Important topics and areas for UPSC Essay. See here the preparation areas and most important topics IAS main exam and other UPSC exams.
UPSC essay paper is the most scoring paper in the IAS main exam. The essay paper is also the only paper where the UPSC syllabus is not well defined. As per the UPSC notification, the candidates are expected to present their ideas orderly fashion and effectively. UPSC expect the candidates to present their worldview with concise writing and exact expression.
See here: UPSC Essay Tips and Strategy
In the essay paper, UPSC asks the candidates to write two essays. The candidates should select the essay topics based on their studies, their optional subject and the details they knew about the topic. There is a philosophical topic as well. The word limit for each of essay is 1000-1200 words. The candidates need to think, plan, structure and write two essays in three hours. So the candidates need to practice writing the UPSC essay twice in a week.
UPSC Essay paper is a freehand paper where the candidates are not bound by the subjective or objective boundaries. The candidates must understand that the UPSC essay always asks the topics which are the reflection of the happening around Indian society. The topic like “Wisdom find truth” is a philosophical topic asked in the UPSC Essay paper of 2019.
See here: Most important Topics for IAS
The topics asked in the UPSC essay paper are the undercurrent of the Indian Society where the candidates should produce in favour and counter-arguments. UPSC essay expects a neutral answer from the candidates so the candidates need to trade a safe path while writing their essays.
UPSC Essay-Important Areas
The candidates should read, learn, analyse and prepare brief notes on some prerequisites for writing the UPSC essay such as
- The changing world order and India’s participation
- India’s Foreign Policy and evolving bilateral issues
- India’s relation with its neighbours
- Border Security in India
- Status and Condition of Women in Indian Society
- Child labour and the restriction imposed by the Indian laws
- Impact of technological advancement on the social fabric of Indian Society
- Changing Trend in Indian Agriculture and the Economic Reforms
- The Health Infrastructure in India
- Rural and urban divide in India and how technology can play a vital role
- What are the differences in the life of child age, youth age and old age?
- Structure of Indian Economy
- Changing Environmental Phenomenon across the globe
The above are the macro topics which need to be prepared. The topics asked in the essay can be the interplay of any of the above topics.
UPSC Essay-Important topics
The important topics which can be asked in the UPSC essay are as follows :
- Is India ready to shoulder the responsibility of the new World Leader?
- Restructuring of World Institutions is overdue
- India has a unique blend of Federal and Unitary Political structure
- How India combat with the COVID-19 outbreak?
- Agriculture must be profitable to remain sustainable
- India is moving from Socialistic to Capitalistic Society
- What we give to our child comes back to society?
- The government should reduce the Agriculture subsidies
- India’s initiative to become 5 trillion economy
- A free woman is a characteristic of a developed society
- Food security is imperative to become a developed society
- How India can reap the benefits of its demographic dividend?
- COVID-19 has widened the rural and urban divide
- Biased media can weaken the roots of Indian society
See here: Important UPSC questions for IAS Exam

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Student Forum
Answered 5 days ago
The UPSC IAS Notification 2026 has been postponed due to administrative reasons. The Commission released a notice on its official website - upsc.gov.in regarding this. The Commission will also revise the last date for UPSC applications.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
The Union Public Service Commission will release the IAS Prelims Answer Key 2026 in May 2027. The Commission releases the official answer key after the declaration of final result.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
The Union Public Service Commission will conduct the IAS prelims exam on May 24, 2026. The Commission will release the IAS prelims result 2026 in the first week of June.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
The Cadre Controlling Authority for Indian Police Service is the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA). It comes directly under the supervision of Home Minister of India.
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered 6 days ago
The Union Public Service Commission will notify the UPSC Civil Service vacancies in the official notification. The number of vacancies for IAS is 180 and for IPS it is 150. Rest of the vacancies are notified for the Central Civil Services.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 6 days ago
The Union Public Service Commission mention the age limit in the official notification. The upper age limit for the General Categoary candidates is 32 years. The Commission provides age relaxation to certain reserved categories.
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Answered 6 days ago
No, the Indian Foriegn Service is a Central Civil Service. It is organised and controlled by the Ministry of External Affairs. It is recruited through the UPSC Civil Service Exam conducted annually.
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Beginner-Level 5
Answered 6 days ago
The Union Public Service Commission will release the Civil Service (IAS) notification 2026 on its official website - upsc.gov.in. The Commission will mention the number of vacancies (tentative) in the notification. The Commission is releasing over one thousand vacancies in the recent years.
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Contributor-Level 6
Answered 2 weeks ago
Yes, the UPSC IAS previous year question papers are very important because they provide a clear picture of the exam. The UPSC IAS PYQs hints about the most frequently asked topics in the exam. It also provides the tentative weightage of the sections in the UPSC IAS syllabus.
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