Legacy IAS Academy · Bangalore
UPSC Mains Previous Year Question Papers
Read or download every UPSC Civil Services Mains question paper year by year — Essay and General Studies I to IV — with model answers and faculty analysis for the most recent sessions.
14
Years
70
Papers
2013–2026
Coverage
UPSC Mains PYQ — Year-wise Archive (2013–2026)
This page holds the complete year-wise archive of UPSC Civil Services Mains question papers. Every year lists five papers — Essay and General Studies I, II, III and IV. Recent sessions open into dedicated Legacy IAS pages carrying model answers and faculty analysis; earlier years open as official question paper documents.
How to use: Map each question to its syllabus heading before you write. Then attempt the paper under real conditions — twenty questions in three hours — and only afterwards compare against the model answers. Watch the demand words closely: examine, critically analyse, discuss and comment ask for very different treatments of the same topic.
Essay
2 essays · 250 marks · 3 hrs
GS I–IV
20 questions · 250 marks each · 3 hrs
Total Merit
1750 written + 275 interview
UPSC Mains 2026
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2025
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2024
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2023
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2022
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2021
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2020
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2019
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2018
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2017
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2016
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2015
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2014
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
UPSC Mains 2013
Mains
Essay
Essay
GS 1
General Studies I (GS1) – Art & Culture, History, Society, Geography
GS 2
General Studies II (GS2) – Indian Polity, Governance, International Relations
GS 3
General Studies III (GS3) – Indian Economy, S&T, Environment, Internal Security challenges and Disaster Management
GS 4
General Studies IV (GS4) - Ethics and Integrity
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Enquire NowFrequently Asked Questions
Legacy IAS Academy provides UPSC Mains previous year question papers year by year from 2013 onwards. Each year lists five papers: Essay, General Studies I, General Studies II, General Studies III and General Studies IV. Recent years open as detailed solution pages, while older years open as official question paper documents.
UPSC Mains has nine papers in total. Paper A (Indian Language) and Paper B (English) are qualifying. The seven merit papers are Essay, General Studies I to IV, and two Optional Subject papers. Each merit paper carries 250 marks, making 1750 marks in total, to which 275 interview marks are added for the final merit list.
Read the paper first and map every question to its syllabus heading. Then write full answers under timed conditions, three hours for twenty questions. Compare your structure against model answers where available. Pay close attention to the demand words UPSC uses, such as examine, critically analyse, discuss and comment, because the same topic is questioned differently depending on the verb.
Yes. Recent years including 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026 open into dedicated Legacy IAS pages with model answers and analysis written by faculty. Older years from 2013 to 2022 are provided as official question paper documents for practice.
Yes. The Essay paper carries 250 marks, the same as each General Studies paper, and it is often the difference between clearing and missing the final list. Candidates write two essays of 1000 to 1200 words each. Reading previous year essay topics helps you recognise the recurring philosophical, social and governance themes UPSC prefers.