Expository Essay

Expository essays are centered on the writer’s attempt to provide information. However, the writer can express his/her knowledge in specific expository essay forms. These include:

•         Cause and Effect – This has to do with providing why certain events existed as well as the impact that accompanies it. The writing pattern is typically found in literary essays and social studies reports.
•         Problem and Solution – This follows a similar pattern with the cause/effect essay, but involves the writer identifying a problem and posing a viable solution to it. It may be written in an argumentative tone as it depends on the writer’s objective.
•         Descriptive – It concerns how a writer describes an event usually by hindsight. It may be an occasion about the writer’s own life, relationship in a book, or a memorable historical event. However, the writer doesn’t essentially present a narrative essay even though it’s from his/her perspective.
•         Compare and Contrast – Here, a writer writes to make distinctions of two events or subjects. The essay shows how the concerned situations exist similarly and differently with enough analysis and possible evidence.

Expository Essay Format

The standard format for writing an expository essay involves a 5-paragraph pattern. This comes in after the writer outlines his/her main points (at least 3), and must have the following parts:

Introduction: A good hook is one that instantly grabs the attention of your readers. It tells why the rest of your essay is an interesting/important piece. A strong thesis statement in about one or two sentences is what encourages people to read further.

Body: The paragraphs here may begin with a topic sentence that relates to your thesis statement mentioned earlier. This is where you elaborate on your knowledge by sharing sufficient and relevant information that you may backup with evidence. You can include quotes and other references to make your content more compelling. Try to end each paragraph with transition sentences that introduce your following topic sentence up to the last.

Conclusion: You should restate your thesis statement here, but not verbatim. Make your readers recall the essence of why you wrote the essay, and include no new information here if it wasn’t covered in the body.