Crack UPSC Essay: Your Guide for Perfect Essay Writing Format for UPSC

Essay writing in UPSC exams is critical because it influences your score and placement. The Essay Paper is part of the nine UPSC Mains Exams, and each candidate must write two essays. You can choose one of four topics. Each essay is worth 125 points, with a maximum of 250 points. It evaluates your comprehension and ability to communicate your ideas effectively and convincingly. UPSC preparation might be difficult, but not impossible, with dedication, a positive attitude, and perseverance. This guide will help you succeed at writing an essay for the UPSC exam.

Understanding Essay Writing Format for UPSC

An essay is a short piece of writing that sheds light on a certain subject. M.H. Abrams, an American literary critic, defines an essay as: “Any short composition in prose that undertakes to discuss a matter, express a point of view, or persuade us to accept a thesis on any subject.”

Essays are usually divided into two categories: formal and informal. The UPSC Civil Mains focuses on formal essays. The formal essay is generally impersonal; the author writes as an authority, and the works are less emotional. Formal essays can sometimes contain factual elements, such as figures from a government report. It never takes the shape of a conversation, never uses first-person allusions, and rarely becomes personal with the listener. To summarize, a formal essay carries a certain amount of seriousness.

Introduction to Essay Writing Format for UPSC

Practice makes perfect. Practice is required to score well on essays. However, before we begin practicing, we should complete some basic homework. We would begin by discussing what a well-structured essay is, how it may be planned, what aspects can be included to improve the essay's score, and, most importantly, how to complete it all within the time limit.

Fundamental Framework of An Essay

The most common method for structuring an essay is to break it into paragraphs. This technique will comprise body paragraphs as well as an introduction and conclusion. In these body paragraphs, the aspirant must incorporate all of his content.

How to introduce the essay

The purpose of the introduction should be to pique the reader's interest in the topic and to prepare the reader for what follows.

1. A quick summary of the essay's topic can serve as an effective introduction. It can be made more engaging by adding personal experience, pertinent anecdotes, or quotes.

2. The introduction should not be confusing or unclear; rather, it should be able to quickly answer any queries related to the topic.

Writing the Body

In a stand-alone paragraph, the final sentence informs that the paragraph is complete. In an essay, the final sentence of a paragraph is more likely to serve as a transitional technique, linking one paragraph to the next.

1. Flow is quite vital in an essay. It is also related to writing orders. Writing orders are of two types.

2. Known-to-The author's choice to go from known (given) notions to unknown ones creates a new literary order. New material is gradually added to expand upon the unknown.

3. Simple-to-complicated is the order of writing in which the author first sets a foundation of simple notions and then builds on it with increasingly complicated ideas.

Conclusion

The essay might be closed in the following ways: restating the major arguments briefly and in alternative wordings (summarizing), suggesting a path forward or a plan of action, or including an intriguing personal comment or anecdote.

1. Another method to end the essay is to return to the discussion that began in the introduction. This is known as the 'circular return', and many writings end with this easy strategy.

2. The conclusion should have an optimistic attitude and see the silver lining in the clouds. It should be as plain and concise as possible.

Proofreading the Essay

To rewrite, proofread the essay from beginning to end and underline essential words or phrases (ideally with a scale and pencil). Correct any spelling or grammatical errors that may have occurred. Make sure the pages are clean and orderly. One may add or remove a few words, but it should not be overdone. It is also not advisable to include whole new ideas/sentences into the essay during the rewriting process, unless such information is crucial to the essay.

Brainstorming for Essay Writing

Brainstorming for essays is an important phase. Brainstorming allows you to organize all of your ideas in one spot for easy reference. There are no hard and fast rules, but normally one can start with the provided theme and begin listing the first things that occur to mind. This exercise should ideally take up one complete page.

Sticking to the time limit

The CSE requires students to write two essays in three hours, which equates to one hour and thirty minutes per essay. Writing one essay will take approximately 45 minutes to an hour. One can add an additional 10 minutes to revise one essay. This leaves us with about 30 minutes to rough draft the essay, including time for brainstorming and outline activities.

Conclusion

The candidate must be aware of How to Prepare for UPSC Exam. This also includes learning the Essay Writing Format for UPSC. It is an important component of your preparation that can influence your final grade. The goal is to understand the formal framework of an essay, organize your ideas clearly, and communicate them effectively. Practice and discovering new strategies to improve your writing skills will help you write a high-quality essay. With hard study, a positive attitude, and dedication, you can improve your essay-writing skills and perform well in the UPSC Mains Exam. 

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