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How to write an Essay for CSS / PCS / PMS or any Competitive Exams

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How to write an Essay for CSS

Css essay writing tips, what is an essay.

A good essay is a comprehensive composition on a particular topic; beneficial, convincing and easily comprehensible for a reader. Essay writing is a skill of formulating your ideas about a topic in an adequate manner with the aid of rational arguments which convince the reader about what is discoursed in the essay.

The essay is a particularly academic form of writing and is a standard method of developing and demonstrating a student’s intellectual abilities at almost all levels of a humanities degree programme. Developing skills in essay-writing is, therefore, crucial to success in your studies.

QUESTION FORMAT (CSS Exam): Make an outline and write a COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY ( 2500 – 3500 words) on any one on the given topics. Make sure you use different forms of discourse e.g. description, narration, illustration etc.

How to write an Essay

In essay writing, the most important starting point is to listen carefully to what the essay title is telling you.

Choice of topic

Choice of topic should be clearly based on your holistic understanding of the subject matter. So choose a topic with which you are most comfortable. At times we think that the topic is so common that most of the people will choose it, so let me choose some unconventional topic. This is a totally wrong thinking, many people end up scoring poor marks due to this. So fight with your best weapons on.  

Interpretation of the essay topic

Do not be in a hurry to write an essay. Many people see the broader title and start writing the essay without even understanding the theme of the topic.

Eg- With greater power comes greater responsibility Now the moment people see power they somehow relate it to politics and bureaucracy and start building their essay around it, writing all theories, quotes and examples they know related to it. Here the theme of this topic is philosophical which talks of power present in any institutional system (family, religion, community, politics, administration etc ), throughout society power is banked from people to a leader so that he can use that power for a common good. So with greater power comes greater responsibility. In this context we need to critically analyze the theme of the essay.

Essay writing can be divided into following four parts on the basis of marking in CSS Exam.

• Discourse/ideas and thoughts presented in an essay
• Structure of essay
• Making Outline
• Principles and Qualities of a good essay

• In essay begin with a general point about the central issue
• thesis statement ( what you are trying to prove ) should be included in essay writing
• Essay should have mapping statement or statements ( what and how you will argue )
• Topic sentences ( sentences that introduce your topics ) should be included in the essay.
• In essay show your understanding of the topic that has been set ( given ).
• Show how you plan to address the title in your Essay structure
• Our advice would be to use simple language. As Anton Chekov once said ‘Brevity is the sister of talent’.
• The idea of using ornamental language to showcase your English vocabulary may backfire at times.
• There should be a logical continuation from beginning to end.
• The essay should be organized in well-structured paragraphs coherent with the flow of the essay.
• Don’t be too aggressive or pessimistic in your tone.
• Come up with good points and express new viewpoints.
• Go through well written essays by experts in newspapers and magazines, and understand how they frame the ‘Introduction’ and ‘Conclusion’ paragraphs.
• The conclusion should be there in essay writing.

A powerful introduction is invaluable ( extremely useful ) in an essay. It can engage your readers, and can give them confidence that you have thought carefully about the title, and about how you are going to address it. It may be possible to use only one paragraph for your introduction, but it may fall more easily into two or more. You will need to adapt and extend this basic structure to fit with your own discipline and the precise task set. Following the thesis, you should provide a mini-outline which previews the examples you will use to support your thesis in the rest of the essay. Not only does this tell the reader what to expect in the paragraphs to come but it also gives them a clearer understanding of what the essay is about.

Essentially, this is what you are doing within the essay process, breaking ideas down, and then building them up again. Writing essays, You just need to break down the essay title into its component parts, and consider possible ways of addressing them work with these component parts, as you select your reading and make relevant notes, build up the essay using the material you have collected ordering it, presenting and discussing it, and forming it into a coherent argument.

Supporting Paragraphs (Body of Essay)

In writing essay supporting paragraphs make up the main body of your essay. List the points that develop the main idea of your essay. Place each supporting point in its own paragraph Develop each supporting point with facts, details, and examples. To connect your supporting paragraphs, you should use special transition words. Transition words link your paragraphs together and make your essay easier to read. Use them at the beginning and end of your paragraphs. Transitions are words and phrases that provide a connection between ideas, sentences and paragraphs”. Transitions help to make a piece of writing flow better.

What should a paragraph do?

At the risk of being silly, consider this. What you look for in a partner, a reader looks for in a paragraph. You want a partner who is supportive, strong, and considerate to others. Similarly, a good paragraph will:

Be Supportive

Even in the most trying of times a good paragraph will find away to support the essay. It will declare its relationship to the essay clearly, so that the whole world knows what the paragraph intends to do. In other words, a supportive paragraph’s main idea clearly develops the argument of the essay.

A good paragraph isn’t bloated with irrelevant evidence or redundant sentences. Nor is it a scrawny thing, begging to be fed. It’s strong and buffed. You know that it’s been worked on. In other words, a strong paragraph develops its main idea, using sufficient evidence.

Be Considerate

Good paragraphs consider their relationship to other paragraphs. A good paragraph never interrupts its fellow paragraphs to babble on about its own, irrelevant problems. A good paragraph waits its turn. It shows up when and where it’s supposed to. It doesn’t make a mess for other paragraphs to clean up. In other words, a considerate paragraph is a coherent paragraph. It makes sense within the text as a whole.

When you’ve written a paragraph, ask yourself these questions:

• Do I have enough evidence to support this paragraph’s idea?
• Do I have too much evidence? (In other words, will the reader be lost in a morass of details, unable to see the argument as a whole?)
• Does this evidence clearly support the assertion I am making in this paragraph, or am I stretching it?
• If I am stretching it, what can I do to persuade the reader that this stretch is worth making?
• Am I repeating myself in this paragraph?
• Have I defined all of the paragraph’s important terms?
• Can I say, in a nutshell, what the purpose of this paragraph is?
• Has the paragraph fulfilled that purpose?

The body of the essay will take each of these main points and develop them with examples and illustrations, using clearly defined paragraphs. This is where you will need to think about the structure of your essay and make sure you follow a clear path through to your conclusion. This section is where most writers go wrong, but if you plan carefully you should have a direction for your essay before you start writing.

Critical Analysis

Avoid unnecessary description

In an essay only include general background details and history when they add to your argument, e.g . to show a crucial cause and effect. Practice distinguishing between description ( telling what happened ) and analysis ( judging why something happened ).

Interpret your evidence

While writing essay explain how and why your evidence supports your point. Interpretation is an important part of critical analysis, and you should not just rely on the evidence “speaking for itself”.

Be specific

In essay avoid making sweeping generalizations or points that are difficult to support with specific evidence. It is better to be more measured and tie your argument to precise examples or case studies.

Use counter-arguments to your advantage

In writing an essay if you find viewpoints that go against your own argument, don’t ignore them. It strengthens an argument to include an opposing viewpoint and explain why it is not as convincing as your own line of reasoning.

A powerful conclusion is a valuable tool. So in essay writing the aim is to leave your reader feeling that you have done a good job. Having done all of that, the final element – and final sentence in your essay – should be a “global statement” or “call to action” that gives the reader signals that the discussion has come to an end. A generic structure that you may find useful is

• Brief recap of what you have covered in relation to the essay title
• Reference to the larger issue and Evaluation of the main arguments
• Highlighting the most important aspects in the essay.

Watch Video: 25 Preparation Tips on How to Study for CSS at home

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• UPPSC PCS Exam

UPPSC PCS Preparation

Uppsc pcs exam preparation - booklist, strategies.

Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) conducts the Combined State / Upper Subordinate Services (PCS) exam. The three stages – Preliminary, Mains, and Interview have a defined syllabus. In this article, an aspirant will get to know the detailed UPPSC PCS exam preparation strategy and a comprehensive booklist for the upcoming PCS Prelims 2023. There are a few books that will work for both UPPSC Prelims and Mains and then there are few that will exclusively work for each Exam.

UPPSC PCS Booklist 2023:- Download PDF Here

Aspirants can check all the UPPSC PCS related links in the table below:

The civil services examination is an eminent one and the standard of papers designed for it, are such that it tests analytical and conceptual clarity of the candidates.

Few tips that can help candidates track their preparation are:

• Each topic that finds its place in UPPSC syllabus is important and an aspirant should never skip any of those.
• For State Service Exams, a candidate should read the state board textbooks as these give pertinent information on various topics mentioned in the syllabus.
• Each topic like History, Geography, Polity, etc. should also be read keeping in mind the state’s aspects.
• Source of practice is past years’ question papers. Find those in the official websites.

UPPSC PCS Prelims has the following topics:

• Current events of National & International importance
• Indian History and National Movement
• Indian and World Geography
• Indian Governance and Polity
• Social and Economic Development
• Environmental Ecology, Climate Change, and Biodiversity
• General Science

The sources to prepare UPPSC Prelims 20223 are given in the table below:

For aptitude exam, i.e. UPPSC PCS Prelims Paper-II, aspirants should practise reading comprehensions, logical reasoning and English grammar more as questions from these sections are asked in aptitude exam in the majority. Some reference books for PCS Prelims Paper-II are:

• M.K Pandey’s Analytical Reasoning
• R.S Aggarwal’s Quantitative Aptitude
• For section, Reading Comprehensions, follow the previous year question papers.

Aspirants who are preparing for UPPSC PCS exams and also targeting for UPSC 2021  may check the linked article to align their preparation accordingly.

The PCS admit card will be released for both the exams tentatively three weeks prior to the date of the examination. The admit card is a hall ticket that is to be carried along by each candidate to their examination centres. The date of the release of the admit card is not yet out. The details of the  UPPSC PCS Admit Card  can be checked in the linked article.

UPPSC Mains 2023

The major topics given in UPPSC Syllabus are History, Geography, Polity, Economics and Current Affairs.

UPPSC Preparation books for Mains are:

• History- Bipin Chandra
• Polity- Laxmikant
• Geography- Lexicon or Majid Hussain or G.C. Leong
• Economy- School Textbooks or Ramesh Singh
• Current Affairs- The Hindu/ Monthly Compilation of any good magazine

Apart from the books above, a few other recommended reading sources are:

• Budget and Economic Survey
• State Board books
• NCERT books – Download NCERT books PDF here (only English medium)
• PIB Summary
• Gist Of Yojana
• Gist of RSTV  (Rajya Sabha TV)
• The Hindu Video Analysis
• To prepare for the compulsory paper number I and II where knowledge of Bengali language is significant, candidates should practice report-writing and translations from school textbooks and Bengali newspapers.

PCS Material

The UPPSC is going to conduct PCS Mains 2020 in January 2021. Aspirants preparing for UPPCS 2022 examination can refer to a few important questions that have been asked in PCS Mains 2019 to get an idea of the demand of the paper. We are giving some important questions asked in Paper 3-6 in Mains examination 2019, and along with that, we will be providing BYJU’S notes on those topics.

Let us see some important questions that were asked in UPPSC PSC Mains 2019 GS Paper 1; that are general in nature and can overlap with UPSC notes :

• Critically examine the effects of the British Industrial Revolution on India’s economic life.
• Evaluate the main problems of the empowerment of the Scheduled Tribes in India.
• Tropical cyclones originate on the oceanic parts and as soon as they reach the terrestrial parts, these storms gradually weaken and end.” Explain with reasons.
• Explain the role of Quit India movement in the freedom movement of India.
• The politics of religion and ethnic violence is basically the politics of secularism and secularisation. Critically analyse the statement.
• Define Urbanization. Discuss the problems caused by the face pace of urbanization.

The table below will provide you with the broad topics that cover the demand for the questions. Aspirants should know the none of question directly comes from the topic and the content has to be modified as per the questions’ demands.

Let us see some important questions that were asked in UPPSC PSC Mains 2019 GS Paper 2; that are general in nature and can overlap with UPSC notes:

• Describe the objectives and impact of Atal Bhujal Yojana.
• Briefly state the role of National Human Rights Commission in India.
• What are the main irritants in Indo-Nepal bilateral relations?
• Write a note on the citizen’s charter.
• Critically examine the main elements of the Representation of People’s Act.
• Describe the main provisions of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) 2019.
• What is meant by digital India? Discuss its various pillars and challenges.
• Write a note on the role and importance of Sugamya Bharat Abhiyan.
• What do you understand by the doctrine of basic structure? Analyse its importance for the Indian Constitution.

Let us see some important questions that were asked in UPPSC PSC Mains 2019 GS Paper 3; that are general in nature and can overlap with UPSC notes:

• Armed Forces Special Powers Act of the Parliament of India has come under criticism by the states as being draconian and sometimes as unconstitutional. Examine analytically.
• What do you mean by inclusive growth? How inclusive growth is helpful in reducing poverty and inequalities in India? Explain.
• Explain the impact of the green revolution on small and marginal farmers.
• Discuss how poverty is measured in India. Examine the steps taken to overcome rural poverty in India.
• Define biodiversity.
• What is new in the new industrial policy. In this context, state the features of new industrial policy and explain its effects on industrial growth.
• Explain the challenges of food security in India. How can they be removed? Explain.
• Evaluate in brief the agricultural marketing reforms in India. Are they adequate?

For PCS Mains GS 4 which is broadly about ethics, integrity and aptitude; a candidate can opt for the strategy that IAS aspirants opt for UPSC Mains GS Ethics .

Some important points to keep in mind regarding UPPSC Exam Preparation:

• Practice previous years’ question papers
• Do MCQ solving practice for Prelims
• Do answer writing practice for Mains

For UPPSC PCS preparation, there are a few terms in many subjects that confuse aspirants. Hence, we have collated a list of 100 such differences between articles where you can understand the basics of important terms.

The PCS Exam is conducted annually or when announced by Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC.) The vacancies are introduced under:

• General recruitment
• Special recruitment
• Assistant Conservator of Forest
• Range Forest Officer

For other PSC Exams and notifications regarding the same, an aspirant can check the below-mentioned articles:

Aspirants preparing for multiple state examinations can go through preparation articles for important PSC exams below:

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Hi, I am a 30 year old B. tech graduate in IT. Am I eligible to give UPPCS 2021 exams? I belong to UP.

Yes, you can sit for UPPSC PCS 2021. Check UPPSC PCS related articles below: 1. PCS Exam 2020 2. PCS Exam Calendar 2020 3. PCS Eligibility 4. PCS Syllabus

how can i register or apply for UPPCS exam 2021

Currently, PCS 2020 exam process is taking place. The commission is yet to release the UPPSC 2021 notification. It will be updated here .

Dear SIr/Madam,

I am 34 yrs old and started preparing for UP PCS, I will be eligible for PCS 2021 as my per my age.

The maximum age limit is 40. Make sure to check the detailed UPPSC Eligibility Criteria for the PCS Exam.

Hi, I am 33 years old MBA in Commerce. Am I eligible to give UPPCS 2021 exams? I belong to Delhi. Kindly revert.

Yes, you can sit for UPPSC PCS exam 2021. You can read the UPPSC PCS eligibility here .

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What Should be The Preparation Strategies to Get Started for PCS Exams?

The Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission (UPPSC) organizes a combined state and upper Subordinate Services exam every year, known as the PCS exam. The PCS exam refers to the Provincial Civil Service Exam from which the successors are recruited in the Group A and Group B service lines of the Uttar Pradesh State Government.

Like the UPSC exams, the PCS exams also have three rounds comprising Prelims, Mains, and then final interview. As the official dates for the PCS exam 2021 are out, aspirants have firmly buckled up their preparation belts. The PCS exam date for 2021 is scheduled, with Prelims all set to be conducted on June 13 across the state. The Mains are scheduled to be conducted from October 3.

In the below discussion, we will break down What should be the first step for the preparation for PCS exams and what effective resources to follow.

Important Tips to Get Started With

• Always begin your preparation with more emphasis on the state board textbooks. As the PCS exam is a state board examination, you get a gist and an upper hand for all the PCS exam syllabus topics read through state-provided books.
• Never skip any single topic considering it to be minor. There should be no exclusions.
• Always practice previous year question papers. These will help you majorly in understanding the format and deriving the most effective exam day strategies.
• Topics related to the subjects of Polity, History, and Geography should be read, keeping in mind the perspective of the state’s aspects.

The Best Resource is the Way to Go!

The best strategy to excel in the PCS examination is the best resource or the material you choose. As you start, you can not directly dive into the complex or high-level books early on. In terms of being clear with the basics first, you should choose the right sets of resources and materials. The preparation should be in the right structure from start to end. Here is the proper list of which resource you should choose for specific subjects in order to start well with your PCS Examination preparations.

For PCS Prelims

• Indian and World Geography – Start with the standard NCERT or school textbooks of physical geography and human geography from Class 6 to Class 12. This will help you have a good hold on your basics.
• Indian History and National Movement – Start with NCERT school textbooks for Ancient, Medieval, Modern history, and National Movement.
• Ecology, Environment, Climate Change, and Biodiversity – The best reference material to get started with for environmental subjects is the Book by PD Sharma. 
• National International importance and Current Affairs – Regular newspapers and magazines like The Hindu could be preferred to be updated with regular current international affairs. However, it is recommended not to pile up multiple newspapers to read every day. Just keep one or maybe two regular newspapers to follow that can keep you updated with all the current international affairs.
• Indian Polity and Governance – Best book to start with for understanding the basics of Indian Polity and Governance is the book by LaxmiKanth. 
• Indian Social and Economic Development – It is recommended to go through the NCERT school books of Class 9 – Class 12 for Indian Economics. This will clear all your basics and fundamentals related to Indian social and economic development.
• General Science – The standard school books of Class 6 – Class 12 for Science and Technology is the best for preparing your basics on General Science topics.

For the Prelims Paper – II, which is an aptitude exam, you should prepare well on English grammar, logical reasoning, and comprehension.

Some of the best books to clear your basics and practice comprehensively for aptitude questions are Quantitative Aptitude by R.S Aggarwal and Analytical Reasoning by MK Pandey . It is highly recommended to also practice the previous year’s PCS aptitude question papers, giving you an idea of the difficulty level and how the aptitude questions are asked.

For PCS Mains

• Indian History – As Mains will require a bit of extra knowledge and wide coverage of topics, Bipin Chandra’s book is perfect for guiding you through.
• Indian Polity and Governance – The book by Laxmikant is preferred for Mains as well. It is widely acclaimed to clear all your basics and cover a wide spectrum of topics related to Indian Polity and Governance.
• Indian and World Geography – The books by  G.C. Leong, Lexicon, and Maji Hussain are highly preferred for Mains Preparation.
• Indian Economy – For Mains as well, the school books by Ramesh Singh is highly preferred to have a good foundation of Indian economics and development.
• Current Affairs – Follow the same strategy regarding current affairs for Mains. Select any credible daily newspaper or daily magazine and give 30 minutes or an hour every day to stay updated with the current affairs.

Apart from these, there are also some of the other resources proclaimed and recommended by PCS toppers to stay regularly updated for PCS Mains preparation. Some include Yojana, Rajya Sabha TV, PIB Summary, State Board books , NCERT Books, Budget and Economic Survey, The Hindu, etc. 

Also, the compulsory Paper – I and Paper – II involves a major chunk of the Bengali language. So it is important to practice Bengali report writing and translations.

Final Words

The UPPSC PCS examination is a widely renowned and significant exam considered all over the nation. Passing the PCS exam can yield you reputed opportunities within the Uttar Pradesh Government authorities.

Once you fulfil your PCS exam eligibility requirements, you must prepare a roadmap of your preparation from start to end. Make smart and effective decisions regarding your preparation strategies and the knowledge resources you choose. The above list of resources for Prelims and Mains preparation will help you efficiently on beginning your PCS preparation from a good note.

Join us as we bring our resources of high-quality video lectures and 200+ expert personal mentors to help you in your journey to ace the UPPSC PCS examination. Stay tuned for more relevant informative articles related to UPPSC, UPSC, and other civil service examinations.

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Essays For Upsc Civil Services and Other State Examinations

• ISBN : 9789390906901
• PPT : PPT-020
• Language : English
• Edition : 1
• Publication Year : 2022
• Number of pages : 444
• Binding Style : Paperback
• Weight : 700
• Author Name : Dr. B. Ramaswamy

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• 151+ Essays for IAS/ State PCS & other competitive exams is a comprehensive collection of essays for the UPSC Mains exam as well as State pass and other competitive exams. • This book is designed for the candidates, who is preparing for the Civil Services and other competitive examinations.

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• These essays don’t have diversity but depth and book also helpful for those candidates who want quick revision.

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• All these essays can tell you how to begin an essay, write arguments, and conclude. 

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What is PCS Exam in India? Eligibility, Syllabus, Age Limit, Fees, Registration

Are you willing to establish a career in civil services? Are you from Uttar Pradesh and have a domicile of UP? Then, you can apply for PCS Exam. Just like other state-level examinations, PCS Exam is one of them. Today’s young generation mainly focused on pursuing exams like IAS , IRS , and PCS. No doubt in the fact that becoming a PCS officer is not easy and the journey is quite challenging. Most people have this question that why walk on such a challenging path. To put it in simple words a PCS officer gets a wide number of beneficial perks like handsome salary packages, allowances, and other benefits. In this article, you should explore what is PCS exam, the PCS exam’s eligibility criteria, and the PCS syllabus and registration procedure.

In This Article

What is PCS Exam?

PCS exam stands for provincial civil service examination, conducted by the Uttar Pradesh Service Commission (UPPSC) for a candidate who wants to join civil services. It is an administrative civil services exam under Group A and Group B of the executive branch of the UP Government.  The highest officer in the central level examination is the IAS officer and in the state-level examination is PCS. The candidates opted for the PCS examination for becoming PCS officers mainly.

The journey begins with the SDM post; you might know that SDM is a sub-divisional officer under the state government. The officer can be promoted to a higher post based on the milestone. After promotion additional district magistrate is the most likely post that you can expect after promotion.

While preparing for the PCS examination, it is necessary to understand and break down the syllabus. Most students have the misconception that geography and history are prominent subjects to target but it is not the exact truth. Focusing on all the subjects equally enhances the chances of becoming a PCS officer. No doubt in the fact that the pcs examination is a hard nut to correct. But students who are opting for a systematic approach can find it a cakewalk. As per the 2012 education report, the vacancy of IAS in UP is 537 of which 374 are appointed directly, rest 163 are trained for the executive branch.

Eligibility Criteria for PCS Exam

Students are required to fulfill the minimum eligibility criteria to sit in this examination. However, for specific posts, eligibility criteria may differ. The following information will help to choose the right post according to your educational qualification.

• For DIET (Senior Lecturer) Post – To apply for senior lecturer, candidates must have passed post graduate degree and have completed B.Ed program with good marks.
• For District Probation Officer Post – Candidates must have passed post-qualification degree in Psychology, Diploma, and Sociology from any department of Social work from any recognized university.
• For District Administrative Officer Post – Degree of Post-graduation is accepted for DAO Post.
• For Assistant Conservator of Forest or Range Forest Officer Post – Students graduates in Mathematics, Chemistry, Geology forestry, Zoology, agriculture, Statistics, Physics.
• For Sub Registrar and Assistant Prosecuting Officer Post – Graduated in Law field.
• For Assistant Labor Commissioner – Graduated in arts, subjects included economics/ sociology/law.
• Labor Enforcement Officer – Graduated with Sociology, Personnel Management, Labor welfare, Trade Management, Social Work, and Economics.
• Statistical Officer – post-graduation degree with Mathematical/ Agricultural, Statistics, and Mathematics.
• District Adult Officer – Graduated with a Commerce degree
• Designated Officer – post-graduation degree in Chemistry, Bachelor’s degree in technology, Bio-technology, Oil technology, Dairy technology, biochemistry.
• Controller Legal Measurement Assistant – Graduated with physics and posses a mechanical engineering course .
• Child Development Project Officer – Undergraduate degree in Home Science, Social Science, Social Work, and Sociology.

Overall, a bachelor’s degree is required to applying for PCS Exam.

PCS Exam Age criteria

The PCS exam (Upper Subordinate Services / Combined State) age criteria are below mentioned-

• The minimum age for the PCS exam – 21 years
• The maximum age for the PCS exam – 40 years

The relaxation will be given to different categories in the PCS exam. The age limits relaxation as follow:

• Schedule Cast – 5 years age limit relaxation
• Scheduled Tribe – 5 years age limit relaxation
• Other backward Class – 5 years age limit relaxation
• Skilled player of UP of Classified Games – 5 years age limit relaxation
• Government Employee of Uttar Pradesh – 5 year age limit relaxation
• Physical Handicapped – 15 years age limit relaxation
• Group B posts for the SSC Officer/ ECO/Ex-Army Personnel with experience of 5 years –  years age limit relaxation

For claiming the age relaxation or reservation quota, applicants must:

• Have a domicile of Uttar Pradesh
• Posses Cast Certificate or Category proof from the authorized authority.
• In such a case, any male candidate who marries two different women at a time is not eligible for this exam.
• In such a case, any female candidate who marries a person who already has a wife is not eligible for this exam.
• In such a case, any female candidate who is pregnant (more than 12 weeks) will be affirmed temporarily unfit.
• Those who are claiming for more than age relaxation and reservation shall be permitted to one beneficial dispensation.

Physical Standards

Shortlisted candidates who have passed the preliminary and mains stage will undergo for physical fitness test for certain posts. After passing the interview, candidates will go for a medical test. These physical standards may differ for each post. Students are advised to do workouts and focused on regular medical check-ups. He or She must be mentally and physically fit.

PCS Exam Pattern and Syllabus

The PCS syllabus is quite similar to the IPS exam. Just like the IAS exam, it is also divided into three stages-

Preliminary Stage

Mains Stage

• Interview Round/ Final Round

The Preliminary stage consists of two objective papers namely: General Studies I, General Studies II, or CSAT.

Exam Pattern:

• Number of Questions – 100 Question for General Studies I, 80 Questions for Paper II
• Duration – 2 hours each for both paper
• Language – English, and Hindi for both
• Maximum Marks – 200 each for both
• Marking – 1/3 will be rewarded in both exams for each correct answer, ( General Studies I: -0.66 marks will be deducted for each incorrect response), ( General Studies II: 0.83 marks will be deducted for each incorrect answer).

Syllabus of General Studies Paper-1

• History of India & Indian National Movement
• Current events of national & international importance.
• Indian & World Geography: Economics, Geography of the World & India, Physical.
• Indian Governance and Indian Polity – Public Policy, Rights, issues, Political System, Constitution, etc.
• General issues on Bio-diversity, Climate Change, Ecology, and Environment, etc.
• Social and Economic Development – Poverty, Social Sectors, Demographics, Development, etc.
• General Science

Syllabus of General Studies Paper-2 or CSAT

• Logical Reasoning & Analytical ability
• Interpersonal Skills
• Communication Skills
• General Mental Ability
• Problem-Solving and Decision-Making
• Data Interpretation including charts, data sufficiency, tables, graphs, etc, (Class 10 th Level).
• Basic Numeracy (Orders of Magnitude, Numbers & Their relations, etc,) (Class 10 th level).
• English comprehension skills (reading and writing) – Class 10 th

The UPSC Mains curriculum can be divided mainly into two parts-

• Qualifying Paper – Paper A and Paper B
• Papers which are counted for Merit Ranking – Essay, General Studies ( Paper II to Paper V), and Two Optional Papers

Exam Pattern

• Type of Paper – Written ( use of Pen and Pencil )
• Paper A – Indian Language, 300 Marks
• Paper B – English, 300 Marks
• Paper I – Essay, 250 Marks
• Paper-II – General Studies I, 250 Marks
• Paper III – General Studies II, 250 Marks
• Paper IV – General Studies III, 250 Marks
• Paper V – General Studies IV, 250 Marks
• Paper VI – Optional Subject Paper 1, 250 Marks
• Paper VII – Optional Subject Paper 2, 250 Marks

Paper A – Indian Language (any of the languages listed in the constitution of India in the 8 th schedule

Paper B – Short Essays, Usage and Vocabulary, précis Writing and Comprehension of given Passages

Paper I to V – The subjects cover broadly the following subject or areas:

• Indian Heritage and Culture
• History and Geography of the World
• Constitution
• Economic Development
• Social Justice
• Security and Disaster Management
• Biodiversity etc.

The optional subject covers a wide range of specializations under various fields. You can check the official website of this exam for further details.

Application Fees

The fee for the PCS exam may differ for each category that is mentioned below-

• General/OBC/ Economically weaker section – Rs. 125
• SC/ST – Rs. 65
• Handicapped/ Disabled Persons – Rs. 25
• Ex-Serviceman – Rs. 65
• Depends on the freedom fighters/Women – according to their original category

Application Process

• Open the official website of UPPSC
• Click at the left corner of the home page
• Tap on the apply option
• The UPPSC three stages are shown on your screen
• Fill the all personal details
• Pay fees as per your category
• Upload the scanned copy of the photo and signature
• Then, submit it and take a printout of the form for future reference.

Rahul Kumar is a passionate educator, writer, and subject matter expert in the field of education and professional development. As an author on CoursesXpert, Rahul Kumar’s articles cover a wide range of topics, from various courses, educational and career guidance.

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How to write an Effective Essay??

Though the word essay has come to be understood as a type of writing in Modern English, its origins provide us with some useful insights. The word comes into the English language through the French influence on Middle English; tracing it back further, we find that the French form of the word comes from the Latin verb exigere, which means “to examine, test, or (literally) to drive out.” Through the excavation of this ancient word, we are able to unearth the essence of the academic essay: to encourage students to test or examine their ideas concerning a particular topic.

Essays are shorter pieces of writing that often require the student to hone a number of skills such as close reading, analysis, comparison and contrast, persuasion, conciseness, clarity, and exposition. As is evidenced by this list of attributes, there is much to be gained by the student who strives to succeed at essay writing.  The purpose of an essay is to encourage students to develop ideas and concepts in their writing with the direction of little more than their own thoughts (it may be helpful to view the essay as the converse of a research paper). Therefore, essays are (by nature) concise and require clarity in purpose and direction. This means that there is no room for the student’s thoughts to wander or stray from his or her purpose; the writing must be deliberate and interesting.

Types of essay

Expository Essays

The expository essay is a genre of essay that requires the student to investigate an idea, evaluate evidence, expound on the idea, and set forth an argument concerning that idea in a clear and concise manner. This can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and effect, etc.

The structure of the expository essay is held together by the following:

• A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay.
• Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion. Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse.
• Body paragraphs: that include evidential support. Each paragraph should be limited to the exposition of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. What is more, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph.
• Evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal): Often times, students are required to write expository essays with little or no preparation; therefore, such essays do not typically allow for a great deal of statistical or factual evidence.
• A bit of creativity: Though creativity and artfulness are not always associated with essay writing, it is an art form nonetheless. Try not to get stuck on the formulaic nature of expository writing at the expense of writing something interesting. Remember, though you may not be crafting the next great novel, you are attempting to leave a lasting impression on the people evaluating your essay.

Descriptive Essays

The descriptive essay is a genre of essay that asks the student to describe something—object, person, place, experience, emotion, situation, etc. This genre encourages the student’s ability to create a written account of a particular experience. What is more, this genre allows for a great deal of artistic freedom (the goal of which is to paint an image that is vivid and moving in the mind of the reader).

Some guidelines for writing a descriptive essay

Take time to brainstorm

If your instructor asks you to describe your favorite food, make sure that you jot down some ideas before you begin describing it. For instance, if you choose pizza, you might start by writing down a few words: sauce, cheese, crust, pepperoni, sausage, spices, hot, melted, etc. Once you have written down some words, you can begin by compiling descriptive lists for each one.

Use clear and concise language

This means that words are chosen carefully, particularly for their relevancy in relation to that which you are intending to describe.

Use your senses

Remember, if you are describing something, you need to be appealing to the senses of the reader. Explain how the thing smelled, felt, sounded, tasted, or looked. Embellish the moment with senses.

What were you thinking

If you can describe emotions or feelings related to your topic, you will connect with the reader on a deeper level. Many have felt crushing loss in their lives, or ecstatic joy, or mild complacency. Tap into this emotional reservoir in order to achieve your full descriptive potential.

Leave the reader with a clear impression

One of your goals is to evoke a strong sense of familiarity and appreciation in the reader. If your reader can walk away from the essay craving the very pizza you just described, you are on your way to writing effective descriptive essays.

Be organized

It is easy to fall into an incoherent rambling of emotions and senses when writing a descriptive essay. However, you must strive to present an organized and logical description if the reader is to come away from the essay with a cogent sense of what it is you are attempting to describe.

Narrative Essays

When writing a narrative essay, one might think of it as telling a story. These essays are often anecdotal, experiential, and personal—allowing students to express themselves in a creative and, quite often, moving ways.  Here are some guidelines for writing a narrative essay.

Here are some guidelines for writing a narrative essay.

If written as a story, the essay should include all the parts of a story

This means that you must include an introduction, plot, characters, setting, climax, and conclusion.

When would a narrative essay not be written as a story?

A good example of this is when an instructor asks a student to write a book report. Obviously, this would not necessarily follow the pattern of a story and would focus on providing an informative narrative for the reader.

The essay should be written from a clear point of view.

It is quite common for narrative essays to be written from the standpoint of the author; however, this is not the sole perspective to be considered. Creativity in narrative essays oftentimes manifests itself in the form of authorial perspective.

Use clear and concise language throughout the essay.

Much like the descriptive essay, narrative essays are effective when the language is carefully, particularly, and artfully chosen. Use specific language to evoke specific emotions and senses in the reader.

Have a clear introduction that sets the tone for the remainder of the essay. Do not leave the reader guessing about the purpose of your narrative. Remember, you are in control of the essay, so guide it where you desire (just make sure your audience can follow your lead).

Argumentative essay

The argumentative essay is a genre of writing that requires the student to investigate a topic; collect, generate, and evaluate evidence; and establish a position on the topic in a concise manner.

Argumentative essay assignments generally call for extensive research of literature or previously published material. Argumentative assignments may also require empirical research where the student collects data through interviews, surveys, observations, or experiments. Detailed research allows the student to learn about the topic and to understand different points of view regarding the topic so that she/he may choose a position and support it with the evidence collected during research. Regardless of the amount or type of research involved, argumentative essays must establish a clear thesis and follow sound reasoning.

The structure of the argumentative essay is held together by the following.

A clear, concise, and defined thesis statement that occurs in the first paragraph of the essay.

In the first paragraph of an argument essay, students should set the context by reviewing the topic in a general way. Next the author should explain why the topic is important (exigence) or why readers should care about the issue. Lastly, students should present the thesis statement. It is essential that this thesis statement be appropriately narrowed to follow the guidelines set forth in the assignment. If the student does not master this portion of the essay, it will be quite difficult to compose an effective or persuasive essay.

Clear and logical transitions between the introduction, body, and conclusion

Transitions are the mortar that holds the foundation of the essay together. Without logical progression of thought, the reader is unable to follow the essay’s argument, and the structure will collapse. Transitions should wrap up the idea from the previous section and introduce the idea that is to follow in the next section.

Body paragraphs that include evidential support

Each paragraph should be limited to the discussion of one general idea. This will allow for clarity and direction throughout the essay. In addition, such conciseness creates an ease of readability for one’s audience. It is important to note that each paragraph in the body of the essay must have some logical connection to the thesis statement in the opening paragraph. Some paragraphs will directly support the thesis statement with evidence collected during research. It is also important to explain how and why the evidence supports the thesis.

However, argumentative essays should also consider and explain differing points of view regarding the topic. Depending on the length of the assignment, students should dedicate one or two paragraphs of an argumentative essay to discussing conflicting opinions on the topic. Rather than explaining how these differing opinions are wrong outright, students should note how opinions that do not align with their thesis might not be well informed or how they might be out of date.

Evidential support (whether factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal)

The argumentative essay requires well-researched, accurate, detailed, and current information to support the thesis statement and consider other points of view. Some factual, logical, statistical, or anecdotal evidence should support the thesis. However, students must consider multiple points of view when collecting evidence. As noted in the paragraph above, a successful and well-rounded argumentative essay will also discuss opinions not aligning with the thesis. It is unethical to exclude evidence that may not support the thesis. It is not the student’s job to point out how other positions are wrong outright, but rather to explain how other positions may not be well informed or up to date on the topic.

A conclusion that does not simply restate the thesis, but readdresses it in light of the evidence provided

It is at this point of the essay that students may begin to struggle. This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader. Therefore, it must be effective and logical. Do not introduce any new information into the conclusion; rather, synthesize the information presented in the body of the essay. Restate why the topic is important, review the main points, and review your thesis. You may also want to include a short discussion of more research that should be completed in light of your work.

Using quotes in essays

Some very popular quotes used in essays

• The only good is knowledge and the only evil is ignorance – Socrates
• A people that value its privileges above its principles soon loses both – Dwight D. Eisenhower
• In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But in practice, there is – Yogi Berra
• A little inaccuracy can sometimes save a ton of explanation – H.H Munro
• Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex and more violent. It takes a touch of genius – and a lot of courage – to move in the opposite direction – E. F. Schumacher
• A consensus means that everyone agrees to say collectively what no one believes individually – Abba Eban
• Non-cooperation with evil is as much a duty as is cooperation with good – Mohandas Gandhi
• Whatever government is not a government of laws, is a despotism, let it be called what it may – Daniel Webster
• Good people do not need laws to tell them to act responsibly, while bad people will find a way around the laws – Plato
• Far and away the best prize that life offers is the chance to work hard at work worth doing – Theodore Roosevelt
• It is dangerous to be right, when the government is wrong – Voltaire
• The will of the people is the only legitimate foundation of any government, and to protect its free expression should be our first object – Thomas Jefferson
• No nation is fit to sit in judgment upon any other nation – Woodrow Wilson (28th U.S President)
• The artist is nothing without the gift, but the gift is nothing without work – Emile Zola
• The world is full of educated derelicts – Calvin Coolidge
• A lie gets halfway around the world before the truth has a change to get its pants on – Winston Churchill
• It’s not the size of the dog in the fight, it’s the size of the fight in the dog – Mark Twain
• Life contains but two tragedies. One is not to get your heart’s desire, the other is to get it – Socrates
• If women didn’t exist, all the money in the world would have no meaning – Aristotle Onasis
• Men are not disturbed by things, but the view they take of things – Epictetus
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How To Practice Essay Writing For The UPPSC Mains Exam?

UPPCS is the famous name of the exam- Uttar Pradesh Combined State/Upper Subordinate Exam conducted by UPPSC or Uttar Pradesh Public Service Commission. Basically, the UPPCS is the name derived from Uttar Pradesh Provincial Civil Services. The UPPCS exam recruits state government functionaries in provincial civil services and other state services. These functionaries get their posting in different important departments such as land records, land revenue, general administration, and the likes. BYJU’s Exam Prep has provided all the important information for the best essay in the UPPSC PCS Mains exam.

UPPSC released the UPPCS 2021 DAF or Detailed Application Form online. The aspirants need to fill Write My Research Paper out the DAF online, submit the application form fee, and send the hard copy of the form to the Commission’s office in Prayagraj. UPPSC main 2021 exam was scheduled from January 28 to 31, 2022, which was postponed. The exam will be held at Prayagraj, Lucknow, and Ghaziabad exam centers simultaneously. The  UPPSC 2021 prelims result was declared on December 1.  The result pdf mentioned the roll number of the qualified contenders. However, the Commission mentioned that the total number of applications received for the prelims exam was 691173, against which only 321273 applicants appeared in the prelims exam. The UPPSC prelims exam was held on October 24, 2021. UPPSC also mentioned that the total number of seats in the UPPCS 2021 exam is 678. The total number of aspirants qualified for the main exam is 7,688. However, UPPSC does not release the cutoff marks along with the result. Basically, the cutoff marks are released later after the completion of the exam process. The UPPSC main and Prelims exam cutoff are set to decrease because the number of candidates passing the prelims and main exam increases.

How To Write A Good Essay In UPPSC Mains Exam?

BYJU’s Exam Prep experts have provided the steps which need to be followed for a good essay on any topic. Check the important suggestions

• First, make a framework (blueprint) of the essay you are going to write.
• Our suggestion would be to use simple language. As respected Anton Chekov once said, ‘Brevity is the sister of talent.’
• However, the idea of using ornamental language to showcase your English vocabulary may backfire at times. But, mind it, don’t make your essay sound like a General Studies answer.
• If the introduction part can generate curiosity in the reader, that would be great.
• The essay should be a logical continuation from beginning to end.
• Make sure the essay should be organized in well-structured paragraphs coherent with the flow of the essay.
• You should mind that you don’t be too pessimistic or aggressive in your tone.
• Always try to come up with good points and express new viewpoints in the essay.
• Go through well-written essays by experts in magazines and newspapers, and understand how they frame the ‘Introduction’ and ‘summing up’ paragraphs.
• However, there will not be any requirement for separate coaching or preparation for essays, and aspirants’ reading and preparation for General Studies Mains should suffice. But yes, make sure your writing and analytical skills are up to the UPPSC expectations; if not, polish it.
• Apart from that, you should write mock essays and get them evaluated by experts in the field.

UPPSC PCS 2022 Eligibility Criteria

The aspirants should check all the UPPSC PCS Eligibility Criteria 2022 before filling out the application form. However, the commission may cancel the candidature of any contenders at any stage of recruitment. Candidates should have graduate degrees for the different posts of UPPSC.

Educational Qualification

The aspirants must be a graduate to appear in the UPPSC PCS exam 2022. The aspirants who are appearing in their graduation degree exam can appear in the exam, but they require to submit their final year mark sheet at the time of UPPCS main exam Detailed Application Form (DAF) submission.

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How to write an effective Essay for UPPCS Mains?

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An essay should be of topical text that is easy to understand or follow and comprehensive , succinct, composite and definite, as well as informative and logical. So, here are a few tips on how to structure an Essay Paper in the UPPSC Mains Exam.

UPPCS Essay Syllabus

Candidates should have a thorough understanding of the exam syllabus so can they prepare for the examination by focusing on the subjects and their important topics. To ease for the candidates we provide the UPPCS Essay Syllabus in the below table:

UPPCS Essay Marking Scheme

To achieve a higher score in the exam, students should be familiar with the UPPCS Essay Marking Scheme. By doing so, they can acquire insight about the exam’s details, such as the total allotted time, the paper’s pattern, etc. You can check the below points for the marking scheme:-

• The Question Paper is divided into three Sections. Write three essays in English or Hindi language, selecting one topic from each section.
• Words limit of each essay is 700 words.
• Each essay carries 50 marks.

What is an essay?

An Essay Writing is a focused, descriptive and analytical write up on any particular topic. But this is different in format and presentation from any other kind of write up on the same topic. An essay is a tight write up which has a certain theme at its core and the write up is marked by its simplicity, lucidity, flow and orderliness. It should generally avoid terse and unwieldy expressions, unnecessary exposition and excessive facts, especially numbers. An essay is a write up that evolves from childhood to youth and thereafter to maturity .

What UPSC says about the essay paper?

“Candidates may be required to write essays on multiple topics. They will be expected to  keep their essay close to the subject given, to arrange their ideas in an orderly fashion, and to write concisely . Credit will be given for  effective and exact expression.”

Essay distinguishes itself from GS in the sense that in GS, marks will be awarded purely for content. But in essay, examiners will pay special attention to not just the content, but also the  language, coherence and the way you organize your write-up . So you must take adequate care to arrange your ideas properly and not commit any fundamental spelling or grammatical errors.

How to approach an essay

Choice of topic.

Choice of topic should be clearly based on your holistic understanding of the subject matter. So choose a topic with which you are most comfortable. At times we think that the topic is so common that most of the people will choose it, so let me choose some unconventional topic. This is a totally wrong thinking, many people end up scoring poor marks due to this. So fight with your best weapons on.

Interpretation of the essay topic

Do not be in a hurry to write an essay. Many people see the broader title and start writing the essay without even understanding the theme of the topic.

E.g. – With greater power comes greater responsibility [2014].

Now the moment people see power they somehow relate it to politics and bureaucracy and start building their essay around it, writing all theories, quotes and examples they know related to it. Here the theme of this topic is philosophical which talks of power present in any institutional system (family, religion, community, politics, administration etc.), throughout society power is banked from people to a leader so that he can use that power for a common good.

After selection of the topic we need to get fodder material that we can write in the essay. There are various things and various ways to brainstorm.

Keywords: –  Break the topic and look for key words to tinker upon.

Past-Present-Future: –  Another way to think upon to get points related to the topic.  Think from Social, Political, Economic, Cultural, Legal, International, Humanistic perspective.  

Structuring the essay

Information is one thing but how to put that information in a structured and systematic way is very important.

Outline:  Create an outline of essay i.e.  how will your essay proceed.  I feel PAST-PRESENT- FUTURE is a good technique, you can have other ways to decide the flow of the essay as well.

Breakup:  Break up your essay properly.

Once you have brainstormed the points, created an outline and structured your essay, now you are ready to write the content.

Language & Presentation:  Write in  simple language . No need of flowery expressions. Keep short sentences and small paragraphs. There is no need to memorize complex words for writing a good essay. But an occasional use of a powerful word, or a good phrase definitely gives your write-up an edge.

Explanation of points:  Explain through  examples or illustrations  whatever you are trying to explain. Mention  government Initiatives, policies & plans  wherever possible.  International examples or case study  wherever possible.

Focus of essay:  Throughout the essay the theme should be reflected and flow should be maintained from beginning to end.  Each paragraph should link to the other.  Also do not focus only on covering a lot of dimensions in the essay.

Introduction:  Your Introduction should  clearly lay down what the essay will entail , giving a brief idea to the reader. You can always  use a story, quote, fact/information or abstract  way to create a context and then build your introduction over it.

Body:  This part is all about analysis. Here three things are Important.

• If the topic is  debatable you need to discuss both sides.  If not then it will be straight-forward.
• In any case you will have certain  line of arguments to put your case.
• Explain each of them through some examples.

Conclusion:  In conclusion focus on three things.

• 1. Topic sentence :  Fresh rephrasing of statements
• Summarize or wrap up the main points in the body
• Explain how ideas fit together
• Final words
• Connects back to the introduction
• Provides a sense of closure

How to transition smoothly from one para to the next

This can be done in three ways.

1.)  Through a link sentence at the end of a para: Here, at the end of a para, you write a sentence that signals to the examiner what’s coming next.

2.)  Through a question: Instead of a link sentence, you can also add a question at the end of a para so that examiner’s attention is helplessly carried to the next.

3.)  Signaling the shift at the start of next paragraph: Here you can simply add a word or two at the beginning of a para that signals a shift in your subtopic.

These steps will ensure that the transition between paragraphs is not abrupt.

What to read for the essay writing?

Read : You need to read some good essays and learn how beautifully people put up their arguments. These essay don’t have diversity but depth. So reading some good essays can tell you how to begin an essay, write arguments, and conclude. Most important is how to create a structure of essay.

• In your daily  newspaper  reading if you find some good lines or examples then keep noting them,  especially from editorials.
• Take up  some common/general topics like women, education, healthcare, internet, science  (look at last 20 years essay) and prepare some fodder on it. Like  quotes, important case studies, examples, factual info, government initiatives etc.
• Have a repository of good opening and closing lines . You will find this through reading newspapers, good essays of others etc.

What an essay writing should not be…

• It should not be a mere compilation of information or facts.
• It should not be a long note.
• It should not be a brief note.
• It should not be a theoretical exposition.
• It should not be a conglomeration of great ideas by great people.

What constitutes a good essay?

A good Essay should have three distinct parts-

• Introduction
• Description

Essay for UPPCS Mains Model Paper 2023

Section – A

• Relationship between modernity and westernization. Is there modernity without westernization?
• Role of Education in Women Empowerment.
• Is India possesses a Federal structure?

Section – B

• Social media – balancing freedom and responsibility.
• India’s problem : poverty or inequality?
• Reinventing Indian Agriculture is the need of the hour.

Section – C

• 30 years of LPG reforms.
• Tackling climate change requires change in human attitude.
• Digital education – possibilities and challenges.

Read more: UPSC Optional Subject has the Highest Success Rate

• Essay , Essay for UPPCS Mains , Essay on Literature and Culture , UPPCS Essay Syllabus , UPPCS EXAM , UPPSC Essay

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