If you've been writing UPSC mains essays for the last 4 cycles or are a serious aspirant who checks marksheets, you'll notice a common factor keeping people out of the final list - the Essay paper. Many think, 'Kuchh bhi likh do, Essay me toh marks hi nahi aane' (Write anything, you won't get marks in Essay). But having scored around 125 in essays in all 3 mains, I strongly disagree. The Essay paper is misunderstood; it's like Frankenstein's monster. You have creative freedom, but with great power comes great responsibility. You can use characters from movies, songs, comics, or fiction, but you must ensure relevancy and logical flow. The problem lies in Essay classes and teachers, who might be making you fear the paper. You have the freedom to experiment, but end up making mistakes. Here are the top mistakes people make in Essays, which I call the Anatomy of a Bad Essay.
I wanted to add an image for each analysis but inserting images in Reddit is quite a pain. Guess I have to add a Telegram channel. P.S: Please search AnatomyOfMains on TG
mast likha hai
Just joined your channel. Had 102, 105 in both mains. Hoping to gain some insights esp post prelims
Very well written. Relevant
Excellent analysis. I had always doubted and second guessed my own essay writing, your words brought some clarity.
hi i read this word to word and now have some idea but as a beginner can yu pls tell me how do i start prepping for essay writing or how should i start with.
Moreover i know i have asked this in your prelims answer to but pls share your marksheet f you dont mind it
joined the tg channel btw
Thanks for writing this it was insightful, especiialy the take away point makes sense
CfBR WILL come again later...Scored around 99 but want to pass through that 120+ mark.
Found it helpful ! got 84 in 2025 (1st attempt)
got 117 in mains 2025..will improve it for 125 + thankyou for this amazing insights
First I read it as 'Anatomy of a badass'