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What is Balance in an UPSC essay?
When students hear the word balance in essay writing, they often imagine splitting the essay into two equal halves: 50% on one side, 50% on the other. Others assume balance means writing in such a cautious, neutral tone that they never take a stand—what we call sitting on the fence. Both approaches are weak. True balance in an essay is neither arithmetic nor indecision. It is intellectual fairness: the ability to acknowledge multiple perspectives while guiding the reader towards a thoughtful judgment.
Let’s explore this through an actual UPSC essay topic:
“History is a series of victories won by the scientific man over the romantic man.” (2022)
Step 1: Understanding the Poles
- Scientific man → symbol of rationality, empiricism, material progress, and technological breakthroughs.
- Romantic man → symbol of ideals, imagination, values, human spirit, and philosophical vision.
A 50-50 essay here would spend one half glorifying science and the other half glorifying romanticism. A fence-sitter would simply conclude, “Both are important.” Neither makes for a compelling essay.
Step 2: Acknowledge Both, but Judge
Much of human history—industrial revolutions, advances in medicine, space exploration—suggests the triumph of the scientific man. Yet, history is equally shaped by the romantic man: revolutions powered by ideals, struggles for justice, the pursuit of liberty and equality.
The balanced judgment is this:
➡️ History is not merely science defeating romance. It is the dynamic interplay of the two. Science builds power, but romantic ideals give purpose.
Step 3: Developing the Dimensions
To move beyond cliché, we expand into multiple dimensions:
- Historical lens: Industrial Revolution (science-led progress) versus French Revolution (values and ideals).
- Freedom struggles: Gandhi’s non-violence (romantic idealism) against the technological might of empires.
- Modern world: AI and nuclear power (scientific victories) versus environmental movements and human rights campaigns (romantic ideals).
- Philosophical angle: Science answers “how”; romanticism answers “why.”
This way, the essay demonstrates maturity: you explore both sides, but without equal slicing or indecision.
Step 4: Concluding with Balance
A strong conclusion does not say “both are equal.” Instead, it should argue:
The scientific man often wins immediate battles, but the romantic man shapes the meaning and direction of history. True progress requires the harmony of both.
The Lesson for Essay Writing
This example teaches us that balance in essays is not about percentages or neutrality. It is about fairness without surrender: acknowledging opposing perspectives, yet taking a reasoned stand. That is the balance examiners are looking for—a voice that is empathetic, nuanced, but also decisive.
- Join our essay course – https://edukemy.com/upsc/upsc-essay for more!
- Watch Shabbir Sir and Deb Sir talk about 2025 Essay paper – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JeVS-mrKI8c
- Complete PYQ playlist with Deb Sir – https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLcC66kA-7TrI69-fauH8Jbqe9O4w5Aadw&si=6TntfLAdqfy2hm0u
👉 If you want to practice this skill, take any essay topic and ask yourself two questions:
- What are the dominant perspectives here?
- Which way does the weight of truth really lean?
Your essay will automatically reflect balance that is mature, not mechanical.
