Expository Essay

This method may look quite sophisticated. It is meant not only as a writing technique for students, but it also applies to many aspects of people’s lives. An expository essay requires the writer to possess excellent analytical skills. Therefore, if you feel like you lack experience, you should start practicing this skill to reach an appropriate level. When learning to analyze, you will also develop your abilities in note-taking and time management.

Expository Essay Writing Steps

1. 1. Select a topic you are interested in. It is better to choose something you are familiar with. Moreover, reading and learning more about a topic that interests you will allow you to retain more information about it and it will allow you to make worthwhile notes, and writing about it will be more enjoyable. You should choose a specific rather than a general topic so that your essay is more interesting and so that your source material will also support your argument(s).
   2. You will need to find suitable materials to use as references. These are usually found in articles, books, journals, and various online sources, provided they are of an academic nature.
   3. Create a strong statement that clearly sets out your main point or idea. This statement should encompass every concept and idea you want to convey.
   4. Decide what style or system you will use to develop your essay. You may use any of the following methods as long as it suits your topic:

– analysis

– cause and effect

– classification

– compare and contrast 

– define and clarify

– examples

1. Begin your first draft. Jot down a few points or ideas, find source material to support these, and use these materials to support each individual point or idea.
2. Begin each main body paragraph with a topic statement or sentence that relates directly to your central thesis statement. Follow this with clearly-reasoned supporting detail.
3. Write a concluding paragraph that summarizes your entire essay and recalls your central thesis and main points.
4. Try to bring your essay to a close in a smooth and effective manner. Offer your readers a final thought-provoking idea on the topic.
5. You should not add any new ideas or materials in your concluding paragraph.
6. Do not write your introductory paragraph until the end when you have a better picture of your subject matter. This paragraph should set out your essay’s thesis, provide an overview of its content, and generally aim to get the attention of readers.
7. You should be confident to revise your paper. It is possible to change your essay while writing as this process requires thinking and learning.
8. To revise your expository essay, you need:

• to come up with the exact words to voice your ideas;
• to correct grammar and spelling mistakes, accidental typos;
• to structure your paragraphs in a concise and comprehensive manner;
• to provide sensible transitions that link the paragraphs.
• According to the expository essay format, the thesis statement has to be strong and definitive so that it could be supported by the evidence.

• Each paragraph that supports the thesis should have a clear topic. The other sentences should be related to it. It is important to use transition words and phrases because they make it easier for the reader to follow the writer’s thoughts.
• The conclusion has to restate the original thesis in the introduction and the main ideas used to support it. This paragraph should end with the decisive statement that demonstrates your position and makes an impression on the reader.
• The conclusion cannot provide any new information or details.

Possible Expository Essay Topics

There is, in fact, quite a lot of scope when it comes to choosing a topic for an expository paper. It is beneficial to choose a topic that you are familiar with. Usually, the popular topics for writing include such themes as love, fashion, patriotism, ecology, etc. Before you select the topic for your essay, make sure to be interested in it or have common knowledge of the issue. It will help you focus and succeed in writing. The following are just some topic ideas:

• Write about the history of your school or college.
• What does homelessness mean? Why do people become homeless?
• Describe an unusual education program at your school or college – e.g. astrophysics, aviation design, or some international or cultural studies, etc. – and explain the requirements for this program.
• When juveniles break the law, what happens to them?
• What are the impacts for a family where one or both parents are addicted to meths?
• Why do teenagers run away from home?
• What is life like for an illegal alien?
• Are children of one-parent families affected in any way in terms of nutrition, hygiene, and education? If so, how?
• Discuss the issue of child obesity in the state of Texas.
• How are people who do not have health insurance catered for when they need medical assistance?
• Discuss any social issues or tensions that exist between foreigners and the local population in Japan.
• The serious issue of bullying in public schools in the USA.
•  What suspected impact are cell phones thought to have on people’s health?
• What threats do we face from countries with nuclear capability?
• Describe the Salvation Army or a similar not-for-profit charity. How does this organization help people in need?