Best Essay Book for UPSC: Picking the best essay book for UPSC is really important for those preparing for the Civil Services Mains exam. These books provide valuable tips on writing essays and provide lots of topics and examples to practice with. Using the right essay book helps candidates improve their essay-writing skills, which is important for doing well in the exam.
Essay Book for UPSC
Essay writing is a important part of the UPSC Mains exam, and having the right resources can significantly impact your performance. Here are some recommended essay books for UPSC preparation:
- “Essays For Civil Services & Other Competitive Examinations” by Pulkit Khare: This book covers 40 descriptive and relevant topics asked in the UPSC CSE exam, along with decoding the art of creative writing.
- “Selected Contemporary Essays For Civil Services & Other Competitive Examinations” by Saumitra Mohan: This book provides first-hand coverage of major socio-political and economic topics relevant for UPSC essay writing.
- “Mastering Essay & Answer Writing for UPSC Civil Services” by Dr. Awadesh Singh: This revised edition contains 27 new essay chapters, along with model essays, mindmaps, quotations, stories, poems, anecdotes, and a dedicated philosophical essay chapter.
- “151 Essays for IAS/ PCS & Other Competitive Exams” by Disha Experts: Covering static and current affairs topics focusing on various subjects like polity, governance, economy, environment, social development, education, culture, science & technology, and philosophy.
- “A Book of Essays” by Kalpana Rajaram: This intellectually stimulating book covers various contemporary facts, figures, famous quotations, and works of eminent personalities, providing valuable insights for essay writing.
- “Essay Paper for Civil Services Main Examination” by Pavneet Singh and Sonali Bansal: Divided into four sections, this book provides a basic introduction, paper pattern changes post-2013, powerful words and phrases, model essays, and short essays on the latest themes and questions.
Other Reference Essay Writing Books for UPSC
Here are some other reference books for Essay Writing UPSC in addition to the best essay books:
- “India Since Independence” by Bipin Chandra
- “The Story of My Experiments with Truth” by Mahatma Gandhi
- “The Discovery of India” by Jawaharlal Nehru
- “Satya ke Prayog” by Mahatma Gandhi
- “Getting India Back on Track: An Action Agenda for Reform” by Ratan N. Tata and Bibek Debroy
- “Social Problems in India” by Ram Ahuja
- “Women In Indian Society” by Neera Desai and Usha Thakkar
- “The Climate Book” by Greta Thunberg
- “Indian Art and Culture” by Nitin Singhania
- “India’s Struggle for Independence” by Bipin Chandra
- “Democracy In India – Class XII Polity” by NCERT
- Hindu Editorial Columns – The Hindu
- Yojana Magazine – Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Govt. of India
- Kurukshetra Magazine – Ministry of Rural Development, Govt. of India
- Frontline Magazine – The Hindu Group
These reference books cover a wide range of topics relevant to essay writing for UPSC, including history, culture, society, governance, environment, and current affairs. Reading from diverse sources will enrich your content and perspectives, enhancing your essay writing skills for the UPSC exam.
How To Prepare with The Best Essay Book For UPSC 2024?
Here is how to prepare with the best essay book for UPSC 2024:
- Follow UPSC Essay Writing Structure: Choose the right essay topic, analyze the context, and structure your essay with an introduction, historical context (if applicable), main body discussing current affairs, pros and cons, future implications, and conclusion.
- Highlight Essential Topics: Highlight important topics based on previous UPSC Mains exam questions and contemporary events while referring to any essay book for UPSC.
- Prepare with Keywords: Note down important keywords from the essay writing book for UPSC to quickly grasp conflicting themes and understand the central idea for your essay.
- Analyse Previous Question Papers: Solve UPSC Essay Previous Year Question Papers to understand the topics, difficulty level, and pattern changes in essay writing for UPSC.
- Refer to Solved Model Papers: Utilize essay books for UPSC that contain solved questions to learn how to structure an essay, incorporate facts and figures, present arguments, and conclude effectively within the word limit.
- Stick to Grammar & Word Count: Focus on grammatical correctness and maintain a word count of around 1000 to 1500 words while practicing from any essay writing book for UPSC.
- Practice with Essay Coaching: Enroll in the best Essay Course for UPSC Mains to receive expert tips, suggestions, and practice industry-level questions for essay writing.
- Refer to Revised Edition Books: Choose UPSC Books on Essay Writing published after 2021 to ensure the content is up-to-date with relevant GK & Current Affairs, which are crucial for UPSC Mains Paper 1 preparation.
Previous Year Questions on Essay Writing for UPSC
Here are the previous year essay topics for UPSC:
| Year | Section-A Topics | Section-B Topics |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | “Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence.” | “Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.” |
| “History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.” | “A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for.” | |
| “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.” | “You cannot step twice in the same river.” | |
| “A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.” | “Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right.” | |
| 2021 | “The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced.” | “Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimaera.” |
| “Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me.” | “The real is rational and the rational is real.” | |
| “Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.” | “What is research, but a blind date with knowledge!” | |
| “History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.” | “There are better practices to ‘best practices’.” | |
| 2020 | “Life is a long journey between human beings and being humane.” | “Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have.” |
| “Ships don’t sink because of water around them, ships sink because of water that gets into them.” | “There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless.” | |
| “Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality.” | “Technology as the silent factor in international relations.” |
Preparations Tips for Essay Writing
Preparing for essay writing in UPSC requires a strategic approach. Here are some tips to help you ace your essay:
- Understand the UPSC Essay Paper: Familiarize yourself with the UPSC essay paper pattern, word limit, and evaluation criteria.
- Analyze Previous Year Papers: Review previous year essay topics to understand the types of questions asked and the depth of knowledge required.
- Enhance Writing Skills: Practice writing essays regularly to improve your writing skills, including grammar, vocabulary, coherence, and structure.
- Develop a Structured Approach: Structure your essays with a clear introduction, body paragraphs presenting arguments or viewpoints, and a concise conclusion summarizing your main points.
- Broaden Knowledge Base: Stay updated with current affairs, national and international events, and socio-economic issues to incorporate relevant examples and data into your essays.
- Practice Time Management: Allocate sufficient time for brainstorming, outlining, writing, and revising your essays within the prescribed time limit.
- Focus on Clarity and Conciseness: Write clear and concise sentences, avoiding jargon or overly complex language. Ensure that your ideas flow logically and coherently.
- Revise and Seek Feedback: Review and revise your essays for clarity, coherence, and accuracy. Seek feedback from peers, mentors, or educators to identify areas for improvement.
By following these tips and practicing consistently, you can effectively prepare for essay writing in the UPSC exam and improve your chances of success.