The UPSC examination is considered one of the most coveted examinations in India. Thousands of students sit for UPSC examinations every year, dreaming of cracking the examination and securing a respectable position in the Indian Government.
If you are preparing for the UPSC examination, we know you are familiar with the exam pattern and syllabus. As a website solely dedicated to UPSC examinations, we often receive comments stating confusion between GS Paper I and GS Paper II.
If you wish to know how GS paper I am from GS paper II, stick to the end of the article as we share the syllabus, structure and strategies to prepare the papers.
General Studies Paper I
In UPSC Mains examinations, GS Paper I is one of the four general studies papers. The paper includes subjects like Art and Culture, Geography, History and Indian Society.
So the subjects can be divided as follows.
Subjects: History, Geography and Indian Society
Sub-Topics:
Art & Culture
Modern HistoryWorld History
Physical Geography of India & World
Human Geography
Demography, Social Issues, and Developments in Indian Society
Unlike the other, there are few areas in the subjects from where you can expect direct questions. Therefore, the places where you should focus while preparing for the paper are as follows.
Art and Culture
Classical dances
Literature
Music and musical instruments
Temple architecture
Themes of ancient Indian History
2. Modern History
Contributions of influential Indian and Foreign personalities
Important movements: Swadeshi and Boycott movement, Khilafat and Non-cooperation movement, Civil Disobedience movement, Quit India movement.
Social/religious reform movements: personalities and their contributions
3. India after Independence & Political Philosophies
Admission of princely states
Capitalism
Communism
Important movements after 1947
Role of important personalities
Socialism
4. World History
American, French, Russian and Industrial Revolution
Current affairs
International pages of The Hindu and The Indian Express
World War I and II
5. Society of India
Diversity in India
Issues in Indian Society
Women Empowerment
6. Geography
Cyclones, hurricanes, earthquakes
Climate change
Location of industries in India
Natural Resources
Water bodies
GS Paper I consists of 20 questions printed in English or Hindi. The word limit for ten marks questions is 150, and the 15 marks question, is 250.
General Studies Paper II
Now coming to GS Paper II, the subjects included in this paper are governance, constitution, polity, social justice and International relations. Similar to GS Paper I, you can expect direct questions from specific topics. However, one requires critical thinking to answer the questions up to a point.
For the preparation of GS Paper II, mentioned below are the focus areas you should cover as calculated from the previous year's question patterns.
Polity
Amendments to the Indian Constitution
Constitutional and non-constitutional bodies
Features of the Indian Constitution
Indian Constitution
Provisions
2. Governance
Accountability
E-governance applications
Government policies and interventions
Governance
Transparency
3. Social Justice
Issues relating to the development and management of Social Sector/Services
Issues relating to poverty and hunger
4. International Relations
Agreements involving India and affecting India’s interests
Bilateral Groupings
Regional and global groupings
GS Paper II also contains 20 questions printed in English or Hindi. The word limit for ten marks questions is 150, and for 15 sports questions is 250.
Now there you go, a comprehensive analysis of GS Paper I and GS Paper II. GS paper I contain subjects like History, Geography and Indian History, whereas GS paper II deals with topics like Polity, Governance, International Relations and Social Justice.
The article provided just a snippet of the critical focus areas of both papers. If you wish to know which books you should study for subjects, our reports detailing the required textbooks can help you.