How To Write An Essay
How To Write An Essay
How To Write An Essay
”
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:
1. What UPSC says about the essay paper
2. How and from where to prepare?
3. Improving language and expression
4. On subheadings and rough drafts
5. What you must avoid
6. How to write a powerful introduction?
7. Developing the content of an Essay
8. Substantiating your arguments
9. How to conclude an Essay
10. My notes, quote collection and sample essays