Indian Language Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam

UPSC
clearias.com/indian-language-syllabus-civil-services-mains-exam-upsc/

The qualifying paper on Indian Languages will be of Matriculation or equivalent standard.

The marks obtained in this paper will not be counted for ranking. The aim of the paper is
to test the candidates’ ability to read and understand serious discursive prose and to
express his ideas clearly and correctly, in the English and Indian Language concerned.
The minimum marks needed is 30%. (UPSC says, the papers on Essay, General Studies
and Optional Subject of only such candidates will be taken cognizance who attain 30%
marks in Indian Language and 25% marks in English as minimum qualifying standards in
these qualifying papers.)

Table of Contents

Qualifying Indian Language Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam

Indian Languages and Scripts Allowed by UPSC for Civil Services Exam
Additional Links:

Qualifying Indian Language Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam

The pattern of questions in the qualifying Indian Language Paper would be broad as
follows:

(i) Comprehension of given passages.

(ii) Precis Writing

(iii) Usage and Vocabulary.

(iv) Short Essay

(v) Translation from English to the Indian language and vice‐versa.

Indian Languages and Scripts Allowed by UPSC for Civil Services Exam
For the Language medium/ literature of languages, the scripts to be used by the
candidates will be as under:—

 Language                              Script

1. Assamese                             Assamese
2. Bengali                                  Bengali
3. Gujarati                                 Gujarati
4. Hindi                                     Devanagari
5. Kannada                                Kannada
6. Kashmiri                                Persian
7. Konkani                                 Devanagari
8. Malayalam                            Malayalam

1/2
 9. Manipuri                               Bengali
10. Marathi                                 Devanagari
11. Nepali                                   Devanagari
12. Oriya                                     Oriya
13. Punjabi                                 Gurumukhi
14. Sanskrit                                 Devanagari
15. Sindhi                                   Devanagari or Arabic
16. Tamil                                    Tamil
17. Telugu                                  Telugu
18. Urdu                                     Persian
19. Bodo                                    Devanagari
20. Dogri                                     Devanagari
21. Maithilli                                 Devanagari
22. Santhali                                 Devanagari or Olchiki

Note: For the Santhali language, the question paper will be printed in Devanagari script;
but candidates will be free to answer either in Devanagari script or in Olchiki.

Note: Paper A will not be compulsory for candidates hailing from the States of
Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, and Sikkim.

2/2