Expository Essays

An expository essay is an essay where the author investigates a topic by evaluating the evidence and expounding on the idea to come up with arguments to help in explaining, describing and providing information to a reader about the topic in a clear and concise manner. The author must do deep research to provide readers with the right information.

Characteristics of expository essays

1. They are written to inform and teach the reader about a certain topic.
2. They involve describing and explaining facts to the reader.
3. The author provides comprehensive details about a topic to a reader.
4. They are written in the third person and a precise logical manner where a formal language is used.

Structure of an expository essay.

1. The first paragraph must have a clear thesis statement.
2. There must be logical transitions between the paragraphs.
3. The body paragraphs must have factual and logical evidence.
4. It should restate your thesis and re-address it by providing evidence.
5. Creativity should be involved to impress your readers.

Valuable skills you gain from writing expository essays

1. You gain research and evaluating skills as expository essays are all about doing research.
2. You develop critical thinking skills as you have to evaluate issues to develop arguments.
3. It increases your ability to express your thoughts clearly and briefly as you need to collect information and pass it to others coherently.
4. It helps you develop time management and organization skills as you learn how to organize your thoughts and express them consistently and on time.

What process do you follow when writing an expository essay?

1. Prewriting

This is where you select a topic for your essay if you don’t have any and come up with a thesis statement. Do research for your essay to create an outline. Select a topic that you can easily research on and that you have an interest on. Once you have decided on the topic, it’s time to research. Ensure you do enough research no matter how much you think you know about the topic to learn more and get a reference for your work.

2. Drafting

Once you have a thesis and an outline, start writing your essay. Make a draft for each paragraph as you refer to your thesis statement to ensure no point is missed. Introduce what each paragraph will discuss with a topic sentence. Develop an idea for each paragraph and present the evidence.

3. Revising

This stage involves reviewing your draft and reorganizing it to ensure it looks and sounds good.  When revising your essay, ensure it has facts and not biased information that has been passed logically and clearly. Ensure all your sentences are clear and your choice of words is precise.

4. Editing

This is the final stage in essay writing. Read your essay to check for grammar and spelling mistakes. Ensure your essay is clear and engaging for your readers to read it to the end. You can request a friend to read it to help you check for mistakes. You can also request for professional editing help to ensure your essay is error-free.