Brief tips about expository essay:

• It aims to inform readers
• Mainly comes in 5 paragraphs, i.e., two pages long
• Include subtopics and add adequate facts, while being objective

Steps to follow when writing an Expository Essay

Writing an expository essay could be easy when you know the steps to follow. Here are the four main stages to follow:

1. Choose a Topic

Choosing a topic for an easy subject can be tricky as a student. You should consider the following; 

Your topic should be relevant to your target audience and straightforward. You shouldn’t confuse your audience by being complex. If you have any, break it down into subtitles. You can consider the following topics.

• Why are water and food essential to the human body?
• Choose any two US presidents, and compare their legacies.
• What strategies could be adopted to reduce crime in your local community?
• What is the most efficient way to learn a new language?

When you are given the freedom to select a topic, go for something you are cognisant with. This makes it easier to put your thoughts together. 

2. Research into the topic and plan

Research is critical when writing any type of essay. It determines the quality of work and tells readers you have in-depth knowledge on the topic. You can research on the internet, books on the subjects, and even through discussions. However, when using the internet, be mindful of the sources you use. There are many “trash” on the net currently and using authentic/trusted sites should be a priority. 

In planning, you should consider your target audience. Who is the essay meant for? Gender, age group, nationality, or even race should be considered in the planning stage. 

3. Writing stage 

An expository, like any other essay, should include an introduction, body, and conclusion. It also usually comes in a five-paragraph form. Therefore, you have one paragraph for the intro, three for the body, and one for the conclusion. 

Your introduction must be short and catchy but clear, giving your audience an overview of what the essay is about. You should grab the reader’s attention to read more and more right from the start.

The main body is where you take the time to explain the topic further. It is where all your research and evidence you’ve gathered come to play. Organize your thoughts well and structure the body such that one thing leads to the other to keep the reader reading.

The conclusion summarises everything in one paragraph. You highlight the points you’ve made in the body with emphasis on the most important facts. 

4. Revise your work 

Going over your work helps in correcting errors, adding up, or restating some points. In doing this, take the posture of a reader and ask yourself some critical questions like:

• Have you done justice to the topic?
• Did you maintain your focus throughout?
• Are there enough facts and examples?
• And does the conclusion summarise the main essay?

After reviewing your essay, you are good to submit it to your teacher or publish on the intended platform.

Good luck!

We have listed general guidelines for how long or short an essay should be. Make sure the mind of your essay’s quality, not the quantity, focuses on making strong analysis or arguments but not on the number of words that the essay must-have. 

Guidelines for essay lengths

1. Essays for high school.

In high schools, students are generally asked to write essays that contain five paragraphs that have a conclusion, a body of three sections, and an introduction hence totaling to five paragraphs. The number of words in these essays is generally between three hundred to one thousand words.

2. Essays for college admissions.

Essays that are meant for college admissions purposes do not require you to write a lot, but they need you to write about your motivations and interests. In this case, the word limit is stringent. The range of words required to write in this essay is between two hundred to six hundred fifty words.

3. Essays for undergraduate college.

In this case, the length or amount of words that one would be required to write in college varies from one institution to another, syllabus, course level, and department. The number of words that one would be required to write here is between one thousand five hundred to five thousand words.

4. Essays for admission to graduate school.

Applications to graduate school normally need someone to write a longer statement of purpose and a personal statement, which entails your motivations and academic achievements. The number of words that one would be required to write in this essay is between two thousand five hundred and six thousand words.

5. Essays for graduate schools.

Essays given in graduate schools vary by discipline and institutions. But the essays in this level are most likely to be very long and with many words to write. The number of words that one is supposed to write in this essay is between two thousand five hundred to six thousand words.

How long each part of the essay is

• In an essay that is meant for academics, the body should contain most of the words because most of the argument is stated.
• The introduction should be proportional to the essay, say in an essay of 3000 words, the introduction should be a paragraph.
• When writing the conclusion, it should be just a paragraph and should be concise.

1. Choose a Manageable Topic

The first thing you should do is choose a manageable topic on the laws of life. Your topic shouldn’t be too wide or too narrow, but fall somewhere in the middle where you are exploring new areas in the field but not overwhelming yourself drastically.

2. Do Some Background Research

Start your research by looking for useful background information. This can conveniently be done online. You probably won’t need to cite your sources as you are primarily becoming familiar with your topic, but use the information to point you to some resources that could be useful.

3. Conduct Your In-Depth Research

Once you’ve gathered enough background information, you should start with your in-depth academic research. This should be done at the library where you have access to academic and government sources. Optimize your search to bring up the most relevant and credible sources.

4. Write a Clear and Concise Thesis

Now that you have a pretty good idea of what you plan to argue in your essay, you can develop a clear and concise thesis statement to guide the rest of your writing. You don’t have to get the words down right so early in the process, but your thesis statement should be developed enough to provide direction.

5. Create an Essay Outline

Gather your research notes and select your best ideas, supporting information, and examples. Arrange all of this in an outline to keep for reference as you type the first and second versions of your essay. Arrange the outline so that it logically expresses your argument in the most efficient way possible.

6. Write the First Draft Quickly

The most effective way of writing a first essay draft on the laws of life is to do so quickly, without pausing to make corrections. No matter how tempted you may be to fix your mistakes or to come up with the perfect words to express your ideas, you are better off maintaining your momentum and pushing forward. You will get a chance to make corrections at a later stage.

7. Revise with a Clear Mind

Ideally, you want to separate yourself well-enough from your first draft before you start to make your revisions. So what is “well-enough”? It’s being able to review your essay with a clear mind, so that you can be critical about your work and make the appropriate improvements necessary.

8. Edit and Proofread Completely

Finally, be sure you completely edit and proofread your essay about the laws of life before you hand it in to be graded. Even the most experienced academic writers can make mistakes in their first and second drafts. They know, however, that one must edit and proofread carefully in order to succeed in writing an excellent paper. So, don’t skip this last step!

1. Starting Your Personal College Essay

When you write a college essay about yourself you are basically being asked to write some experience or event from your life. Think about your college essay like a story and as such should begin with something that immediately hooks the reader and transports him or her into your world.
Don’t waste words with a simple introduction; start with a bang, something entirely unexpected. Follow this with some background information or detailed setting, but not too much that you lose the reader’s interest. By making a connection in the first few sentences your reader is more likely to want to read even more.

2. How to Write About Sensitive Topics

There are times you are given topics to choose from or you are allowed to develop one for your own, regardless of your options you may decide to write about something sensitive in your life. The first thing to remember is your reader; your topic must be appropriate material your reader won’t find offensive.
Also, be conscientious of writing about other people. While you may have a personal relationship or connection with this person, you don’t want to provide any personal details that might implicate them or identify them with something for which they did not provide consent.

3. Finishing the Personal College Essay

There are several students that find ending the college essay just as hard as starting it. But what makes it so difficult? Many believe that it’s hard to write an ending when one’s life isn’t truly over. The best way to overcome this hurdle is to focus on just the central theme you’ve discussed throughout the essay.
Think about where the story you have just told actually end? If you are discussing an event that led to you wanting to join nursing school, when did that event actually end? If you are discussing a time when you had trouble learning a new language, you can end your essay with the feeling you had in earning your first A in that class. If you think that you’re good at writing, consider applying for a freelance writing job at Writing Jobz.