ESSAY STRATEGY BY ANUDEEP DURISHETTY, UPSC CIVIL SERVICES EXAM TOPPER,

ALL INDIA RANK – 1 CSE-2017 – HOW TO WRITE A GOOD ESSAY IN UPSC MAINS,
EXPLAINED
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, how you argue and the way you substantiate your viewpoint. This is why for most
competitive examinations and academic entrance tests, essay is mandatory.

In the Civil Services Exam too, we have a paper worth 250 marks, equivalent 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,
whereas experienced aspirants believe that since they had already studied a ton for GS, it will
alone be enough to write a good essay. This is a fatal miscalculation.

I was one of those who made these errors in the past, and it is not a coincidence that I scored
only 100 in CSE 2015. But in 2017, I devoted adequate time to this paper. I collected useful
quotes, prepared notes and even made rough essay drafts for frequently asked topics. All this
effort in essay paper helped me score 155.

What follows is an elaborate post on how you should tackle the Essay paper. I’ve organised the
content as follows:

What UPSC says about the essay paper

How and from where to prepare?
Improving language and expression
On subheadings and rough drafts
What you must avoid
How to write a powerful introduction?
Developing the content of an Essay
Substantiating your arguments
How to conclude an Essay
My notes, quote collection and sample essays

What UPSC says about the essay paper

“Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to keep
closely to the subject of the essay, to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and to write
concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.”

Essay distinguishes itself from GS in the sense that in GS, 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 organise 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 GS preparation. Apart from this, the
following sources will help:

Reading non-fiction helps you develop a matured thought process. Apart from imparting
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 on Artificial Intelligence, I
took 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 propelling a nation forward. So
my suggestion is, apart from UPSC related material, develop the hobby of reading non-fiction
books. I do not mean to suggest that you should start reading one  non-fiction book per topic to
get good scores in Essay, but reading them occasionally in your free time will benefit you in the
long run.
Referring to specific magazines: For certain topics, you can refer to specific issues of
Yojana/EPW/Economic Survey etc. Example: for an essay on tribal issues or public health, you
can go through specific issues of these magazines for getting the latest statistics (IMR, MMR,
malnutrition levels etc) and also about the positives and criticisms of govt schemes in that
sector.
Collecting good stories/anecdotes and quotes Anecdotes, quotes and real life stories you see in
newspapers and books which can be used in essay should be noted down. In most of my
essays, I used to start with a relevant story or an anecdote that has the essay topic as its
underlying 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 ‘Sanskritisation’ please define it in
sentence just before you use it. Examiner will also understand clearly what you want to convey.
Clear writing is clear thinking. And that is what any reader looks for.

Keep your sentences short and powerful. Long, winding sentences makes it difficult to read and
understand. If you tack on one clause after another through conjunctions, what you get is a bad
sentence sprawl.  
Example of a bad sentence sprawl:

At the end of World War 2, on the one hand, while capitalism was successfully championed by
the nations in North America and Europe, on the other hand, it was USSR that put Communism
at the forefront due to which there was an ideological clash between the the two superpowers
which had led to proxy wars in various parts of the globe, a nuclear arms race and a rapid
deterioration of the security of the world.

(By the time 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 your breath while  reading a sentence, then probably
you will have to break it into two.

Rewriting the aforementioned example after breaking it into two (which makes it much easier to
read and comprehend):

After World War 2, while the North American and European nations championed capitalism,
USSR put communism at the forefront. This ideological clash between the superpowers led to
several proxy wars, a nuclear arms race and a rapid deterioration of world security.

Vocabulary 

There is no need to memorise complex words for writing a good essay. But an occasional use of
a powerful word, or a good phrase definitely gives your write-up an edge.

Also, I believe that learning numerous words by rote will not make them stick in your brain for
long. The best way to build your vocabulary is by reading non-fiction and English newspapers.
While reading these, if you come across a good turn of phrase, or a word that you don’t
recognise, 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. Having a dictionary app on your phone also
helps.

Building vocabulary is a slow process, but with consistency, anyone can become better at using
an expansive set of words.

Subheadings & Rough Drafts

We can be a little innovative in our subheadings. Instead of bland subheadings such as

‘Benefits of Nuclear Energy’ we can use “Nuclear Energy: Promise or Peril?’ Similarly, for the
essay on Social Media, instead of 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 given 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) Your essay needs to be expansive and multi-dimensional.
During preparation, 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 comfortable writing about abstract philosophical topics (I am terrible at writing
them), avoid such questions. Your choice of topic has no bearing on the marks and that is why,
selecting an unpopular topic just for the sake of it is unwise. Also, if there’s a technical term in
the question, be doubly sure that you understand it correctly. For instance, in 2014, there was a
question on ‘standard tests’, which is a technical term. I misunderstood it and wrote a generic
essay. I got 112.
When you take a final stand on an issue, it’s best to avoid extreme or highly unpopular opinions.
We are free to have any opinion in the privacy of our minds, but 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 abolition and retention. But when you take a stance, it’s 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 negatives of Capitalism and end
the essay on a balanced note.
Do not dedicate disproportionate amount of time for the first essay and scamper through the
second. Both carry equal marks, so please invest equal time.
 

How to transition 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 end 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 posed by Artificial
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 Artificial Intelligence poses a major challenge not just
economically, but also ethically.” And in the next para, you can write about the ethical issues
concerning AI.

Through 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 question
can be something like—  “Thus we have examined the threat posed by AI to our economy, but
what about the challenges brought by AI to our ethics and morals?” And in the next para, you
can write about the ethical issues concerning AI.

Signalling the shift at the start of next paragraph:

Here you can simply add a word or two at the beginning of a para that signals a shift in your
subtopic. For example in an essay on Globalisation, let’s say 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 had a tremendous impact……” This way examiner immediately knows
what to expect.

These steps will ensure that the transition 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 character);

a real life anecdote;
a quote; or
a simple definition of the words in the question (not recommended in Essay)

In GS, definitional approach is a great way to introduce your answers. But in essay, they are
rather stale, lacking in any human element. I always believe 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 its
classroom’

“The year was 1945. Towards the end of a gruesome world war, the world powers decided to
carve up the Korean peninsula along the 38th parallel.

“Before partition, North and South Korea might have been homogeneous in every respect, but
after the division, they steered onto different paths. While schools in the North chose to
‘educate’ their children in the worship of a cult leader, ideological indoctrination and servility, its
southern counterpart focused on liberal education, innovation and economic growth.

“Today, almost seven decades later, the difference in the fates of these people and the
trajectories of both these nations cannot be more stark. One is known for gross violation of
human rights, while the other a champion of liberal democracy. One is known for gut-wrenching
poverty, while the other unbridled prosperity.

“This only proves the age old adage that the destiny of a nation is indeed shaped in its
classrooms.”

Similarly, for the Social Media essay, my introduction sought to bring to the fore the paradox of
Social Media. I wrote on how social media was leveraged to crowdsource 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 northeast people from Bangalore. And taking cue from this
introduction, in the main body, I discussed about the inherent selfishness and altruism
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 as to how 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, Science & Tech, Business, Sports, Religion, Politics, Administration etc
Walks of Life: Individual, Family, Professional workplace, Society, Community, National, Global
Problem & Solution: Concept (historical evolution+status), benefits, problems, solutions
Standard: Social, Political, Economical, Administrative, International, Environmental, Historical,
Scientific, Security/Defence, Legal
Example: for a topic like “Has Globalisation delivered on its promise?” I find the problem &
solution method an apt way to develop your narrative. So choose as per the question.

 
Substantiating your arguments

In the main body of the essay, each para must have an argument or an idea and a reasoning to
back that argument. You can substantiate it through a real life example, a statistic, an authentic
committee or organisational report etc.

For example, if you are arguing that Capital punishment is an expensive form of justice, you
should be able to given an example or a statistic or Law Commission’s opinion as to how the
subjects of death penalty are overwhelmingly from poor communities.

Statistics, examples, expert opinions and constitutional provisions are crucial 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, after which you can write your vision for future.

You can source some useful terms from the speeches of PM Modi. Phrases like Sabka saath
sabka vikas, Reform-Perform-Transform, Building A New India etc can come handy.  Rhetoric,
lofty expressions, constitutional ideals, sanskrit slokas and quotes are a good way to conclude
your essay.

But suppose in your introduction, if you had written about a fictitious character, then it’s always
advisable to end your write-up with a reference to that character. It gives a sense of
completeness to the essay.

My Notes

Readers should keep in mind that these notes are written rather haphazardly (I mean who
makes notes thinking that in future, they might have to upload them publicly :D)

They are fragmented in certain pages, so you may not be able to comprehend them completely,
but nevertheless I hope you take home something useful.