I have come across number of CSS students who have been completely misguided regarding important paper of easy.
Here are some of these misconceptions:
1) Paper of essay is topic based and you have to “prepare” a certain topic. People often ask “which topic should we prepare for this year’s essay?”

2) There exists an “authentic knowledge” outside the aspirant’s mind and he has to come closer to that “authentic knowledge” by preparing that particular topic.
3) Essay Guides and CSS academies are the main source of that authentic knowledge

Along with these misconceptions the main practice which is followed for the preparation of Essay writing is :
1) Acquire authentic topic based knowledge by collection facts and figures and a huge data as a supporting evidence for the argumentation.
2) Memorize that material as a passive receptive reader without critically reading it
3) Find the topic in paper in which your memorized data can fit and reproduce it in paper.
Now here is the right method to prepare for essay:
First of all paper of essay writing is not TOPIC based but it is DISCOURSE based. Now read any of the past paper and see what is written on top of the paper. You have to engage yourself in a certain discourse. There are four types of discourses
1) Exposition
2) Narration
3) Argumentation
4) Narration
(For reference see: Modern Rhetoric by Cleanth Brooks page 32 )
The proper way to ask is “what are the current discourses from which essay paper is expected” Look at the past papers these are all based on current discourses such a Colonialism/Post colonialism, Globalization, Terrorism, Good Governance, Feminism, Economic issue etc.
Secondly in paper these discourses are in the form of CLAIM or TOPIC
Topic based essays are mainly descriptive. In descriptive essay the examiner assumes that he knows nothing about the TOPIC and you have to describe it with clarity.
CLAIM based essays are mainly argumentative such as
Modernity is an unending project (2017)
Literature is a lonely planet of idealist (2017)
Are modern wars not holy wars (2017)
In argumentative essay you have either to attack or defend the main claim (Most of the students think that you have only to defend the main claim). Secondly in argumentative essay the examiner assumes that you possess a certain knowledge about that topic such as Colonialism or Feminism so you are not required to give definitions. (Most of the students start argumentative essay with defining and describing the Key Words which is a blunder)
Preparation of essay writing stars from the way you read. Most of the CSS student study as “passive receptive readers”. Means they just memories what they read and purpose is to reproduce it in examination. The very basic thing needed to prepare an essay (and other papers too) is to study any text a an “ Active Analytical Reader” Means asking questions about the topic, analyzing, criticizing it and developing one’s own remarks on the certain topic. In short read to conceptualize things. For essay writing one has to follow this process
1) Active analytical reading
2) Comprehension
3) Conceptualization
4) Organization
5) Expression.
There are lots of things to discuss regarding preparation of essay but due to shortage of time I am leaving now. In few days I will discuss in detail:

1) Three Main parts of Discourse: Introduction, Main Body, Conclusion.
2) Active Analytical Reading
3) Types of Discourse (Exposition, Argumentation, Narration, Description and their use in essay)
4) Unity and Coherence
5) Emphasis
6) Style
7) Language and Tone of Essay
8) Conclusion.

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Regards