Your expository essay may not seem like the most exciting thing to write about. After all, what could possibly be interesting about the passage of time? Or about the human body? But for many students, their expository essays are a major choke point. They’re often assigned at the last minute — or not at all — and may feel as if they’re being set up to fail from the start. With that in mind, here are 5 essential tips for making your expository essay successful.
Summarize the central idea
The central idea of an essay is the single most important thing to get right in an essay. Your entire essay should be built using this idea, and the way you get there. If you don’t understand and grasp the central idea of an essay, you will fail to deliver a coherent message to your readers. In your essay, summarize the central idea of the passage as clearly and concisely as possible. Try to avoid making this summary longer than one or two sentences. If you can’t summarize the central idea in one sentence, you are most likely running into problems. At the very least, you will confuse your readers.
Use a clear thesis statement
A clear thesis statement is the first line of your essay, and it should be the only thing you say about the subject of the essay. When you first set out to write your essay, your first and foremost concern should be the thesis statement. The thesis statement is what will tie your entire essay together, so it’s essential you spend some time thinking about it. The best way to decide what you want to write about is to look over the prompt, and then write down everything you were thinking about the prompt, and why. Take this information, and use it to decide what your thesis statement should be. The thesis statement should be a very clear, concise, and to-the-point sentence that sums up what you’re going to talk about in your essay.
Don’t be afraid to show your work
Many students find themselves too embarrassed to write in-depth about the human body and human reproduction. This is a shame, because it is actually a very interesting subject. It is possible to write about the human body and human reproduction and make it relevant to your readers, and interesting for them, at the same time. If you don’t feel comfortable writing about the human body, don’t be afraid to seek help. There are many writing tutors who can help you through the process. You can, for example, use the “where did you get the information from” prompt as a way to get started. Alternatively, you can choose a different topic that you feel more comfortable with.
Conclusion
Your conclusion is the last thing you say in your essay. Like your thesis statement, it should summarize what you’ve just written, and tie everything that came before it together. The conclusion should be brief and to the point, and it should also draw a natural conclusion from what you’ve just written. This is always a very tricky part of the essay, because you want to conclude without sounding artificial or forced. You want to come to a natural, but clear, conclusion that draws a conclusion from what you’ve just written.
