There are many different types of essays, and each one serves a different purpose. The most widely used and known are the five-paragraph essay, the persuasive essay, the argumentative essay, the narrative essay, and the expository essay. Each type has its own unique structure and purpose.
Below are questions that we answer in our guides, divided by essay type.
Analytical
At the college level, the analytical style of writing is commonly employed. It entails weighing what you have studied against additional evidence. Analytical writing demonstrates the cognitive processes that led you to a certain finding and examines the ramifications of that result. Analytical writing is frequently preceded by a brief explanation and focuses on addressing questions such as “why?” “how?” and “so what?”
- How to Write an Analytical Essay?
- How to Write a Rhetorical Analysis Essay?
- How to Write a Thematic Essay?
Argumentative
In argumentative writing, you’ll usually be expected to take a stand on a topic or problem, then explain and defend your stance with evidence from reputable and relevant sources.
Cause and Effect
Cause and effect writing involves determining the direct relationship between phenomena in terms of the ones that cause something and the ones that come out as a result of something. Essentially, you have to either describe multiple effects of one cause or establish multiple causes for a single effect.
Classification and Division
Classification and division writing is a type of expository writing in which the writer must use evidence to support their analysis of different kinds/categories of something. Classification and division essays are often found in areas such as history, literature, science, etc., where students are expected to show that they can effectively analyze one part of something or divide a broad concept into many different categories and then understand and explain how each category relates to the whole.
Commentary
Giving your viewpoint, interpretation, insight, analysis, explanation, personal response, appraisal, or thought regarding a specific aspect is what commentary entails.
Compare and Contrast
As a student, you’ll come across many various types of tasks, each with its own set of criteria. Comparison and contrast writing is among the most prevalent. You will need to focus on highlighting the ways in which specific items or concepts—generally a pair—are alike (comparing) and/or distinct from (contrasting) one another.
Descriptive
Descriptive writing is primarily used to describe people, places, and things in such a manner that the reader forms a vivid picture. By teaching students how to write descriptively, their style will become more interesting and engaging.
Expository
Expository writing is a form of writing that is used to explain, describe, or inform. This type of writing can be used in essays, research papers, and other types of academic work. In order to produce an effective expository essay or paper, it is important to understand the different elements that are involved in the process. By understanding these components, you can create a well-organized and informative piece of writing.
Informative
Informative writing aims to inform or educate (or both) the reader about a certain topic without imposing any personal views and opinions. You can choose several approaches that determine what essay type you will be using: definition, process, cause-effect, compare-contrast, or analysis.
Narrative
Narration is telling a story. A narrative essay is a piece of writing that features a main character who is faced with a challenge or engages in an entertaining, meaningful, or simply interesting activity.
- What is a Narrative Essay?
- What is a Literacy Narrative?
- How to Write a Narrative Essay?
- How to Write a Personal Narrative Essay?
- What is a Photo Essay?
Persuasive
A persuasive essay is a well-rounded academic piece that tries to convince the reader of a certain way of thinking. So we can also define a persuasive essay as a text in which we try as hard as possible to establish that our opinion on a certain topic is the right one.
Reflective
Reflective writing is analytical in nature. It describes an actual or imagined scene, event, experience, or interaction. The writer adds a personal reflection on what the topic means in his or her life. This is why reflection implies more than just a story or description. The writer revisits the subject with more detail and emotions to explore how it changed them, what could have been done differently, and what they might do in the future should something similar occur.
Synthesis
Combining is what synthesizing is all about. Instead of describing each source’s important points one by one, you combine the concepts and facts of several sources to make a larger statement.
Other
