Compulsory Language Paper in UPSC - Exemption from the Compulsory Paper of UPSC Mains

There are nine subjective papers in the civil services examination’s second stage which is Mains examination. Out of the nine papers in the Mains exam, the first paper is known as ‘Paper A’ and is the compulsory Indian language paper. This paper is compulsory for all candidates except for those hailing from the north-eastern states of India. Read more about Paper A of the IAS Exam Mains in this article.

Paper A in UPSC

Paper A is only a qualifying paper and the marks obtained in it are not counted for the merit ranking for the IAS mains exam. You have to score at least 25% marks in this paper to qualify. That is, out of a total of 300, the minimum qualifying score is 75 marks.

Qualifying marks for UPSC language paper: 75/300

List of Indian Languages for IAS Compulsory Language Paper

1. Assamese
2. Bengali
3. Gujarati
4. Hindi
5. Kannada
6. Kashmiri
7. Konkani
8. Malayalam
9. Manipuri
10. Marathi
11. Nepali
12. Odia
13. Punjabi
14. Sanskrit
15. Sindhi (Devanagari or Arabic script)
16. Tamil
17. Telugu
18. Urdu
19. Bodo
20. Dogri
21. Maithili
22. Santhali (Devanagari or Olchiki script)

Exemption from Indian Language Paper in UPSC

Candidates hailing from the north-eastern states of Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland are exempt from taking the compulsory Indian language paper. In order to avail this exemption, qualified candidates should upload the scanned copy of a document supporting their status of hailing from these states, when they submit their Detailed Application Form (DAF) for the UPSC Mains.

This certificate is to be issued by the same authorities that provide the certificates showing OBC/SC/ST status, i.e., District Officer/Sub-divisional Officer/any other officer as authorised by the government to issue such certificates of the district in which the candidates’ parents reside. In case of candidates whose parents are deceased, the concerned officer of the district in which the candidate lives will be applicable.

Form of the certificate:

“This is to certify that Shri/Shrimati/Kumari* ............... son/daughter* of
Shri................ Village/Town*............. in District/Division * ................
.............................hails from * Arunachal Pradesh/ Manipur/ Meghalaya/
Mizoram/ Nagaland/ Sikkim.

Date.................... Signature..............................

Place................... Designation.........................

(Seal of Office)

*Please delete the words which are not applicable.

* *Strike off the names of States not applicable.

Also, See:

UPSC Preparation: