There are varied types of essays that from time to time students are required to write in college. One such writing is the expository essay. For many, this kind of academic writing can be challenging and in light of that, we are going to provide you with the guidelines for completing an expository essay. For samples and more information on the same, you can check it out here.

What is expository writing

To be able to write an outstanding expository essay, you will need to first understand what such a writing entails. Expository is a type of writing that is used to describe, explain or outline pieces of information about a subject. As the name suggests, it aims to expose and the text is organized around a single topic.

Below are general rules that students should consider when writing an expository essay.

Choosing a topic

This is the first step towards writing a quality essay. However, selecting the most suitable topic can be such a headache for students. The number one rule is to settle on a subject that captures their interest as well as creativity. Writing on a topic you are passionate about will also help make your essay interesting to the reader. Expository essay topics are wide and varied and selecting something you are very familiar with increases the chances of a successful essay. Again, a familiar topic will help you in finding your own voice. It should be an area you want to study and explore further. Look to narrow down the topic you choose with the five paragraph length in mind.

Research on the topic

Avoid starting on your essay without the adequate background information about your subject. Doing this will not only make your content shallow but it will also increase the chances of you getting stuck midway your paper. If the tutor or situation, like taking it as a part of your SAT, then obviously you will not conduct a study. However, if this is not the case, conducting a prior research will make it easy to present the facts. Students often make the mistake of feeling their essays with lots of bias and opinions instead of just exposing on the topic at hand.

Use the right format and style

Generally, an expository essay is based on the traditional essay writing format. It is composed of an introduction, body, and a conclusion. In a five-paragraph essay, the body consists of three paragraphs. Each paragraph is made up of a single piece of information starting with the most important. Use the introduction paragraph to introduce the reader to your topic and to present your thesis statement. This section should be interesting and by incorporating definitions, interesting facts, anecdotes etc. you can achieve that. The body paragraphs should be well transitioning as with all good essay writing. The conclusion should offer closing statements to the reader by restating the main facts.

There are varied expository essay writing styles you can adopt depending on your topic. This includes:

• Cause and effect

• Compare and contrast

• Extended definition

Others include;

• Problem and solution

• Example

• Classification