UPSC – IAS Civil Services Examinations

Union Public Service Commission

Essay Writing

Essay Writing

Essay writing on freedom of speech 28

Essay writing on nuclear disarmament/Energy 32

Essay writing on capital punishment 33

Essay writing on states usually with foreign support 35

Essay writing on human dept. 37

Essay writing on sabka sath sabka vikaas 39

Essay writing on corruption 41

Essay writing on civil service 42

Essay writing on urbanisation 43

Essay writing on globalization 45

7. Essay – health care in India 49

8. Essay – women empowerment 62

9. Essay – socio cultural diversity of India 74

10. Essay – social medic & its evil 86

11. What is globalization? 95

12. India’s stace 104

13. Agriculture 114

1. How to write an essay in upsc main 1

2. Major topics 9

3. Conclusion pharaes 13

4. Essay notes 15

5. Reports, Data, Statistics to further argument 16

6. Essay writing on education system 21

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What UPSC says about the essay paper “Candidates may be required to write essay on multiple topics. They will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay, to arrange their ideas in an orderly, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effectice and exact expression” Essay distinguishes itself from us in the sense that in as, marks will be awarded purely for content. But in essay , examiners will pay special attention to not just the content, But also the language, coherence and the way you organize your write-up, so you must take adequate care to arrange your ideas properly and not commit any fundamental spelling or grammatical errors.

How and from where to prepare?

Most of the content you write in essay will come from your as prepration. Apart from this the following sources will help. Good essay this is a fatal miscalculation.

Writing A Good Essay in UPSC mains Expalined Novelist Stephen King put it beautifully When he said, “I Write to find out what I think. “ Writing is a window to your thought process, what you write on paper will tell the reader how you think, now you argue and the way you substantiate your viewpoint. This is why for most competitive examinations and academic entarance tests, essay is mandatory. In the Civil Service Exam too, we have a paper worth 250 marks, equivlant to a General Studies Paper, despite its importance, essay paper often does not get the attention it deserves from aspirants. First timers think they will write an excellent essay in the final exam. Itself wheres experienced aspirants belive that since they had already studies a ton for as, it will alone be enough to write a reading non-fiction helps you develop a matured thought process. Apart from insparing knowledge, they will also let you come across good figures of speech, art of argumentation powerful rhetoric and unique content etc. for example in an essay

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on artificial intelligence, I look arguments from Yuval Harari’s Homo deus to argue that AI is an imminent threat to humanity. Or if you read Why Nations fail , a book replete with Examples, you will understand the importance of innovation , political and economic freedoms in preplanning a nation forward so my suggestion is , apart from UPSC related material develop the hobby of reading non fiction books per topic to get good source in essay , but reading them occasionally in your free time will benefit you in the long term run.

Referring to specific magazines: For certain topics, you can refer to specific issues of Yojna| EPW| Economic survey etc. Example: for an essay on libral issues or public health. You can go throught specific issues. Of these magazines for getting the latest statistics (IMR, MMR, malnutrition leveletc) and also about the positives and criticisms of govt schemes in that sector.

Collecting good stories| anecdotes and quotes Anecdotes quotesandreal life stories you see in newspaper and books which can be used in essay should be notes down. In Most of my essays. I used to start with a relevant story or an anecdotes that was the essay topic as its underwriting theme. Apart from these, I also used a couple of quotes of eminent persons. List of quotes, anecdotes I collected are available in the link at the end of this article. Improving language and expression. Language in essay must be simple and clear with as little jargon as possible. If you want to use complex definitional terms such as, say constitutionalism or sanskritization please define it in sentence just before you use it. Examiner will also understand clearly what you want to canvay, clear writing is clear thinking. And that is what any reader looks for. Keep your sentence short and powerful. Long writing sentence makes it difficult to read and understand. If you took on one clause after another throught conjactions, what you get is a bad sentence sprawl.

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Example of a bad sentence sprawl At the end of world war 2, on the one hand, while capitism was successfully championed by the nations in North America and Europe, on the other hand, it was USSR that put communism at the fore front due to which there was an idealogical clash between the two super powers which had led to proxy wars in various parts of the globe, a nuclear arms race and a equpid deterrieration of the security of the world. By the fine readers finish reading it, they will lose their breath and the point of the sentence. So I had a simple rule. If you run out of year breath while reading a sentence, then probably you will have to break it into two. Rewriting the formentioned example after breaking it into two I which makes it much easier to read and (comprehend. After World War 2. While the North American and European Nations Championes Capitalism, USSR put communism at the fore front. This Idealogical clash between the superpowers led, several proxy wars, a nuclear arms race and a rapid deterioration of world security.

Vacabulary There is no need to memorise complex words for writing a good essay. But an occasional use of a powerful world, or a good phrase definitely gives your write – up an edge. Also, I belive that learning numerous words by rate will not make them sticks in your brain for long. The best way to build your vocublary is by reading non – fiction and English newspapers while reading these, if you come across a good turn of pharase or a word that you don’t recognize, please note it down in a book, find its meaning and understand the context in which the word was used this helps in long term memory.

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Having a dictionary app on your phone also helps Bulding vocabulary is a slow process. But with consistency, anyone can become better at using an expensive set of words.

Subheadings & Rough Drafts We can be a little innovative in our subheadings. Instead of bland subheadings such as ‘Benefits of Nuclear Enegry ‘we can use “Nuclear Energy: Promise or Peril “Similarly, for the essay on social media, instead if writing ‘Advantages and Disadvantages of social media I Wrote “Social Media: A Double Edged Sword” You can find my collection of a few such subheadings in the link to my notes, given at the end of the article. I also prepared a rough draft for a few essay topics. (Link goven at the end). You may need to modify the structure as per the demand of the question.

What you must avoid in Essay Do not focus excessively only on one point, or one dimension (such as the

historical or political aspect) year eassay needs to be expansive and multi-dimensional.

During prepration, we read a lot and it’s understandable that we feel strongly about certain topics. And since essay offers freedom to write, it’s very easy to get carried away with such a topic. But make sure that you write what is asked not what you know or feel like. No Mann ki baat. Always stick to the subject of the topic, it helps to read the question in the midst of your essay to ensure that you are not steering away from the topic.

If you are not confortable writing about abstract philosophical topic (I am terrible at writing them). Avoid such questions.

Your choice of topic has not boaring on the marks and that is why. Selecting an unpopular topic. Just for the take of it is unwise. Also if there’s atechnical term in the question, be doubly sure that you understand it correctly. For instance in 2014, there was a questions on, standard tests, which is a technical iteam.

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I misunderstand it and wrote a generic essay. I got 112.

When you take a final stand on an issue, its best to avoid extreme or highly unpopular opinions. We are free to have any opinions in the privacy of our minds, butt in UPSC essay why take that risk. For instance, in an essay on capital punishment In the main body content.you should present a case for both abolitionand intention. But when you take a stance, Its best to be an abolitionist.

No ranting, You might be a great fan of Karl Marx. But if there’s a question on capitalism, do not rant or rail against it you must present both the positives and negetives of capitalism and end the essay on a balanced note.

Do not dedicate dis proportionate amount of time for the second. Both carry equal marks, so please invest equal time.

How to transitions smoothly from one para to the next This can be done In three ways. Through a link sentence at the end of a para Here, at the ebd of a para, you write a sentence that signals to the examiner what’s coming next. For example, let’s say you have just written a para about the threat pased by Artifical Intelligence (AI) to jobs. At the end of that para you can write a link sentence – “Further, We must be mindful of the fact that Artifical Intelligence pases a major challenege not just economically but also ethically.” And in the next para, you can write about the ethical issues concerning AI.

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Throught a question Instead of a link Sentence. You can also add a question at the end of a para so that examiner’s attention is helplessly carried to the next. To take the similar example as above, the questions can be something like – “Thus we have examined the threat pased by AI to our ecomony, but what about the challenges brought by AI to our ethics and morals?” And in the next para, ypou can write about the ethical issues convensing AI.

Signalling the shift at the start of next paragraph:- Here you can simply add a word or two at the begning of a para that signals a shift in year subtopic. For example in on essay on globlalisation, let’s you have just written a para about its historical evolution and impact. You can start the next para with something like “Politically too, globalisation has bad a tremendous impact “ This way examiner immediately knows what to exact. These steps will ensure that the farmition between paragraphs is not abrupt.

How to write a Good Introduction To Your Essay ? Essay Introduction can be: A fictitious incident or story (where you introduce a charactor) A real life anecdote A quote, or A simple definition of the words in the question (not recommended in essay) In us, definitional approach is a great way to introduce your answers. But in essay, they are rather state looking in any human element. I always belive that a good way to start your essay is to have that touch of humanity and warmth in your introduction. In my mains exam, this was my introduction to the essay ‘Destiny of a nation is shaped in it’s classroom ‘

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“The year was 1945. Towards the end of a gruesome worldwar. The world powers decided to carve up the Korean peinusla along the 38th parallel. “Before partition, North and South Korea might have benn homogeneous in every suspect, but after the division, they steered into different paths. While schools in the north chose to ‘educate’ their children in the workshop of a cult leader, idealogical into ctrination and servility, and its southern counterpart focused on liberal education, innovation and economic growth. “Today, almost seven decads later, the difference in the fates of these people and trajectories of both these nations connect be more stark. One in known for gross violation of human rights, while the other a champion of libral democracy. One is known for get wrenching powerty, while the other unbridled prosperity. “This onlyproves the age old adage that the density ofa nation is indeed shaped in it classrooms” Similarly, for the social media essay, my introduction thought to bring to the fore the parado social media. I wrote on how social media was leverged to crowd source help and rescue during chennai floods in 2015. At the same time, I mentioned how it was used nefariously in 2012 to cause mass exodus of northest people from banglore. And taking cue from this introduction in the main body, I discussed about the inherent selfishness and altrum associated with social media. These real life stories anecdotes and incidents are everywhere in our books and newspapers. So when you come across them. Note down and ponder us to now you can use them in your essay.

Developing the main content from the topic This is like spinning the web from a thread. Depending on the topic, you can choose among the following options that fits best

Temporal: past present and future

Sectoral: Media, Seience & tech, Business, sports, religion, politics, administration etc.

Walks of life: Individual, family, professional, workplace, society, community, national, global

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Problem & solution: Concept (Historical evolutions status), benefits, problems, solutions

Standard: social, political, economical, administrative, international, envourmental, historical, scientific, security/defence, legal,

Example: for a topic like “has globlasiation delivered on its promise” I find the problem & solution method an opt way to develop your narrative. So choose as per the question.

Substantiating your arguments In the main body if the essay, each para must have an argument or an idea and a reasoning to back that argument. You can substantiate it throught a real – life example, a statics, an authentic comitee or organizational report etc.

For Examples. If you are arguing that capital punishment Is an expensive from of justice, you should be able to given an examples or a statistic or law commission is opinion as to how the subject of death penalty are overwhelmingly from communities. Statistics, examples, expert opinions and constitutional provisions are required and they make your arguments authoritative.

Concluding an Essay Conclusion needs to be on a futuristic, optimistic note. You need to summarise the complete essay in 3-4 sentences, offer which you can write your vision for future. You can source some useful terms from the speeches of PM Modi. Pharases like Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas, Reform – Perform – Transform, Building, A New India etc. can come handy. Rhetoric, lofty Expressions, Constitutional ideas, Sanskrit and quotes are a good way to conclude you essay. But suppose in your introduction, if you had written about s fictitious character, then it’s always advisable to end your write up with a refrence to that character. It gives a sense of completeness to the essay.

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Major Topics (State, quotes, thinker views, case studies, solution, intro, conclusion)

Health

Education | Higher Education | Foreign University in higher education

Democracy

Media

Religion

Judiciary

Social Media

Tourism

Women Empowerment | Gender Bias

Disaster Management

Enviourment | Sustainable Development

Science & Technology

Innovation

Poverty | Hunger | Food Security

Water Security

Constitution

Federalism

Political | Electoral Reforms | Democrasy – AOR Statistics

Freedom of Speech

Privacy | Surveilance

Nuclear Enegry | Nuke Power| Disarmament

Terrorism | IWE | Internal Security | Cyber Security

Human Resources – Employment

Human Development

United Nations

E – Governance

Foreign Policy

Urbanisation

Communalism | Secularism

Society | Diversity

Development

Ethics | Values | Morals

Bureaucracy | Civil Serives

Carruption

Capital Punishment

Swachh Bharat

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Essay Topic Education “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world”- Nelson Mandela “Live as if you were die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever.”- Mahatma Gandhi “Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learnt in school “- Einstein “Children must be thought how to think, not what to think” – Margaret Mead “It is the mark of an educated mind to be able to entertain a thought without accepting it “- Aristotle “Intelligence plus character – that is the goal of true education. “Education is a bridge from misery to hope” “Education is the manifestation of perfection already in man.” - Swami Vivekananda “Education that does not mould the character is absolutely worthless.” - Mahatma Gandhi “To Educate a person in mind and not in morals is to educate a menace to the society” – Theodore Rousevell The Object of education is to prepare the young to educate themselves throught their lives. “Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all” – Martin Luther King “You educate a man; you educate a man. You educate a women; you educate a generation: Brigham Young

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Essay Topic Science and Riligion “All thinking men are atheists” – Ernest Hemingway “The Nation that science and spirituality are somehow mutually exclusive does a disservice to both “- Carl Sagan “Science without religion is kame and religion without science is blind “- Einstein “What can be asserted without evidence can be dismissed without evidence” – Christopher Hitchens “Our scientific power has outrun our spiritual power. We have guided missiles and misguided men “- Martin Luther King

Essay Topic – Democracy “The Best argument against democracy is a five minute conversation with the average voter.” – Churchill “The tyranny of prince in an obligarchy is not so much dangerous to the public welfare as the apathy of a citizen in a democracy “- Montesquieu “The ballot is stronger than the bullet” – Abraham Lincon “There can not be daily democracy without daily citizenship “- Ralph Nadar “I understand democracy as something that gives the weak the same chance as the strong “- Mahatma Gandhi “Democracy is not law of majority but protection of the minority “- Albert Compus “In a democracy, the individual enjoys not only the ultimate power, but carries the ultimate responsibility” – Norman Cousins “Democracy is not law of the majority but the protaction of the minority” – Albert Compus The are of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice.”- Martin Luther King Jr. Loka Samasta Sukhino Bhanatu

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(let the whole world be prosperous and peaceful)

Essay Topic:- Judiciary Yatha Dharma Thatha Jayaha: Where there is Juustice, There is victory.

Essay Topic:- Courription As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in remarking the world but in remarking ourselves – Mahatma Gandhi Confucius – Right ousness is the foundation stone of peace and good governance. Buddha – Dharma is the foundation of good governance The wrost disease in the world today is carruuption, and there is a cure transparency. Nearly all man can stand adversity, But if you want to test a man’s character, give him power.

Essay Topic :- Caste The caste system is opposed to the religion of the Vedanta. Caste is a social custom, and all our great preachers have tried to break it down. – Swami Viveknanda “Government exists for the interests of the governed, not for the governors” :- Thomas Jefferson “The price good men pay for indifference to public affairs is to be related by evil men” – Plato

Essay Topic:- Materialism|Consumerism| Enviornment The earth does not belong to us:- we belong to the earth “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed “ :- Mahatma Gandhi Water and air, the two essential guide on which all life depends, have become global garbage cons. We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.

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We never know the worth of water till the well is dry.

Essay Topic: - Peace| Justice “When the power of love overcomes the love of power, the world will know peace.”- William Gladstone “Peace and Justice are two sides of the same coin.”- Eisenhower “Poverty is the wrost form of volience”:- Mahatma Gandhi Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired signifies in the final sense, a theif from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed – Eisenhower The Greatness of humanity is not in being human, but in being humance” “There was never a bad peace or a good war” In Justice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” War does not decide who is right but who is left “

Conclusion Pharaes Gndhiji’s Talisman

Sarve Bhavantu Sukhina (May All be Happy) Sarve Santu Niramaya (May all be without disease) || Sarve Bhadrani Pashyanta (May all have well beiag) Maa Kaschit Dukh Bhagh Bhavet (May none have misery of any shole) ||

Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam (Whole World is one family) (Asato ma Sadgamya) from unrighteousness to lighteousness (Tamso Ma Jyotigarmaya) from darkness to light (Matirgarama Amritgamaya) from moratality towards inmorality Seva Dharma Sama Bhava – (Ramkrishna Paramhansa and Viveknanda)

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All Religious are equal – First used by Mahatma Gandhi in 1930 in Harijan Seva Parma Dharma Service, in our india ethos is the altimate duty. Satyamev Jayate Ahinsa Parmao Dharma

Quotes By Mahatma Gandhi “The Best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.” “Happiness is when what you think, what you say and what you do are in harmony” An eye for an eye only ends up making the whole world bliend.” “First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they fight you, then you win” “Satisfaction lies in the effort, not in the attaintment. full effort is full victory.” “Strengh does not come from physical capacity. It comes from indomitable will.” “The Good man is the friend of all living things.” Where words come out from the depth of truth Where tireless striving its arms towards perfection Where the clear stream of reason has not lost its way Into the dreary stand of dead habit Where the mind is led forward by thee Into ever – widening thought and action Into that heaven of freedom, My father let my country awake.

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Essay – Notes

Introduce a character (Aisha)

- Public expenditure on health – 1.4% of GDP

(Total 4.2% of GDP)

Thailand (Total 4.2%)

(Public 3.5%)

- Health research expenditure

- 1% of total expenditure on health

- 80% uninsured

- 69% expenditure on medicine

- IMR:- 40 MMR ( 167 ) ( mdg – 139 )

- 50% Women are anemic

- Hungar: GHI rank 78/118 nations

15% U-5 Wasted

(Severe under nourise)

39% U-5: Stunted

- Communieable dieases barden 28%

- Non communicable dieases barden 60%

- Menatl illness – 2%

- 6.7 doctor per 100 people (who reecomends 1 per 1000)

Bhore Committee

- Amartya sen:- capability approach , development or freedom

Meiji Era Japan

- Srilanka, South Korea, Japan and Thailand.

- Nordic Countries

- Lack of personal rural doctors, trained nurses

- Dependence on quacks (RMP)

Health

Stats

Content

Int. Examples

Problems