What does “Discuss” ask for?
Bring out the main sides of the issue and end with your own view. Two or three headings for the sides, an example under each, one line of judgement to close.
Which papers ask it?
| Paper | Topper answers | Share |
|---|---|---|
| GS Paper 1 | 251 | 15% |
| GS Paper 2 | 305 | 18% |
| GS Paper 3 | 347 | 20% |
| GS Paper 4 (Ethics) | 385 | 22% |
| Optional subjects | 442 | 26% |
How do toppers answer a “Discuss” question?
| Answers measured | 1,730 |
| Use headings | 72% |
| End on a “Way forward” or “Conclusion” heading | 6% |
| Bring in the other side (however, limitations, challenges, criticism) | 54% |
| Carry a diagram or flowchart | 27% |
| Median words, 10 / 15 marks | 175 / 253 |
Measured from the toppers’ answer copies in the writeupsc bank; UPSC does not publish marked answer sheets. Counted on the question text after numbering and marks are removed; essays left out.
Examples from topper answers
If a law is unjust, a man is not only right to disobey it, he is obligated to do so. Discuss.
Defines law as codified social consensus, gives two examples of unjust laws, then argues that in such cases individual morality must take precedence, before turning to a numbered list of what the duty of the individual actually looks like depending on whether they are a civil servant or common citizen, and closes on the balance between individual morality and larger consensus via Rawlsian justice.
How the bank describes the answer by Aditya Srivastava (AIR 1), GS Paper 4 (Ethics), 2023 copy.
Discuss the subject matter of comparative politics. Outline the limitations of comparative political analysis.
Opens with a one-line definition of comparative politics as the comparison of political systems, governments and constitutions with a focus on the third world, states its value for foreign-policy formulation and understanding political phenomena, then turns the bulk of the answer to the limitations (Euro-centrism, diversity of third-world societies, lack of standardised method and data, and the shifting international order), closing with a one-line call for the field to keep adapting.
How the bank describes the answer by Harshita Goyal (AIR 2), Optional subjects, 2024 copy.
A focused and sustained promotion and pursuit of blue economy help meet the challenges of food security, national security, and climate security. Discuss.
Opens by defining blue economy through the World Bank's definition and a global GDP figure, then works through the three named securities in turn - food, national, climate - each as a short numbered list with an example, and closes on a diagram of overlapping challenges before a one-line push for scaled investment.
How the bank describes the answer by Akansh Dhull (AIR 3), GS Paper 2, 2025 copy.
Check your own “Discuss” answer
Read only your headings and your last two lines: do they do what “Discuss” asks? writeupsc reads the directive from your question and marks whether the structure and the conclusion match it, beside what the toppers to the closest questions did. Upload an answer.
Other directives: Critically examine · Analyse · Evaluate · Comment · Examine · Explain · all directive words.
Questions
What does “Discuss” mean in a UPSC question?
Bring out the main sides of the issue and end with your own view. Two or three headings for the sides, an example under each, one line of judgement to close.
How long should a “Discuss” answer be?
Toppers in the bank write a median of 175 words for 10 marks and 253 for 15 marks on “Discuss” questions.
Do toppers use headings for “Discuss”?
In 72% of the 1,730 answers measured, and 6% end on a “Way forward” or “Conclusion” heading.
See how your own answer compares.
Photograph the sheet the way you wrote it. 1 free evaluation with a Google account, no card.