THE FIVE PRINCIPLES OF TOPIC SELECTION FOR ENGLISH ESSAYS
Which topic should I choose in my paper?
How do I know if that is the right topic for me?
I have a feeling that I can write on this topic, but I am not sure. How to be sure about any topic?
Should we choose technical topic or the general ones?
I like to impress the checkers to get high marks, can I choose the topic that is not commonly picked up?
Do common topics get good marks?
These are some of the questions I am frequently asked. Let us deal with this once and for all.
Generally, in the competitive examination, the Essay paper consists of around 8 to 10 topics on a variety of subjects.
The topics may be about any philosophical concept, scientific advancement, religious discourse or political ideology. Sometimes, the topics are more complex and encompass two or more disciplines as well.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐫𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐢𝐧𝐝 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭.
The very first principle in choosing the topic is finding something that interests you.
If you start writing on something which looks boring, you will first lose your focus in the middle and then start writing irrelevant stuff which does not reflect good in your paper.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐀𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐲𝐬𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜
The second principle is to critically analyze the topic. Your topic should not be a generalized one. For example, the Socio-economic Problems of Our Society.
Although the topic seems to be easy and you might have good stuff on this, but the problem is that the scope of such general topics is too wide.
Because it does not ask for anything specific, you would remain unclear whether you have to write about all the social and economic problems of the society or a few specific ones.
But the narrow topics such as Pleasures of Reading, or The Global Rise of Nationalism provide a limited scope and hence provide exact hints at what is being asked and what you need to write.
The topics such as “Energy Crisis in Pakistan: Cause and Consequences” are the types of essays which you should choose immediately because their scope is too limited and you know exactly what to write.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐫𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐅𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜
The third principle is selection of a topic that you know about in a good detail. By this, I mean to say that you have enough material, about which you know well.
Being interesting is not the only factor you should consider.
For example, a person with no background in philosophy should never go into the topics like “Existentialism”, first for its general nature and second for being very obscure.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐀𝐯𝐨𝐢𝐝 𝐭𝐞𝐜𝐡𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬
Also, avoid the topic that is too technical, rather select the one that you can write freely about.
For instance, writing about the Economy is more difficult than writing about the problems of democracy.
𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐅𝐢𝐟𝐭𝐡 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐞: 𝐆𝐨 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐨𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐬
Some people have the tendency to attempt essay on a topic that sounds unique or extra-ordinary just to stand out.
This is not a good approach since more uncommon the topic, more difficult will it become for you to gather the material to write. And yes, common topics, if written on correctly, can fetch pretty decent score.
I know a batch mate of mine who chose Energy Crisis and got around 60. I myself got 47 on the same topic which is more than enough to pass this paper.
The Do’s and Don’ts:
• Always choose the topics that appeal your curiosity and Never go for the topics that do not interest you.
• Always try to limit the scope of your essay and avoid attempting to write an essay on too general a topic.
• Pick the topic that you know in pretty much detail because guesswork will not help you, hence avoid unfamiliar topics.
• Instead of going for essays on technical topics, write something on an essay which is comparatively easy.
• Try to avoid offbeat topics, and prefer writing on familiar topics with good material.
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