Subscribe to ForumIAS

Inputs for Sociology Answer Writing-Mains 2021

Please share your experiences about sociology Answer Writing.

1. What worked for you in earlier Mains?

2. How to write sociological answers?

3. Planning for these 80 odd days


JSMill,hemant23_iitd8676and4 otherslike this
7.7k views

8 comments

I don't know what went wrong in 2020 Mains and could get only 200 in Sociology.

I was satisfied with paper 1 and was expecting around 140. But got 106 only

In paper 2 just 94



Enlightened souls plea






4.1k views
Please help
4.1k views

Not an expert here, but have been speaking to lot of students lately. So this young man this year with Rank 47 was at the Center , both he and wife are students . Asked him for sociology. He said , specifically for Paper 2 - avoid writing GS answers. I mean without much Socio knowledge you can write Gs type answers, but what he did in this attempt was that he put a lot of thinkers and paper 1 stuff in paper 2.


Just acting as a messenger, not an expert.


I am no knight. Do not call me Sir

DM,hemant23_iitd8676and10 otherslike this
4.1k views

Hello, I also have sociology optional , wrote mains last year missed the mains cuttoff by few marks.

Though I am not expert in sociology but here are few points which I kept in mind in mains exam and help me to score average marks in sociology (125 - paper 1 , 123 - paper 2)

1.) I tried to first analyze the demand of question then tries to interconnect with my syllabus portion of both papers. Multidimensional Analysis be it from paper 1 or paper 2 . I used many concept and even thinkers of paper 2 in paper 1 and vice versa.

2.) Tried to use current affairs as examples in static concepts like merton's theory and all.

3.) In paper 2 I tried to connect many general question with concepts of our socio syllabus.

4.) In the end I feel that I did bit less in my above strategy which made me score average marks in sociology. If I get opportunity to write mains this time definitely improve my above strategy.

The above points may be person specific strategy may not work for everyone, but it helped me to understand the demand of maximum questions.

Hope it helps to you 👍

EiChan,vivekdeshmukh1504and2 otherslike this
4.4k views
@L_Lawliet Hi, what resources did you use for sociology?


3.2k views
@Neyawn Thank You For Sharing This. 


3.4k views

Hello, I also have sociology optional , wrote mains last year missed the mains cuttoff by few marks.

Though I am not expert in sociology but here are few points which I kept in mind in mains exam and help me to score average marks in sociology (125 - paper 1 , 123 - paper 2)

1.) I tried to first analyze the demand of question then tries to interconnect with my syllabus portion of both papers. Multidimensional Analysis be it from paper 1 or paper 2 . I used many concept and even thinkers of paper 2 in paper 1 and vice versa.

2.) Tried to use current affairs as examples in static concepts like merton's theory and all.

3.) In paper 2 I tried to connect many general question with concepts of our socio syllabus.

4.) In the end I feel that I did bit less in my above strategy which made me score average marks in sociology. If I get opportunity to write mains this time definitely improve my above strategy.

The above points may be person specific strategy may not work for everyone, but it helped me to understand the demand of maximum questions.

Hope it helps to you 👍

Adding CA has always worked in Humanities optional - Philo, Socio , Anthro, PSIR

This CA cannot be picked up from compilations, but some newspaper reading and correlation will help.


I am no knight. Do not call me Sir

DM,Buzzlightyearand4 otherslike this
3.5k views
Can someone please suggest which institute is good for sociology optional.. also any reviews about elite institute for sociology optional
2.4k views
Write your comment…