“A writer is someone for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.” –Thomas Mann, Essays of Three Decades

Writing opens the door to your personality and thought process. It helps to better understand what makes you. It is one of the major reasons why most of the competitive exams and entrance exams have essays as part of it.

In the Civil Services exam, there is an essay paper for 250 marks, similar to the General Studies paper. But IAS aspirants don’t pay much attention to this paper as newcomers believe the essay can be easily attended to on the day of the exam itself. The old-timers think that they have enough knowledge and experience for them to breeze through.

Give adequate attention to the paper by collecting good quotes, notes, and rough drafts.

• UPSC’s direction on Essay papers

“Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to keep close 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.”

In essays, content matters the most and the examiners will pay more attention to the language, consistency and the way you lay them in order. Take good care to arrange your ideas in a neat ‘framework’ and not commit basic grammar and spelling errors.

• How to Prepare for the Essay Paper?

Your preparation for the General Studies paper will help you a lot in terms of content.

1. Refer to Informative Magazines

You will need to go through specific magazines like Economic Survey, Yojana, EPW, etc for certain topics. Various topics like tribal issues, public health or the statistics, the positives or criticisms of government schemes, could be found in such magazines.

2. Reading Non-Fiction

Reading good non-fiction books and quoting relevant portions from them in your essay, could benefit you a lot. They could give good figures of speech, powerful rhetoric, and unique content. 

3. Collect Stories and Anecdotes

Real stories from newspapers, anecdotes from books, and quotes from famous people are great stuff to your essay, based on the topic.

4. Clear Language and Expression

 The language used should be clear, concise, and free from jargon. When using real large terms, try to define them before using, so that the examiner can understand it better. Keep the sentences short and powerful, and avoid lengthy sentences that are sprawling and hard to read.

Build your vocabulary by constantly reading non-fiction books and good English newspapers. Try to understand and learn new phrases and words. This is a long-term effort, but one that will reward you heaps. Try innovative subheadings that will attract the reader. 

What to Avoid When Writing an Essay?

Your essay should have an all-encompassing viewpoint rather than focus on one or two views.

1. Always write the topic by giving facts and what you feel or know. Be objective and don’t get carried away by topics that lie closer to your heart.
2. Understand the questions on the topics well before writing. Avoid abstract philosophical or unpopular topics. If the topic has technical terms in them, make sure to understand them well before attempting to write them.
3. Avoid controversial and unpopular topics. 
4. Plan your time for the essays. Never devote too much time to one and end up rushing through the other. You will end up losing marks.

Now, you have an idea of how to write an essay, pick up your and prepare and conduct mock essays for yourself. To know more, call us!