. They expect aspirants to write their thoughts grammatically correct in simple language, which even a novice can understand. Specially to crack CSS essays, the most important part is writing practice and continuous evaluation from a mentor who can correct you, unless all errors vanish. No matter how many books and how hard you have studied, if you remain unable to write a well-balanced and grammatically correct outline, introduction, body, and conclusion, then, all of your hard work is all futile. To have a command over basic and intermediate grammar, you need not a qualifier or an academy rather you need an expert, experienced, and adept English language teacher.
Importance of thoughts and language
The truth is, the English language plays a pivotal role in success in the CSS exam – indeed, in life – because it is the language that helps transport your thoughts to the examiners. Every competitive aspirant possesses the knowledge, facts, information, and – even – analytical ability, but, still, they fail whenever it comes to express their thoughts on the given topic, whether orally or through writing. CSS and PMS exams are based upon expression rather than knowledge only. Without a decent command over the English language, aspirants will not be able to do justice to them and their ideas they possess regarding the given topics. Always keep the fact in mind, knowledge without language command cannot help you, as it did not help thousands of aspirants in CE-20. Hence, learning the art of writing thoughts can only be achieved through experienced English language teachers rather than newly qualified CSPs and mercenary academies.
Importance of Vocabulary in CSS and PMS Exams
The critical importance of vocabulary is no more a secrete to any competitive aspirant across Pakistan. On a more rational note, appropriate use of vocabulary in essay writing is a stepping stone to success, not high-frequency vocabulary words, which are, even, taught and portrayed by every Tom, Dick, and Harry the passport to becoming a civil servant. It is a competitive exam that requires you to make the job (read) of an examiner easier. Never let your examiner baffle with your vocabulary words because he is not your uncle who sits with a dictionary in hands. Difficult words and inappropriate use of them not only award you lesser marks but also deter the chances of your success. If the examiners do not understand the context twice or thrice, they, only, award you marks between 0 – 20 and throw away your paper. Whereas, appropriate but candid vocabulary makes your write-ups easier for an examiner and fetches you a higher score.
Cramming sentences from books & newspapers leads you towards total failure:
A good written expression, which can only be achieved by learning sentence structure and grammar from basic to the advanced level, helps aspirants communicate their opinion, viewpoint, and judgement in a better way. A man with a lot of knowledge and information but with a scant written expression does not persuade examiners. Most of the Pakistani students have been taught and forced to cram words, sentences, and paragraphs from the books, newspapers, and journals. On the contrary, while writing an essay, students either forget them or don’t find them appropriate enough to include them in essays. Therefore, the point should be focused that the crammed stuff can never be yours, you can reproduce them, only, but cannot mould them according to the necessities. So, learning grammar from basic to the advanced level, practising sentence structures, tenses, voices, conditionals, and writing paragraphs by considering all of its types can help you express your viewpoints coherently.
Who are CSS English Essay and Precis papers setters and checkers?
Last but not least, the CSS and PMS English Essay and precis papers setters and checkers are not bureaucrats. They are PhD professors in any of the top-ranked government universities. 99% of competitive aspirants are kept unaware of this fact so that they continue joining CSPs and academies for their English papers coaching. Since 2017, everybody who qualifies CSS becomes a CSS guru and start the mental and financial exploitation of thousands of competitive aspirants. That is why the result of CSS and PMS has been declining from 4% in 2018 to 2% in 2020. In Pakistan, there are a few bureaucrats with degrees in English literature and linguistic who could be joined for coaching. Still, a great number of students who qualify don’t recommend joining any of them.
The CSS and the PMS exams in Pakistan are not that tough nuts to crack. They, just, require a little bit of awareness – not the coaching, especially for English essay and precis papers – from the qualifiers, and a good English language coach to presenting thoughts coherently in the exams. In Pakistan, there are very few English language teachers who are experienced enough and know how to take their students to the level they aspire. I am going to introduce the best English teachers for CSS and PMS in Pakistan because finding the right teacher means being closer to your destination.
Sir Muzaffar Bukhari:
First of all I would like to introduce Sir Muzafar Bukhari. When I was sick of buying books, cramming sentences, and listening to inept and so-called mentors, he was the first person who told me that writing like a journalist requires grammar skills from the basic to an advanced level. He is one of the most experienced English language mentors. if you are seeking a coach who can work on your basic level of English skills. He has made his name in the CSS teaching fraternity ever since he has started teaching. He has taught 100s of students and, is still teaching. A real definition of teacher seems to be his biography who delves in deep into the concept and makes the idea efficiently absorbed into one’s mind. Grammar has been his skill, so does he transfer into his students. It shouldn’t be misconceived with the grammar you know, and the grammar that is required for CSS. So, if you lag basic concepts, you can join him. He can teach you all the basics that an aspirant should know before learning writing his thoughts.
He is Lahore-based and can be contacted via the given number: 03344010754.
Sir Syed Kazim Ali
Sir Syed Kazim Ali, without any doubt, is the best English language teacher in Pakistan. He doesn’t require any introduction. If you know basic English grammar and want to give your thoughts words the way you wish to, Sir Syed Kazim Ali is the only option available for any English language learners. Whether you are a competitive aspirant or a professional blogger, journalist, or writer, he is the only man who knows how to impart communication skills into his students. He is the only Pakistani English language teacher who has won global recognition in the field of English language coaching. He has successfully taught thousands of successful students. Above all, he is the very teacher in Pakistan who teaches online and is best for every passionate, competitive aspirant.
To conclude, the best English teacher known to me, and every competitive aspirant I know is none other than Sir Syed Kazim Ali. Although I have been to Sir Muzafar Bukhari, the way Sir Syed Kazim Ali helped me write my thoughts explicitly was marvellous. From revising you, the basics of a sentence to turning you to a top-notch writer is his mastery. Writing is the primary skill that you need to owe before sitting in for attempting the exam. As I described earlier that knowing how to write makes your little knowledge go a long way. Sir Syed Kazim Ali is the only non-traditional teacher, I came across, who teaches students according to their needs. Unlike other CSS teachers, he teaches aspirants what he feels they need to strengthen and overcome their writing errors. His class has undefined time but limited to the pace of every student’s learning. If you attend any of his lectures, it stimulates your excitement to attend his next lesson. No matter if you live in icy glaciers of Siberia, or under a hot desert of Thar, if you have internet access, Sir Syed Kazim Ali is there for you. Unlike other teachers, he has specific rules, and only those remain who comply with them. He is extremely strict when it comes to studies, assesses you regularly, keeps an eye on you. As compared to all local English language teachers, he is a little expensive in terms of class charges.
Conclusively, everyone tells you about tips and tricks, but no one will ever tell you about the right teachers who can help you manifest your fate in your favour through their consistent efforts and hard work. Working hard is good, but finding the effective and relevant teacher is nothing, but a gift.
About Author Mahnoor Warrich
Mahnoor is a young, enthusiastic writer covering issues pertaining to social evils as well encouraging youth towards development by sharing her extensive experience and sound analysis through her writings.