Essay Writing for UPSC: How to Write Essay in UPSC Mains

It is said that your write-up describes your perspective. It describes what you write and what you believe in. Essay writing is of two types formal and informal.  Similarly, UPSC CSE conducts essay writing in its second round of selection for civil servants. UPSC CSE thoroughly focuses on formal essay writing. The essay paper is part of the Civil Services Main Examination and holds significant weight in determining the overall score. Candidates are required to write essays on multiple topics, reflecting their knowledge, analytical skills, and writing proficiency.

• Essay writing is a crucial component of the UPSC examination process, designed to assess the candidate’s ability to articulate their thoughts clearly and coherently.
• The essay paper is part of the Civil Services Main Examination and holds significant weight in determining the overall score.
• Candidates are required to write essays on multiple topics, reflecting their knowledge, analytical skills, and writing proficiency.

Essay Writing for CSE

• For the CSE essay paper, two essays of 1000-1200 words each must be produced in under three hours. Each essay carries 125 points, for a total of 250.
• The essay paper is divided into two halves, A and B, each with a choice of four essays, and the aspirant can only select one essay from each section.
• The curriculum instructions make it clear what is required of the candidate. Aspirants are asked to keep their minds focused on the subject and structure their ideas appropriately.
• It goes on to state that credit will be provided for “effective and coherent expression.”
• The emphasized keywords are significant because, after content, they are the specific factors on which the essay will be evaluated.

Structure of Essay Writing

For scoring good marks in the essay a candidate needs to practice writing thoroughly. But, before deep-diving into practice the candidate must look or must know what a well-structured essay means. They must know what elements can be added to make the essay better.

The basic structure of an essay

The most frequent approach to arranging an essay is to divide it into paragraphs. In addition to the introduction and conclusion, this strategy will include body paragraphs. In these body paragraphs, the aspirant must include all of his substance.

• Body paragraphs: It can generally be supportive, critical, or narrative. Ideally, one can begin each argument with an adequately crafted narrative paragraph that describes the issue in some depth, followed by a supportive paragraph giving a few favorable facts/ideas about the topic. Though critical paragraphs look best when put last, there are no restrictions in place, and for some themes, they can be utilized as the first paragraph.
• Planning: A good essay requires planning. There are three parts to it: first, define or grasp what the essay will be about in very plain words, then brainstorm on the topic, and finally, create the outline of the essay.
• Brainstorming for essay writing: Brainstorming for an essay is a crucial step. Brainstorming helps you get all the ideas in one place for quick reference. There are no hard and fast rules, but typically one can begin with the given topic and immediately start listing the things that come to mind. One can ideally devote an entire page to this exercise.
• Outlining: Before writing the essay, it is best to outline it. To outline an essay means to figure out what to say in the introduction/conclusion, which idea comes where, or even what quote to use for the essay, etc. Outlining the essay in rough helps us grasp the entirety of the essay before actually writing it. It helps us get the big picture, and also see what we could be missing.

Writing An Essay

The essay paper in the Civil Services Main Examination requires candidates to write on various topics, showcasing their analytical and writing skills. Excelling in essay writing can greatly influence the overall score, making it an essential aspect of the UPSC preparation.

Sticking to the time limit

One has to write two essays in 3 hours which translates into 1 hour and 30 minutes for each essay. Out of this, around 45 minutes to 1 hour will be required to write one essay. One can add another 10 minutes for the revision of one essay. This leaves us with roughly 30 minutes to prepare the essay in rough, and it includes time for carrying out the brainstorming and outlining exercises.

Introduction

The goal of the introduction should be to arouse the reader’s interest in the topic and to prepare the reader for what is to follow. A good introduction to the essay can be a brief explanation of the essay topic itself. It can be made further interesting by adding to it some personal experience, or some relevant anecdotes or quotes.

Writing in paragraphs

In a stand-alone paragraph, the concluding sentence announces that the paragraph is finished, and complete. In an essay, the concluding sentence of a paragraph is more likely to play the role of a transitional device, joining one paragraph to the next. Flow is very important in an essay. It is also connected to writing order. 

Conclusion

The purpose of the conclusion is to bring a smooth end to the essay. It is also important to note that a strong finish is as important as a strong opening. Both are important for scoring better marks. The essay can be concluded in the following ways – restating the main points in brief and with different wordings (summarizing), suggesting a way forward or a course of action, or adding an interesting personal comment or any relevant anecdote.

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