IBPS PO Descriptive Writing 2026: Essay and Comprehension, 25 Marks in 30 Minutes

IBPS PO Descriptive Writing 2026: Quick Answer

The IBPS PO Mains descriptive test carries 25 marks in 30 minutes, typed on a computer immediately after the objective test, with two questions in English: one essay and one comprehension passage with questions to answer. The commonly reported split is 15 marks for the essay and 10 for the comprehension. There is no negative marking in the descriptive section. Descriptive answers are evaluated only after the objective-test cut-off, and the marks count in the Mains merit — the Mains total is 225 marks (200 objective + 25 descriptive). Letter writing is not part of this paper: it was dropped in the 2025 cycle (CRP PO/MT-XV) and replaced by comprehension, and the 2026 cycle (CRP PO/MT-XVI) keeps that format — the Mains held on 4 October 2026 set an essay and a comprehension passage, not a letter. Any guide still teaching letter formats for IBPS PO is describing an older cycle.

Read this first (as of 7 November 2026): Three facts matter most. First, word limits on preparation sites are practice ranges only — IBPS publishes no fixed word limit, so follow the limit printed on the question paper. Second, there is no letter: the second task is a comprehension passage with questions to answer in your own words — do not prepare letter formats, and do not copy the passage word for word. Third, do not prepare the SBI PO format: SBI now sets Email, Situation Analysis and Report or Precis for 30 marks, while IBPS sets an essay and a comprehension passage for 25 marks.

What Is New — and What Has Not Changed

The headline: the IBPS descriptive format changed in the 2025 cycle (CRP PO/MT-XV), when letter writing was dropped and replaced by comprehension, and the 2026 cycle (CRP PO/MT-XVI) keeps that format. That is worth stating clearly, because older preparation material still teaches the essay-and-letter format, and the SBI PO change this year has flooded preparation sites with new-format material that does not apply to IBPS either — any page telling you to practise letters, emails, situation analysis or precis for IBPS PO is describing the wrong examination.

So prepare two skills — one essay structure and one comprehension method — practised typed and timed until both are automatic.

IBPS PO Descriptive Pattern 2026 at a Glance

Two features deserve emphasis. The evaluation rule means the descriptive test is not a separate hurdle — but once you clear the objective cut-off, every descriptive mark is a merit mark, and a gap of five or six marks here can decide the interview call. And with no negative marking, a short, structured attempt at both always beats a polished single answer with the other left empty.

IBPS vs SBI PO Descriptive: Do Not Mix Them Up

For candidates preparing for both examinations, this is the most important section: the two formats now look nothing alike. SBI PO changed its descriptive test in 2026 to three tasks — Email Writing, Situation Analysis, and Report Writing or Precis Writing — for 30 marks in 30 minutes, with two options in each task and one to attempt. IBPS PO sets two questions — an essay and a comprehension passage — for 25 marks in 30 minutes. The full SBI position is in SBI PO Descriptive Writing 2026.

The differences are not cosmetic. An essay rewards sustained argument; an email rewards a subject line, a purpose in the first sentence and a sign-off. A comprehension task rewards reading the passage closely and answering in your own words; a situation analysis has no passage and is judged on the decision it reaches. Keep the formats physically separate — one notebook page for IBPS, another for SBI. The Mains totals differ too: 225 for IBPS, 230 for SBI.

The Essay: What Examiners Reward

The essay is worth the larger share of the marks, and it is where most candidates either win or lose the section. The topics reported across sources are economic and social issues, emerging trends in banking, technology, current events, ethics, digital payments and financial inclusion — broad themes: the examiner tests whether you can think clearly about a subject you already know, not whether you have memorised an answer. In the 2026 paper the essay topics reported were online shopping (the difference between the picture and the real product) and metro rail expansion — neither a banking topic, which is itself the lesson: prepare themes, not predicted questions.

The structure that scores can be fixed in advance:

1. Introduction (2–3 sentences). State your position plainly — "Digital banking has connected India; the remaining task is to make that connection trusted and used" is a position; a paragraph that merely repeats the topic is not.
2. Body (2–3 paragraphs). One idea per paragraph, with a reason and a concrete example — a vendor accepting UPI, a subsidy reaching an account directly.
3. Counterpoint (2–3 sentences). Acknowledge the strongest objection and answer it — an essay with no counterpoint reads as one-sided.
4. Conclusion (2–3 sentences). Restate the position and end with the step that follows. Never introduce a new argument here.

Write to the practice range of 230–250 words, the range set in the 2026 paper: below 200 an essay rarely develops an argument; above 300 you are stealing time from the comprehension. The range is practice only — IBPS publishes no fixed word limit, so follow the limit printed on the question paper.

The Comprehension: What Examiners Reward

The comprehension is the more mechanical task, which is good news: its marks are the most predictable, because the method is fixed. You read a passage and answer questions about it in your own words. In the 2026 paper the passage was on the relationship between France and Germany, with four questions carrying 2.5 marks each (4 × 2.5 = 10 marks, the full comprehension share).

The method, in order:

1. Read the questions first. Know what you are looking for before you read the passage — it turns reading into searching.
2. Read the passage once, slowly. Underline (mentally) the sentence that answers each question as you find it.
3. Answer in your own words. A copied sentence is not an answer: the examiner is testing whether you understood the passage, and copying proves only that you can find it. Restate the point briefly and accurately.
4. Answer only what the passage says. Do not add outside knowledge, opinions or facts the passage does not contain — an answer can be grammatically correct yet wrong if it changes the author's meaning.
5. One question, one short answer. Four questions in about nine minutes of writing leaves roughly two minutes per answer. A two-to-three-sentence answer is enough; a paragraph per question is too long.

The marks sit in accuracy, not length. A short answer that captures the passage's meaning outscores a long one that drifts into general knowledge about the topic.

Model Essay: Digital Banking and the Last Mile of Financial Inclusion

Original essay written for this guide. Practice length: about 250 words.

India has built the rails of digital banking faster than almost any other country. A villager can receive a subsidy in her Jan Dhan account and pay at the local shop by QR code — all without visiting a branch. The plumbing works. The question now is whether the last mile works too.

Financial inclusion was never only about opening accounts: a dormant account helps no one. What turns access into inclusion is regular use — wages and subsidies flowing through the account, and help nearby when a transaction fails. A vendor accepting UPI no longer loses sales for want of change, and a migrant worker sending money home on his phone no longer loses a day's wages travelling to a branch.

Yet three gaps remain. First, connectivity and power still fail in remote areas, so one failed transaction can put a first-time user off. Second, digital literacy lags behind access: many account holders can receive money but cannot check a balance or spot fraud. Third, grievance redress is slow — a wrong debit of ₹500 is minor for a bank, a crisis for a household living week to week.

The way forward is not more apps but better hand-holding: banking correspondents and local-language voice support can bridge the literacy gap far better than another English menu. Success should be measured not by accounts opened but by accounts used. Digital banking has connected India; finishing the job means making sure the connection is used, understood and trusted. That is the real test of inclusion.

Why This Essay Scores

The essay opens with a clear position — the plumbing works, the last mile is the question — and argues it in order: what inclusion means, the evidence, the three gaps, the remedy. Each paragraph carries one idea with a concrete example, and the three gaps are numbered for easy following. The counterpoint is woven in, not bolted on. It invents no statistics, cites no scheme by a wrong name, and never drifts into a general essay about technology.

Model Comprehension Practice

Original practice passage and questions written for this guide — not the 4 October 2026 paper. Practise the method: read the questions first, then the passage, then answer in your own words.

Passage. A bank branch is the most expensive way to serve a customer, and the cheapest way is a phone. That single fact explains why banks have spent a decade pushing customers towards mobile banking: every transaction that moves from a branch counter to an app costs the bank less and saves the customer a journey. Yet the branch has not disappeared, because some transactions still need a person — a disputed charge, a loan that needs judgement, a customer who does not trust a screen with her savings. The branch is therefore shrinking into a different role: fewer routine transactions, more advice. The banks that manage this shift well do two things at once. They make the app simple enough for a first-time user, and they keep the branch staffed with people who can solve problems the app cannot. A bank that does only the first loses the customers who need help; a bank that does only the second pays for branches its customers no longer visit.

Questions.

1. Why have banks spent a decade pushing customers towards mobile banking?
2. Why has the branch not disappeared?
3. What are the two things banks that manage the shift well do at once?
4. What happens to a bank that only simplifies its app?

Model answers.

1. Because a phone transaction costs the bank less than a branch transaction and saves the customer a journey.
2. Because some transactions still need a person — disputed charges, loans needing judgement, and customers who do not trust a screen with their savings.
3. They make the app simple enough for a first-time user and keep the branch staffed with people who can solve problems the app cannot.
4. It loses the customers who need help.

Why These Answers Score

Each answer restates the passage's point in the candidate's own words, adds nothing from outside the passage, and stops at two sentences or fewer. The first answer combines both reasons the passage gives (cheaper for the bank, saves the customer a journey); the fourth answers exactly what the passage says, without inventing a consequence it does not state.

The 30-Minute Plan

Thirty minutes for two answers is tight; the plan matters more than writing speed. The suggested split is about 18 minutes on the essay and 12 on the comprehension, with the two minutes of planning at the start counting inside the comprehension's 12.

1. Minutes 0–2: Read both tasks and outline both answers. Read the comprehension questions first, then jot down three essay points. Do not start writing until both outlines exist.
2. Minutes 2–20: Write the essay (18 minutes). Introduction, body paragraphs, counterpoint and conclusion. Stop at the practice range.
3. Minutes 20–29: Answer the comprehension (9 minutes). Read the passage, find each answer, write it in your own words — roughly two minutes per question.
4. Minute 29–30: Read through both answers once. Fix spelling errors and unfinished sentences. Fix only clear errors.

Practise this plan typed, not handwritten: the examination is typed, and candidates who only handwrite practice discover on the day that their typing is slower than their thinking. Two full timed practices teach you more about your pace than ten untimed drafts.

Likely Essay Topics for Practice

These are likely preparation topics, not asked questions. Prepare each as a theme — position, three points, one banking example — and you can write on any variant.

1. Digital payments and the future of cash in India
2. Financial inclusion: from Jan Dhan accounts to active usage
3. The role of banks in rural development and farmers' incomes
4. Artificial intelligence in banking: promise and risks
5. Climate change and green banking
6. Financial literacy and fraud prevention
7. The ethics of lending: bad loans and wilful default
8. Women-led enterprises and access to credit
9. The gig economy and social security for informal workers
10. Cryptocurrency and central bank digital currency
11. Privatisation versus public ownership in banking
12. India's demographic dividend: jobs, skills and education

Likely Comprehension Passage Themes for Practice

The 2026 paper's passage was on the relationship between France and Germany — a general-knowledge theme, not a banking one. Practise on passages of every kind, not just banking: read one editorial a day and answer two questions about it in your own words.

1. International relations and cooperation between countries
2. Technology and its effect on everyday life
3. The environment, climate and sustainable development
4. The economy: inflation, jobs, trade and growth
5. Banking and financial inclusion
6. Education, skills and the changing nature of work
7. Health, public services and social welfare
8. Science, discovery and innovation
9. Urban life: transport, housing and city services
10. Ethics, governance and public accountability

Common Mistakes That Cost Marks

Listed in the order they cost marks — every one avoidable with a fixed template and two timed practices.

1. Preparing the letter format. Practising letter writing for the IBPS paper — the format was dropped in the 2025 cycle.
2. Preparing the SBI format. Practising emails or precis for the IBPS paper.
3. Copying the passage word for word. A copied sentence is not an answer; the examiner tests understanding, not finding.
4. Answering from outside knowledge. Adding facts or opinions the passage does not contain — an answer can be grammatically correct yet wrong if it changes the author's meaning.
5. No position in the essay. Description with no argument and no conclusion.
6. Spending 25 minutes on the essay. A perfect essay and a blank comprehension paper scores less than two good answers.
7. Invented facts and figures. A wrong statistic or misnamed scheme is a factual error, not creativity.
8. Practising by hand only. The examination is typed; handwriting does not build typing speed.
9. No proofreading minute. Spelling errors survive because the last minute was spent writing instead of reading.

Memory Tricks

A small set of mnemonics covers the whole section.

• Essay paragraphs: PEEL. Point, Evidence, Example, Link — one point per paragraph, supported and exemplified.
• Comprehension: R-Q-A. Read the questions first, find the answer in the passage, write it in your own words.
• Marks: 15 + 10 = 25. Mains total: 200 + 25 = 225.
• Time: 18 + 12 = 30. Essay about 18 minutes, comprehension about 12 — essay past 20, stop and move on.
• The contrast: SBI 30, IBPS 25. Three SBI tasks for 30 marks; two IBPS questions for 25.
• The format change: letter out in 2025, comprehension in. If a guide teaches letters for IBPS PO, it is describing an older cycle.

IBPS PO Descriptive Writing 2026 Practice Q&As

How many questions are in the IBPS PO descriptive test?

Two: one essay and one comprehension passage with questions, 25 marks in 30 minutes, typed immediately after the objective test.

What is the marks split between the essay and the comprehension?

The commonly reported split is 15 for the essay and 10 for the comprehension. The notification's pattern table does not specify separate marks for each task.

Is there negative marking in the descriptive section?

No — so attempt both questions even if one answer is short.

Does the descriptive score count for merit?

Yes. Descriptive answers are evaluated only after the objective-test cut-off is cleared, and the marks count in the Mains merit (total 225: 200 objective + 25 descriptive).

Is there an official word limit for the essay?

No. IBPS publishes no fixed word limit; the practice range is 230–250 words, the range set in the 2026 paper. Follow any printed limit.

Can I write the descriptive answers in Hindi?

No — English only.

Is letter writing asked in the IBPS PO descriptive test?

No. Letter writing was dropped in the 2025 cycle (CRP PO/MT-XV) and replaced by comprehension. The 2026 paper set an essay and a comprehension passage.

What was asked in the 2026 descriptive paper?

An essay (topics reported: online shopping — the difference between the picture and the real product — and metro rail expansion) and a comprehension passage on the relationship between France and Germany, with four questions. These are reported from candidate feedback, not the official paper.

Should I attempt the essay or the comprehension first?

The essay first — it carries more marks. Keep to the split: 18 minutes on the essay, 12 on the comprehension.

What happens if I attempt only one of the two questions?

Your score is capped at that question's marks — 15 for the essay alone, 10 for the comprehension alone.

How is the IBPS descriptive test different from SBI PO?

SBI PO changed its descriptive format in 2026 to Email, Situation Analysis and Report or Precis for 30 marks. IBPS sets an essay and a comprehension passage for 25 marks.

IBPS PO Descriptive Writing 2026 FAQs

How many marks is the IBPS PO descriptive paper in 2026?

25 marks: one essay (15 as commonly reported) and one comprehension passage (10), in 30 minutes.

Is the descriptive test qualifying or does it count for merit?

It counts. Descriptive answers are evaluated only after the objective-test cut-off is cleared, and the marks count in the Mains merit (total 225: 200 objective + 25 descriptive).

Is there a word limit for IBPS PO descriptive writing?

IBPS publishes no fixed word limit. Practise to 230–250 words for the essay, the range set in the 2026 paper, but follow any printed limit.

Can I write the descriptive answers in Hindi?

No — English only.

What is the difference between the IBPS and SBI PO descriptive tests in 2026?

SBI PO sets Email, Situation Analysis and Report or Precis for 30 marks; IBPS PO sets an essay and a comprehension passage for 25 marks. Prepare separate templates for each.

Do I have to attempt both the essay and the comprehension?

Yes, in practice: no negative marking, so attempt both — only the essay caps the score at 15, only the comprehension at 10.

How should I divide the 30 minutes?

About 18 minutes on the essay and 12 on the comprehension, with two minutes of planning first and the final minute for proofreading.

Practice Next

• SBI PO Descriptive Writing 2026
• IBPS PO Preparation Strategy 2026
• IBPS PO Syllabus and Exam Pattern
• IBPS PO Admit Card 2026
• IBPS PO Cut Off 2026
• IBPS PO Mains Result 2026
• IBPS PO Mains Full Mock Test 01
• IBPS PO Mains English Mock Test 04

Sources: IBPS PO Mains descriptive pattern (2 questions, 25 marks, 30 minutes, typed after the objective test, English only, no negative marking, evaluated after the objective cut-off, Mains total 225) — CRP PO/MT-XVI notification pattern table as reported by Adda247 and Mahendras (tasks: Essay and Comprehension; separate marks per task not specified in the notification); the format change (letter dropped, comprehension in) in the 2025 cycle (CRP PO/MT-XV) per Mahendras and FutureTopper; the 4 October 2026 paper's descriptive tasks (essay: online shopping / metro rail; comprehension: France–Germany relations, four questions, 2.5 marks each) as reported from candidate feedback by BankersAdda, PracticeMock, Oliveboard, Guidely and Testbook; SBI PO 2026 format per SBI PO Descriptive Writing 2026, based on advertisement CRPD/PO/2026-27/09 dated 18 June 2026. The 15/10 marks split and the essay word range are commonly reported figures, not official IBPS publications. As of 7 November 2026. Verify all dates on ibps.in.