English Precis & Composition - CSS 2026 Solved Paper

Every section of the paper, with the reasoning shown

This solved paper from CSS With A CSP works through the CSS 2026 English Précis and Composition paper in the order it was set, from the synonyms and antonyms to the Urdu translation. Each answer comes with the reasoning behind it, so you learn the method as well as the answer.

The opening pages explain what each part of the paper tests and where answers commonly go wrong. Two examples are a précis that runs past its word limit and a comprehension answer that copies sentences from the passage.

What is inside

• Advice on the précis, comprehension and composition questions, including what to do about a misprint in the paper.
• Answers to all twenty synonym and antonym MCQs, each with a one-line explanation of the word.
• The précis passage as printed, a model précis of ninety-eight words with its title, and an explanation of what was cut and why.
• Answers to the five comprehension questions on a passage from a French short story.
• Five corrected sentences, each with the grammar rule behind it.
• The punctuation passage restored, five preposition answers and five word pairs used in sentences.
• A model English translation of the Urdu passage, with notes on how its idioms and formal tone were carried into English.

Learn the technique behind each answer

The explanations are where most of the learning happens. The précis note shows how the passage's kings, priests and military leaders are reduced to a single phrase, while its chain of cause and effect is kept.

Each correction names its rule, such as keeping both sides of a comparison in the same form or changing the tense in reported speech. The translation notes show how a fixed Urdu phrase is carried into English as a whole rather than word by word.

Where the paper offers a choice, the pack also explains which items it attempted and why: sentences with one clear mistake rather than several, and word pairs that let a sentence show the meaning.

Attempt, compare and revise each section

Attempt each question before you open its solution. The précis and comprehension passages are reproduced in the pack; for the translation you will need the Urdu passage from the question paper.

1. Count the words in the précis passage, set your target and write a draft with a title.
2. Compare it with the model précis: list the ideas you kept, the examples you cut and whether your title states the argument.
3. Check each comprehension answer against every part of the question, and against the pack's advice to write three or four sentences in your own words.
4. For the grammar questions, write down the rule you are applying before you check the answer. If you cannot name it, revise that rule.
5. Keep a short list of the words, rules and idioms you missed, and go over it before your next practice paper.

Who it helps most

Candidates preparing the compulsory English Précis and Composition paper who want to see a complete, reasoned attempt at a recent paper. It helps most if your précis tends to run long or lose the argument, or if you are unsure how much to write in the comprehension and grammar questions.