There are 10 types of expository essay writing, including:


As a rule, teachers mention the type of expository essay in the assigned prompt. It helps you understand how to structure and present the information in your paper.
Before you sit and start an expository essay, write its plan. It’s a kinda map that allows you to specify core elements of your essay and make sure you don’t miss any fact or evidence while writing. Just write a sentence for each element of your essay to save time and ease the writing process. Feel free to use this expository template from Bid4Papers: An easy way to understand the meaning and purpose of explanatory papers is to compare them with other text types. Students most often confuse expository essays with argumentative (persuasive) ones. The above table demonstrates the differences for you to remember. We wrote about how to start a persuasive essay already. As for how to start an expository essay, the elements of introduction will be the same but with the only difference: you won’t argue about anything. Instead, you’ll be objective about the topic. So, let’s start off by answering the main question right off the bat: what is an expository essay? After all, that’s the real information you’ve come here to find. In plain English, an expository essay explains a topic. You are just stating facts, no matter if you write a “how-to” paper or tell about the history of China or the .

Let’s take a look at common types of expository writing one by one.

An expository essay is about research and informing a reader about an issue, a point of view, or a fact. To get the idea on how to write an expository essay, you need to understand its purpose and follow the steps of academic writing.

Here is a simple expository essay definition:

The official definition of the term “expository” is “to explain or describe something.” Therefore, expository writing is a technique used to explain something or explore a particular topic with facts and data.

In the expository essay assignment, you may be asked to:

As well as all common types of essays, expository ones consist of an introduction, body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Usually, there are three paragraphs in an essay body, but you are welcome to change this number according to your topic and teacher requirements.

There are several types of expository essays that can be written.

TIP: Try writing an introduction after you’ve finished the draft of the essay body. Thus you’ll have all the points and evidence fresh in your mind, and you’ll be able to extract the thesis and decide on the best hook to start an expository essay.

H3 What Is the Purpose of Expository Writing?

Therefore, an expository essay is any type of essay that takes a topic or idea, investigates and analyzes it in detail, and then produces a conclusion. You’re not taking a stand or making an argument about it, but instead going over all of the facts and exploring the topic in depth. Your goal is to remain neutral and not form an opinion one way or another.

You can find more examples of expository essays on .

The purpose of an expository essay is to present information and explain a topic. No personal opinions or biased statements are here, just facts with evidence.

offers guidance for writing expository essays.

Together with an introduction, a is critical for expository essays to have. It ties up the entire essay, wrapping up its thesis for readers and leaving them with thoughts on its topic.