Descriptive English (letter writing and essay)
Descriptive English is a written paper - typically one formal letter and one essay, together worth around 30 marks - with roughly 30 minutes for both. It is marked on structure, relevance to the insurance and financial context, grammar and legibility, so a clean skeleton beats an ambitious argument.
Letter rules
- Format: sender's address, date, receiver's designation and address, subject line, salutation (Dear Sir/Madam), three-paragraph body, Yours faithfully.
- Register: formal, no contractions, no rhetorical questions, no exclamation marks.
- Paragraph 1 states the purpose and the policy or reference details; paragraph 2 gives the facts in chronological order; paragraph 3 states the specific action sought, with a reasonable deadline.
- Recurring types: complaint about claim rejection or delay, request for premium refund or policy revival, letter to the editor on insurance penetration, application to a branch manager.
Essay rules
- Around 250 words in four or five paragraphs: context, two body paragraphs carrying data or examples, a counterpoint, then a conclusion with a recommendation.
- Anchor with concrete Indian facts: insurance penetration near 4% of GDP, the life and non-life split, IRDAI's Insurance for All by 2047 goal, PMFBY and Ayushman Bharat, insurtech and Bima Sugam.
- One idea per paragraph; replace slogans with evidence.
Worked example
Topic: Should motor third-party premiums be regulated? Paragraph 1 - statutory mandate under the Motor Vehicles Act and the social purpose of compulsory cover. Paragraph 2 - case for regulation: protection for accident victims, uniform tariff. Paragraph 3 - case against: loss-making portfolios, cross-subsidy, insurer solvency strain. Paragraph 4 - recommendation: a calibrated tariff review with a solvency cushion and faster claim settlement.
Traps
Omitting the subject line; writing 400 words for a 250-word essay so the conclusion is lost; and choosing a topic you cannot support with two facts.