List of Essay Topics asked in UPSC Mains Examination

An essay is a written piece of content, a short one, a detailed one or a very elaborate one, usually pertaining to a particular topic, chosen from a specific subject of study. An essay contains useful information and researched notes about a subject topic, writer’s opinions and personal comments, views, facts and anecdotes.

The structure and organization of an essay makes it beautiful and interesting to read. Essays could vary from general essays, topical essays, subjective essays, travel essays, spiritual essays, educational essays, technical essays and much more. An essay should quintessentially contain a good introduction, followed by a detailed body and finally a good conclusion.

45 Essay Topics for UPSC CSE Mains Exam

• Judiciary  and its working
• Water disputes between States
• Modi’s agricultural schemes in the era of rampant farmer suicide
• Apolitical Education
• The importance of higher education
• Skilling the youth of India
• Environment  vs Growth
• Why is administration insensitive about the plight of slum dwellers
• India’s role in changing global world order
• Foreign Policy of Modi era
• National  health  protection  scheme
• Universal Basic Income vs Subsidy
• Nationalism debate
• Indian Model of Secularism
• Feminization of agriculture
• Digitalization  Drive
• India’s standing in BRICS countries.
• Pollution Crisis in urban areas
• Cultural Transformation in 21st century
• Artificial intelligence
• Higher Education versus skill acquisition
• Entrance exams versus Qualifying exams – what is the relevance of entrance exams for admissions to UG and PG courses in India?
• Scrapping of section 377 – the latest addition to Human rights protection
• Pro poor policies of Modi Government
• Controversies surrounding the Present day NDA government in India
• Relevance of the Supreme court’s decision to decriminalise the crime of adultery laid under section 497 of IPC
• Worsening INR
• Impact of increasing oil prices on Indian economy
• Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for majority of farmers in India.
• Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India
• Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms.
• Joy is the simplest form of Gratitude
• Fulfilment of ‘new women’ in India a myth.
• We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.
• ‘Social Media’ is inherently a selfish medium.
• Relevance of Non-Alignment Movement (NAM)
• If Development is not engendered, it is endangered
• Need Brings Greed , if need increases it spoils breed
• Water Dispute Between States in Federal India
• Innovation is the key determinant to Economic Growth and Social welfare
• Co-operative Federalism –Myth or Reality
• Cyberspace and Internet – Blessing or curse to the Human Civilisation in the long run
• Digital Economy- A leveler or a source of Economic Inequality

Preparation tactics for essay paper in UPSC Mains

There are certain subjects in UPSC, whose preparation will help you in the subject plus the essay paper. For instance, the general studies paper covers an entire lot of topics and important information that will help you crack the general studies paper and simultaneously building your confidence for the essay paper as well. In this section, we explore more of such points that will help you gain an edge in preparation for the essay paper.

• Familiarise yourself with all the parts of speech.
• Basics of grammar and grammatical theory are truly important.
• When focusing on a subject, be careful enough to present arguments on both sides of the central theme.
• Do not blindly read and follow previously written essays. Innovation is the key to climbing a higher ladder of success.
• Learn to present your suggestions in a unique way.
• Read a lot of fiction and nonfiction books. They improve your language, communication skills, plus presentation skills.
• Reading should become your favourite hobby if you are dreaming of clearing the essay paper with good marks. Spend at least an hour every day reading something that helps you score in your general studies and essay paper.
• Current affairs in the financial and economic spheres of the country are always a hot choice of topics for the examiners. You can directly or indirectly expect a lot of questions from these sections. Improve your general awareness. Read through critical opinions and comments.
• It pays to read good magazines. Reading at least two newspapers in your reading time and following various patterns in writing will help improve writing skills. Develop a unique style of writing.
• Make your essay powerful. Strengthen your essay with subject-appropriate words and terms. A standard dictionary for reference should be kept handy during preparation.
• Memorising difficult words is not going to help much. Instead, work on developing and building a good vocabulary.
• Everybody likes consistency. Be consistent in your language, word choice, and expressions.
• Do not use redundant words over and again. If you have to use the same word at different places, replace the common word with a new word meaning the same.

Essay writing skills to be practiced to deliver a good essay in the IAS exam

• Never drift from the central theme given in the paper. Staying on-spot with the subject given leaves a good impression with the examiner.
• Structure your essay as per the topic. Organization of the essay plus your writing must be followed.
• Write concisely. Keep your sentences short; make them clear and understandable to the reader.
• When you write, you should write for an audience. You aren’t writing to read it yourself, so make it appealing to the reader.
• Writing should be effective; nobody is interested in abstract reading, make it creative and interesting.
• Expression of ideas and clarity in communication are essential pre requisites.
• Use language that is commonly used by everyone. Using complicated language that is technically perfect, but poor communication-wise does not fetch good marks.
• Avoid grammatical mistakes. Take care not to make spelling errors; they leave a very bad impression on the evaluator.
• Important things to avoid in essay writing:
• Concentrating all your writing on a single point or perspective. Bring in multiple dimensions to your topic, do not isolate or stagnate your writing on one platform alone.
• Expressing extreme personal views in essays. Be neutral in your language and expression. Do not try to hurt anybody’s sentiments with your writing. Your writing should open doors to more thinking and not make the examiner shut it down from a negative perspective.

Points to remember

• When it comes to an essay paper, candidates usually tend to be overconfident, thinking they can write well, irrespective of their preparation for it. This is just a myth, and every paper in UPSC needs its share of good preparation.
• Your preparation should involve writing down important quotes, and anecdotes said by famous personalities, they will help you gain higher marks in the essay paper.
• Preparing notes is not just a necessity; it will simultaneously help you develop very good writing and written communication skills.
• A few topics are asked over and again in the UPSC papers. For such common topics, you could write your brief draft or framework, which you can use as a ready reckoner when attempting them. It saves you a lot of time.
• Completely keep away from SMS languages, they pull your marks away. No short forms for long words, use words as is.
• Be creative in writing subheadings. The content following a subheading should contain the main element linked to the main topic plus follow the extra information intended to provide under that.

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