Summary

• Learn Grammar
• Read in diverse dimensions
• Consult Past Papers
• Write an essay and consult with a teacher
• Practice, practice and practice

Competitive examinations are a good starting point to start a career in the government sector. Therefore, in Pakistan and foreign countries, candidates have a quest to pass the competitive exam. Competitive exams require extraordinary personalities with polished analytical skills.

Writing an excellent essay requires a lot of facts and figures and diverse knowledge. According to the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC) report, 90 to 95 per cent of candidates fail in the English Essay paper. Therefore, one needs to tackle the Essay paper with correct grammar, a handsome amount of facts and figures; and dozens of supportive arguments.

Definition of Essay

Aldous Huxley defines essays as “a literary device for saying almost everything about almost anything.”

a short literary composition on a particular theme or subject, usually in prose and generally analytic, speculative, or interpretative.

Types of Essay

There are two forms of essay, literary and non-literary. Literary essays can be of four types:

• Expository Essay
• Descriptive Essay
• Narrative Essay
• Persuasive Essay

Rules to write an Essay

British English

Follow British English standards. These days we consume a lot of material, for instance, textual information, video lectures and research papers. Most of the time, writers of the content have different language standards. Therefore, a candidate has to make sure to follow the recommended English standard for the Essay paper.

Accurate Grammar Usage

The use of the grammar rules is crucial, even to pass the examination. In case someone is not familiar with the basic rules of English grammar, then one needs to learn the rules first. One cannot proceed further without the accurate usage of the language.

Diversity In the Essay

Most of the candidates do not write essays with a diverse range of knowledge. Diversity in the article is the factor which makes the piece extraordinary, as compared to others. Therefore, candidates must study the distinct dimensions of the essay. 

Usage of Quotations, Poems and Sayings

There is no hard and fast rule about what you should add and what to avoid. Most of the English teachers recommend that one should not start an essay with a quotation. On the other hand, Atif Ameer, the topper (2nd position in CSS-2018), told in an interview, I began my essay with a poem. Ameer wrote a scientific article on climate change, which relates to environmental science; and Interestingly, he began his essay with a literary poem.

Elements of Essay

• Outline
• Introduction
• Body
• Conclusion

Outline

An essay should have an outline which comprises all of the content that the article presents. It should be at least one page long and not more than three pages. One should keep in mind, bullets of the essay should not be too wordy. A bullet with five to eight words is considered better.

Introduction to the essay

The introduction is the summary or abstract of the essay. Therefore, one needs to focus on this paragraph. It should introduce all of the aspects of the article. An introduction with 150 words is enough, but it can vary topic to topic. First or the last sentence of the paragraph is the place where one can add a thesis statement.

Body of the essay

The body of the essay comprises a paragraph on each bullet of the outline. Usually, a 2,500 words essay shall consist of twenty to twenty-five paragraphs. Therefore, one must write at least twenty articles to support the thesis.

Conclusion of the essay

The last paragraph of the essay is considered a concluding paragraph. The candidate should not introduce anything new in the concluding section. One can say, it is the reflection of the introductory paragraph.

 

Conclusion

To sum up, to learn essay writing takes time, patience and practice. Read books on diverse topics; newspaper articles, and research papers. Be focused, write every day.