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How to Write an Expository Essay | Structure, Tips & Examples

Published on July 14, 2020 by Jack Caulfield . Revised on July 23, 2023.

“Expository” means “intended to explain or describe something.” An expository essay provides a clear, focused explanation of a particular topic, process, or set of ideas. It doesn’t set out to prove a point, just to give a balanced view of its subject matter.

Expository essays are usually short assignments intended to test your composition skills or your understanding of a subject. They tend to involve less research and original arguments than argumentative essays .

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Table of contents

When should you write an expository essay, how to approach an expository essay, introducing your essay, writing the body paragraphs, concluding your essay, other interesting articles, frequently asked questions about expository essays.

In school and university, you might have to write expository essays as in-class exercises, exam questions, or coursework assignments.

Sometimes it won’t be directly stated that the assignment is an expository essay, but there are certain keywords that imply expository writing is required. Consider the prompts below.

The word “explain” here is the clue: An essay responding to this prompt should provide an explanation of this historical process—not necessarily an original argument about it.

Sometimes you’ll be asked to define a particular term or concept. This means more than just copying down the dictionary definition; you’ll be expected to explore different ideas surrounding the term, as this prompt emphasizes.

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An expository essay should take an objective approach: It isn’t about your personal opinions or experiences. Instead, your goal is to provide an informative and balanced explanation of your topic. Avoid using the first or second person (“I” or “you”).

The structure of your expository essay will vary according to the scope of your assignment and the demands of your topic. It’s worthwhile to plan out your structure before you start, using an essay outline .

A common structure for a short expository essay consists of five paragraphs: An introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion.

Like all essays, an expository essay begins with an introduction . This serves to hook the reader’s interest, briefly introduce your topic, and provide a thesis statement summarizing what you’re going to say about it.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a typical introduction works.

In many ways, the invention of the printing press marked the end of the Middle Ages. The medieval period in Europe is often remembered as a time of intellectual and political stagnation. Prior to the Renaissance, the average person had very limited access to books and was unlikely to be literate. The invention of the printing press in the 15th century allowed for much less restricted circulation of information in Europe, paving the way for the Reformation.

The body of your essay is where you cover your topic in depth. It often consists of three paragraphs, but may be more for a longer essay. This is where you present the details of the process, idea or topic you’re explaining.

It’s important to make sure each paragraph covers its own clearly defined topic, introduced with a topic sentence . Different topics (all related to the overall subject matter of the essay) should be presented in a logical order, with clear transitions between paragraphs.

Hover over different parts of the example paragraph below to see how a body paragraph is constructed.

The invention of the printing press in 1440 changed this situation dramatically. Johannes Gutenberg, who had worked as a goldsmith, used his knowledge of metals in the design of the press. He made his type from an alloy of lead, tin, and antimony, whose durability allowed for the reliable production of high-quality books. This new technology allowed texts to be reproduced and disseminated on a much larger scale than was previously possible. The Gutenberg Bible appeared in the 1450s, and a large number of printing presses sprang up across the continent in the following decades. Gutenberg’s invention rapidly transformed cultural production in Europe; among other things, it would lead to the Protestant Reformation.

The conclusion of an expository essay serves to summarize the topic under discussion. It should not present any new information or evidence, but should instead focus on reinforcing the points made so far. Essentially, your conclusion is there to round off the essay in an engaging way.

Hover over different parts of the example below to see how a conclusion works.

The invention of the printing press was important not only in terms of its immediate cultural and economic effects, but also in terms of its major impact on politics and religion across Europe. In the century following the invention of the printing press, the relatively stationary intellectual atmosphere of the Middle Ages gave way to the social upheavals of the Reformation and the Renaissance. A single technological innovation had contributed to the total reshaping of the continent.

If you want to know more about AI tools , college essays , or fallacies make sure to check out some of our other articles with explanations and examples or go directly to our tools!

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An expository essay is a broad form that varies in length according to the scope of the assignment.

Expository essays are often assigned as a writing exercise or as part of an exam, in which case a five-paragraph essay of around 800 words may be appropriate.

You’ll usually be given guidelines regarding length; if you’re not sure, ask.

An expository essay is a common assignment in high-school and university composition classes. It might be assigned as coursework, in class, or as part of an exam.

Sometimes you might not be told explicitly to write an expository essay. Look out for prompts containing keywords like “explain” and “define.” An expository essay is usually the right response to these prompts.

An argumentative essay tends to be a longer essay involving independent research, and aims to make an original argument about a topic. Its thesis statement makes a contentious claim that must be supported in an objective, evidence-based way.

An expository essay also aims to be objective, but it doesn’t have to make an original argument. Rather, it aims to explain something (e.g., a process or idea) in a clear, concise way. Expository essays are often shorter assignments and rely less on research.

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How to write an argumentative essay - Part 1

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Introducing the British Council’s How to Write an Argumentative Essay animated video series. This is the first of five simple and easy to follow videos that will show you how you can improve your writing.

We will look at:

• Planning and question analysis
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This series is a comprehensive online tuition guide, taking you through all the key elements you need for a good piece of argumentative essay writing. This series is particularly relevant to secondary school students struggling with their English curriculum.

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How to approach discursive writing

Since writing is primarily about organising information and communicating meaning, generating ideas is clearly going to be a crucial part of the writing process.

Getting started, as much for people writing in their own language as for those writing in a foreign language, is one of the most difficult and inhibiting phases of the writing process. Idea generating is therefore key in facilitating the transition from thought to paper. A brainstorming activity is an effective way of getting ideas flowing.

• Brainstorming
• Assessing ideas
• A model text
• Focus on model text coherence
• Organising ideas
• Correction and reading

Brainstorming Brainstorming consists of group discussion. Students might discuss an idea, the answer to or reasons for a problem. In a lesson I taught recently I asked my students to brainstorm the reasons why people take drugs.

• Brainstorming involves thinking quickly and without inhibition, which can ultimately lead to an interesting piece of writing.
• The teacher should remain in the background during this phase, only supplying language support when students need it, so as not to inhibit students in the production of their ideas.
• Evaluating ideas during brainstorming can be intimidating, and can have a negative effect, limiting the creativity the process is designed to promote.

Assessing ideas The relevance and practicality of the ideas produced during brainstorming can be assessed more objectively in the next stage, that is in encouraging students to extend their ideas into a mind map, or spidergram.

• It is in this stage that students can judge the quality and usefulness of their ideas.
• A mind map or spidergram is also an organised display of information, which can be more easily converted into a draft.
• Such graphics also make the (hierarchical) relationship of ideas more easily obvious, which will help students with the structure of their texts.

A model text In my previous article, Process and product writing , I argued that it is possible to combine a process and product driven approach to writing. The above steps mentioned here have focussed on the varied classroom activities which promote the development of language use. It is these discussion stages, so important in helping students to decide what they want to say, that I believe to be of great importance from the 'process driven approach' . It is after these discussion stages, and the organisation of ideas in note form, that I tend to introduce a model text.

The reading of a model text, so important in a product driven approach to writing, is not so as to subjugate the students' ideas to their organisation, but so as to make students aware that there is a particular way to express their ideas. In this way students are given the form in order to enable them to adapt it to carry their own meaning. Ellis found evidence to suggest that "focusing learners' attention on forms, and the meanings they realise in the context of communicative activities, results in successful language learning." Focus on model text coherence Coherence refers to the logical development of ideas within a text and it is an important subskill for students to be aware of. The teacher can highlight this in various ways, by focusing on the topic and function of each paragraph for example, or by examining how the writer has chosen to order his arguments. This focus will hopefully show students that if they are to convey their message successfully, they will have to make their text 'reader friendly' .  

Cohesion Cohesion refers to the grammatical and lexical connections between individual clauses. The grammatical links can be classified under three broad types:

• Referents (pronouns, the article "the", demonstratives)
• Ellipsis (leaving out of words or phrases where they are unnecessary)
• Conjunction (a word which joins phrases or clauses together)

Pronouns, whether subject (he), object (him), possessive (his), relative (who), or reflexive (himself), are often underused or misused by students while performing a writing task, resulting in either confusion as to the referent or tedious repetition of a noun.

One way of raising awareness of the key function that pronouns play within a text is to ask students to circle all the pronouns, then to use arrows to connect them to their referent. This shows students that pronouns can be found by looking back or forwards in the text.

There are many other activities that can be used to focus on cohesion. For example, asking students to replace a sentence which is missing from each paragraph, or to replace the first sentence of each paragraph, matching clauses which have been separated or gapping conjunctions which students must replace from a selection.

Organising ideas After raising students' awareness of the grammatical and stylistic devices employed in the model text, students should begin to organise their mind maps into a linear format, i.e., the text structure of the model text.

This provides students with an opportunity to further sift and/or logically connect their ideas, to focus them on the precise function of each paragraph, which will help to clarify their writing. They will also have to discuss the overall structure i.e., the order in which to relay their information, depending on the impact they wish to have on the reader. Groups All of the above activities work best if carried out in groups as groupings make the tasks livelier and more enjoyable. Moreover, if students can work together, assisting each other, then the atmosphere of the writing class may be less intimidating, and perhaps students will not be afraid of the complexity of writing tasks. Writing The next stage involves the learners in writing the first draft of their texts with a partner. This pair work will help students see that writing really is co-operative, a relationship between writer and reader. Usually, the writer has to imagine a reader, but co-operative writing provides each writer with a reader and makes the task more realistic and interactive.

Correction and Reading The first draft could be corrected in a number of ways, depending on your aims. The teacher could code-correct, or simply underline errors, then help the students to reformulate their first drafts with the aid of the model text.

Once the final drafts are written, the students should then exchange their compositions so that they become readers of each other's work. This gives their texts a communicative purpose, as well as developing an awareness of the fact that a writer is always producing something to be read by someone else, rather than for the display of writing alone.

Learning to write coherently, in a way suitable to one's purpose and one's audience, is clearly a very difficult task. However, writing is a valuable skill, one which is worth all the classroom time (and more) spent on it. If we, as teachers, can present writing as a stimulating process, and engage our students in the act of creating a text, then perhaps we can help them to improve the effectiveness of their writing.

Further Reading 'Process Writing' by Ron White and Valerie Ardnt 'Language Teaching Methodology' by David Nunan 'Progressive Writing Skills' by Will Fowler 'Discourse Analysis for Language Teachers' by Michael McCarthy

Written by Vanessa Steele, British Council, Barcelona  

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• Writing Tips

How to Write an Expository Essay

4-minute read

• 29th March 2020

An expository essay explains something. This means investigating an idea, looking at evidence, coming to a conclusion, and explaining your thinking. But how do you write a strong expository essay? Our top tips include:

• Read the essay prompt carefully and using it to guide your research.
• Come up with a thesis statement (i.e., a position that you’ll explain).
• Plan the structure of your essay before you start writing.
• Once you have a first draft, revise and proofread to make sure it is perfect.

For more advice on how this works, check out the guide below.

1. Read Your Essay Prompt

Most expository essay prompts will ask you to do one of the following:

• Define and explain a concept or theory.
• Compare and contrast two ideas.
• Examine a problem and propose a solution.
• Describe a cause and effect relationship.
• Explain a step-by-step process.
• Analyze a broad subject and classify examples into groups.

When you’ve been set an expository assignment, then, check the prompt or question carefully. You can use the phrasing to guide your research. You may also need to select a topic to write about. If so, try to think of something:

• You already know at least something about.
• You find interesting enough to research.
• That fits with the instructions in the essay prompt (e.g., if you’ve been asked to contrast two things, you’ll need a topic that allows for a comparison).
• That is narrow enough to discuss in one essay.

Start by brainstorming topics, then narrow it down to one or two ideas.

2. Come Up with a Thesis Statement

Once you have a topic, you’ll need to do some research and develop a thesis statement. This is the proposition or position that you’ll explain in your essay.

Your thesis statement should be something you can back up with evidence and facts, as well as something that answers the question in your essay prompt. Keep in mind, too, that an expository essay should present a balanced account of the facts available, not personal opinions. For instance, we’ve come up with thesis statements for a few example essay prompts:

When you’ve selected a thesis, make sure you’ve got evidence to back it up! This may mean doing a little more research before you start writing.

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3. Structuring an Expository Essay

The exact length and content of your essay will depend on the topic and prompt. However, most expository essays follow a similar basic structure:

• Introduction – A paragraph where you introduce the essay topic and your thesis statement (i.e., the issue or idea you will explain in the essay).
• Main Body – A series of short paragraphs in which you explain your thesis statement, providing evidence and arguments to support each point.
• Conclusion – A final paragraph where you restate your thesis and how your evidence supports this. Try not to introduce any new information here (if it’s important, it should go in the main body).
• References – If required, include a bibliography of sources you’ve used.

Before you start writing, then, create an essay outline with the structure above in mind and plan what each paragraph will say.

4. Editing and Proofreading

When you have a first draft, take a break and re-read it. Now comes the redrafting ! This is where you go back over your essay and look for areas to improve. Do you provide enough evidence? Is your argument clear? Even a few tweaks may increase your mark, so make sure to redraft at least once!

Finally, make sure to have your essay proofread before you submit it for marking. This will ensure your writing is error free and easy to read, giving you an even better chance of getting the grades you deserve.

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What Is Expository Writing?

How to Write an Expository Essay

• Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
• M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
• B.A., English, State University of New York

Expository writing is used to convey factual information (as opposed to creative writing, such as fiction). It is the language of learning and understanding the world around us. If you've ever read an encyclopedia entry, a how-to article on a website, or a chapter in a textbook, then you've encountered examples of expository writing.

Key Takeaways: Expository Writing

• Just the facts, M'am: Expository writing is informational, not creative writing.
• Anytime you write to describe or explain, you use expository writing.
• Use a logical flow when planning an expository essay, report, or article: introduction, body text, and conclusion.
• It's often easier to write the body of your article first, before composing the introduction or conclusion.

Expository writing is everywhere in everyday life, not just academic settings, as it's present anytime there's information to be conveyed. It can take form in an academic paper, an article for a newspaper, a report for a business, or even book-length nonfiction. It explains, informs, and describes.

Types of Expository Writing

In  composition studies , expository writing (also called exposition ) is one of the four traditional  modes of discourse . It may include elements of  narration ,  description , and  argumentation . Unlike creative or  persuasive writing , which can appeal to emotions and use anecdotes, expository writing's primary  purpose  is to deliver information about an issue, subject, method, or idea using facts.

Exposition may take one of several forms:

• Descriptive/definition:  In this style of writing, topics are defined by characteristics, traits, and examples. An encyclopedia entry is a kind of descriptive essay. 
• Process/sequential:  This essay outlines a series of steps needed in order to complete a task or produce something. A recipe at the end of an article in a food magazine is one example.
• Comparative/contrast:  This kind of exposition is used to demonstrate how two or more subjects are the same and different. An article that explains the difference between owning and renting a home and the benefits and drawbacks of each is one such an example.
• Cause/effect:  This kind of essay describes how one step leads to a result. An example is a personal blog chronicling a workout regimen and documenting the results over time.
• Problem/solution: This type of essay presents a problem and possible solutions, backed by data and facts, not just opinion.
• Classification: A classification essay breaks down a broad topic into categories or groupings.

Tips for Expository Writing

As you write, keep in mind some of these tips for creating an effective expository essay:

Start where you know the information best. You don't have to write your introduction first. In fact, it might be easier to wait until the end for that. If you don't like the look of a blank page, move over the slugs from your outline for the main body paragraphs and write the topic sentences for each. Then start putting in your information according to each paragraph's topic.

Be clear and concise.  Readers have a limited attention span. Make your case succinctly in language that the average reader can understand. 

Stick to the facts.  Although an exposition can be persuasive, it should not be based on opinion only. Support your case with facts, data, and reputable sources that can be documented and verified.

Consider voice and tone.  How you address the reader depends on the kind of essay you're writing. An essay written in the first person is fine for a personal travel essay but is inappropriate if you're a business reporter describing a patent lawsuit. Think about your audience before you begin writing.

Planning Your Essay

• Brainstorm: Jot down ideas on a blank piece of paper. Connect them with arrows and lines, or just make lists. Rigor doesn't matter at this stage. Bad ideas don't matter at this stage. Just write down ideas, and the engine in your head will lead you to a good one. When you've got that idea, then repeat the brainstorming exercise with ideas that you want to pursue on that topic and information you could put in. From this list, you'll start to see a path emerge for your research or narrative to follow.
• Compose your thesis: When your ideas coalesce into a sentence in which you can summarize the topic you're writing about, you're ready to compose your thesis sentence. Write down in one sentence the main idea that you'll explore in your paper.
• Examine your thesis: Is it clear? Does it contain opinion? If so, revise that out. For this type of essay, you stick to the facts and evidence. This isn't an editorial. Is the thesis' scope manageable? You don't want your topic too narrow or too broad to be covered in the amount of space you have for your paper. If it's not a manageable topic, refine it. Don't be dismayed if you have to come back and tweak it if your research finds that your initial idea was off-kilter. It's all just part of the process of focusing the material.
• Outline: It may seem inconsequential, but making even a quick outline can save you time by organizing your areas of pursuit and narrowing them down. When you see your topics in an organized list, you may be able to discard off-topic threads before you research them—or as you're researching them and you find they just don't work.
• Research: Find your data and sources to back up the areas you want to pursue to support your thesis statement. Look for sources written by experts, including organizations, and watch for bias. Possible sources include statistics, definitions, charts and graphs, and expert quotes and anecdotes. Compile descriptive details and comparisons to make your topic clear to your reader, when applicable.

What Is an Expository Essay?

An expository essay has three basic parts: the introduction, the body, and the conclusion. Each is crucial to writing a clear article or effective argument.

The introduction: The first paragraph is where you'll lay the foundation for your essay and give the reader an overview of your thesis. Use your opening sentence to get the reader's attention, and then follow up with a few sentences that give your reader some context for the information you're about to cover.

The body:  At a minimum, include three to five paragraphs in the body of your expository essay. The body could be considerably longer, depending on your topic and audience. Each paragraph begins with a topic sentence where you state your case or objective. Each topic sentence supports your overall thesis statement. Then, each paragraph includes several sentences that expand on the information and/or support the topic sentence. Finally, a concluding sentence offers a transition to the following paragraph in the essay.

The conclusion:  The final section of your expository essay should give the reader a concise overview of your thesis. The intent is not merely to summarize your argument but to use it as a means of proposing further action, offering a solution, or posing new questions to explore. Don't cover new material related to your thesis, though. This is where you wrap it all up.

Expository Examples

An expository article or report about a lake, for example, could discuss its ecosystem: the plants and animals that depend on it along with its climate. It could describe physical details about its size, depth, amount of rainfall each year, and the number of tourists it receives annually. Information on when it was formed, its best fishing spots, or its water quality could be included, depending on the audience for the piece.

An expository piece could be in third person or second person. Second-person examples could include, for example, how to test lake water for pollutants or how to kill invasive species. Expository writing is useful and informative.

In contrast, someone writing a creative nonfiction article about a lake might relate the place to a defining moment in his or her life, penning the piece in first person. It could be filled with emotion, opinion, sensory details, and even include dialogue and flashbacks. It's a much more evocative, personal type of writing than an expository piece, even though they're both nonfiction styles.

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Describing charts

Learn how to write about charts.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Preparation

Grouping_MjMxNjE=

The first chart illustrates the percentage of the population who owned a smartphone from 2011 to 2016, and the second breaks the percentages down by age for 2011 and 2016.

Overall, smartphone ownership increased during the six-year period. In general, the younger people were, the more likely they were to own a smartphone. However, the most significant increases in smartphone ownership between 2011 and 2016 came from people aged 45 to 54, from 46% to 84%; from those in the 55 to 64 category, from 9% to 59%; and from those aged 65 to 74, from 5% to 50%.

The percentage of people who owned a smartphone rose steadily, starting at around 35% in 2011 and reaching about 77% by 2016. People aged 16 to 24 represented the greatest percentage of smartphone ownership in both 2011 and 2016. 75% of people aged 25 to 34 and 72% of those aged 35 to 44 owned a smartphone in 2011, rising to 88% and 86% respectively by 2016.

Although almost nobody in the 75+ age category owned a smartphone in 2011, 15% of this group owned smartphones in 2016. 

Please note: This page was designed for writing practice only. Information and statistics in the charts may not be accurate. 

• If you are doing an exam task, read the instructions and make sure you write according to the word and time limits.
• Start by saying what the charts show. In an exam, change the words in the question to write the first sentence of your answer, e.g. These charts show  = These charts illustrate .
• The second paragraph should provide an overview of the key features of the information.
• The other paragraphs should describe the patterns or trends in more detail. However, only select the most important ones to write about, and don't write about your own ideas.
• Use linking words and a range of vocabulary to describe what you see in the charts. (You can write % or per cent, but be consistent.) 
• Be careful to use the correct tenses to describe the time periods shown.

Do you ever have to write about charts at work or for your studies?

Language level

I think I never writed about chart,but I use this,because it is very convenient.

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Analyzing, understanding, explaining and drawing conclusions from different types of graphs and data in general is actually a main part of my duties and probably the one I like the most. It is very challenging to search for useful information or new insights hidden in complicated patterns about people, behaviors or financial results.

actually, I have never written about charts at work or for my studies,so I think it is very difficult .I wish I can but I dont understand the charts to describe it ..please do me afavour and teach me how to write about chart .because I want to get an IELETS test .

Hello Zaman_A,

I'd recommend that you work with the text on this page. First of all, read through it a few times. Notice the vocabulary used to talk about numbers and changes in numbers, e.g. 'percentage', 'from 2011 to 2016', 'break down percentages', 'increased during a period', etc. Make sure you understand the vocabulary and write them down somewhere.

Then you could try to write a sentence or two to describe what you see in the chart. Compare what you said to the model text and learn from any mistakes you made. If you want feedback on a specific sentence, feel free to write it in a comment here and ask us for feedback on it. We don't provide feedback on long texts, but we can answer questions about a sentence or phrase.

When I was learning Spanish, I used to copy short texts several times to try to learn the vocabulary and grammar. That doesn't work well for every one, but it does for me and some other people. You could try it and see how it goes for you.

There are also several other pages in the Writing and Reading skills sections -- be sure to check other levels, too -- that involve describing charts. Use the same approach with a few of those pages and I think that should help you improve quite a lot.

Good luck and let us know how you get on!

All the best, Kirk LearnEnglish team

Yes, I have in my shcool I had a subject called stadistich or something like that, we analyzed different events that has happened in the life in general.

This is an absolutely example of a misleading chart since the total number of perentage each age range over 100%. Being said that, the inaccurate of the data due to writing pratice purpose is allowed as per the note, chart should be chosen logically.

Hello Thu_tran2911,

I assume you're referring to the two bar charts rather than the line chart. I don't agree that these are misleading. The bars do not show a percentage of the total population but rather what percentage of each age group owns smartphones. In other words, in 2011 over 80% of people aged 16-24 owned smartphones and just under 80% of people aged 25-34. There is no reason to add these together; they describe different groups, not percentages of the whole population.

In a similar way, I could say that 60% of women have brown eyes in a certain country while 70% of men have brown eyes. That does not mean that we are describing 130% as each statistic describes the percentage within a group and not within the country as a whole.

The LearnEnglish Team

actually, I have never written about charts at work or for my studies but I will do it in the future.

Yes, I'm a economics students so I frequently used charts and tables to illustrate trends. I have many charts present in front of my teacher.

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My favourite meal.

Look at the text and do the exercises to practise and improve your writing skills.

Instructions

Do the preparation exercise first. Then do the other exercises.

Preparation

Do this exercise before you start.

Check your understanding: multiple choice

Check your writing: gap fill 1, check your writing: gap fill 2, worksheets and downloads.

What's your favourite meal?

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