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Essay Syllabus for IAS exam

The essays must be written in the medium as specified in the admission certificate issued to the candidates. The name of the medium must be stated clearly on the cover of the answer- book in the space provided for the purpose. No credit will be given to the essay written in a medium other than that specified in the admission certificate.

Essay Contest for UPSC Exam for IAS

Any page or portion of the page left blank, must be struck off clearly.

From 2014, there are eight topics in the IAS Mains Essay paper segregated in 2 sections. Write two essays choosing one from each of the sections A and B in about 1,000-2,000 words each. The word limit must be adhered to strictly.

Each essay will be marked on 125.

Candidates will be expected to keep closely to the subject of the essay to arrange their ideas in orderly fashion, and to write concisely. Credit will be given for effective and exact expression.


Essay Question Paper 2021 PDF [Download]


What is an Essay?

An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author etc.The importance of writing essays needs to be underlined because in Civil Services Main examination Essay is a separate paper whose marks are counted in the mains examination.


The Civil Services aspirants are requested to go through the essays listed in the essay contest page to have a proper understanding of the subject. You can also pick up the style of writing essays way ahead of the exams. You can also practice the skills of writing essays by participating in Civil Services India Essay writing contest. The best written essay can fetch you a free subscription of our Emagazine.