Essay Paper UPSC 2020 (Mains): Question Paper and Analysis

Please find the questions in the Essay Paper of UPSC 2020 Civil Services Mains Examination (written).

UPSC conducted the Essay Paper, as part of the Civil Services Main Exam 2020 on 08-01-2021.

There were 8 Essay topics, out of which candidates were asked to write on two topics in 3 hours.

Essay Paper UPSC 2020 Instructions

• Total Marks: 250 marks, Time duration: 3 hours.
• The essay must be written in the medium authorized in the admission certificate which must be stated clearly on the cover of this question-cum-answer (QCA) booklet in the space provided.
• No marks will be given for answers written in the medium other than the authorized one.
• Word limit, as specified, should be adhered to.
• Any page or portion of the page left blank, must be struck off clearly.

Essay Question Paper – UPSC Civil Services Main Exam (Written) 2020

Write two essays, choosing one topic from each of the following Sections A and B, in about 1000-1200 words each:

Section A

1. Life is long journey between human being and being humane
2. Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self
3. Ships do not sink because of water around them,  ships sink because of water that gets into them
4. Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication

Section B

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

Essay Paper UPSC 2020 (Mains): Question Paper and Analysis

Though aspirants were asked to write only two essays out of eight, most aspirants faced difficulty to select the right combination of two essays.

A philosophical theme was present in most of the essay topics in Section A as well as Section B.

As per most aspirants, the essay topic ‘Mindful manifesto is the catalyst to a tranquil self’ seemed the most tricky one. Only a few attempted that topic.

UPSC has ensured that the essay topics were much different from the GS questions.

As we have mentioned many times, Essay needs a different approach than GS. Only those candidates with good essay writing skills will score high in this year’s essay paper.