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[ESSAY and GS ANSWER COPIES] Rank 36 SARANYA RAMCHANDRAN UPSC CSE 2019 TOPPER- IASbaba’s TLP Connect Student

• August 24, 2020

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Hello Everyone,

Please find below the Essay, Ethics, GS Answer copies of  SARANYA RAMCHANDRAN Rank 36 UPSC CSE 2019 TOPPER.

She is our TLP CONNECT Student .

Her hard work and judicious use of IASbaba’s Programs like THINK LEARN PERFORM (TLP) -Connect , Integrated Learning Programme (ILP) – Babapedia, Test Series sailed her through the exam with a splendid rank.

ETHICS ANSWER COPY   -> CLICK HERE 

GENERAL STUDIES (GS 1 Society) ANSWER COPY  -> CLICK HERE 

ESSAY COPY ->  CLICK HERE 

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Ishita Kishore IAS Topper Rank 1 (UPSC CSE 2022) – Answer sheets & Optional Subject

PYQ Discussion 2024 Batch-1, An opportunity to revise 2011-2023 PYQ’s, Batch Starts 24th April 2024 Click Here   for more information

Ishita Kishore has achieved the remarkable feat of securing All India Rank 1 in the UPSC Civil Services 2022 exam. Her accomplishment has not only met but exceeded expectations with her remarkable accomplishment of this formidable examination.  

Here’s a comprehensive look into her journey , age optional subject, background , and the strategies she employed to achieve this monumental success.  

Ishita Kishore answer sheets  isn’t just a collection; it’s a revelation. It provides a backstage pass to the meticulous preparation, the intellectual acuity, and the emotional fortitude required to crack the UPSC . Emulating the strategy of UPSC topper Ishita Kishore is an invaluable approach to fortifying your Civil Services Examination (CSE) preparation.  

As you explore the answer sheets of Ishita Kishore , you will discover the nuances of answer writing, the art of time management, and the intricacies of subject mastery.  

You can download test copies that Ishita Kishore wrote at ForumIAS  during the UPSC CSE preparation journey. Gain valuable insights from the test copies and testimonials of UPSC toppers, empowering you to excel in your own UPSC journey .  

Background and Education of IAS Topper Ishita Kishore

Born in Begumpet, Hyderabad , of Telangana , Ishita spent her formative years in Bihar. After that, she settled in Delhi. She is an alumnus of Delhi University’s Shri Ram College of Commerce ( SRCC ), where she pursued her graduation in Economics (Hons). After that, she worked for Ernst and Young, a multinational firm, before, starting the preparation for UPSC exam.

Family of IAS Topper Ishita Kishore

Ishita’s family has been her pillar of strength throughout her journey. Her father is a former Indian Air Force officer, and her mother is a private school teacher. Her brother, a lawyer by profession, has also been a constant source of support.

Personal Interests and Hobbies of IAS Topper Ishita Kishore

Apart from her academic pursuits, Ishita is passionate about football . She participated in the Subroto Cup in 2012 and has competed at the national level. During her school and college days, she was actively involved in extracurricular activities, including presiding over Interact, a group sponsored by Rotary, and participating in fictitious UN meetings at school events.

Preparation Strategy of IAS Topper Ishita Kishore

Ishita’s journey to success was not without its challenges. She did not clear the UPSC prelims in her first two attempts. However, instead of being disheartened, she used these setbacks as learning experiences. She analyzed her mistakes and ensured she did not repeat them in her subsequent attempt.

She also underwent a strategic shift in her preparation after her initial attempts. This involved attending online classes and focusing on making her own notes.

As stated in newspapers as well, Ishita’s approach to the UPSC exams was rooted in discipline, sincerity, and quality learning. She emphasized the importance of consistency and believed in focusing on the quality of study rather than the number of hours.

She dedicated 40–45 hours a week to her preparation, ensuring she balanced her study time with relaxation and staying connected with family and friends.

For her, understanding the core of the subject matter was crucial. She made her own notes, limited her study sources, and ensured she did not deviate from them, especially during revision. Ishita also highlighted the significance of previous years’ UPSC prelims question papers to understand the nature of the questions.

She has also written a letter to us:

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• 7 Easy Steps Essay Writing UPSC Mains Exam

7 Easy Steps on Essay Writing for UPSC Mains Exam

The UPSC Mains Exam has a total of 9 papers which includes an essay paper as well. The Essay Paper in the IAS Mains Exam consists of two sections A and B with four topics each of 125 marks and a total of 250 (125×2) marks. Candidates have to select a topic from each section and write about it in 1,000 to 2,000 words within the given time of three hours. The Essay paper is considered as crucial in determining the final result of selection and ranking of a candidate. The Essay Paper is considered as crucial as it is a compulsory paper and its marks are incorporated in computing the total and moreover what makes it crucial is that there is no in-depth study in an essay unlike optional subjects where any aspirant can claim expertise. Let us take a look at the conventional way of writing an essay that includes introduction, body and conclusion. Though this is fundamental but the concept of an essay when it comes in terms of UPSC Paper it is quite tricky. An essay should be of topical text that is easy to understand or follow and comprehensive, succinct, composite and definite, as well as informative and logical. So, here are a few tips on how to structure an Essay Paper in the UPSC Mains Exam. For the effective composition of an essay one should generally follow the below points that are ideally suggested by the senior UPSC Aspirants and toppers:   What to write in the Essay?

• Read the topic carefully
• Think and recollect the points to be included in the topic for 30 minutes

What not to write in the Essay?

• Provoking Essay
• Do not get personal
• Deviating from the subject

Tips to enhance your Essay writing

• Recommended Reading
• Reading Books as Hobby

Before choosing the topic, read all the topics more than once and choose the topic wisely from the given choices so that you will find enough points to write about the topic. Once you choose a topic and start to write you may find difficult and tend to change the topic in between which would be foolishness and it will be too late to change the topic as you would have already utilized much time. Read the topic twice and think about the topic for 30 minutes.

Once you have chosen the topic to write don’t start to write immediately instead ‘think about the topic for 30 minutes’. Because when one starts writing without thinking about the topic they may miss out on many important points and in between or at the end they may remember more significant points which would be too late as there would be no enough pace left in the answer sheet or time to write more.   Hence, it is recommended to utilize the first 30 minutes to think about the topic before starting to write as you have three hours to write the essay.

• Think about the topic for 30 minutes
• Write down the random points that come to your mind at the end of the sheet
• Arrange the points that you have jotted down in sequence

Some important tips to make your Essay worthy

Once you have recalled, collected and noted the points then the next step is to structure it as given below:

• Introduction
• Background/past example
• Main concept/theory
• Correlate with current event
• Advantages and disadvantages
• Suggested Changes

It is advised while writing an essay on a topic that may be provocative not to get personal and criticize a person or government in your writing. Some topics would be provocative where you may tend to lose control of your writing and write something in an offensive way, which is not appreciable and recommended as well.   If you are writing about the disadvantages it is suggested to come up with a few reforms that may change the disadvantages into advantages.

Always memorize the quotes correctly and the name of the person who has quoted them. If you are not sure about the quote then it is advised to leave it instead of writing it incorrectly.

For effective essay writing one should clearly be sure of the purpose of writing the essay and should remember the “Five Wives and One Husband” concept i.e., – Who?, Why?, What?, When?, Where?, and How?,  that is taught in the school on the first day of Essay Writing. Following this concept will make you stick around the topic and not paddle away from the topic.

Essay writing also needs continuous reading; hence it is suggested to candidates read diverse topics and books some of the recommended are:

• Editorial section of The Hindu Newspaper
• Magazines like Frontline, Kurukshetra, Yojana
• Watch discussions and debates on television
• Work on previous question papers essay topic

Finally, when it comes to Essay as one of the papers in the UPSC Exam , it is all about understanding and assessing the personality of a candidate through which his/her views, ideas, suggestions, values, attitude, aptitude, coordination, and communication (written) abilities and other attributes are analyzed that especially UPSC looks for in an aspirant. If you want to analyze or enhance your essay writing skills then participate now in our UPSC Essay Contest and win a cash prize as well as free registration for UPSC Civil Services Mains Test Series.

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Saureesh sahai ( top scorer of essay paper) (air rank-245, 2020), abhishek saraf (air rank-8, 2019), mayank mittal (air rank-29, 2019), om kant thakur (air rank-52, 2019), patil yogesh ashoka rao (air rank-63, 2019), g chandeesh (air rank-198, 2019), lalitesh kumar meena (air rank-728, 2019), k shashikant (air rank-695, 2018), about next ias.

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Essay Paper UPSC 2022 (Mains): Question Paper and Analysis

Last updated on September 16, 2022 by ClearIAS Team

The Essay Paper in UPSC CSE 2022 was easy compared to previous years. Please find the questions in the Essay Paper of the UPSC 2022 Civil Services Mains Examination (written).

UPSC conducted the Essay Paper , as part of the Civil Services Main Exam 2022 on 16-09-2022. The question paper was not as shocking as last year.

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

Candidates were supposed to answer about 1000 words for each essay (about 10-12 pages).

Table of Contents

Essay Paper UPSC 2022 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 a 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) 2022

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

• Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence.
• Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world.
• History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.
• A ship in the harbour is safe but that is not what a ship is for.
• The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining.
• You cannot step twice in the same river.
• Smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities.
• Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right.

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

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A philosophical theme is clearly evident in most of the essay topics in Section A as well as Section B. This was the case in 2020 and 2021 as well. It is a clue about what UPSC expects from the essay paper.

Rather than asking candidates to write on topics most aspirants are familiar with or trained with, UPSC is now evaluating the essay writing skills of aspirants by providing them with abstract or philosophical topics. 

This year, most of the topics were either proverbs or famous quotes.

All 8 topics presented this year will test the spontaneous thinking, comprehension, writing skills, and time management of aspirants.

Thinkers, Philosophers, and their Quotes

Let’s analyse the source of some of the question topics.

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POETS ARE THE UNACKNOWLEDGED LEGISLATORS OF THE WORLD 

This essay topic is one of the best-known and most frequently quoted lines from the Romantic poet Percy Bysshe Shelley (1792-1822).

Shelley thinks that poets can institute laws and create new materials for knowledge, determining the role of poets as legislators. 

Shelley’s account of poetic language seeks to find an order to the chaos, which, possibly, Shelley sees in human society: the mess that only poets can fathom. 

Therefore, he thinks, the poets’ enhanced poetic language can re-institute order in human society. 

A SHIP IN HARBOUR IS SAFE BUT THAT IS NOT WHAT A SHIP IS FOR 

This essay topic is connected with John A Shedd , an author and professor, who is attributed to this quote. Reference: his book Salt from My Attic , a collection of quotes and sayings (1928).

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This phrase means, that getting out of your comfort zone is key to experiencing new things and broadening your horizons.

Only taking risks helps us grow as people—to either achieve our goals or do the things we’ve always wanted to do.

THE TIME  TO REPAIR THE ROOF IS WHEN THE SUN IS SHINING 

This essay topic was connected with John F. Kennedy. In his 1962 State of the Union Address, John F. Kennedy declared, “The best time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining”.

The primary message of the quote is fixing a leak is best done when the weather is good, rather than when it is not.

Ideally, you should begin the work of fixing the roof as soon after the leak was found. The first sunny day would be ideal. It is not easy to fix a roof when it is raining.

This statement is being used to remind us to do the right things at the right time. It also points us to take the advantage of favourable time.

YOU CAN NOT STEP TWICE IN THE SAME RIVER 

This essay topic was quoted by Heraclitus, a Greek philosopher born in 544 b.c.

This means that you cannot step into the same river twice because the flow of the river will change each second. You will also change each second.

It is not possible to repeat past experiences, as time changes all things. You won’t get the exact experience twice. You need to live in the present and enjoy each moment.

A SMILE IS A CHOSEN VEHICLE FOR ALL AMBIGUITIES 

This essay topic was quoted by Herman Melville, an American novelist.

JUST BECAUSE YOU HAVE A CHOICE DOES NOT MEAN THAT ANY OF THEM HAS TO BE RIGHT 

This essay topic was quoted by Norton Juster, an American academic, architect, and writer in his book The Phantom Tollbooth

What should aspirants preparing for next year do for an essay paper?

First of all, you should take the essay paper seriously.

Unless properly trained, it is not easy to write 10-12 pages on an abstract or philosophical topic.

You need to polish your comprehension and analytical skills.

Read different kinds of essays – particularly philosophical essays.

Give stress to the thoughts of philosophers like Immanuel Kant, Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, Friedrich Niche, Karl Marx etc. Start writing essays on famous quotes.

Also, be prepared to write essays touching on other areas like society, politics, economy, or technology. UPSC is known for surprises.

Remember that there is nothing like a constant trend with respect to UPSC questions.

What you get by analysing the previous year’s question papers are clues. And only those are what you need from UPSC questions!

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UPSC Success Story: Meet Ananya Singh, The 22-Year-Old IAS Topper Who Conquered UPSC Without Coaching

N ew Delhi: The UPSC Civil Services Exam (CSE) stands as a formidable challenge, often requiring years of meticulous preparation, unwavering dedication, and relentless hard work from aspirants. However, amidst this demanding landscape, the remarkable story of IAS Ananya Singh shines as a beacon of inspiration. With sheer determination and without the aid of coaching, she achieved the feat of cracking this arduous exam in a remarkably short span of one year.

Hailing from Prayagraj, Ananya Singh exhibited academic brilliance from her formative years, securing top ranks in both Class 10 and Class 12. Her journey of excellence began at St. Mary's Convent School, where she demonstrated exceptional performance, securing 96% in Class 10 and an astounding 98.25% in Class 12, thereby earning the distinction of being the CISCE Board District Topper in both instances. Subsequently, she pursued her undergraduate studies in Economics Honours at Shri Ram College of Commerce, University of Delhi.

Driven by a lifelong aspiration for civil services, Ananya embarked on her UPSC preparation immediately after completing her graduation. Opting for a path of self-reliance, she dedicated herself entirely to rigorous self-study, forsaking all distractions. Her preparation regimen was meticulous, involving extensive practice in writing answers and daily immersion in newspapers for current affairs. With a steadfast commitment to mastering the fundamentals, she cultivated a habit of relentless revision, investing 8-10 hours of focused study each day without exception. Additionally, she meticulously analyzed previous year's questions and scrutinized the responses of successful candidates, thereby refining her approach.

The culmination of Ananya's relentless efforts materialized in the realization of her childhood dream as she achieved the prestigious title of an IAS officer at the tender age of 22. Her remarkable achievement, securing an impressive All India Rank (AIR) of 51 in UPSC CSE 2019, not only underscores her individual triumph but also serves as a testament to the efficacy of self-driven preparation. Through her exemplary journey, Ananya Singh has debunked the myth that success in civil services hinges solely on expensive coaching, thereby inspiring countless aspirants to pursue their dreams with unwavering resolve and self-belief.

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