The Structure Of An Expository Essay – A Complete Guide

If you are going to write an expository or any other type of academic essay, the following guideline can be very helpful to you. It presents a recommended structure which is commonly used for such types of writing and explains step-by-step how to build your own essay.

A well written essay should consist of three basic parts: Introduction, Body Paragraphs and Conclusion.

1. Introduction.


• Start your paper with an Opening Sentence, which should be exciting for the reader, attract their attention and make them read the text further. Include a “hook”, which may be an interesting quotation, an actual question, a funny or fascinating story, etc. It can be also a dilemma, which may not seem to have a simple solution.


• Follow the opening sentence with the necessary material for understanding of the issue. It is some background information about the main subject. This paragraph of introduction is called Context.


• Write a Thesis Statement at the end of your introduction. It shows your attitude towards the topic, the subject you are going to explore.


2. Body Paragraphs.



There are four important elements you should remember about at this stage:

• Begin with a Topic Sentence. State the main information clearly when opening your body paragraphs. A topical statement introduces the idea you are going to discuss in the paragraph.


• Give Supporting Evidence to make the topic sentence sound reasonable and well-grounded. It may be citations, life-experience examples or any other sources connected to the topic that would illustrate your point of view vividly.


• Analysis. Do not forget to explain the meaning of the examples you have used. Connect your sources with your issue, prove their relevance to the concrete theme.


• Transition. Go from sentence to sentence conveying your thoughts to the reader. Remember to connect all your sentences into a paragraph and all the paragraphs into a continuous and logical text. Use some joining sentences at the beginning or at the end of your paragraphs to combine all the elements into one integrated text.


3. Conclusion.

The last part of your expository essay should not contain any new ideas. It should sum up everything that has been said before. But do not just repeat the same statements, show the progress of your thoughts, come to a solution of the problem or suggest the reader do it by themselves. Here you can also demonstrate what other important dilemmas have been brought by the essay, and what questions remain unanswered.