Expository Essay Templates For School And College

Structured Information For Better Understanding

There are two types of writers: one who outline meticulously and completes the assignments even before the deadline. The others are those who do not outline and work intuitively. They may or may not finish on time but they are sure to see many hurdles in the form of writer’s block. They think outlining is a sin because it curbs creativity.

In essay writing, especially expository essay writing, it is necessary to understand the scope and demands of the topic beforehand. Writers cannot start on a whim and finish the first draft. They need to research and collect the necessary data before molding it into an essay. Structures ensure better understanding for the readers and make the essay more potent.

Understanding Expository Essay Writing

Expository essay writing is all about sharing factual, evidence-based information with the readers. Some of the distinguishing things that set it apart from other types of essays include an objective approach toward the material, arguments based on empirical proof, and information presented in an organized manner.

Similar to narrative and descriptive essays, expository essays follow the same structure and format. The major sections include an opening paragraph with a hook and context to set the stage for the thesis statement. Then comes the main body where each paragraph covers a single argument and its supporting materials. In the end, the conclusion covers all the major points and finishes on high notes.

There is more than one type of expository essay, such as classification essays, definition essays, compare and contrast essays, problem and solution essays, and process essays.

Differences Between Persuasive & Expository Essays

Many students and novice writers confuse persuasive essays and expository essays. In reality, they are different from each other on a very basic point. By definition, a persuasive essay covers the personal opinion and arguments of the author and then succeeds with evidence and proof to support the stance. Compared to this, expository essays do not have any room for personal commentary and opinions regarding the subject. Writers need to research and collect necessary data and then base their arguments on that.

This is the main difference between these two types of essays. One allows emotions and personal opinions, whereas the other deals with only facts and evidence-based figures.

High School Expository Essay Template

High school is the level where students first get acquainted with expository essay writing. Instructors teach them the basics and help them grasp the mechanics of writing an expository essay.

But a template is something that is not readily offered by the teachers. The best solution to avoid writer’s block is to have a template to start with. That’s why this section is dedicated to providing the best high school expository essay template to get the process started right away!

Introductory Paragraph

Start with a hook that can get the attention of the readers.
Provide context for the main idea or theme of the essay so that readers can access the point of view of the writer
State the thesis which is the essence of the main idea in a single or a couple of sentences. This will transition the essay to the main body and bridge the two main sections together.

Arguments & Examples

State the first argument in a single sentence.
Provide supporting evidence to back up that argument or claim. It should align with the thesis statement of the essay.
At the end of the paragraph, provide a distillation of the whole paragraph in a single or a couple of sentences as the key takeaway from the paragraph.

One Argument For Each Paragraph

Instead of cramming all the arguments in a single paragraph, dedicate one paragraph for each argument.
The same goes for the evidence and examples to back them up.
This will help readers cover the topic expanse and its application easily, not to mention writers will be at ease because they will know how to steer the essay easily and in a more comprehensive manner.

Concluding Paragraph

Start with an interesting sentence to bridge the section with the main body.
The idea is to have a concluding section that can stand on its own without the main body and the introduction.
There is no need to provide new arguments or ideas in the conclusion. Only summarize the already-discussed postulates
End the conclusion with high notes. Use memorable sentences and one-liners to ensure the content sticks with the readers.

College Expository Essay Template

Now that we have covered the template for high school in the previous section, let us take a dig at the college expository essay template. This time, we will go deeper and wider because the expectations from college students are higher than that of high school students.

Also, the marking schemes are different and more stringent in college so we will take care in this section.

Opening With A Hook

Identify the subject or the topic in the hook by connecting it with an interesting fact, a statistic, or a question.
The lead should have the context for the problem or the topic but it should also let readers where a writer stands on the matter
Define the topic and provide a simile or metaphor to further illuminate it for the readers. These sentences will directly lead to the thesis statement so they should be written with great care and attention.

Thesis Statement

A thesis statement should cover the bases of the whole essay.
The best thesis statements are bold and brief and do not exceed more than a couple of sentences
Writers can choose to open their expository essays with a thesis statement. Then, they would have to rephrase it at the end of the introduction before transitioning to the main body.
While writing a thesis, make sure that it aligns with the premise propounded in the topic or title of the essay.

Main Body – The Bulk of The Essay

This is the meat and bones of the expository essay because it will cover the bulk in terms of paragraphs and word count.
Each paragraph should be assigned to a single argument or a postulate. The supporting evidence or references should follow.
There is no room for personal opinions or commentary. Writers should restrict the discourse to bare facts and figures.
Before moving on to the conclusion, make sure that all the premises were covered and dealt with.

Conclusion – Tying Ends

A conclusion needs to cover the major points discussed in the main body.
Those points should be reiterated compactly and should add value to the essay and the section.
One of the ways to write a good conclusion is to circle back to the introduction and main body.
End the conclusion with memorable lines and sentences that are the distillation of the whole essay. Otherwise, readers will have a hard time remembering the main points of the expository essay.

How To Finish Expository Essay Quickly

Understandably, students spend a lot of time completing assignments, including writing expository essays. There are two ways of doing that. One is to follow the process chronologically and then reach the end, but this takes a lot of time. The other one is about optimizing the process and covering multiple steps through strides.

After helping students with two templates for expository essay writing, let us discuss some hacks to finish the expository essay quickly.

Researching And Outlining Simultaneously

Outlining the whole essay, in the beginning, is a great way to speed up the process. But when you couple the research and collection of essential data with it, it kills two birds with one stone. This way, students not only get a glimpse of what the finished product will be but also how to determine the scope of the essay in terms of allocated word count for each section. Once it is out of the way, you can graduate to writing the first draft.

Finishing First Draft In One Go

When students set out to write essays, it is best to finish the first draft in one go. It is because if you start and then take matters slowly, the whole process will lag. It is best to not care about the errors and inconsistencies in the first draft but complete it as soon as possible. Once it is finished, you can always go back to edit and proofread it to eliminate the mistakes and submit a spick and span copy.

Editing After Finishing The Whole Essay

Many students believe that since they have given so much attention and care to the first draft, there is no need to proofread or edit the essay before submission. This is a grave mistake because no matter how much attention you were, it is natural to leave mistakes. Even when there are no mistakes, there are unexplored alternatives that would have made things better for the readers. So, it is a big and very important box that you must check before turning your expository essay in.

F.A.Q

What are common examples of expository writing?

There are many expository writing examples from daily life. These include news articles, how-to blogs, manuals, and so on. Since the information there is limited to objective and actionable, it is considered expository.

Can I open my expository essay with a quote?

Of course, you can. This is one of the best ways to introduce your expository essay to the readers. You can provide some context to that quote that can link it directly to your thesis statement or the scope of your essay.

Is it alright to state the thesis in the opening?

Again, no law bars students from using the thesis statement in the opening. As far as expository essays are concerned, students can take the opening and use it to better acquaint the readers with the topic.

How can I avoid roadblocks while writing my expository essay?

There is one simple tip that can help students avoid roadblocks while writing expository essays – combining outlining and research in a single step. This will help students anticipate the problems they could have faced while writing essays. Only this time, they can find its solution immediately.

What are the different types of expository essays?

Following are the different types of expository essays written in schools and colleges:

Depending on the scope and subject of the essay, students can choose the appropriate type and work on it accordingly.

Is it compulsory to write the main body in only three paragraphs?

This restriction is according to the standard structure of the essays. Students can split the three sections into four or five if they need to provide more arguments and material to prove their point. But they should keep in mind that the word count should not exceed a certain limit.

Final Thoughts

There is no denying that writing an expository essay that can help readers translate the theory into practice is an uphill task. Students in schools and colleges face a lot of trouble even getting started, let alone covering the whole essay. This blog post covers two templates for high school and college students respectively. We have dealt with the brass tacks and laid everything out for the students. They can learn with it by practicing and then creating literary masterpieces.

So, if you are commencing to write the expository essay for your class, this is the best source to kick-start your process of writing!

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