Note Making: Format &Samples

Be it class 12 History or class 11 Political Science, making effective notes of vast subjects is very important for revision purposes. Apart from collating information pertinent to a multitude of subjects, note making questions also form an integral part of class 12 English syllabus or other such boards and exams. In such questions, which are somewhat tricky, a passage of 2-3 paragraphs is given which needs to be converted in the form of notes. At the outset, while it may seem demanding, the following are a few that steps can help you prepare efficiently and score well in the exams.

What is Note Making in English Grammar?

Note making is a process of creating a record of important details from sources such as passages, paragraphs etc. The source can also be written documents or oral communication. Note making means recording the essence of information that is crucial.

How to Start Note Making?

Give a Quick Read

One needs to understand the importance of reading before commencing the note making task. It is important to give a quick look over the passage to get a sense of the information, its tone, ideological inclination, etc. Moreover, it helps you in knowing the main idea of the passage as well as the author’s aim of writing. However, as this is intended to develop a preliminary understanding of the passage, you must read at one stroke and leave the critical or knotty sections for when you begin your intensive reading. This should not take more than 3-5 minutes.

Intensive Read

After you are done with your quick reading session, you can now start reading attentively and carefully. As you have already gone through the passage once and are attuned to its main idea, reading the passage carefully now assists you in developing a clear grasp of the facts, opinions, arguments, and counter-arguments mentioned by the author. 

• Furthermore, many passages contain a huge amount of information which you have put into categories of relevant, somewhat relevant or irrelevant. Doing this, in turn, will help you in better note making and preparation. 
• You must also remember that there may be sections or opinions that you may not agree with. You should not let any such information have an impact on the notes you prepare in any way or manner. During this phase, skipping any sentence or phrase is not advisable even if you feel it is not pertinent.

Word Limit

Typically, for note making questions, the word limit you must adhere to is 50-100 words. However, as per specific question patterns, the permitted word limit may change.

Note Making Format

Note making is an art. Be it for article writing, jotting down ideas for an essay on environment, story writing, or for competitive exams, you need to have an outline so as to avoid missing any important detail. Here is a rough format you can follow to solve note making questions for exams: 

• Heading/Title– This is the starting section of your note which must convey the central idea of the passage. Various sub-headings and points hereon elaborate on this heading. It must be short, clear and crisp. 
• Subheadings, Points, and Sub-points– Subheadings are fundamental components of a passage which further contain important information that needs to be delineated into points and subpoints. 
• Abbreviations and Symbols– In order to shorten long words, it is common and permitted to use abbreviations while note making. However, make use of abbreviative forms judiciously and remember to provide a key at the end of your note, listing all the full forms. Common symbols like  ‘&, @,#, %, etc are also permitted.

Note Making Examples

After getting familiar with the basic details regarding note making, let us go through a sample to understand how one can answer such questions and score well in the exam:

Points to Remember for Note Making

Now that you are well aware of the specifics of the note making process, go through the following tips and tricks, mistakes generally committed and how to avoid them: 

• Use thesis statement: A thesis statement encapsulates the sense of the whole idea into a single and brief sentence. It can act as a road map that tells the reader about what he/she can expect while reading the included points. Write as many thesis statements as you can while preparing as this will aid you in getting the hang of writing in a short, succinct and brief manner.
• Revise at least Once: As note making requires you to trim down information, revising at least once after you have prepared your notes is vital. You may have missed relevant data pertaining to the passage.
• Use Active Voice: While preparing notes, make use of sentences only in active voice and do not use passive voice along with ‘had’, ‘have’, etc.
• Do not cross Word Limit: Note making is a play of words and crossing the word limit may result in the imposition of a penalty. 
• Be Choosy: Make use of only the most relevant information and do away with whatever is already implied.

Whether you are preparing for your school or any competitive exams, note making skills can help you write better answers. If the question of what to study after 12 also bothers you then take the assistance of Leverage Edu’s psychometric test which, after gauging through your profile, will collate a list of suitable courses that align with your interest and goals