GS4(Ethics) Strategy !

 Hello everyone, 

This is Dwij Goel ,AIR 71 UPSC CSE 2022. Ethics has been my strong area in all my three attempts at UPSC CSE. In 2020 I got 107 marks, in 2021 I got 111 marks and in 2022 I have got 113 marks in ethics paper. 

Here is my strategy: 

Basics : I read lexicon at first to get used to ethics as I was not aware much about it. But, I won’t recommend that book, as it is outdated now. 

Thereafter, I watched some of free lectures of ethics by Awdhesh Singh sir, they are free short videos of 7-10 minutes each and available on unacademy. From both of these I made some of my short notes.


Value addition: Forum IAS red booklet for ethics , OnlyIAS prahaar booklet for ethics. 


Other sources : I used to collect examples from newspaper in a file and used them in my answers after revision. When you read newspaper try to think in ethical terms, you can identify many news which somehow gets linked to the syllabus. For ex: Russia- Ukraine conflict , it is linked to Ethics in International Relations. I have shared my file, you can take reference and make yours too. 


I also read “ Ethical Dilemmas of a civil servant” by Anil Swarup sir. I highly recommend aspirants to read this book. It gives you insights into real life ethical dilemmas which a civil servant face in daily work life. This book is like a collection of stories, so you can take out some free time to read this, it really helped me in building a thought process. His “nexus of good” approach helped me in my job as well(as Commissioner Municipality ). 


I’m an avid reader and follower of Srimad Bhagvad Geeta. It is a manual of life, I tried to not only read it but practice it. I believe Bhagvad Geeta really helped me in being strong in my values and goals. I tried to include various quotes and principles I learnt from Bhagvad Geeta in my ethics answers. Like “ Nishkam Karma” , Importance of fortitude , Selflessness and many more. 



How to write ethics answers

  1. Ethics require unique answer writing style which should include specific keywords, examples and quotes.
  2. I tried to diversify my examples while writing ethics answer. For instance, If I’m writing some answer I’ll try to bring International relations example, historical example, political, economic, social, environmental and likewise. It makes my answer a diverse answer and it helps me during writing and remembering as well. 
  3. Practice is the key to write good ethics answers, the more you write the more your answers get refined. 


Things to avoid 

  1. In quote based question, try to not use quote. Quote for quote looks absurd. The examiner wants to see what you have understood from the quote and wants a simple explanation from you. So, in such questions try to simplify it and don’t bombard it with quote. 
  2. Overusing of quote should be avoided, I have seen people using quotes everywhere without understanding the context of question. If it fits, then pls use it , otherwise showing off doesn’t help much. 
  3. Controversial examples should be avoided.


Things to do

  1. While writing examples and ethics answer, be kind and compassionate. It helps you in being sensitive towards the people and you connect better. 


How to attempt case study 

  1. Introduction should be in any one format : A. Crux of the case study in introduction or B. Start with some data and facts of the case or C. Linking it with some recent incident D. Explaining the dilemma/ issues in case study.
  2. In body ,you needn’t write stakeholders/ issues in every case study, it looks very repetitive and takes time. Rather, approach should be more organic , make your case study answer as real as possible. Try to be innovative and do things which others are not doing (only 1% innovation is required).
  3. Use ethical terms and theories which we study in part 1 to attempt case study. 
  4. For conclusion or way forward : I used to sum up by some ethical theory/ philosophy wherever possible like Kantian, Utilitarian etc. Sometimes I used to end with Gandhiji talisman, Bhagvad Geeta teachings etc.  


Finally, I would say that Ethics should be practiced and lived, your answers will automatically flow from your thoughts. 



“Lite hai”

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