Ethics
Insights from Toppers’ Copies: Ethics Answer Writing by Aditya Srivastava, AIR-1, UPSC 2023
The Ethics paper (GS Paper 4) in the UPSC Civil Services Mains Examination is a unique test of an aspirant’s moral reasoning, ethical awareness, and problem-solving abilities. Unlike other GS papers that rely on factual knowledge, the Ethics paper demands aspirants to express their understanding of abstract ethical concepts and apply them to real-world situations, often within strict word and time limits.
Aspirants struggle with issues like
- Structuring answers logically,
- Integrating ethical ideas,
- Providing contemporary examples, and
- Ensuring practical yet ethical solutions in case studies.
Excelling in this paper requires a combination of conceptual clarity, critical reasoning, and strong presentation. Amidst these challenges, Aditya Srivastava, AIR-1 in UPSC 2023, stands as a shining example of how to approach the Ethics paper with precision and depth. Scoring 143 marks, the highest in GS Paper 4 for his year. His strategies showcase clarity of thought, exhaustive coverage of questions, and the ability to provide structured, solution-oriented answers.
This blog delves into Aditya Srivastava’s Ethics answer-writing techniques, offering detailed insights that will help aspirants tackle this critical paper with confidence and excel in their preparation.
Download High Scorer Ethics Toppers Copies
Useful Insights from Aditya Srivastava’s Ethics Answer Scripts
1. Exhaustive Answers
One of the key qualities from Aditya Srivastava’s Ethics answer scripts is his ability to write exhaustive and multi-dimensional answers. He meticulously explores every aspect of the question, ensuring his response reflects ethical depth, multiple perspectives, and actionable solutions. This strategy helps him deliver comprehensive answers that leave no dimension unaddressed.
For instance, in questions related to corporate ethics and governance, Aditya meticulously covers all relevant aspects—ethical challenges, stakeholders, and actionable reforms. He highlights the importance of integrating ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) metrics to achieve responsible corporate behavior. By emphasizing values like people, planet, and profitability (3Ps), he provides a holistic framework for governance issues.
This approach underlines the importance of thorough exploration of the question’s scope to make answers comprehensive and satisfactory.
2. Exactness of Arguments and Choice of Examples
The next key quality from Aditya Srivastava’s Ethics answers is his focus on precision—his arguments are concise, impactful, and well-supported. Instead of over-explaining or being verbose, he carefully crafts his answers to align with the question’s demand. His use of relevant, real-world examples ensures that his arguments are substantiated and resonate with clarity.
For instance, in a question on quality of service delivery, Aditya highlights systemic issues with exact examples like the Jharkhand girl denied food due to missing documents, land acquisition delays averaging 59 months, and an ambulance being stopped for a VIP visit, leading to a tragic loss. He balances these with solutions such as prison reforms by Kiran Bedi, the Advika Scheme of Odisha, and computerized FPS systems for efficiency.
The lesson here is that answers must remain precise and well-illustrated. Supporting arguments with relevant, real-world examples ensures clarity and impact while keeping the answer focused on the question’s core demand.
3. Ethical Theories and Ideas to Justify Arguments
Another important quality is his strategic use of ethical theories and moral philosophies to justify arguments. By incorporating ideas from thinkers like Kant, Aristotle and Buddha among others, he strengthens his arguments and adds a theoretical foundation.
For instance, in addressing the role of philanthropy by wealthy individuals, Aditya uses Gandhian trusteeship to justify wealth distribution for societal equity. He links this with concepts like Buddhist minimalism (valuing positive change and contentment) and Maslow’s hierarchy (life of satisfaction and dignity). Additionally, he highlights Kant’s duty ethics, emphasizing that mere donations are insufficient and actions must ensure tangible outcomes.
The takeaway is to integrate ethical ideas seamlessly into answers, connecting them to real-world problems and solutions. This enhances the intellectual depth of answers and reflects a strong grasp of ethical frameworks, which is essential for high-scoring answers.
4. Evaluating the Quotes in Quote-based questions
The next key quality from his Ethics answers is his ability to write a balanced evaluation of quotes. He supports the quote’s essence while presenting counter-arguments to provide a nuanced and comprehensive perspective. This ensures that his answers reflect both philosophical depth and practical reasoning.
Like, for a quote on altruism, Aditya supports its ethical relevance by referencing Maslow’s higher-order needs and Gandhian trusteeship, emphasizing self-fulfillment through service to others. At the same time, he introduces counter-arguments, such as the need to address basic survival requirements and the risk of promoting syndicates like child trafficking.
His approach highlights the importance of presenting both supporting and counter-arguments to quotes, ensuring answers remain balanced, reflective, and grounded in reality.
5. Linking Arguments to Current Affairs
Another quality is his ability to link arguments with contemporary issues. He effectively connects ethical principles to real-world events, adding depth and relevance to his answers.
For instance, while addressing organizational ethics, Aditya links the ICICI-Videocon fraud as an example of moral corruption through social proofing. He also highlights issues like bureaucratic postings to show leadership’s influence on organizational behavior.
By integrating current examples into his arguments, Aditya ensures that his answers remain relevant and relatable. Aspirants must strive to draw connections with ongoing events to demonstrate awareness and make their arguments more impactful.
6. Logical flow in answers & use of Ethics related terminologies
A hallmark of Aditya Srivastava’s Ethics answers is the logical flow of arguments and the consistent use of ethics-related terminologies. His answers are presented in a structured and organized manner, ensuring clarity, coherence, and formality throughout. By using appropriate keywords, he strengthens the ethical reasoning and adds a professional tone to his writing.
For instance, in questions related to Swami Dayanand’s teachings, he highlights gender equity through examples like DAV Colleges and connects ethical reasoning to constitutional morality. He consistently integrates terms like rationalism, crisis of conscience, and social equity, maintaining the logical structure and relevance of arguments.
For aspirants, this shows the value of well connected arguments in the answers with the use of ethics key terms for coherence.
7. Case Study Framework
Aditya’s case study answers are characterized by a structured framework that ensures clarity and comprehensive analysis. He methodically identifies the stakeholders, highlights key ethical issues, and provides actionable solutions, making his responses logical and well-organized.
While answering case study questions, Aditya gives his ethical understanding upfront in the introduction. For instance, in a case study on facial recognition technology, he sets the context by referring to Gandhian principles, emphasizing the absence of morality in science. This setup clarifies the central issue, followed by a clear identification of stakeholders—government, judiciary, police, victim, and society—and key ethical concerns such as violation of constitutional morality, tarnished reputations under Article 21 among others
For aspirants, starting with a clear ethical understanding and structured framework sets a solid foundation for case study answers. This strategy ensures logical flow, and makes reasoning more impactful.
8. Decision-Making Priorities in Illustrations
Aditya’s use of simple illustrations to represent his decision-making priorities is a notable feature of his Ethics answers. By employing visual tools, he simplifies complex ideas and ensures clarity in his arguments. This approach helps the examiner quickly follow his logical flow and understand the prioritization of issues
Like, in answer to a question on technology misuse, Aditya uses a bar chart to visually prioritize actions. He emphasizes preventing the violation of fundamental rights, particularly the right to privacy, alongside the need for systemic reforms and clear guidelines to ensure accountability and ethical use of technology.
Using presentation tools enhances clarity, makes the answer engaging, and conveys decision-making priorities effectively. Aspirants can adopt this approach to present complex arguments in a visually structured manner.
Watch: Insights from Toppers’ Copies on Ethics Answer Writing
Your Path to Ethics Excellence
Aditya Srivastava’s answer-writing strategies demonstrate the importance of completeness, precision, and structured presentation in Ethics. By integrating ethical theories, linking arguments to current affairs, and presenting solutions with clarity, you can elevate your performance in GS Paper 4.
To help you implement these strategies, VisionIAS offers dedicated programs for Ethics preparation:
- All India Ethics Test Series & Mentoring Program: Refine your answer-writing skills with targeted tests, detailed evaluations, and personalized mentoring.
Register: All India Ethics Test Series & Mentoring Program 2025
- Ethics Case Studies Classes: Master case study writing with interactive sessions, practical frameworks, and actionable solutions.
Ethics Case Studies Classes 2025
- Advanced Course for GS Mains 2025: Enhance your conceptual clarity and analytical abilities in GS subjects with structured classes , personalised mentoring and focused practice.
Start applying these lessons today, take inspiration from Aditya’s approach, and refine your preparation to excel in the Ethics paper and achieve your UPSC goals!
