Getting started with Essay prep

The Essay paper has no syllabus, needs a different kind of content from GS, and has its own way of writing. This video takes each of those problems in turn. Use the essay themes on UPSC Path as your syllabus, build content for each theme with Learn to Write, then write your own essay and compare it with topper essays.

12:52

12 min 52 s · 8 August 2026

In this video

• 0:00 Identifying essay problems
• 1:02 Defining the essay syllabus
• 2:16 Developing content material
• 5:18 Introduction strategies
• 6:27 Building the essay body
• 9:23 Conclusions and pitfalls
• 10:46 Final practice and review

Steps

1. Open Essay on UPSC Path. The themes on the left are your syllabus. Each one is built from the essay PYQs UPSC has asked since 2014, for example Justice and fairness with 13 PYQs.
2. Pick one PYQ in a theme. Before reading anything, write your own rough points: what the statement means, how you would argue for it and against it.
3. Open Learn to Write for that PYQ. Read the core idea, how to think about the essay, and the sides to argue: thesis, antithesis and synthesis.
4. Read every introduction, the body points and the conclusions. Copy the examples, theories, quotes and catchphrases you want into your notes.
5. Read the pitfalls, so you avoid common mistakes such as arguing only one side or listing schemes the way a GS answer would.
6. Treat the next question in the theme as the one you will get in the exam. Write your own essay, then compare it with topper essays to learn their flow and connectors.

Open it on UPSC Path

Essay themes

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