ESSAY: THE SUCCESS MANTRA at Lukmaan IAS

The marks available through various social media platforms show that in UPSC 2025, the highest marks in essay were 175 followed by 150 and 148.

It means, essay plays an important role in overall success of the candidates in the UPSC. In fact, it is one of the papers which plays crucial role in getting a top rank within 100. There is a success mantra called essay-ethics-optional.

The “Success Mantra”: Essay-Ethics-Optional

The core philosophy at Lukmaan IAS revolves around the synergy between three critical papers. For instance, the AIR 02(a Lukmaan Ethics test series student) exemplified this by securing:

• • Essay: 148
  • Ethics: 114
  • Sociology (Optional): 265

This combination is considered the “Mantra” for securing a rank within the Top 100, as these papers allow for the maximum scoring potential compared to the general studies papers.

What UPSC Demands in an Essay

To move beyond the average score and reach the 130–150+ range, Lukmaan IAS emphasizes re-orienting writing skills toward:

• • Philosophical Orientation: Moving beyond mere facts to deep, reflective analysis.
  • Originality of Thought: Avoiding “cliché” examples in favor of unique, rational ideas.
  • Logical Connectivity: Ensuring the generation of ideas flows naturally to prove the central theme or essence of the essay topic.

One can secure easily 100-130 in essay by re-orienting the writing skill so that the answer reflects a philosophical orientation.

Lukmaan IAS has successfully guided students in essay under the mentorship of S Ansari since 2013. Some of the highlights are as follows:

UPSC 2025: Top three essay marks from Lukmaan IAS are led by AIR 370: 127, AIR 03: 119 and AIR 42: 117

PAST YEAR RECORDS

Lukmaan IAS runs essay programs like essay test series (ETS) and essay yearlong test series (EYLT). Essay test series from 12^th June 2026 just after UPSC prelims 2026.