UPSC Essay Paper Analysis 2025 offers a comprehensive analysis of this year’s essay paper trends, challenges, and analysis of the previous year’s essay papers. With expert advice for effective preparation, aspirants can approach the essay paper with clarity and confidence.
theIAShub | 22 Aug, 2025 | 2088 | 0 |
UPSC Essay Paper Analysis 2025 provided by theIAShub’s expert faculty is now available. As the UPSC Mains Civil Services Examination officially started from 22 August 2025, the UPSC Mains 2025 Essay Paper was scheduled in the morning shift from 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. on the same day. This article provides a detailed UPSC Essay Paper Analysis 2025, along with the UPSC Mains 2025 Essay Paper PDFs. Aspirants can access a thorough breakdown of essay topics, this year’s topic trends, difficulty levels, and key points.
Also Read: UPSC Essay Paper 2025 PDF
UPSC Mains 2025 essay paper is an important part of the Civil Services Examination, as it tests not only the aspirants’ conceptual knowledge but also their ability to think, analyse, and link their views with the relevant facts and data to present their arguments effectively. Below are the key highlights that aspirants should know about this year’s essay paper:
|
Features |
Details |
| Paper | Paper I (Essay) |
| Exam Date | 22 August 2025 |
| Timing | 9:00 A.M. to 12:00 P.M. |
| Total Marks | 250 |
| Duration | 3 Hours |
| Number of Questions |
|
| Nature of Paper | Counted for the final merit list |
Also Read: UPSC Admit Card for Mains 2025
UPSC Essay 2025 question papers PDF is available to download, as well as the UPSC Essay Paper Analysis 2025 to review on this page. The candidates can now access and save the PDF directly from the table below, and can also explore the UPSC Essay Paper Analysis 2025.
|
Paper |
|
| UPSC Essay Question Paper 2025 | Available PDF |
UPSC Mains Essay Paper has always been an important part of the Civil Services Examinations. The essay paper consists of Section A and Section B, each of which carries four essay topics. The candidates are required to attempt one essay from each section, carrying 125 marks each. Here is a thorough analysis of the UPSC Mains Essay Paper trends through the years from 2021 to 2025. The UPSC essay paper has evolved steadily through these years and focuses more on a candidate’s originality, clarity, and ability to connect ideas to current affairs.
UPSC Essay Paper Analysis 2025 by theIASHub provides the aspirants with a professional view into this year’s essay topics, question trends, the level of difficulty, and important strategies to prepare better for the future UPSC examinations. Unlike the previous years, this year’s essay paper did not directly focus on the typical current affairs like AI, global conflicts, etc. Instead, the questions were designed around timeless reflections and values, allowing the candidates to connect diverse subjects ranging from history and environment to ethics and life lessons. The questions leaned heavily on the quotes and proverbs, urging the aspirants to interpret and relate them to real-life examples and personalities. Here is a table to provide a detailed topic-wise analysis along with the difficulty levels:
|
Section |
Essay Topic | Theme/Focus |
Difficulty Level |
| Section A | Truth knows no color. | Universal truth, impartiality | Moderate |
| The supreme art of war is to subdue the enemy without fighting. | Strategy, diplomacy, non-violent conflict | Moderate to Difficult | |
| Thought finds a world and creates one also. | Power of ideas, creativity, innovation | Moderate | |
| Best lessons are learnt through bitter experiences. | Learning from hardships, resilience | Moderate | |
| Section B | Muddy water is best cleared by leaving it alone. | Patience, natural processes, non-interference | Moderate |
| The years teach much which the days never know. | Long-term learning, experience vs. short-term | Moderate | |
| It is best to see life as a journey, not as a destination. | Philosophical outlook, continuous growth | Moderate | |
| Contentment is natural wealth; luxury is artificial poverty. | Happiness, wealth, materialism | Moderate |
The essay topics in the UPSC Essay Paper 2024 highlight the importance of writing essays with a clear mindset and original ideas. The 2024 essay themes were a mixture of philosophical viewpoints with relevant social issues, and encouraged the aspirants to think critically and present their viewpoints effectively. These kinds of topics require candidates to think deeply and connect their views with real-life examples.
|
Section |
Questions |
Difficulty Level |
| Section A | Forests precede civilizations, and deserts follow them. | Moderate |
| The empires of the future will be the empires of the mind. | Moderate | |
| There is no path to happiness; Happiness is the path. | Moderate to High | |
| The doubter is a true man of science. | Moderate to High | |
| Section B | Social media is triggering ‘Fear of Missing Out’ amongst the youth, leading to depression and loneliness. | Moderate to High |
| Nearly all men can stand adversity, but to test their character, give him power. | Moderate | |
| All ideas having large consequences are always simple. | Moderate | |
| The cost of being wrong is less than the cost of doing nothing. | Moderate to High |
Also Read: IAS Salary Per Month in India 2025
The essay topics from 2023 focused more on the philosophical and thought-provoking topics, urging the aspirants to explore multiple viewpoints. This approach to the essay paper displays the UPSC’s focus on assessing a candidate’s comprehensive abilities, structured presentation with conceptual knowledge, along with awareness of current happenings.
|
Section |
Questions |
Difficulty Level |
| Section A | Thinking is like a game; it does not begin unless there is an opposite team. | Moderate |
| Visionary decision-making happens at the intersection of intuition and logic. | Moderate to High | |
| Not all who wander are lost. | Moderate | |
| Inspiration for creativity springs from the effort to look for the magical in the mundane. | Moderate | |
| Section B | Girls are weighed down by restrictions, boys with demands – two equally harmful disciplines. | Moderate to High |
| Mathematics is the music of reason. | Moderate | |
| A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity. | Moderate | |
| Education is what remains after one has forgotten what one has learned in school. | Moderate to High |
UPSC Essay Paper 2022 carried a variety of topics that tested a candidate’s ability to think, analyze abstract ideas deeply, and connect them with real-world issues. The topics mainly focused on the relationship between nature and economy, logic and emotion, poetic expressions, philosophical ideas, as well as decision-making and ethical dilemmas.
|
Section |
Questions |
Difficulty Level |
| Section A | Forests are the best case studies for economic excellence. | Moderate |
| Poets are the unacknowledged legislators of the world. | Moderate to High | |
| History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man. | Moderate to High | |
| A ship in harbour is safe, but that is not what a ship is for. | Moderate | |
| Section B | The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining. | Moderate |
| You cannot step twice in the same river. | Moderate to High | |
| A smile is the chosen vehicle for all ambiguities. | Moderate | |
| Just because you have a choice, it does not mean that any of them has to be right. | Moderate to High |
For the UPSC 2021 essay paper, we witnessed a blend of self-awareness, perception, materialism, and societal roles, along with philosophical themes. The questions were designed to test a candidate’s awareness of the ongoing trends and their ability to provide thoughtful, balanced solutions.
|
Section |
Questions |
Difficulty Level |
| Section A | The process of self-discovery has now been technologically outsourced. | Moderate to High |
| Your perception of me is a reflection of you; my reaction to you is an awareness of me. | Moderate to High | |
| Philosophy of wantlessness is Utopian, while materialism is a chimera. | High | |
| The real is rational and the rational is real. | Moderate to High | |
| Section B | The hand that rocks the cradle rules the world. | Moderate |
| What is research but a blind date with knowledge! | Moderate | |
| History repeats itself, first as a tragedy, second as a farce. | Moderate to High | |
| There are better practices to “best practices”. | Moderate |
Also Read: Important Topics for UPSC Mains 2025
Writing an essay for the UPSC Mains 2025 Essay Paper may seem simple, but only a few can manage to write according to the evolving nature of this exam. The UPSC’s recent question trend focuses more on the abstract and thought-provoking topics, demanding the candidates to show a clear mindset, strong expression, and their ability to organize ideas and relate them to real-life realities. Below are a few of these key challenges that you might end up facing:
Also Read: UPSC Mains Exam Centres List 2025
UPSC Essay Paper Analysis 2025 offers a clear breakdown of topics, difficulty level, and insights into the exam. The paper tests not just knowledge but also thinking, organization, and presentation skills. With structured writing, simple language, and real-life examples, candidates can enhance their essays and score higher. Download the UPSC Essay Question Paper PDF and detailed analysis by theIAShub to understand the 2025 pattern, themes, and future trends.
The candidates are required to write each essay of about 1000-1200 words. The essays should be well-developed, clear, and concise.
The question paper PDFs will be made available in this article after the exam has been officially conducted.
The UPSC Essay Paper 2025 is scheduled on 22 August 2025 in the morning shift, from 9:00 to 12:00.
The UPSC essay paper carries a total of 250 marks, testing your thinking and writing skills. These marks are included in the final score and rank.
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