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Essay Syllabus – Civil Services Mains Exam UPSC

Last updated on April 3, 2024 by Alex Andrews George

Table of Contents

Tips for UPSC Essay Paper from ClearIAS.com

Do keep in mind the below-mentioned tips. Following these strategies can make a huge boost in your Essay Paper marks .

• Try to write a few essays in full during your preparation, simulating the environment in the examination hall.
• Familiarize yourself with previous essays asked by UPSC so that you will have a clear picture of the type and standard of questions to be expected.
• UPSC/the examiner normally gives credit to new perspectives and fresh analysis.
• Avoid verbosity and flowery language. Use a simple style instead.
• You may use relevant quotes to reinforce your arguments. But never try to alter the quotes of great personalities.
• Good handwriting is always an asset. If your handwriting is not legible, put some effort into that area.
• Make your statements precise. Avoid guesses.
• The introductory paragraph should have clear indications about what you are going to write in the essay.
• You may show your inferences in the concluding paragraph.

Also read:   ClearIAS launches Essay Writing Course for UPSC

Additional Links:

• Useful Civil Services Books .
• Civil Services Study Materials for Online Preparation .
• IAS Question Papers .

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About Alex Andrews George

Alex Andrews George is a mentor, author, and social entrepreneur. Alex is the founder of ClearIAS and one of the expert Civil Service Exam Trainers in India.

He is the author of many best-seller books like 'Important Judgments that transformed India' and 'Important Acts that transformed India'.

A trusted mentor and pioneer in online training , Alex's guidance, strategies, study-materials, and mock-exams have helped many aspirants to become IAS, IPS, and IFS officers.

Reader Interactions

October 16, 2015 at 12:03 am

Hello sir…. May I know what is the language to write an essay…. I mean English or hindi…thanks

August 8, 2016 at 7:44 pm

Your exam medium is essay langauge

July 7, 2022 at 1:37 am

What types of eassy come in upsc?

May 12, 2016 at 12:59 am

Hello sir…… May I know that what is trade under in IAS. & which is the best course after 12th & which is the best subjects for IAS preparation.

August 28, 2020 at 7:20 am

Make any one of the optional subject as your UG stream .it will help you in the preparation

May 23, 2016 at 7:03 am

plz suggest me books for essay in hindi and english language

October 5, 2016 at 12:25 pm

pls tell me good essay book of bengali version.

December 2, 2016 at 9:15 pm

January 7, 2017 at 4:53 pm

Wt is the medium of essay writing Any language…? We can choose

February 18, 2017 at 9:25 pm

suggest some topics for essay writing

October 13, 2017 at 3:24 pm

Which syllabus for essay writing

October 13, 2017 at 3:26 pm

which topics for essay writing tell me please

April 7, 2017 at 4:45 pm

One of the most discriptive and very helpful website for civil services aapirants..

November 8, 2018 at 1:36 pm

Sir IAS yaa IPS Ke liye physical yaa medical exam bhi dena hota h kya

November 22, 2018 at 11:45 am

PLEASE CLEAR CIVIL SERVICE MAINS PAPER A & B

August 5, 2019 at 9:49 am

my mother tongue is Bengali .can I give the mains exam in Bengali??

August 10, 2019 at 1:15 pm

Hello sir!! Can I know from which topic these essays will be given. Like, generally or from optional subjects we choose?!

September 14, 2019 at 12:39 pm

Go through the previous years question papers to find out what type of essay do UPSC ask

October 13, 2019 at 10:52 am

Sir , What are those tips & advices you are gonna give for school students who’s aim is to become an IAS officer ?

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UPSC Essay Topics: Structure and Effective Writing Strategies

Crack the UPSC Essay Topics with insights on Paper, structure, and effective writing strategies. Exploring the exam format, marks distribution, and practice tips for success. Get a list of previously asked UPSC essay topics and expected themes for 2024. Boost your essay writing skills with valuable information on word limits, sections, and scoring.

Know about UPSC Essay Topics and Exam Structure

The Union Public Service Commission conducts Civil Services Exams every year which comprises three stages i.e Prelims, Mains, and the Interview. The Mains exam consists of multiple papers, with the first paper being the Essay paper. Every year UPSC mains essay papers have UPSC Essay Topics relevant to current scenarios. So, in this article, we will explore every aspect of the Essay paper and probable UPSC Essay Topics. Before going further let’s see the structure of the UPSC exam .

Marks Distribution of Mains examination: The 250-Mark Weightage of UPSC Essay Topics

• Each UPSC Essay Topics of the main UPSC exam has an equal weight of 250 marks. 
• So, essay papers have a weight of 250 marks, and marks scored on the essay papers were considered for evaluation.

Structure of UPSC Essay Topics: Sections, Paper, and Scoring

• Marks Distribution- The UPSC CSE Essay Paper in Mains Exam consists of two sections A and B with four UPSC Essay Topics each of 125 marks and a total of 250 (125×2) marks.  
• Word Limit- Candidates are given a choice to select a UPSC Essay Topics from each section and write about it in 1,000 to 2,000 words within the given time of three hours.

UPSC Essay Topics: Practice Strategies and Important Topics

• Practicing for UPSC Essay Topics: Tackling Changing Topics with Practice
• UPSC Essay topics of the UPSC mains exam change every year, so it becomes quite challenging for candidates to decide which UPSC Essay Topics they will face in the exam. It can be about things like how the economy is doing, how women can be stronger, art and culture, or how the media affects us. To make some predictions of UPSC Essay Topics from previous years question papers can be used. 
• It is a good idea to look at the essay questions from previous years to get an idea of what might be asked. 
• This will help candidates to practice writing essays and do well in the exam. With enough practice, candidates can excel in writing essays for the UPSC exam.
• So here we will see the UPSC Essay Topics from the previous year’s question papers and will give a list of probable UPSC Essay Topics which can be asked in the coming exam.

Expected UPSC Essay Topics for Paper 2024: UPSC Essay Topics and Writing Skills

For better practice we are putting some expected questions on which candidates can write an UPSC Essay Topics to brush up their essay writing skill.

UPSC Essay Topics FAQs

Do upsc essay topics get repeated, how many essay questions are asked in the upsc essay paper, what if the candidate exceeds the word limit of the essay paper, how can i write a good essay for upsc.

UPDATED :     

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