Writing skills This book gives a simple yet comprehensive introduction to essential writing skills keeping in view the needs of candidates preparing for the civil services examination. The book covers methods of Effective essay writing Systematic paragraph development Logical and concise sentence construction.The civil services examination has a compulsory paper on essay writing. Besides, many answers in the general English, general studies and the optional paper have to be written in essay form. This book explains the procedure of writing an essay in a series of easy-to-follow steps. The technique is further illustrated by using questions from previous papers as examples. The types of questions which are usually asked in the essay paper have also been discussed in the book. Paragraph writing is also discussed in a separate chapter. Paragraphs form the basic units of composition. The various attributes of paragraphs such as unity, coherence, development, coordination and emphasis have been explained using numerous examples. Two chapters on common errors of writing at the end of the book will help reinforce the concepts. About the Author G. Subba Rao IAS, 1965 batch was chief secretary, government of Gujarat from June 2001 to April 2003. His last assignment was as chairman, Gujarat electricity regulatory commission from May 2003 to January 2008. His book on ethics, integrity and aptitude for the civil services examination is a bestseller.