My strategy and approach for the essay paper
The essay paper in CSE Mains comprises two essays carrying 125 marks each.
This paper has the potential to decide your rank given the marks differential lying from 70s to 150s.
The changing pattern of the paper which is now shifting more towards writing philosophical/ inference driven/interpretation based essays on the one hand gives an upper edge to candidates to reflect their creative side and showcase their true personality, thoughts and vision . On the other hand it has become challenging for some candidates as well.
In the CS Mains 2022, I secured 131 marks in the essay paper .
I would like to share my approach and strategy for this paper.
Resources
UPSC essay papers 2017 onwards
Model solutions of any institute
Read topper essay copies of previous years like Vikram Grewal, Anudeep Durishetty sir
Collection of examples, anecdotes and quotes
Approach
I started breaking down any essay topic of the previous year in a 30 minute time frame. Instead of writing the full essay in the beginning I relied on deciding the structure and flow of the essay .
For instance,
2020 section b -There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless
Let’s try creating a structure for it -
We can start with an anecdote or a story like- in a big urban city there were a lot of sky high buildings and economic prosperity of a few sections of society was at its peak. Despite that, everything was not very happy because the news of robbery, strife, etc happened everyday making the environment tense.
This is what is also called social banditry
Here in this first para itself we have summarised the essence of the essay that no matter what is the level of economic prosperity , if there is inequality, lack of social justice it is all meaningless.
Then we can simply start with breaking down parts of the essay
What does economic prosperity mean ?
What does it actually mean
Comparisons to other countries
How economic prosperity is a prerequisite to social justice - the logic being the overall pie increases
In the later part of the essay talk about how economic prosperity is not enough. It needs to be accompanied with social justice, inclusion schemes.
In conclusion, we can link it back to the story of the city we started . how the scenario would change if people also think about social justice, there would be enough for everyone.
2022 CSM Section A Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence.
We can start with an anecdote which summarises what the topic is all about -
A bamboo plant remains as a small bud for around 3 years of its life and then suddenly blooms into a tall shoot.
Such is the effect of investment and capital formation in an economy.
The fruits of infrastructure development are not seen in the immediate future but over a long period of time .
What really is a case study ? Let's understand.
Anything that provides us an analysis into what can be the outcome based on the inputs.
How similarly situated scenarios will plan out in the future .
Economic excellence- growth or development?
Are forests really the best case studies for economic excellence??
Now start with illustrations-
*) Tiny self sustaining forest fires are healthy for a forest ecosystem because it rejuvenates , gets rid of the pests
Similarly small shocks like the COVID pandemic for example forced industries to innovate - go online
*) Canopy in an evergreen forest is essential to ensure the harmony between multiple layers such that each layer get appropriate sunlight
Similarly MSME ecosystem needs to be such that it forms a larger value chain but what we face is DWARFISM
So can draw inferences from forests.
*) Excessive fluctuations in forests in terms of human intervention, or exploitation disturbs the balance of ecosystem
Similarly any excessive fluctuation in an economy in terms of currency rate volatility, govt regulations, monetary policy changes are also harmful
Key Takeaways-
- Choice of the topic is very significant. So take sufficient time to decide. Decision of choosing an essay should be primarily based on how many ideas and dimensions can one think of on a cursory reading.
- In the beginning start with brainstorming any essay in 20 mins maximum and creating a structure for it.
- Read model solutions of the essays from any institute/ discuss with friends and seniors as to what would have been their approach to break down the essay. Also refer to Editorials and Op-ed articles to understand how an article is written with coherence and well roundedness.
- Once you are comfortable with this exercise, practice writing essays in a time bound manner
- Prefer sticking to the word limit. Short and crisp essays are anyday preferred over essays which are really long and not coherent. Do not write more than 1000 words even though UPSC prescribes a different limit.
- Use examples, quotes and anecdotes liberally as long as they are relevant to your essays. For this, whenever you read model solutions keep collecting examples and quotes in a thematic fashion.
- For instance, i had my set of value addition for the topic- WOMEN, ENVIRONMENT, POVERTY, VULNERABLE SECTIONS, DEMOCRACY, etc
- Also try a question / answer format in your essays- like? What do you really understand by economic prosperity- let us try to explore in this essay.
- Don't write in excessively long paragraphs.
- Always make sure that you don't lose track of the topic while writing. Make sure every paragraph gives the essence of the essay, and ensure relevance is given priority. For example: In the essay, “Technology is the silent factor in International Relations”, it is very important to focus on the word “silent”.
- Don't make it too mechanical with lots of data, reports etc. instead make it very interesting using references to pop culture/ books/ recent events etc.
For essays, i only wrote 3 tests ( 6 essays ) between prelims and mains
Tried to write an essay on alternate sundays before prelims and practice structuring essays whenever possible.
Thank You! 💟