Types of Essays You Should Know How to Write

Knowing how to write an effective essay is an essential part of overall written communication. Many universities and colleges (and certain jobs) ask that you include an essay as part of your application.^1,2 Understanding how to write different types or styles of essays will help to prepare you for your future, whether you’re going on to study further or about to enter the working world.

In the months to come we’ll look at 6 different types of essays in depth, with a series of handy ‘How To’ writing guides. First, let’s start by defining and outlining the essay types we’ll be looking into.

The Structure of an Essay

An essay is a long-form piece of writing that informs the reader about a certain topic, or aims to convince them about a certain point of view.¹

An essay must be composed of three main parts, namely a clear introduction, body and conclusion.¹

• Introduction: The opening of your essay should succinctly define the topic you’ll be writing about, in a way that quickly captures the reader’s attention.

• Body: The main body of your essay should be divided into paragraphs, each covering the ideas within your topic in a logical order.

• Conclusion: The end of your essay should sum up what you have discussed and/or justify your argument, without adding any new information.

Different Types of Essays

There are several common types of essays you should know how to write:^1-3

1. Narrative Essay

A narrative essay essentially tells the reader a story. This type of essay involves strong creative writing and is usually written in the past tense.

2. Descriptive Essay

As the name suggests, a descriptive essay describes a topic – for example, a place, person or object – in a way that gives the reader a vivid experience. This type of essay works best when the writer chooses their words carefully, to describe the topic in an original or memorable way.

3. Expository Essay

An expository essay is designed to convey factual information to the reader in a clear and logical way. The topic must be well researched and understood by the writer, with facts and figures to support the information. These essays are usually written in the present tense.

4. Argumentative Essay

The purpose of an argumentative essay is to explain and motivate the writer’s point of view on a topic. It is a subjective essay, where the writer aims to convince the reader that this point of view is correct. This type of essay uses persuasive language and the writer is also usually required to back up their opinion with evidence or research.

5. Discursive Essay

Instead of arguing for one specific point of view, a discursive essay is designed to present both sides of an argument in a balanced way. This is an objective essay where the writer presents arguments both ‘for’ and ‘against’ and remains impartial. The writer may choose to express their opinion in the conclusion.

6. Reflective Essay

Emotions play a major role in reflective essay writing. A reflective essay requires the writer to contemplate a topic and express their emotional reaction to it. This requires descriptive language and is often very personal to the writer.

Keep a look out for the first in our series of essay ‘How To’ guides, which will cover how to write a narrative essay.

References

1. National Department of Basic Education – Republic of South Africa. Guideline for teaching and writing essays and transactional texts. English Grades 10 – 12. 2014. https://www.education.gov.za/Portals/0/CD/Computer/Self-Study_English_Gr_10-12.pdf?ver=2014-04-03-090720-000
2. Indeed – Career Development. Types of essays and when to use them. 2021. https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/types-of-essays
3. Scribbr – Knowledge Base. The four main types of essay | quick guide with examples. 2021. https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/essay-types/