How to Write Answers in UPSC Mains? – Beginners Guide

Clearing the UPSC mains examination will decide the student’s future in UPSC. Scoring good marks in UPSC Mains can be a tipping point in the exam phase. So, in this article, we will see some of the best tips on how to write answers in UPSC Mains.   

Answer writing is like practising an art form. After good practise, you can master the art. One needs to be dedicated, and with daily practice and good guidance, the students can easily clear the exam. Keep in mind that one should sketch out their plan as everyone is unique and has their capabilities and grasping power. Examine your strengths and weaknesses, and then create a game plan for clearing the UPSC Mains.  

While preparing for UPSC Mains Exam, it is important to prepare for writing good and detailed answers in the exam. Aspirants should direct all their attention to writing the answers in a proper format. When writing an answer to a question in one of the nine Mains papers, an aspirant should check the question’s requirement. Sometimes some students have one question in mind “Can an average student crack IAS?” and the answer is a big Yes. 

This article will discuss some tips for writing a good answer in UPSC IAS Mains Exam. There will be a few questions where you will be asked to discuss and examine the question before writing the answer. Aspirants should understand and check the phrases in the questions and then present the answer within the word count.

Before beginning the discussion and some tips, an aspirant needs to have a clear understanding and good guidance for clearing the IAS mains exam. I will urge you to join The Thought Tree (T3) for IAS coaching. T3 offers students the best test series, current study materials, mentorship, and doubt sessions. Our test series is planned so that the aspirants get deep insight and can do the revision of all the sections. We aim to make sure that our students are well versed with the exam pattern and can formulate an answer easily.

How to Write Answers in UPSC Mains ?

1. Get a Good Understanding 

Be attentive while attempting the paper, and scan the questions properly as it will be a bit complicated, and a few questions will be tough to understand. Get a proper understanding of the questions, analyze the question and formulate a response accordingly. 

2. Practice Answer Writing  

Remember that in answer writing practice, these factors include the ability to recollect, process, and write down thoughts within a timeframe. Avoid practising every question at the start. Check the last year’s question papers and attempt those questions to check your strengths and weaknesses and see where you need to improve your performance in UPSC Mains.

3. Write Simple Answers 

Try to write simple answers and avoid using jargon or complicated words. Use words that almost everyone can understand. 

4. Develop a Thought Process 

Many students forget that a word limit needs to be maintained while writing the answers. While attempting the paper, if you see a question with some word count or word limit, you must write the solutions as per the word limit. It will demonstrate your answer writing skills and good usage of vocabulary.

5. Follow the Word Limit

Many students forget that a word limit needs to be maintained while writing the answers. While attempting the paper, if you see a question with some word count or word limit, you must write the solutions as per the word limit.

Read More: Online Classes for Preschoolers 

How to Draft a Good Answer?

Writing an answer in a structured manner is very important, and the three main phases of creating a good answer are Introduction, Body, and Conclusion. Here is how all the three should be written.

Introduction

• The starting paragraph of the answer is the Introduction.
• Don’t write the main information in the introduction.
• Instead, the introduction should introduce the context of the subject to the moderator.
• An ideal introduction should have some of the words of the main answer.
• For instance, if you have to write an answer within 100 words, you will have to write 10-20 words of the main answer in the introduction.

Main Body

• Begin the paragraph with the points which are super important and maintain the order of the significance of every point.
• If the question asks to write about a problem’s positive and negative features, divide it into two paragraphs and write the positive effects in one paragraph and the negative effects in another paragraph.
• When there are fewer points to be discussed, merge the two paragraphs of positive and negative effects into one paragraph.
• In the body paragraph, write in a fact-based manner that should comprise bullet points that are to be highlighted.
• UPSC Mains paper generally has two kinds of questions which are opinion-based and fact-based.
• In a fact-based question, place more importance on facts and truth.
• In an opinion-based question, never exclude the facts. Write the facts which support the opinion that you are trying to tell through the answer.

Conclusion

• While writing the answer, remember that it should be a perfect blend of the complete answer and leave a good impression on the examiner.
• Don’t negatively conclude the answer.
• Never end the answer by asking a question. Instead, write about what can be done, offer a solution. It will demonstrate a positive attitude and a desire to search for answers.
• In conclusion, start the paragraph with a simple sentence that contains every part or argument of the answer.
• It should be similar to the introduction, which means that it should contain some part of the whole answer. It should have 20 to 25 words.

Final Word

So, to wrap this discussion on How to Write Answers in UPSC Mains, I hope that this article was helpful to you. Keep in mind that writing the answer in the UPSC mains exam is equally important as preparing for this exam. In preparation for the exam, your aim should be to intake information and write a good answer based on the knowledge which you have gained. 

Many aspirants are not selected because of their writing capabilities and avoid seeing the parameters like the presentation, simple words, structured answer, language, choice of words, and word limit used in writing a good answer.