Essays are very imp for your UPSC Mains exam. Let us simply define what is an essay. Essays are basically excerpts on a single topic. They can include many diverse aspects under the same topic. Moreover, the word limit usually ranges high. It is a combination of many different paragraphs. We have all written essays at some point in our school or university. Usually, essays are used to evaluate some factors. For example, it helps the corrector to test your language. It also helps them to learn your vocabulary. In addition to this, it helps them to learn your knowledge on a subject or topic. There are many different types of topics for essays. Some people are born with writing skills. However, some need to take help from the best essay book for UPSC PDF in Hindi/English.
About UPSC Mains Paper I
The essay paper will build a great basis for your mains exam. Out of the total nine papers, an essay paper is very crucial. You get three hours to complete each of them. Paper A and Paper B are language papers. The first paper is about a compulsory Indian language. It carries a total of 300 marks. Moreover, this is your first paper for mains. You must wisely choose a language. You must make sure you are sure about the choice. Moreover, you must have a command of the language. It is mostly a regional language. Secondly, there is Paper B. This is a language paper too. However, paper B is an English paper. You cannot write this paper in any other language. Paper B also carries 300 marks. For papers A and B, you get a total of 3 hours to write the paper each.
After paper A and paper B starts Paper I to Paper VII. The best essay book for UPSC will help you to crack your Paper I. It means that Paper I is all about essays. This paper carries 250 marks. Moreover, you will get 3 hours to write your essay paper. Further, after the essay paper, there are GS papers. Finally, there are optional subject papers. They too carry 250 marks each and are written within 3 hours each. Let us now look at some important aspects of the essay paper. The essay paper has a total of two sections. Each section has 4 topics under it. Hence, there are in total 8 topics in the paper. However, you have to write two.
Essay Paper Pattern
Out of the total 4 topics in section one, you have to select one. Similarly, you have to choose your second topic from the next section out of the 4 topics. We already saw that this paper carries a total of 250 marks. Hence, each essay is for 125 marks. Thus, making a total of 250. The essay paper is very general in nature. Moreover, you usually do not need special reference material to prepare for it. Why is it so? Firstly, the topics are usually general in nature. They are covered under your GS syllabus. They revolve around current topics.
A UPSC aspirant prepares from a holistic view. All you have to do is focus on your GS topics even from the essay point of view. Many aspirants do not pay attention to a paper one. It is taken lightly due to its non-specific nature of topics. Moreover, often we believe that we can easily pull off the general topics.
Challenges While Writing Your Essay Paper
However, many aspirants have faced difficulties during the actual exam hour. It is difficult to write something worth 125 marks in your paper. Moreover, there is a very short time to cover all the aspects of your topic. You might have a lot to talk about, but there is a time constraint. In addition to this, you need time to create a framework for your essay. This takes time to think. You can be left baffled by this in the exam hall. Then, it won’t be healthy for your other papers.
No matter how strongly you have prepared for the other papers, an essay paper is a merit maker or breaker. You pen down your original thoughts. Everything is going to be written in original words. It takes immense practice even if you do not realize it. The best essay is a result of serious practice. For this, you need the best UPSC essay book/PDF in English or Hindi. An essay book for UPSC will help you in a holistic prep.
Why Should You Prepare From The Best Essay Book For UPSC PDF?
Let us look at some perks of preparing for your paper one. Firstly, the book will help you to understand the topics. These books usually have topics from the previous year. It will mostly cover your prep from the previous year’s UPSC papers. If the UPSC essay book PDF does not have previous year’s topics, you can visit the UPSC website for the paper. To get the last year’s essay papers: click here. Practicing last year’s papers is an amazing source. It will help you learn the nature of topics asked by UPSC over the years. Moreover, it will also help you to learn the changes over the years in the type of topics asked in the paper. You can prepare accordingly.
Some useful best essay books for UPSC are listed below:
- Essays for Civil Services By Pulkit Khare.
- Mastering essay and answer writing for civil services by Disha Experts.
- 151 Essays by SC Gupta (Arihant Publication).
About UPSC Essay Book/PDF
These books will help you to get an overall idea about the paper pattern. Moreover, the key to great writing is careful reading. Read as much as possible around relevant topics. Keep an eye on the most current and happening events. Strategic topics, issues, and problems with their possible solutions are trending. You can possibly write a great essay with the right knowledge. However, only knowledge isn’t enough. You need to develop your vocabulary. Moreover, you should focus on the topic rightly.
Tips To Write The Best Essay Paper Introduction
Here are some useful tips for your essay from the best UPSC essay book PDF in English/Hindi. Let us look at them one by one. Firstly, you need to write an attractive introduction. This is applicable for essays and answers in your mains. However, in the case of answers, the introduction part is very brief in nature. Hence, you need an average understanding of the context of the answer. But this isn’t true for an essay. When you take up writing an essay, you have to make a very catchy introduction. Moreover, you should possibly add whatever you know to introduce your topic.
As per toppers’ suggestions, it is advantageous to start your essay with a verse. Mostly, you should use a popular phrase to back up your future topic explanation. Do not hesitate in code-mixing. If you are using a verse from a regional language, make sure you explain it further as a part of your intro. In addition to this, you do not have to always remember certain quotes or phrases for your intro. Sometimes, you can also create your own introductory verse. In this way, you can catch the examiner’s attention quickly. Note that this isn’t compulsory. But surely recommended. You will read several essays in the best essay book for UPSC. This will eventually develop the introduction skills in you.
Essay Writing – Body and Conclusion
Further comes the main part of your essay. That is the body. This part plays a very crucial role. Here you explain everything about your topic. Make sure you stick to the topic throughout your body. You can touch upon complementary topics. Moreover, you should try and cover all the areas you can think of in the body of the essay. This will present your holistic understanding of the topic. This is the main purpose of the essay, to test your overall knowledge about the topic. Lastly, comes the conclusion. A good essay book for UPSC PDF will help you to conclude your essay in a very great way.
You can close your topic with some suggestions. Or a reality check. Moreover, you can also add your own opinion. However, popular opinion is preferred over individual opinion. In addition to this, you can come up with solutions for any problem noted in the essay. Moreover, do not forget to include examples in your essay to back your explanation. We are sure all these pointers will help you to write an attractive essay and score your best. For more such articles: click here.
FAQs
You have to write two essays in 3 hours. Each essay carries 125 marks. Hence, you are expected to write at least 1000 to 2000 words per essay.
This is a very common question. Often aspirants start writing the essay without a proper outline in mind. Firstly, you should create an outline in your head. Plan what do you want to write in your essay at least for 5 to 10 mins. Write down the major header and proceed as per the order for your essay. In this way, you will save time thinking about what is next.
The book must guide you around some latest essay topics in vogue. It should contain previous year’s papers or practice papers for essays. The book must also guide you to write a good intro, body, and conclusion.
Editor’s Note | Essay Book for UPSC
Here we will conclude our article. In today’s article, we talked about the best essay book for UPSC PDF in Hindi/English. We listed some important books for your paper one prep. Moreover, we also talked about writing a good essay. We listed some tips and tricks. We also discussed the paper one pattern and section-wise essay paper weightage. Thus, we hope that this article will help you strengthen your UPSC essay paper prep.