About UPSC essay syllabus
UPSC Essay Syllabus: A Comprehensive Guide
How To Read This Article
Give a general reading to get a glimpse of UPSC essay exam topics.
Don't memorize any of the topics or previous year's questions. Just get an idea.
Take up a topic weekly, jot down important ideas, and brainstorm thoroughly.
UPSC essay Syllabus, Format and structure
The UPSC essay paper in the UPSC Civil Services Mains exam is a crucial component that tests a candidate’s writing skills, analytical abilities, and depth of knowledge. Comprising two sections with four topics each, the essay paper carries a total of 250 marks. Candidates are required to write two essays of 1000-1200 words each, choosing one topic from each section, within a duration of 3 hours.
The UPSC essay format follows a standard structure of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each paragraph should focus on a specific point or argument, supported by relevant examples, facts, and data. The introduction should provide an overview of the topic and the candidate’s stance, while the conclusion should summarize the main points and reiterate the thesis.
The UPSC essay syllabus covers a wide range of themes, including social issues, economic development, international relations, science and technology, and contemporary challenges. The following are the previous year’s UPSC essay topics which we have divided into multiple essay themes.
Value-based / Ethical Issues
| Year | Value-Based Essay Topics |
|---|---|
Year
2023
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity
|
Year
2019
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society
|
Year
2019
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success
|
Year
2018
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge
|
Year
2015
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Dreams which should not let India sleep
|
Year
2015
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil
|
Year
2015
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Quick but steady wins the race
|
Year
2015
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole
|
Year
2015
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Crisis faced in India – moral or economic
|
Year
2014
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Words are sharper than the two-edged sword
|
Year
2014
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
With greater power comes greater responsibility
|
Year
2007
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Independent thinking should be encouraged right from the childhood
|
Year
2007
|
Value-Based Essay Topics
Attitude makes, habit makes character and character makes a man
|
Philosophical / Quotes
| Year | Philosophical Essay Topics |
|---|---|
Year
2023
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Thinking is like a game, it does not begin unless there is an opposite team
|
Year
2023
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic
|
Year
2023
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Not all who wander are lost
|
Year
2023
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane
|
Year
2023
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Mathematics is the music of reason
|
Year
2023
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school
|
Year
2022
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence
|
Year
2022
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world
|
Year
2022
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man
|
Year
2022
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for
|
Year
2022
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining
|
Year
2022
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
You cannot step twice in the same river
|
Year
2022
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities
|
Year
2022
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right
|
Year
2021
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced
|
Year
2021
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you in an awareness of me
|
Year
2021
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera
|
Year
2021
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
The real is rational and the rational is real
|
Year
2021
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world
|
Year
2021
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
What is research, but a blind date with knowledge!
|
Year
2021
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce
|
Year
2021
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
There are better practices to “best practices”
|
Year
2020
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Life is a long journey between human being and being humane
|
Year
2020
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self
|
Year
2020
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Ships do not sink because of water around them, ships sink because of water that gets into them
|
Year
2020
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication
|
Year
2019
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be
|
Year
2019
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Wisdom finds truth
|
Year
2018
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Reality does not conform to the ideal, but confirms it
|
Year
2017
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
We may brave human laws but can not resist natural laws
|
Year
2017
|
Philosophical Essay Topics
Joy is simplest form of gratitude
|
History / Culture
| Year | Historical Essay Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2019
|
Historical Essay Topic
South-Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities
|
Year
2018
|
Historical Essay Topic
Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life
|
Year
2018
|
Historical Essay Topic
“The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values
|
Year
2011
|
Historical Essay Topic
Does Indian cinema shape our popular culture or merely reflect it?
|
Year
2010
|
Historical Essay Topic
Geography may remain the same; history need not
|
Year
2009
|
Historical Essay Topic
Are our traditional handicrafts doomed to a slow death?
|
Year
2008
|
Historical Essay Topic
Nation identity and patriotism
|
Year
2007
|
Historical Essay Topic
How has satellite television brought about cultural change in Indian mindsets
|
Year
2007
|
Historical Essay Topic
Evaluation of the Panchayati Raj System in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people
|
Science and Technology
| Year | Science and Technology Essay Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2021
|
Science and Technology Essay Topic
The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced
|
Year
2020
|
Science and Technology Essay Topic
Technology as the silent factor in international relations
|
Year
2019
|
Science and Technology Essay Topic
Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling
|
Year
2018
|
Science and Technology Essay Topic
Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India
|
Year
2016
|
Science and Technology Essay Topic
Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare
|
Year
2015
|
Science and Technology Essay Topic
Technology cannot replace manpower
|
Year
2013
|
Science and Technology Essay Topic
Science and Technology are the panaceas for the growth and security of the nation
|
Social Issues
| Year | Social Essay Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2023
|
Social Essay Topic
Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines
|
Year
2020
|
Social Essay Topic
Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality
|
Year
2017
|
Social Essay Topic
Farming has lost the ability to be a source of substance for majority of farmers in India
|
Year
2017
|
Social Essay Topic
Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms
|
Year
2017
|
Social Essay Topic
Fulfillment of new woman in India is a myth
|
Year
2017
|
Social Essay Topic
Social media is inherently a selfish medium
|
Year
2016
|
Social Essay Topic
If development is not engendered, it is engendered
|
Year
2016
|
Social Essay Topic
Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils bread
|
Year
2008
|
Social Essay Topic
Is an egalitarian society possible by educating the masses?
|
Economy
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2017
|
Topic
Impact of new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India
|
Year
2016
|
Topic
Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms
|
Year
2016
|
Topic
Digital Economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality
|
Year
2015
|
Topic
Can capitalism bring inclusive growth?
|
Year
2015
|
Topic
Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole
|
Year
2014
|
Topic
Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India?
|
Year
2014
|
Topic
Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India?
|
Year
2012
|
Topic
Cultivation of organic foods
|
Year
2012
|
Topic
Foreign Direct Investment in retail – boon or bane?
|
Year
2008
|
Topic
Special Economic Zones: Boon or Bane
|
Year
2007
|
Topic
BPO boom in India
|
IR & Security
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2018
|
Topic
Management of Indian border disputes – a complex task
|
Year
2017
|
Topic
Has the non alignment movement lost its relevance in a multi-polar world?
|
Year
2012
|
Topic
Indian women in international sports
|
Year
2011
|
Topic
In the Indian context, both human intelligence and technical intelligence are crucial in combating terrorism
|
Year
2010
|
Topic
Preparedness of our society for India’s global leadership role
|
Year
2009
|
Topic
Globalisation’ vs. ‘ Nationalism
|
Year
2007
|
Topic
Is Autonomy the best answer to combat balkanization?
|
Polity & Governance
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2017
|
Topic
Impact of new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India
|
Year
2008
|
Topic
Role of the media in good governance
|
Year
2007
|
Topic
Evaluation of the Panchayati Raj System in India from the point of view of eradication of power to people
|
Education
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2023
|
Topic
Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school
|
Year
2019
|
Topic
Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness
|
Year
2017
|
Topic
Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms
|
Year
2015
|
Topic
Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man more clever devil
|
Year
2011
|
Topic
Credit-based higher education system-status, opportunities, and challenges
|
Media
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2019
|
Topic
Biased media is a real threat to Indian democracy
|
Year
2017
|
Topic
Social media is inherently a selfish medium
|
Year
2008
|
Topic
Role of the media in good governance
|
Environment
| Year | Topic |
|---|---|
Year
2022
|
Topic
Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence
|
Year
2018
|
Topic
Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India
|
Year
2016
|
Topic
Water disputes between State in federal India
|
Year
2008
|
Topic
Urbanization and its hazards
|
Let's see the previous trends in essay topics from 2017
Frequently Asked Questions
Get answers to the most common queries. Click on the “Read More” if mentioned.
How many times upsc civil services exam is conducted in a year?
Ans: The UPSC exam is administered once a year, typically in June. The first phase of the exam which is the preliminary stage is conducted first followed by Mains and Interview
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How many attempts for UPSC civil services exam?
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How to apply upsc civil services exam?
Ans: The Union Public Service Commission will release the IAS notification. The candidates will be required to apply online for the UPSC civil services exam because no other application format is available.
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How to clear UPSC civil services exam?
Ans: The very first step is the understand the exam. After that prepare for the exam from the right sources and materials. Reading is important but so is giving the mock exams.
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How to clear UPSC in the first attempt?
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