essay writing tips

Seven Basic Steps to Creating an Expository Essay


An expository essay, also known as an informational essay, is an essay written in an informative manner based on facts rather than opinions. Many students consider this type of essay to be the easiest to write because there are no persuasive arguments to focus on, just the facts. These kinds of essays require a great deal of research and can be time consuming if not done properly. Luckily, this process can be broken down into seven simple steps to make it easier and faster.

The Seven Steps

  1. Pick a topic and state a clear thesis in the first paragraph. The point of the first paragraph is to inform the reader what the paper is about and give a general outline of the flow.
  2. Brainstorm. Here you will decide on a topic and explore all the different aspects of the topic. Because this is an informational essay, you will want to use this time to narrow down which facts you want to focus on.
  3. Research and take notes. This part is fairly straight forward and can be completed in a timely fashion. However, do not wait until the last minute to gather your facts; you may realize you want to add or take out certain facts of the essay and in doing so it can out you behind schedule.
  4. Start writing. Your essay needs to start with a short introduction that states the purpose of the essay and a general outline of what the reader can expect. Next, focus on the paragraphs. Each paragraph will focus on one idea or fact. Many times students find they will have to change things around in their essay for it to make sense and that is perfectly acceptable. The paragraphs need to flow easily for the reader. The conclusion will wrap everything up and reiterate the topic of the essay as well as provide even more evidence.
  5. Be creative. Informational essays tend to be a bit boring unless you have an interesting or controversial. However, if you were assigned a boring topic to write about, make sure to add some sort of creativity in the body of the essay to keep the reader engaged.
  6. Proofreading and editing. Students will often either turn in their first drafts or do their own editing without having a second opinion. Always have someone else read your essay and ask for their thoughts. You can also take it to the writing center and have them look for grammatical mistakes.
  7. Practice makes perfect. Be prepared to write the essay more than once to get it perfect.

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