Any short piece of writing that focuses on a particular topic is called an essay. An essay can be formal or informal. In your Union Public Service Commission Civil Service Examination (UPSC CSE), the essays are formal. All CSE papers have four essays, divided into two sections, namely ‘Section A’ and ‘Section B’. Out of the four available essay topics, you have to write two essays, one from each section. Each essay is marked for 125 marks. As a result, the essay paper is worth 250 marks. This blog talks about how to write an essay, ways to avoid common mistakes, and tips to improve your essay writing for UPSC.

Essay's Structure

The structure of any essay consists of three sections, namely, an introduction, a body of the essay, and a conclusion. For the CSE essay paper, we shall follow the same pattern.

Introduction

An introduction to the essay is really crucial to the overall flow of the essay. The introduction of the essay must make a strong impression on the examiner. Therefore, the goal of the introduction to the essay is to arouse the reader’s interest in the topic and give him a quick look at what the essay is about. The introduction of the essay can be brief. However, keep in mind that it must be relevant to the topic. You must make the introduction more arousing by adding personal experiences, relevant events, or quotes. The most vital point is you should never make the introduction confusing or unclear. It puts a negative impression on the examiner. Rather, the essay must be crisp and clear. It should clear any doubts the examiner might have.

The Body of the Essay

This is the part where you write everything you know about the topic. Firstly, you should be aware that this writing must have a flow and should make sense to the reader. The best way to write the body of an essay is by breaking it into paragraphs. In a single paragraph, the concluding statement lets us know the end of the paragraph. Secondly, in the body of the essay, when we write it in paragraphs, the end of one paragraph simply gives the flow to the next one and ensures that the content is consistent.

The body paragraphs can be for the question statement, against the question statement, or simply recall the tale of events. In an ideal situation, one must start the body with a brief explanation or recall of events and then make points, for or against, but with good examples. You should follow the sandwich technique while making your points. In this technique, you start with a positive narrative, add a critical perspective, and then end on a positive note. The body of the essay is your thoughts and views, so make sure to leave a positive impression on the reader, as they will be reading about you.

The Conclusion of the Essay

The conclusion of an essay denotes the end. The end must always be positive. The conclusion must be strong, like the introduction. It should make sense and be consistent with the rest of the essay. There are many methods to end the essay. Some of them are as follows:

• You can summarise the main points discussed in the essay.
• Add a personal note or quote or suggest a way forward.
• By circling back to your main point written in the introduction.

Remember that the essay should always end on a positive note. The conclusion cannot be lengthy. Keep it short and sweet.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

While writing an essay, it is understandable that you might make a few mistakes. However, you cannot show these mistakes to the examiner. It shows nervousness and/or lack of ability. We will first mention some common mistakes and then talk about how to avoid them.

The common mistakes you must avoid are as follows:

• Poor Planning and Time Management

You need to make sure you plan an outline of the essay before you start writing. Otherwise, you end up ignoring crucial points to make and decrease the quality of your essay.

• Lack of Clarity and Flow

You must read and understand the question statement. Take some time and think about what the question statement is asking out of you. Otherwise, you end up with a weak flow of paragraphs and senseless arguments.

• Usage of Complex Language

Make sure to use simple language. Do not try to use complex words and long sentences. You might end up falling into a spiral and lose the entire focus of the essay. Use simple language and short sentences to make your points.

• Passive Ideas

At times, aspirants have no real ideas of their own. They simply put forth what has already been mentioned. This shows a lack of critical thinking and analytical skills.

• Weak Introduction and Conclusion

Remember, the introduction and conclusion are where you make a strong impact on the reader. A weak introduction and conclusion show a lack of knowledge and clarity of thought.

Ways to Avoid Such Mistakes

You need to understand the essay is a conversation you put in writing. You need to articulate your thoughts well before you dive into the writing part of it. Some methods which will help you avoid making simple errors are as follows:

• Make sure to plan the essay in your mind. Keep an outline ready.
• Read more, think more, analyse more. This will help you develop critical thinking skills and write better.
• Read the question statement carefully.
• You will finish the essay well in time; therefore, be calm.

Tips to Improve Your Writing

You can follow these tips to improve your essay writing in the UPSC CSE essay paper.

• Always read the question statement carefully.
• Plan an outline before you start writing. As a result, a structured essay in mind will give flow and consistency to the essay on paper.
• Remember that practice makes perfect. Write as many time-bound essays as you can.
• Keep your sentences short and sweet. If you try to extend them, they will become more confusing.
• There are two sides to every story. Do not forget to talk about the counter-arguments.
• Remember the PESTLE (Political, Economic, Sociological, Technological, Legal, and Environmental) Analysis to figure out various dimensions of any topic.

Conclusion:

Writing essays is not hard. You can write an essay easily by ensuring you do not forget what has been mentioned here. Keep these points in mind and see how your essay writing improves with practice. We hope that this blog has been beneficial to you. All the best for your prep.