English Essay Past Papers from 2000 to 2024 in PDF

1. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2000

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Good governance and the role of the public servant.
2. Sweet are the uses of adversity.
3. "Hero-worship is the strongest where there is least regard for human freedom".
4. Advancement in science and technology is the gateway to the economic prosperity of a country.
5. The barbarity of ethnic cleansing.
6. "Education makes a people easy to lead, but difficult to drive, easy to govern, but impossible to enslave".
7. "We never know the worth of water till the well is dry".
8. Progressive alleviation of poverty in Pakistan - an overview.
9. "If you wish the sympathy of broad manes, then you must tell them the crudest and most stupid things".
10. Moral standards in international relations.
11. "Personal liberty is the paramount essential to human dignity and human happiness".
12. "The purification of politics is an iridescent dream".

2. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2001

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. "Tum not thy cheek in scorn towards folk nor walk with pertness in the land". (Al-Quran)
2. Economic prosperity of a nation is directly proportional to the level of literacy in it.
3. "Justice delayed is justice denied".
4. National integration.
5. "Experience is the name everyone gives to their mistakes".
6. It is not only fine feathers that make fine birds.
7. On tolerance.
8. Self-conceit may lead to self-destruction.
9. He who eats the fruit should at least plant the seed.
10. "The best place to find a helping hand is at the end of your arm".
11. Public office is a public trust.
12. Devolution of power in Pakistan.

3. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2002

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. World scenario in the 21st century and Pakistan's Role in it.
2. International Crisis in Terrorism.
3. "Every art is an imitation of nature".
4. Higher Science Education in the developing countries.
5. Austerity as a solution to all our economic problems.
6. "Politics is perhaps the only profession for which no preparation is thought necessary".
7. Higher Economic problems in Pakistan and how to meet them.
8. "A little philosophy inclineth man's mind to atheism; but depth in philosophy bringeth man's minds about to religion".
9. Art and Morality.
10. "Of all the needs a book has, the chief need is that it be readable".
11. "Education has for its object the formation of character".
12. Need for serious planning in technical education in Pakistan.

4. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2003

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Formal and Casual dressing Codes.
2. Attitude of indifference.
3. "Only the wisest and stupidest of men never change". - Kung Fu-lzu Confucius.
4. Dilemma of the water and energy crisis in Pakistan.
5. Art Critics and reviewers.
6. Young habits die hard.
7. Existentialism.

5. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2004

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Humanism.
2. The end of cheap oil.
3. All recorded history is contemporaneous.
4. Pluralistic vision of Islam.
5. Longing for Love.
6. "A long dispute means that both parties are wrong".
7. Modern Banking, finance, and employment are part of one single paradigm.
8. Peer Pressure.

6. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2005

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Strategies for the alleviation of poverty.
2. Socio-Economic Challenges faced by Pakistan.
3. Estrangement from our own culture is driving us on the verge of collapse.
4. Reforms in Examination systems.
5. Persecuted poor woman.
6. The search for truth.
7. Islam versus the West.

7. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2006

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Truth In Short Supply
2. Liberalism
3. Humour In Urdu Literature
4. Foreign Direct Investment In Pakistan
5. Personalization Of Pakistani Politics
6. Global Warming
7. Nuclear Weapons Are 'Not Only A Great Peril, But A Great Hope'
8. Brain, Like Hearts, Go Where They Are Appreciated
9. 'Lots Of Folks Confuse Bad Management With Destiny'
10. 'There Comes A Time To Put Aside Principles And Do What's Right'
11. 'We Grow Too Old Soon And Too Late Smart'
12. 'Every Solution Breeds New Problems'

8. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2007

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. The more developed a country, the more lethally it is armed.
2. Higher Education as an agent of change.
3. The future of mankind in a global warming perspective.
4. The image of Islam in the western world and responsibilities of the Muslim Ummah.
5. A country is backward because its people are backward.
6. Globalization and electronic media.
7. The present system of education must assume some of the responsibilities of our failure.
8. Politics is the art of the possible.
9. Terrorism as a new threat to the contemporary world.
10. The state of women’s rights in Pakistan.

9. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2008

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Moral depravity is the root cause of poverty.
2. Peace, the essential message of our religion.
3. Time management is the key to success.
4. Lack of discipline, a national disaster.
5. Materialism is the death of spirituality.
6. Poetry is the highest form of expression - the greatest proof is the Holy Quran.
7. Dreams for the future rely on the work of today.
8. Can we prevent the Third World War?
9. Global Warming: fact or fiction?

10. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2009

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. The Future of Democracy in Pakistan.
2. Health is not a condition of matter, but of mind.
3. Co-education: Merits and Demerits.
4. The food crisis: problems, challenges, and opportunities for Pakistan.
5. English as the medium of education in Pakistan.
6. The future of UNO: Hopes and Hurdles.
7. There is no great genius without a mixture of madness.
8. Status of Women in Islam.
9. Pakistan's War on terror and its impact on our psyche and socio-economic fronts.
10. Power of Media in the Modern World.

11. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2010

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Literature is the best criticism of life.
2. Dialogue is the best course to combat terrorism.
3. Pakistan is rich in natural resources but very poor in their management.
4. The U.N.O has failed to measure up to the demands of its charter.
5. All humans are born equal in dignity and rights, but they are in shackles everywhere.
6. Why is there no status of the third gender in Pakistan?
7. Can women be equal to men in Pakistan?
8. Without independent truth-finding commissions, accountability is unachievable.
9. Religion has done more harm than good to human relations in the world.
10. The world politics stands more derisive than ever due to specific imperialist designs.

12. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2011

NOTE: Write a comprehensive and analytical essay on ONE of the following topics:

1. Truth is a rare commodity despite the freedom by the print and electronic media.
2. Without good communication skills, life becomes impossible in the modern world.
3. The time we live in is the winter of the world.
4. In this country, reason does not apply to anything.
5. Does Pakistan society regard woman as the angel in the house or source of all evils?
6. Disaster management and government preparedness.
7. Fair play and life, as it is lived, in the land of the pure.
8. The pleasures of reading.
9. What are the hurdles in our way to becoming a truly independent state?
10. Insanity in individuals is something rare but in groups, parties, and nations it is the rule.

13. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2012

NOTE: Make an outline and write a COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY (2500-3500 words) on any ONE of the given topics. Make sure you use different forms of discourse e.g. exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. Credit will be given for organization, relevance, and clarity.

1. Energy Crisis in Pakistan: Causes and Consequences.
2. Obesity is the root cause of all diseases.
3. Beggars cannot be choosers.
4. The United Nations in the 21st Century: Obligations and Limitations.
5. Brains, like hearts, go where they are appreciated.
6. The Emerging Power of Public Opinion.
7. The Suffering Soul in the Scientific Age.
8. A Critical Analysis of Education Systems in Pakistan.
9. Democracy is a culture rather than a process.
10. Social and Economic Securities for Women in Islam.

14. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2013

1. There should be colleges and schools just for men/boys and some just for women/girls.
2. Let me take care of today, tomorrow shall take care of itself.
3. The traditional male role changed in the last 20 years.
4. Gender equality is a myth.
5. Meaning and purpose of education.
6. If gold rust what shall the iron do.
7. Country life is better than city life.
8. Free speech should have limitations.
9. Not economy but politics is a key to success.
10. Modern day communication via social networks puts an end to true and sincere relationships.

15. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2014

1. Literature as a great cultural artifact.
2. Language is a fit data for research in humanities and social sciences.
3. Privatizing higher education-generating knowledge or making more money for the opulent.
4. Women sportspersons as new ambassadors of the soft image of Pakistan.
5. Post-modern ethos - a challenge to the West.
6. Look to the east for a holistic progress.
7. Great nations win without fighting.
8. Can meaning be fixed?
9. The character of a nation can be judged by its symbolic narratives.
10. Violence is the last refuge of the incompetent.

16. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2015

NOTE: (i) Make an outline and write a COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY (2500-3000 words) on any ONE of the given topics. Make sure you use different forms of discourses, e.g., exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. Credit will be given for organization, relevance, and clarity.

1. The war on terror has contributed to the growing abuse of human rights.
2. Anticipation is often greater than realization.
3. Punctuality is the virtue of the bored.
4. The introduction of new digital technologies has radically altered identities.
5. In a hierarchy, every employee tends to rise to his level of incompetence.
6. I disapprove of what you say, but I defend to death your right to say it.
7. Luxury predecessors become the necessity of successors.
8. When life throws you lemons, make lemonade.
9. Government should eliminate subsidies and incentives for manufacturers and consumers of electric cars.
10. Labor-saving devices are more troublesome than they are worth.

17. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2016

NOTE: (i) Make an outline and write a COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY (2500-3000 words) on any ONE of the given topics. Make sure you use different forms of discourses, e.g., exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. Credit will be given for organization, relevance, and clarity.

1. World as a global village: Learning to live together.
2. We have to learn to be our own best friends, because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies.
3. Water crisis and national unity.
4. The place of Urdu in Pakistan and Supreme Court's ruling on making Urdu the official language of the country.
5. Crisis of good governance in Pakistan: Need for reforms and institution building.
6. Promotion of tax culture in Pakistan: Perspective, prospects, and challenges.
7. Gender equality is a myth!
8. The creation of new provinces in Pakistan: Implications for an integrated country.
9. Does foreign aid help to achieve economic stability?
10. Frailty, thy name is woman.

18. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2017

1. Is colonial mentality impeding Pakistan's progress?
2. Brexit means globalization is the rhetoric of the privileged, and capitalism will return ferociously as ever.
3. More and more International military engagements by the United Nations; is the world moving towards peace?
4. Modernity is an unending project.
5. Feminism is not really a Third World issue.
6. Literature is a lonely planet of idealists.
7. Being a minority is a fate no one wants. Can nationalism be really inclusive?
8. Ideologies thrive on notions of resistance, yet change is a simulation.
9. Are modern wars not holy wars?
10. Life without controversy is no life. But why one should not choose the safe haven of conformism?

19. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2018

NOTE: (i) Make an outline and write a COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY (2500-3000 words) on any ONE of the given topics. Make sure you use different forms of discourses, e.g. exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. Credit will be given for organization, relevance, and clarity.

1. Real development should transform people's lives, not just economic statistics.
2. Higher Education in Pakistan: Ills and Remedies.
3. Too many of us are not living our dreams because we are living our fears.
4. China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and its Socio-economic Implications for the Region and the World.
5. Beware the barrenness of a busy life!
6. The Emerging Power of Social Media: Prospects and Problems.
7. In the fight against terrorism and corruption, it is imperative not to compromise human rights and civil liberties.
8. The threat of Global Warming and the ways to counter it.
9. Will "Rule of law" always remain an impracticable myth in our country?
10. Democracy in Pakistan: Hopes and Hurdles.

20. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2019

NOTE: Make an outline and write a COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY (2500-3000 words) on any ONE of the given topics. Make sure you use different forms of discourse e.g. exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. Credit will be given for organization, relevance, and clarity.

1. Let there be more light in the corridors of worship places.
2. New war fronts lie in economic zones.
3. Urdu literature and progressive movement.
4. Art for peace.
5. Truth is lived, not taught.
6. New Waves of feminism and our culture.
7. Democracy and illiteracy do not move together.
8. Sometimes we do not see what we see.
9. Expanding information technology: a curse or blessing.
10. Classrooms decide the future of the nation.

21. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2020

NOTE: (i) Make an outline and write a COMPREHENSIVE ESSAY (2500-3000 words) on any ONE of the given topics. Make sure you use different forms of discourses, e.g. exposition, argumentation, description, and narration. Credit will be given for organization, relevance, and clarity.

1. Do we really need literature in our lives?
2. Women universities as agents of change.
3. Pakistan and the future of Kashmir cause.
4. Polarized politics: the issues and challenges of democracy in Pakistan.
5. Global power dynamics and Pakistan's foreign policy.
6. Pakistan's informal economy: the way forward.
7. Promoting tourism in Pakistan: opportunities and challenges.
8. I do not agree with what you have to say, but I'll defend to the death your right to say it.
9. Is Pakistan ready for digital revolution?
10. IMF bailouts: roads to stability or recipes for disaster.

22. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2021

1. "Do not waste water even if you were at a running stream".
2. Meaning purposive education.
3. COVID-19: A wake up call for Pakistani researchers.
4. Human inventions move the societies backward.
5. Universal human equality is utopic.
6. Bureaucracy doldrums.
7. Gender equality: A popular slogan.
8. Pros and cons of globalization.
9. Intercultural communication is a panacea to avoid the 3rd world war.
10. "I fall upon the thorns of life! I bleed".

23. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2022

1. An analysis of the concept of globalization of markets.
2. Digital democracy: social media and political participation.
3. Global trade and trade policies of China.
4. "Imagination is more important than knowledge."
5. Global politics and international relations.
6. The controversial issues of feminism in contemporary women's rights movements.
7. World food systems: the economics of agriculture.
8. Is there such a thing as ethical consumerism?
9. Human development and economic sustainability.
10. How is terrorism and its perception shaped by the Mass Media?

24. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2023

1. Instruction in youth is like engraving in stone.
2. The one who uses force is afraid of reasoning.
3. Not all recycling projects are cost-effective.
4. The fool speaks, and the wise listens.
5. A friend walks in when everyone else walks out.
6. Online learning is not only convenient but often more effective than traditional classroom instruction.
7. To encourage healthy eating, higher taxes should be imposed on soft drinks and junk food.
8. People have become overly dependent on technology.
9. Both parents should assume equal responsibility in raising a child.
10. Boys will be boys.

24. COMPETITIVE EXAMINATION-2024

1. Hope: the greatest driving force.
2. CPEC and "Indo-Middle East-Europe", new war fronts.
3. The power of propaganda and the Muslim World.
4. Phase out of fossil fuel and Arab economies.
5. Pragmatism vs Passion in politics.
6. BRICS and Pakistan: Prospects of Recovery.
7. Artificial Intelligence: The Death of Creativity.
8. Pathways to Pakistan's Prosperity.
9. Globalization and National Economies.
10. Political Polarization; Governance and Society.