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Essay Book for UPSC is a critical exam resource for aspirants preparing for the upcoming Civil Services examination 2023. All candidates must be well-versed in Essay Writing for the UPSC Civil Services Mains examination. UPSC Mains Paper 1 is Essay. Candidates will need to attempt 2 essays within 3 hours of duration for the UPSC Essay paper. Thus, they are recommended to prepare it with the best essay book for UPSC IAS as its marks are also calculated for deciding final merit. Several aspirants tend to approach essay writing for UPSC lightly but fail to understand that if they prepare it with the best essay book for UPSC, they could score wonders.

  • In the UPSC Essay paper, aspirants will be given two sections with four choices of essay questions, out of which they need to attempt one from each.
  • Each essay carries 125 marks, which makes UPSC Mains Paper 1 worth a total of 250 marks.
  • Aspirants must know the best practices, strategies, and ideas for executing proper essay writing for UPSC and choose the best essay book for UPSC from the list given in this article.
  • Our experts have also compiled the list to help you download the best essay book for UPSC PDF and score beyond the minimum UPSC Cut Off marks for qualification.

Check Essay Books For UPSC in Hindi here.

Essay Book For UPSC PDF (List)

List of essay books for upsc

Our experts have also provided a direct download link for the best Essay book for UPSC PDF below. Candidates can simply click on the download PDF link to get a list of the Best Essay Book for UPSC PDF handy and start practising Essay questions for the UPSC exam right away.

List Of Essay Books For UPSC PDF
Essay Book For UPSC in English Download PDF
Essay Book For UPSC in Hindi Download PDF

Essay Book for UPSC

Essay Writing for UPSC is an integral part of the UPSC Mains exam. Before the UPSC Syllabus was revised in the 2013 cycle, aspirants had to attempt only one essay for 300 marks. But now candidates have to choose to answer 1 essay from each of Section A and Section B in this paper. Each essay also has to be completed within 1000-1500 words. So it’s time you start covering the best Essay books for UPSC Mains to attempt two diverse topics with clarity of thought and expression.

In the table below, we have compiled the list of best reference materials along with publication and top highlights to help you choose the best Essay Book for UPSC IAS Mains Paper 1.

List Of Best Essay Books for UPSC
Book Name Author/Publication Highlights
Essays For Civil Services & Other Competitive Examinations Pulkit Khare This essay book for UPSC covers 40 descriptive & relevant topics asked in the UPSC CSE exam. Plus, it decodes the art of creative writing in easy steps. 
Selected Contemporary Essays For Civil Services & Other Competitive Examinations Saumitra Mohan It is imbued with first-hand coverage of major socio-political & economic topics of Essay writing for UPSC.
Mastering Essay & Answer Writing for UPSC Civil Services Dr. Awadesh Singh This thoroughly revised contains 27 new Essay chapters, 6 essay-type structural explanations, 30 Model Essays with several mindmaps, quotations, stories, poems, anecdotes, and 1 dedicated Philosophical essay chapter for best practice. 
151 Essays for IAS/ PCS & Other Competitive Exams Disha Experts This essay book for UPSC covers Static & Current Affairs topics focusing on Polity, Governance, Economy, Environment, and Social Development. Education, Culture, Science & Technology, Philosophy, etc. 
A Book of Essays Kalpana Rajaram This UPSC Essay book is an intellectually stimulating coverage of various contemporary facts and figures, a large selection of famous quotations and works of eminent personalities. 
Essay Paper for Civil Services Main Examination Pavneet Singh and Sonali Bansal This Essay book for UPSC is divided into 4 sections - Basic introduction & paper pattern changes post-2013, powerful words & phrases, model essays, and short essays on the latest themes and questions. 

Also, check UPSC Mains Strategy for Essay paper in detail here!

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Other Reference Essay Writing Books for UPSC

Apart from reading the best Essay book for UPSC in Hindi and English, all candidates are recommended to refer to other study materials. Candidates must thoroughly understand that the UPSC Essay paper doesn’t merely consist of GS papers written in an elongated, long format. Candidates will need to prepare diverse topics on GK & Current Affairs from General Studies too as well develop an analytical and opinionated approach to write authoritative essays. Thus, it is essential to go through other reference books for Essay Writing UPSC as given below.

Book Name Author/Publication
India Since Independence Bipin Chandra
The Story of My Experiments with Truth Mahatma Gandhi
The Discovery of India Jawaharlal Nehru
Satya ke Prayog Mahatma Gandhi
Getting India Back on Track: An Action Agenda for Reform Ratan N. Tata, Bibek Debroy 
Social Problems in India Ram Ahuja
Women In Indian Society Neera Desai and Usha Thakkar
The Climate Book Greta Thunberg
Indian Art and Culture Nitin Singhania
India’s Struggle for Independence Bipin Chandra
Democracy In India - Class XII Polity 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

Also check other NCERT Books For UPSC in detail here!

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How To Prepare with The Best Essay Book For UPSC 2024?

Before going through any Essay Writing book for UPSC, all aspirants must properly know how to write essay in UPSC as shared by our experts in the linked article. We’ve also shared the best tips on Essay writing for UPSC Mains paper 1 in the pointers below. 

  • Follow UPSC Essay Writing Structure: First, aspirants must choose the right Essay topic based on the options given. Then, analyse the context and formulate the structure in this manner - introduction, historical context (if applicable), main body or conflict linked with Current Affairs, pros & cons, future applications, conclusion, etc.
  • Highlight Essential Topics: While referring to any Essay book for UPSC, candidates must start highlighting important topics based on two grounds - topics asked previously in the UPSC Mains exam, and contemporary events.
  • Prepare Essay Writing with Keywords: Candidates must note down important keywords of any central theme from the essay writing book for UPSC while practising. This will help them to quickly grasp conflicting themes and understand the central idea to implement in the introduction-body-conclusion paragraphs.
  • Analyse Previous Question Papers: All aspirants must start solving UPSC Essay Previous Year Question Papers to understand the type of topics, difficulty level and change in pattern on Essay writing for UPSC.
  • Refer to Solved Model Papers: Candidates can refer to any Essay book for UPSC that contains solved questions. It will help you analyse how to structure an essay, implement facts and figures, initiate an argument or drop a conclusion in a maximum of 1500 words.
  • Stick to Grammar & Word Count: While preparing from any Essay writing book for UPSC, candidates should focus on grammatical knowledge as it’s the base of an essay. Use simple and legible sentences, and ideas without dragging too much on any particular context. Limit your essay to around 1000 to 1500 words as it’s the baseline.
  • Practice with Essay Coaching for UPSC: Candidates are also recommended to enrol in the best Essay Course for UPSC Mainsto prepare Essay writing for UPSC with best expert tips, suggestions and industry-level questions.
  • Refer to Revised Edition Books: Candidates are recommended to read UPSC Books on Essay Writing that are not published before 2021 as GK & Current Affairs play a pivotal role in the preparation of the UPSC Mains Paper 1.

Previous Year Questions on Essay Writing for UPSC

Several candidates search for the previous year Essay writing topics for UPSC preparation. It is very important to analyse questions asked in previous UPSC Essay papers to understand the type of topics and its difficulty level. Go through the table below to check previous 10 years’ UPSC Essay topics for best preparation.

Year Essay Topics
Section-A Section-B
2022
  1. Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence.
  2. Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.
  3. History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.
  4. A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what ship is for.
  1. The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
  2. You cannot step twice in the same river.
  3. A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.
  4. Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right.
2021
  1. The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced.
  2. Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me.
  3. Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimaera.
  4. The real is rational and the rational is real.
  1. Hand that rocks the cradle rules the world.
  2. What is research, but a blind date with knowledge!
  3. History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce.
  4. There are better practices to ‘best practices’.
2020
  1. Life is a long journey between human beings and being humane.
  2. Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self.
  3. Ships don't sink because of water around them, ships sink because of water that gets into them.
  4. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
  1. Culture is what we are, civilization is what we have.
  2. There can be no social justice without economic prosperity but economic prosperity without social justice is meaningless.
  3. Patriarchy is the least noticed yet the most significant structure of social inequality.
  4. Technology as the silent factor in international relations.
2019
  1. Wisdom finds truth.
  2. Values are not what humanity is, but what humanity ought to be
  3. Best for an individual is not necessarily best for the society
  4. Courage to accept and dedication to improve are two keys to success
  1. South Asian societies are woven not around the state, but around their plural cultures and plural identities.
  2. Neglect of primary health care and education in India are reasons for its backwardness.
  3. Biassed media is a real threat to Indian democracy.
  4. Rise of Artificial Intelligence: the threat of jobless future or better job opportunities through reskilling and upskilling.
2018
  1. Alternative technologies for a climate change resilient India.
  2. A good life is one inspired by love and guided by knowledge.
  3. Poverty anywhere is a threat to prosperity everywhere
  4. Management of Indian border disputes—a complex task
  1. Customary morality cannot be a guide to modern life
  2. ‘The past’ is a permanent dimension of human consciousness and values.
  3. A people that values its privileges above its principles loses both
  4. Reality does not conform to the idea, but confirms it.
2017
  1. Farming has lost the ability to be a source of subsistence for the majority of farmers in India.
  2. Impact of the new economic measures on fiscal ties between the union and states in India.
  3. Destiny of a nation is shaped in its classrooms.
  4. Has the Non-Alignment Movement (NAM) lost its relevance in a multipolar world?
  1. Joy is the simplest form of gratitude.
  2. Fulfilment of ‘new woman’ in India is a myth.
  3. We may brave human laws but cannot resist natural laws.
  4. ‘Social media’ is inherently a selfish medium.
2016
  1. If development is not engendered, it is endangered.
  2. Need brings greed, if greed increases it spoils breed.
  3. Water disputes between States in federal India.
  4. Innovation is the key determinant of economic growth and social welfare.
  1. Cooperative federalism: Myth or reality
  2. Cyberspace and Internet: Blessing or curse to human civilization in the long run.
  3. Near jobless growth in India: An anomaly or an outcome of economic reforms
  4. Digital economy: A leveller or a source of economic inequality.
2015
  1. Lending hands to someone is better than giving a dole.
  2. Quick but steady wins the race.
  3. Character of an institution is reflected in its leader.
  4. Education without values, as useful as it is, seems rather to make a man a more clever devil.
  1. Technology cannot replace manpower.
  2. Crisis faced in India— moral or economic.
  3. Dreams which should not let India sleep.
  4. Can capitalism bring inclusive growth?
2014
  1. With greater power comes greater responsibility.
  2. Is the growing level of competition good for the youth?
  3. Are standardised tests a good measure of academic ability or progress?
  4. Words are sharper than a two-edged sword.
  1. Was it the policy paralysis or the paralysis of implementation which slowed the growth of our country?
  2. Is sting operation an invasion of privacy?
  3. Fifty Golds in Olympics: Can this be a reality for India?
  4. Tourism: Can this be the next big thing for India?
2013
  1. Be the change you want to see in others — Gandhiji.
  2. Is the Colonial mentality hindering India's success?
  3. GDP (Gross Domestic Product) along with GDH (Gross Domestic Happiness) would be the right indices for judging the well-being of a country.
  4. Science and Technology is the panacea for the growth and security of the nation.
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Download Previous UPSC Essay Writing Topics in PDF!

We hope that this article could provide complete information to help you choose the best Essay book for UPSC and start preparing for Mains right away. For more such advanced exam resources, expert preparation tips and more study materials, download the Testbook App now for free.

More Articles for IAS Preparation

Essay Book For UPSC Mains 2024 - FAQs

Which is the best Essay Book for UPSC in Hindi?

As per past aspirants and toppers, Nibandh for UPSC Civil Services Exam by IAS Nishant Jain & IAS Ganga Jain is considered as the best Essay Book for UPSC in Hindi language.

How to choose the best Essay writing book for UPSC?

Candidates must go for selecting an Essay book for UPSC that has a revised edition, written by industry-standard authors, containing previous solved papers and important topics with format, structure and ideas on writing various essays.

What is the best source for UPSC essay writing?

National newspapers like The Hindi, Times of India, magazines like Yojana, Kurukshetra and other reference books on contemporary issues are best sources of Essay writing for UPSC.

How to prepare with the best Essay writing book for UPSC?

First, candidates must understand the structure, format and types of topics asked in Essay writing for UPSC. Then refer to previously solved examples to understand how to structure it, and use facts and figures for a conclusion. Lastly, they must highlight the frequently asked topics with keywords.

Which is the best Essay Book for UPSC?

We have provided the list of best essay writing books for UPSC in this article. However, as per past aspirants, Mastering Essay & Answer Writing for UPSC Civil Services by Dr Awadesh Singh is considered as the best Essay book for UPSC.
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