- The expository essay requires a writer to investigate an idea or concept and evaluate evidence. The writer should also present and explain a theory or an idea in some detail. Such essays are common in academia.
- Narrative essays are not so common in academic writing as they tell a story from the writer’s point of view. However, if you are writing a biographical essay, you may choose to write a narrative essay.
- Argumentative essays are not like expository essays, although there are some similarities. When writing an argumentative essay, students are expected to investigate a specified topic, collect, produce and evaluate evidence and briefly establish a stance on the given topic. Basically, the argumentative essay requires more research of the literature and published material, books periodicals, magazines, journals and so on. Such essays may require students to do some empirical research. In other words, students may have to collect data via interviews, observations, surveys, or, depending on the subject being studied, experiments. On the other hand, the expository essay involves much less research. Usually tutors will set expository essays for tests and argumentative essays for a project at the end of an academic year.
- Persuasive essays attempt to persuade readers that the writer’s point of view is the correct one to take. They try to demonstrate that one central idea is more logical or legitimate than others. They might also attempt to persuade a reader to take a particular course of action.
- Descriptive essays require students to describe an object, place, person, emotion, experience and so on. The student who is asked to write a descriptive essay should practise his or her creative skills. The use of vivid language is necessary in these essays as the writer is attempting to paint an image in the readers mind that will be lasting.
- Analytical essays require students to present a coherent argument or claim regarding the topic you are attempting to analyse. Before beginning such an essay, the writer needs to decide precisely what to write about. A thesis statement is vital, and students need to find evidence to support the thesis statement, or their claim.
- Critical essays usually evaluate, analyse or interpret a text. The writer explains the ideas and themes that the text contains. The evidence for the explanations can come from the original text in the form of quotations, or from other authors who have analysed the text.
- Comparison and contrasting essays can be difficult to write because the writer may be confused about what he or she is being asked to do. However, they are actually quite simple to write once you have established that you are expected to compare two things, or contrast things or people and so on, and of course, you may be asked to compare and contrast two ideas, people and so on. Read the rubric carefully and follow it exactly.
- Cause and effect, or reason and results essays explore the reasons why something occurred or why a certain situation developed. Once the writer has established why something happened, for example, he or she must discuss the effect the occurrence had.
- Process essays are those which either explain how something is done, or they explain how something works. Some students are not clear about these types of essay, but they are quite straightforward to write. They must show a logical progression from A to B, though and this can be difficult for some people.