Understanding the Concept of Essay Writing

An essay is a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything. – Aldous Huxley, a British critic, explains that an essay is a “flexible form of writing that allows for in-depth discussion on a wide range of topics, expressed in a personal and insightful way.”

Generally speaking, there are two main types of essays: formal and informal. For the UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE), we focus on the formal kind. Formal essays are serious and not personal. The writer is like an expert and avoids emotional language. These essays often include facts, such as statistics from government reports.

Formal essays are different from informal writing. They don’t use a conversational tone or first-person pronouns like “I” or “we.” They don’t try to be close to the reader. A formal essay is mainly about being serious and clear.

Essay Writing For UPSC (CSE)

• In the CSE essay test, candidates have to write two essays in a 3-hour time frame. Each essay should be within 1000-1200 words. Each essay is worth 125 marks, which makes a total of 250 marks for both essays.
• Structure of the Essay Paper: The essay part of the paper is split into two sections, Section A and Section B. In each section, there are four different essay topics given. Candidates need to choose and write one essay from each section, making sure they pick wisely.
• Writing Guidelines: The rules for writing are clearly stated in the syllabus. Candidates need to stick closely to the topic of their essays and organize their thoughts in a clear, systematic way. The syllabus also mentions that writing that is both effective and makes sense will earn credit.
• Importance of Keywords: The focus on specific keywords in the instructions is crucial. These keywords are not just part of the essay content; they are the main criteria for evaluating the essays. Understanding and following these guidelines is key to performing well in the essay writing part of the CSE.

How To Start UPSC Essay Writing

As the saying goes, practice leads to perfection. Practicing well improves essay writing. For high scores, regular practice is important. But first, it’s essential to understand the basics of a good essay. We need to know how to structure an essay well.
We’ll look into planning essays effectively and adding elements that make essays stand out. It’s also important to learn how to fit all this within the time limit. Mastering these skills will help in writing essays that score higher.

Understanding the Basic Structure of an Essay

The standard way to structure an essay is to break it into paragraphs, including an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. In the body paragraphs, the writer fits in all their main ideas and arguments.

• Types of Body Paragraphs: Body paragraphs can be supportive, critical, or narrative. A good method is to start with a narrative paragraph that details the topic, followed by supportive paragraphs with positive information about the topic. Although critical paragraphs are often placed at the end, there are no fixed rules. Sometimes, starting with a critical paragraph can be effective, depending on the topic.
• The Role of the Introduction: The introduction is a vital part of the essay. It creates the first impression on the examiner. A well-crafted introduction can positively influence the reader. The strategy for writing a strong introduction will be covered later.
• The Importance of a Good Conclusion: Similarly, a well-written conclusion can earn extra marks. It’s where the writer wraps up the essay and reinforces their main points. Tips for writing a compelling conclusion will also be discussed in more detail later. This part of the essay is crucial for leaving a strong final impression. All this you learn in best test series for essay UPSC.

Core Idea of the Central Thesis

(Main argument or primary point around which an entire essay writing is structured.)

• Every CSE essay includes a central thesis. Take, for instance, in CSE 2020, the following essay was asked – “There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless.” The core idea here is the link between social justice and economic growth. Aspirants need to explore how these two are connected. In doing so, it’s important to stay focused on how social justice and economic prosperity are mutually inclusive and how one loses its significance without the other.

  In expanding on this idea, it’s useful to consider additional aspects like the role of government, policy-making and cultural influences. These factors contribute to both social justice and economic growth. This approach helps to emphasize that for a society to thrive, it needs both economic prosperity and social justice, not just one or the other.

• In another essay asked in CSE 2022 – “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” This implies that poets, though not officially recognized, significantly impact society through their poetry. The essay should discuss the ways poets influence our thoughts and the world around us. 

The essay could explore the historical, cultural, and societal impact of poets. It should consider how poets sway public opinion and inspire social movements (including Indian Independence movement) without formal power. To thoroughly cover this topic, examining various perspectives is essential, such as the emotional influence of poetry or its role in times of societal change. This analytical aspect is taught by this UPSC coaching when a candidate join essay test series UPSC.

Strategizing for Essay Writing through Brainstorming

Brainstorming is key before you start writing an essay. It helps you collect all your thoughts in one place. There aren’t strict rules for how to do it. A good way is to focus on your topic and write down everything that comes to mind. It’s useful to use a whole page for this, so you have plenty of space for your ideas. This method makes sure you have a lot of thoughts to work with when you write your essay.

Improving Your Essay with Key Elements

In a good CSE essay, including various elements and dimensions is key. Here are some basic rules for adding these to your essay.

• Foremost among these guidelines is – always stick to Constitutional values. For CSE essays, it’s vital that the principles embedded in the Constitution are reflected in the ideas, problems, or solutions discussed. Never support anything that goes against it.
• While addressing issues, maintaining a democratic perspective is important. Keep the concept of ‘freedom and equality’ as your guiding principles, whether you’re suggesting solutions or critiquing events.
• Avoid taking extreme positions. The best approach to complex problems is often finding a middle ground.
• Don’t generalize too much. Instead, your approach should demonstrate patience, justice, and understanding.
• Lastly, there are two additional aspects to remember for the CSE essay. (A) Do not challenge the essay topic itself. In simpler terms, don’t contradict your own stance. Choose a viewpoint (preferably a balanced one) and consistently adhere to it throughout the essay. (B) Be cautious about presenting things that are universally viewed negatively in a positive light, and vice versa. For example, avoid portraying ‘terrorism’ as a form of freedom struggle, even though sayings like ‘one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter’ are popular. It’s important to recognize the generally accepted connotations of such terms and not to misuse them.

Essential Elements in a CSE Essay

• For a well-written CSE essay, focus on three fundamental elements. These are considered the cornerstone – social, political, and economic aspects. These are integral in forming a comprehensive and insightful essay.
• You can also add more depth with other dimensions like Constitutional, legal, technological, or technical aspects. These help broaden the essay’s perspective. Makes it more engaging and informative.
• Another crucial component is the personal touch. Personal experiences or anecdotes can make your essay more effective. But they should be used within ethical boundaries and relevant to the essay’s theme. This balance between personal insights and professional ethics can improve the quality and impact of the essay. (Remember, participating in test series for UPSC is important, as mastering the art of writing is vital for achieving high marks in the Mains exam.)

Drafting an Essay Outline

• Before writing your essay, it’s a good idea to outline it. This means deciding what to include in the introduction and conclusion. Determining the order of your ideas, and choosing which quotes or references to use.
• Making a rough outline helps you see the entire essay before you start writing. This process gives you an overall view, helping you identify any potential gaps or areas that need more attention.
• There’s a common saying that if you can determine the conclusion of your essay, the rest of the writing becomes easier. Knowing your conclusion in advance can guide the entire essay. It provides a clear direction right from the start and ensuring that you conclude your essay confidently and effectively.

Managing Time Effectively in Essay Writing for CSE

In the CSE exam, you have three hours to write two essays, meaning each essay gets 1 hour and 30 minutes. Allocate about 45 minutes to an hour for writing the essay itself. Set aside an extra 10 minutes for revising each essay. This planning leaves you with approximately 30 minutes to prepare the essay, including brainstorming and outlining.

How to Introduce the Essay

• The aim of your essay’s introduction is to spark the reader’s interest in the topic and lay the groundwork for what follows.
• Start your introduction with a brief explanation of the essay topic. Add interest by including personal experiences, relevant stories, or meaningful quotes.
• The introduction should be clear, avoiding any confusion. Its job is to clarify the topic right away, clearing up any doubts the reader might have. A clear, straightforward introduction sets the right tone for the rest of the essay, guiding the reader into your main arguments smoothly and effectively.

Structuring Paragraphs in an Essay

• When writing paragraphs in an essay, the concluding sentence of each paragraph serves a dual purpose. Rather than just signaling the end of the paragraph, it often acts as a bridge to the next one. This approach helps in maintaining a cohesive flow throughout the essay.
• Ensuring a smooth flow in an essay is crucial and is directly linked to the order of writing. Generally, there are two common approaches to organizing content in an essay:
  1. The Known-to-New writing order involves starting with familiar or established ideas. Then gradually introducing new or less known concepts. This method allows the reader to build on their existing knowledge as they progress through the essay.
  2. The Simple-to-Complex order involves beginning with basic, easily understandable concepts. Then progressively introducing more complex ideas. This technique helps in gradually deepening the reader’s understanding.
• To enrich the content of the paragraphs, one might employ the FREQOES method. (FREQOES stands for – Facts and statistics, Reasons, Examples, Quotes, Opinions, Experiences, Senses.) Also use PESTLE Analysis to figure out the various aspects, dimensions, factors etc of any given topic. (PESTLE analysis stands for Political – Economic – Sociological – Technological – Legal – Environmental analysis). These approach can be a valuable tool in adding depth and variety to the different sections of the essay. This ensures that each paragraph contributes effectively to the overall narrative.

How To Conclude Essay

• The conclusion of an essay plays a crucial role in smoothly wrapping up the discussion. It’s important to remember that a compelling conclusion is as important as a strong introduction. Both plays important role in scoring high marks.
• There are several effective ways to conclude an essay. One method involves briefly restating the main points using different wording. As well as, effectively summarizing the essay’s core arguments. Another approach, to suggest future directions or actions based on the essay’s discussion. Alternatively, you could enhance the conclusion with a personal comment. Even you can use a relevant anecdote that ties back to the essay’s theme.
• A popular technique for concluding an essay is the ‘cyclic return’. Here you loop back to the topic or scenario presented in the introduction. This method creates a full-circle narrative that many essays utilize for a coherent and impactful ending.
• The best conclusion has a positive tone, finding hope/optimism in challenging topics. It needs to be clear and brief, summing up the essay’s ideas. This way, the conclusion leaves a strong, lasting impression on the reader.

Polishing Your Essay through Revision

• The revision process involves thoroughly reading your entire essay. While reviewing, use a scale and pencil to underline key words or phrases. This step is crucial for identifying and correcting any spelling or grammatical errors. Additionally, ensure that the pages of your essay appear neat and well-organized.
• During revision, you might find it necessary to add or remove certain words for clarity or impact. However, this should be done judiciously and not excessively. It’s generally not recommended to introduce entirely new ideas or sentences during the revision phase. Except in cases where such additions are essential for the completeness of the essay. This approach helps maintain the original flow and structure of the essay while making necessary refinements.

Tips to Improve Essay Writing Skills

• A useful tip for CSE essay writing is to go through essays from previous exams. This helps you understand the required concepts, dimensions, and solutions for various topics. Learning to simplify complex social issues is crucial for writing a good CSE essay. If you are a beginner you can join UPSC online coaching and the mentor will help you to simplify the complex tasks.
• It’s also helpful to have a collection of impactful quotes, phrases, and citable anecdotes. Keeping these ready can help you in writing essays on any subject. This preparation ensures you’re well-equipped to create engaging, well-informed and insightful essays.