The Essay: Choosing a Topic, Structure and Indian Examples

Drafted with AI assistance and fact-checked on 28 October 2026; not yet read line by line by a human editor. Spotted a mistake? Tell us. Editorial standards & corrections

Where the essay appears

In the IBPS CRP PO/MT-XVI notification (vacancies of 2027-28), the descriptive paper of the Main Examination has 2 questions, essay and comprehension, for 25 marks in 30 minutes, answered in English. The notice says the paper may be broadly based on economic and social issues, emerging trends in banking and technology, current events and ethics, and that it may be evaluated by an automated scoring mechanism for writing-proficiency features. The SBI PO 2026-27 notification sets no essay: its descriptive test asks for an email, a situation analysis and a report or précis. Patterns can change from one cycle to the next, so check the current notification and the exam page on parikshasaathi.com before deciding what to practise. The core skill of the essay, a clear position backed by reasons and examples, carries over to every descriptive task.

Choosing and reading the topic

When you are given a choice, spend the first minute choosing, not typing. Pick the topic on which you can quickly name three distinct points and at least two concrete examples, not the one that sounds most impressive. Then read the wording closely. A topic such as 'Digital payments: boon or bane?' asks you to weigh both sides and reach a verdict; 'The role of banks in financial inclusion' asks you to explain and assess; 'Should cash be phased out?' asks for a clear yes or no with reasons. Fix the key words in your mind and answer that exact question. An essay that is fluent but drifts away from the prompt is one of the commonest ways good writers lose marks.

A structure that works in 30 minutes

Use three parts. The introduction, two or three sentences, gives the context and states your position (the thesis), so the reader knows where you are going. The body has two to four paragraphs, each on one idea: open with a topic sentence that makes the point, explain it, support it with an example and link it back to the question. One of these paragraphs should take up the strongest objection to your view and answer it, because a balanced essay reads as mature judgement. The conclusion, two or three sentences, restates the position in fresh words and offers a way forward; it never brings in a new argument. Leave a blank line between paragraphs so the structure is visible on screen.

Building arguments

A good argument moves from a claim to a reason to evidence. 'Digital payments help small businesses' is a claim; 'because every payment leaves a record' is the reason; 'a vegetable seller who accepts QR-code payments builds a transaction history that a bank can use to judge a loan application' is the evidence. Sort your points in your head under headings such as economic, social, technological and ethical, or people, institutions and government, so that the body looks at the topic from more than one side without repeating itself.

Indian examples you can rely on

Examples make an essay concrete, but only if they are correct. Use well-established ones: the nationalisation of 14 banks in 1969, which carried branches into rural India; the Pradhan Mantri Jan Dhan Yojana of 2014, which opened basic bank accounts for the unbanked; the Unified Payments Interface (UPI), launched in 2016 by the National Payments Corporation of India; the self-help group movement and Kerala's Kudumbashree mission (1998); Amul and the cooperative dairy model of Anand in Gujarat; the right to education under Article 21A. Never invent a statistic. If you are not sure of a figure, write 'a large share of' or 'millions of' instead; a wrong number damages your credibility more than a missing one.

Word limit and time

The patterns we have verified for these two papers give no word limit; when a question sets one, stay close to it, since an answer far below looks thin and one far above eats the time you need for the next question. Divide your time before you start. With two questions in 30 minutes, as in the IBPS PO/MT-XVI paper, about 15 to 17 minutes for the essay is reasonable: 2 to 3 minutes to choose and outline, 11 to 12 to type, and the last 2 to read it over. Know your typing speed in advance: at 25 words a minute, a 250-word essay needs 10 minutes of typing alone, before any thinking.

Key facts

IBPS CRP PO/MT-XVI (vacancies of 2027-28): descriptive paper of 2 questions, essay and comprehension, 25 marks, 30 minutes, in English; the notice says it may be evaluated by an automated scoring mechanism.
SBI PO 2026-27 sets no essay: its descriptive test is an email, a situation analysis and a report or précis. Check the current notification before you practise.
Choose the topic on which you can name three points and two examples within a minute, not the one that sounds grandest.
Read the instruction in the prompt: 'boon or bane' wants both sides and a verdict; 'should' wants a clear yes or no with reasons; 'the role of' wants explanation and assessment.
Introduction: context and thesis in two or three sentences. Body: one idea per paragraph (point, explanation, example, link). Conclusion: position restated with a way forward, no new argument.
Give one body paragraph to the strongest objection to your view and answer it; a balanced essay reads as mature judgement.
Safe Indian examples: bank nationalisation 1969 (14 banks); Jan Dhan Yojana 2014; UPI 2016 (NPCI); Kudumbashree, Kerala, 1998; Amul, Anand; Article 21A, right to education.
Never invent a statistic: write 'millions of' or 'a large share of' when you are unsure of a figure.
Two questions in 30 minutes: about 2-3 minutes to outline the essay, 11-12 to type, 2 to review; at 25 words a minute, 250 words take 10 minutes of typing.

Quick revision

IBPS PO/MT-XVI: essay and comprehension, 2 questions, 25 marks, 30 min, English, possibly machine-scored; SBI PO 2026-27 sets no essay; pick the topic you can back with 3 points and 2 examples; introduction with thesis, one idea per body paragraph, answer an objection, conclusion with a way forward; use certain Indian examples (1969 nationalisation, Jan Dhan 2014, UPI 2016); never invent figures; plan time before typing.

All 11 lessons on Beyond the Written Exam: Descriptive Paper, Interview and Other Stages