How to Write a Great Expository Essay
Writing an expository essay is simple since all you need to do is to inform the reader about the subject that you want to explain. It is slightly similar to an argumentative essay, but writing an expository essay means that you need to stick to the facts and simply inform the reader.
What is an expository essay?
An expository essay is a type of essay in which you need to give the idea, provide evidence for its support, elaborate on it and create an argument with a straightforward conclusion.
Important steps of writing an expository essay
- Define the purpose – before you start writing, figure out for yourself why you want to write this particular type of essay and what message you want to convey. If the task was assigned to you by your tutor, make sure to ask for his instructions.
- Define the reader – you need to know who you are writing to, so consider expectations of your audience. If you doubt, ask your tutor what you should express in your essay.
- Choose a topic – if you have an opportunity to pick a subject that you like, choose the one which you are familiar with or about which you know a lot. This will help you create a piece of writing of a good quality.
- Do the freewriting – this method is helpful in writing any type of essay. If you write for 15 minutes on the assigned subject, you can end up with a valuable material which you can always edit later on.
- Create an outline – after you have done the brainstorming and freewriting, you need to create a proper outline. You may adjust it later on, but at this stage you need to have a plan in order to know the direction of where you are heading.
- Find good sources – finding the sources is one of the stages of writing an expository essay. Since your aim is to inform the reader and give him facts, you need to evaluate how valuable sources are. You need to make sure that they are valuable, so spend some extra time to make sure that you use credible sources for your assignment.
- Pay attention to the structure – the five-paragraph approach is one of the best styles which suits an expository essay. It includes an introductory paragraph, three body paragraphs and a conclusion. It is a very simple method but it can help your essay look organized. It will also help your readers to perceive information in your essay faster and more effectively.
The expository essay is a very popular type of assignment in the classroom and we hope that the guidelines that we have listed above can help your essay stand out.
