The UPSC mains exam 2023 commenced on 15 September with the essay paper. The compulsory English language paper is scheduled to be held on 23rd September (Saturday) in the afternoon session from 2 PM to 5 PM. In this article, you can download the compulsory English paper of the IAS mains exam 2023.

Aspirants can download the UPSC 2023 mains papers from the links below (Links will be added as soon as the exam is over).

UPSC Mains 2023 Compulsory English Language Paper

The English language paper is a compulsory paper in the UPSC scheme of things but it is of qualifying nature. Candidates have to pass this exam by scoring at least 33% in order for their marks t be considered for merit ranking. However, the marks obtained in the English paper are not counted for merit ranking. The paper assesses the general proficiency level in English of the candidates. The objective of the paper is to test a candidate’s ability to read and understand serious descriptive prose and to express his/her ideas clearly and correctly.

Click the link below to download the question paper (links will be provided once the exam is over).

UPSC Mains 2023 English Language Question Paper – Download PDF

Compulsory English Language Paper Pattern

The main objectives of the English paper are:

  1. To assess a candidate’s ability to read and understand serious descriptive prose.
  2. To assess a candidate’s ability to express his/her ideas correctly and clearly.

Candidates can easily pass this exam if they have a decent grasp of English grammar and vocabulary. The questions asked are of matriculation or equivalent standard and so practicing a few question papers would easily help them ace this paper. Moreover, candidates from a non-English medium education need not be scared of this paper. They can go through the UPSC previous year question papers and understand the pattern of questions asked. After that, they can brush up their basic English grammar skills and comprehension abilities. This would be sufficient for the compulsory English paper. The paper is for a total of 300 marks.

For details about the compulsory English paper and how to tacke it, check the link.

Candidates can access our notes for the compulsory language papers from the table below

Compulsory Language Papers for Mains

Tips to solve Reading Comprehension in English Compulsory Paper of IAS Exam

How To Improve English For UPSC Exam

Why You Should Not Ignore the Compulsory Language Papers

UPSC candidates can check other UPSC Mains 2023 Question Papers from the linked article.

Other related links:

UPSC Mains General Studies Paper 1 Syllabus, Strategy & Structure

IAS Salary

UPSC Interview Questions

IAS Questions & Answers for UPSC

UPSC Monthly Current Affairs Magazine

NCERT Notes For UPSC