UPSC 2022 Essay tips and strategy to score better

After noting all the aspects and sub-topics, the candidates should arrange them in the most suitable chronological order so that the whole essay appears connected and the transition from one aspect to another remains smooth.

UPSC Essay can be divided into three following parts :

• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

Let us discuss each of them in detail.

Introduction

An introduction is the face of the essay. An introduction should be the reflection of the essay. The candidates should introduce the essay in the introduction so the examiner can expect the course of the essay. A wonderful introduction can impress the examiner and can fetch better marks.

The introduction should be balanced and issue-oriented. The candidates should use the quotes said by the Indian and global personalities. Candidates can use these statements in the introduction and conclusion depending on the context.

For example, once Mahatma Gandhi said, “The world has enough for everyone’s need, but not enough for everyone’s greed”.’ In environment-oriented issues, this statement can be used in the introduction or in the conclusion based on the context. There are various examples like this. The candidates should always quote the name of the personality after the statement.

The candidates can write the introduction in more than one way. It can be a questioning introduction, a simple introduction depicting the past, present and future or a storytelling introduction. The candidates can write a story where the moral of the story should be directly related to the topic.

The candidate should write two or three introductions for each important issue so they can reproduce a pleasant introduction in the UPSC Essay exam.

Body of the Essay

The body is the principal part of the essay. The candidates should practise writing the body of the essay in chronological order. The essay is the only paper where the candidate can show their thinking and solution providing abilities. Each of the paragraphs should appear connected and the candidates should avoid writing out of the context things.

The candidates should introduce the next issue in the last line of the paragraph and explain that issue in the next paragraph. It is a simple technique of connecting the essay subtopics. Candidates can raise a question in the paragraph and answer it in the subsequent content. The examiner should not feel that the candidate is not able to present his ideas in chronological order. The marks secured in the essay paper heavily depend on the inter-connectedness of the essay and the quality of the issues and subtopics discussed in the essay.

In an essay's body, the candidates should elaborate on the points noted in the brainstorming phase and try to substantiate the analysis part with a factual basis. Facts are important to prove the analysis part. The candidates should try to give reference to the government reports, World Bank Reports, UNO reports, UNICEF reports, NITI Aayog reports, Union Government reports and other government publications.

Candidates can take references from the Government Acts and proposed bills. The candidates should not hesitate from introducing new Acts or Rules in the essay. The candidate can give reference to the international laws too, but they should also suggest the modifications as per the Indian legal system and the unique socio-culture fabric of the country.

Conclusion of the Essay

The conclusion of the UPSC essay is very important because it will help to create a long-lasting impression on the examiner. In the conclusion, the candidate needs to take a stand. In the conclusion, the candidate needs to be future-oriented. The candidates should suggest a concrete and pragmatic solution to the issue.

The candidate can take the stand in consonance with the government’s official stand. In the conclusion also, the candidates can give examples of other countries as well. Here also, the candidates can use the quotes of famous personalities and end it conclusion open-ended and future-oriented.