The Four Main Types of Essay

An essay is a focused piece of writing designed to inform or persuade. There are many different types of
essay, but they are often defined in four categories: argumentative, expository, narrative, and descriptive
essays.

Argumentative and expository essays are focused on conveying information and making clear points,
while narrative and descriptive essays are about exercising creativity and writing in an interesting way. At
university level, argumentative essays are the most common type.

Essay type Skills tested Example prompt

Argumentative  Forming an opinion via research Has the rise of the internet had a positive or nega
 Building an evidence-based argument education?

Expository  Knowledge of a topic Explain how the invention of the printing press cha
 Communicating information clearly society in the 15th century.

Narrative  Creative language use Write about an experience where you learned som
 Presenting a compelling narrative yourself.

Descriptive  Creative language use Describe an object that has sentimental value for
 Describing sensory details

Writing various sorts of essays effectively has become important to academic success.
Essay writing is a regular school task, a requirement on college applications, and an
element of standardized tests.

Argumentative and Expository Essays are concerned with delivering facts and
making clear arguments, but Narrative and Descriptive Essays are concerned with
expressing oneself creatively and writing in an engaging manner. Argumentative essays
are the most prevalent sort of essay at the university level.

1. Narrative Essay:

The writer of a narrative essay presents a story about a real-life experience. While it
may appear that narrating a tale is simple, the narrative essay requires students to
think about and write about themselves.

When writing a narrative essay, authors should make the story as vivid as possible in
order to engage the reader. Because narrative essays are frequently written in the first
person, the reader is more engaged.

Readers will feel as if they are a part of the tale if you use “I” statements. A well-written
narrative essay will also progress toward a conclusion or a personal statement.

Example:

The Christmas Cake

“First of all, let me clarify that I have grown up to be a complete amateurish in cooking.
My parents performed their jobs quite efficiently and they always baked those perfect
cakes for me every Christmas. That night, it was me, the inexpert chef, who took the
initiative to make a Christmas cake and surprise them.

To today’s date, I’ve only made several hamburgers on my own. Unfortunately, I had no
clue about baking a cake. All I knew were the ingredients that I would use throughout
the process. He dived completely in-depth into the recipe reflected on a book and
started to set for the Christmas cake.

Then I cleaned the kitchen first and made a huge bowl sit in front of me to mix the
essentials. I was excited and tensed at the same time, as it was something I tried for the
first time…”

Guidelines for Writing a Narrative Essay:

These are the most basic guidelines for writing an excellent narrative essay:

 Use conversations in your article to make it more realistic.

 When structuring the document, keep the chronological sequence in mind.
 In the first paragraph of your essay, there must be a purpose.
 To interest your readers, use highlighted descriptions and sensory data.
 All of the characters, storylines, and the beginning, or climax, must be
significant.
All of these factors work together in your article to accurately depict the entire scene in
front of your readers’ eyes. So, if you want to write a good narrative essay, make sure
you follow these rules to the letter.

2. Descriptive Essay:

A descriptive essay, like that of a narrative essay, uses words to create a picture. A
writer could describe a person, a location, an item, or even a memorable memory. This
is not, however, a descriptive essay for the sake of description. The goal of a
descriptive essay is to convey a deeper meaning through description.

Through the use of vivid words and sensory details, the writer should show, not tell, in a
descriptive essay. The finest descriptive essays appeal to the reader’s emotions,
producing a vivid effect.

Example

“Moving up to our north cabin and spending time there had always been something that
I enjoyed and looked up to. It was a nice, beautiful, and serene place. It offered a lot in
terms of peace and serenity that you will not find in cities. We used to look forward to
our summer vacations.

So that we can go up north and experience things that we cannot do in the city. Even
though time has changed and things are not as they used to be, the memory is still
fresh. The atmosphere up north was quite different than in the city. When in the cabin, I
marvel at how different the atmosphere and life here are then the cities.

Life in the city is full of noise and tension. You have to get up for work, and the noise of
traffic would never let you relax and enjoy nature. Only if you are lucky to have it
around. Things up north were different, you can enjoy the sunshine and greenery, and
there is no hustle-bustle.

The air was fresh, healthy, and clean. The nights are quiet, and you can hear the
animals coming out to hunt for food. Cities are filled with polluted air. This abundance of
polluted air is mainly due to the heavy traffic and factories.

The air is thick due to smoke, smog, and other types of air contaminators that no one
wants to breathe in. Getting clean air in a city is next to impossible…”

Guidelines of Writing a Descriptive Essay:

 Make a decision on a certain issue. Descriptive essays that are well-written stay
focused at all times.
 Gather information.
 Make a rough sketch.
 Write the first paragraph of your essay.
 Body paragraphs should be written.
 In the final paragraph, summarize the essay.
 Look for methods to make your language more lively.
3. Argumentative Essay:

An argumentative essay is a piece of writing that offers a lengthy, evidence-based case.

It necessitates a solid thesis statement—a well-defined viewpoint on your subject. Your
goal is to persuade the reader of your argument by providing evidence like quotes and
analysis.

Argumentative essays put your abilities to investigate and convey your own point of
view on a subject to the test. At the undergraduate level, this is the most prevalent
style of essay—almost every paper you write will include some form of argumentation.

Example

Students Who Study Abroad Achieve Greater Success

“Much of our learning takes place outside the classroom. We learn how to maintain
budgets, forge friendships, develop business relationships, and more. Imagine
extending those skills on a global level.

We would immediately cease to believe the world only contains the people and things
we can see but, rather, a wide variety of opinions, customs, beliefs, and ethics. This is
why every college-level student must study abroad during their undergraduate years.
They will learn more in that semester abroad than in any other academic year.
According to IES Abroad, a company that encourages students to become international
leaders, students who study abroad are more likely to be accepted into the graduate
degree program of their choice. In fact, 90% of students who studied abroad with IES
are admitted to their first or second choice for graduate school.

Imagine walking into an interview and being able to discuss preparing the most popular
dish in India or organizing the best route to take from Sydney, Australia to Perth. Not
only does this strike up a memorable conversation, but it also demonstrates a student’s
fierce independence and determination.

All this makes someone who has studied abroad a more desirable candidate for their dream job. As if IES
Abroad’s statistic above was not astounding enough, it has been proven that 97% of students who study
abroad find employment within 12 months of graduation…..”

Guidelines of Writing an Argumentative Essay:

The thesis that is well-structured. The introduction to the argument is the first step in writing an
argumentative essay.

Body Paragraphs that support the thesis statement. The essay has three body paragraphs that support
the thesis’ statements.
Arguments in opposition.
A conclusion that is persuasive.
Phrases that bridge the gap.

4. Expository Essay:
An expository essay is a piece of writing that provides a balanced overview of a subject. In an expository
essay, the writer uses facts, data, and examples to illustrate or clarify a topic.
Expository writing includes a variety of essay types, including comparison and contrast essays, cause and
effect essays, and “how to” or process essays. Expository essays do not show emotions or write in the
first person since they are based on facts rather than personal feelings.

Example
“This morning at 9 am, a school bus collided with a car at the intersection of Jones and Heard streets.
There were no injuries on the school bus, but medical personnel performed checks on each student and
the driver before those students were transported to their schools.
The driver of the car sustained slight, non-life-threatening injuries. He was transported to the local
hospital. The accident is still under investigation at this time.

Advances in science and technology have made the use of “green” energy possible. In places where
climate conditions permit, people are able to use solar energy or wind energy for power. Solar energy is
the use of sunlight for energy and power.

Humans are able to harness the energy of the sun by installing solar panels on their homes
or businesses. Humans have also found ways to harness the power of the wind by using wind turbines to
capture wind energy. Both of these forms of “green” energy are being used more and more.
The school science fair was a success again this year! We had 15 teams participating, and they all had
amazing projects. Each team consisted of two students who designed a science experiment to test a
hypothesis, created a display of their experiment and results, and presented their display to the judges.

The winners this year are Sarah Jones and Mark Gordon, who hypothesized that students get into less
trouble in the classroom on days when it is sunny outside.

The judges were very impressed with their data collection methods, which included asking teachers to
share information on how many students earned stars at the end of each day. They correlated this
information with their own data about the weather-sunny, cloudy, or rainy…”