SECTION A
Essay
125 marks
Quick but steady wins the race.
WRITE IN
90 min
1,000–1,200 words
Reading the topic
The topic revises the fable 'slow and steady wins the race' by adding speed. The examiner expects an argument that in a fast-changing world both pace and persistence matter: speed without steadiness burns out, steadiness without speed falls behind.
ThesisLasting success needs both speed and steadiness: urgency to seize opportunity and consistency to sustain it.
Dimensions to cover
- 1Individual: careers reward those who learn fast but keep learning, not sprinters who stop
- 2Economy: nations that grew rapidly sustained it through stable policy and institutions
- 3Technology: in fast-moving fields, late entry costs markets, so speed matters
- 4Governance: hurried projects without planning fail, while delayed ones lose relevance
- 5Science and space: iterative, patient progress with ambitious timelines produces breakthroughs
- 6Health and environment: rapid growth that ignores sustainability does not last
Counter-view
- Some argue the original fable still holds since haste causes errors. The essay should agree haste is dangerous but distinguish haste from purposeful speed sustained by discipline
Open and close
- Open: Open by retelling the fable with a twist: the hare learns from its loss, keeps its speed but never stops, and wins every race after
- Close: Conclude that winners combine the hare's urgency with the tortoise's persistence
Where marks usually go
- Merely retelling the fable without applying it to real domains
- Ignoring the word quick and writing a slow-and-steady essay
- Praising speed alone, ignoring the steadiness clause
Examples that fit
- StoryAesop's tortoise and hare fable taught that steady persistence beats careless talent, the base the topic revises.Aesop's Fables
- HistoryThe Roman emperor Augustus favoured the motto festina lente, make haste slowly, combining urgency with caution.Suetonius, Lives of the Caesars
- CaseAfter Chandrayaan-2's lander crashed in 2019, ISRO landed Chandrayaan-3 near the lunar south pole in 2023, quick but steady recovery.ISRO mission pages, Chandrayaan-2 and Chandrayaan-3
- CaseDelhi Metro's first phase under E. Sreedharan was completed ahead of schedule, with strict deadlines and quality control, combining speed with discipline.Delhi Metro Rail Corporation history