Expository Essay

A great expository essay includes a strong introduction, compelled arguments based on well-researched studies, logical conclusion, and a topic. Although your first essay doesn’t have to be, well, that great, it never hurts to try. Here we have put together some tips for how to select Expository essay topics and make an A+ paper without much effort.

Expository Essay Topics. Getting Started

First of all, choose the topic wisely. If it’s defined by the teacher, feel free to skip to the next part; if not, here’s the important part: you’re most likely to succeed when you like what you’re doing and what you’re writing about. Examining the list of topics, we’ve attached below, please ask yourself if you really have something to say on a subject – one or another. There is nothing wrong with diving into completely unknown territory, of course, but believe us when we say that writing about familiar things you feel emotionally connected to is much more fun.

Once you’ve determined the topic, develop an outline. The latter is generally associated with bigger (and much more boring) research papers, but some associations are more wrong than others, right? Novel writers, for example, often call the outlining process the most important part of creating an outstanding novel, and since the teacher told you to put some words together on the paper, you have a right to consider yourself a writer as well. An outline doesn’t have to be large or extremely detailed: use it to define the basic structure of your expository essay, to remind the future self about how the different parts of the text should be connected to each other.

Establishing the Arguments

Now that you have a more or less accurate understanding of how your essay will look after you’ve finished, it’s time to do some research. Even if you’ve chosen a familiar topic and have a lot of arguments in mind, there is no avoiding this part – great as it is, personal experience isn’t always the best and only way to prove a point. Using relevant sources, you’ll be able to assess your arguments objectively and, if needed, to correct them while you still have a chance. Don’t feel bad if some of your own arguments are destroyed by the research, as it’s only natural to change your opinion once you see the full picture. That’s why they told you to write an expository essay in the first place – so you could spend some time analyzing, doubting yourself and your opinion, and approaching a familiar situation in a different way.

Once all preparations are finished, continue to the writing part. Take your time to come up with a strong introduction because it directly affects your paper and is the first thing the future reader will see. Writing a clear, specific thesis statement, usually at the end of the introductory section, is of great importance – it summarizes your opinion, briefly establishes your main arguments, and makes one want to read further. If you’re having trouble creating a thesis statement, don’t hesitate to ask a more experienced student for help because a gross mistake made at this point may as well ruin your whole paper. Using professional help is a decent idea, too, because it gives you a good sense of how to write a GREAT introduction, making it much easier for you to get high marks – now and in the future.

Asking for Assistance

Is that really fine to use the services of writing websites, though? Teachers always say that it’s bad, undesirable, or even forbidden, but in fact, they mainly talk about people who outsource every aspect of their education. There is nothing good about ignoring your writing tasks completely, as it may affect your career later, but why would you do something like that? Don’t let professional writers do your work; let them help you become better.

For example, ask a specialist to write a paper for you, then do it yourself, and after that, compare these works. Are they similar? Is there something you could’ve done better? Analyze the key difference between the two papers, understand it, explain it to yourself as if you’re a student, and a teacher in one person. There is so much to learn from professional essay writers’ experience, and it would be a shame to miss the valuable opportunity just because they told you not to try it.

Preventing Bias

Once you’ve finished with the introductory part, it’s about time to go to the body paragraphs. The concept is simple:

took an argument from your thesis statement;
explain it to the reader;
prove it with facts and logic;
add supportive sentences if needed;
continue to the next argument.

The key idea here is that you shouldn’t focus on your opinion too much since it always leads to bias. An expository essay is not only about what you have to say on the topic – it’s about if you can back your words up with relevant pieces of evidence. You’re here not to persuade anyone but to make your idea clear, to explain it so that any person reading your paper for the first time could grasp the main concept and make their own conclusions.

That’s why there are several body paragraphs, each of which represents a certain idea and helps a reader understand it properly.

Avoiding “Paragraph Sprawl”

Focus on one idea at a time. By randomly jumping from one topic to another, a student makes their text impossible to read and, therefore, understand. As a writer, you should develop your paragraphs carefully, never forgetting about that one single point you’re making at a certain moment. As soon as you shift your focus when you shouldn’t have or start adding details irrelevant to the topic, your essay is doomed. It doesn’t work anymore, and neither it fulfills its purpose. To explain something without coherent and consistent explanation means to explain nothing at all, and that’s not why you’re here.

Feeling Your Audience

Start asking yourself the right questions. The teacher may or may not be your only reader, but even if they are, writing assignments exist so you could write any kind of paper for different audiences. For that to be the case, improving your analytical skills is essential. “If I was talking to a friend, how would I explain to them the concept in 200 / 400 / 600 words?” is a decent question; not only does it define your audience, but it also gives you an idea about the ideal text length. On the contrary, “What should I write to get an A?” is a bad question because there isn’t much to learn from it.

Playing It Smart

Don’t try to make everyone perfect at the first attempt. Revising is inevitable, but guess what? It’s all right. We do recommend spending enough time on the introduction–mainly including the thesis statement–because it affects your whole expository essay, but other than that, feel free to jump to the next paragraph if you’ve already rewritten the current one several times without result. You’ll have to revise some parts of the text anyway. The part you’re having difficulties with will probably be changed in the final paper, so don’t hesitate to leave it be if the process has become frustrating.

Going Out With a Bang

A great way to finish a text is to repeat the thesis statement in a different manner. Sum up the arguments and give a brief summary of the main findings of your study, but don’t play an expert too much. Again, your essential goal is not to persuade anyone – it’s to present a full picture and let the readers make their own conclusion.

Good luck!

Examples of Expository Essay Topics:

What does the IQ score show? Explain if it can be used to evaluate people’s cognitive abilities and the probability of their success in the future.
Do most people understand the word “depression” correctly? If not, show the key difference between the popular version of the meaning and the scientific definition.
Does cyberbullying exist? Is there a way it may harm people’s mental health, and what should be done in order to minimize its negative impact on a person’s mind?
What is the most common phobia in your country? What should be done to help people overcome it?
In the modern world, is there a reason for the public libraries to exist? Is it not simpler to find books and articles on the Internet?
Why do some people still prefer paper books?
Explain why soccer is so popular among people from around the world. Will this situation change in fifty years?
How can a person become a better neighbor? Why is it important to get along with your neighbors?
What are the most common causes of homelessness? Are homeless people just being lazy?
Is there a reason to learn cooking? If you can always buy cheap and tasty food, why bother?