Let us know about Essay for UPSC. Essay paper is one of the nine papers of UPSC Civil Services Main Examination. In this paper, you will have to write two essays, each of which will have 1000 – 1200 word count. One subject can be selected out of four subjects. Essay paper is of total 250 marks, out of which one essay is of 125 marks.
You must have read many articles on our website that how to prepare for Essay paper in IAS Mains Exam. This article tells you how to write an essay for UPSC exam.
It is recommended that you follow certain steps while writing an essay letter.
How to write essay for UPSC?
1. Read the subjects thoroughly
This is the most important stage of the process. You should choose one of four subjects. While choosing your subject, make sure that you know the most about that topic out of the given topics. What not to choose:
- A sensitive or controversial topic such as, say, feminism.
- A topic that you are very passionate about or about which you feel strongly. In this case, you may get excited and fail to write a balanced essay. It can work against you.
2. Think for a while
Once you have chosen your topic, you don’t have to start writing right away. It is wise to think for some time and collect your thoughts. Write in pencil the points you want to write. This is important because only then can you put your points in the correct order. For example, if you are writing about India’s relations with its neighbours, you will need to write historical facts and events at the beginning. Let’s say you start writing an essay, and at the very end you realize that you forgot to mention an important detail in the historical part; Due to space constraints it will be too late to add it. So, it helps if you write your rough points in the beginning.
Once you have the rough points in hand, you can start writing the essay. You should follow a good structure while writing. The structure of a good essay is as follows:
- introduction
- historical
- Main issue/problem/topic
- Current Scenario/Current News related to the topic
- positive and negative aspects
- obstacles
- improvement / way forward
You can get brownie points if you also include:
- Relevant quotes/sayings by famous personalities (be sure to quote verbatim – wrong quotes make you look careless or lazy).
- Relevant government schemes and policies.
- Any digit or number (must be exact otherwise do not include them).
Important signs to note while writing:
- Do not resort to name-calling. Never be personal in your essay.
- Don’t take an extreme view. Buddha’s Middle Path can help you here!
- Don’t just present problems. Also give possible fixes/solutions.
- Do not criticize the government/administration excessively.
- Even if the topic is provocative, your essay should not be. Present a balanced picture. You don’t have to agree with the topic.
- Avoid writing utopian solutions.
- Keep in mind that you are the officer of the future, not a journalist!
