From high school and undergrad to graduate school and beyond, you’re going to encounter at least a few types of essays. This guide will provide a quick introduction to the four major types of academic essays. We’ll also overview 13 additional types that you may encounter in assignments.
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What Are the Four Major Types of Essays in Academic Writing?
The names given to different types of essays will give you some clue as to the content expected from an assignment. For example, a persuasive essay is, as its name suggests, convincing others to think a particular way. Literary analysis essays give insight into a literary work, and so forth. Let’s look at the four different types of essays that you’re most likely to encounter first.
Narrative Essays
Narratives are personal stories told directly by a named narrator. The term is often used to describe fiction stories written from the first-person point of view (POV). This POV is the most personal since it allows a character to tell their experiences and thoughts directly to the reader. It uses “I” or “we.”
When applied to essay writing, you get the narrative essay, a non-fiction essay type with these guidelines:
- Speak directly to your reader, using the “I” pronoun.
- Share personal experiences and ideas that give the reader a glimpse into your world.
- Allow your individuality to shine, even if you’re required to cite sources that back up your ideas.
When your teacher asks for a narrative essay, you’ll have to write about your life, what you’ve experienced, and how it influences your thinking and life. This type of writing is often the easiest because no research and citations are required; you get to entertain others through your personal life.
You may have written your first narrative essay back in elementary or middle school. Did a teacher ever ask you to write about your summer vacation at the beginning of the school year? That’s a classic example of a narrative essay prompt.
Argumentative Essays
Of all the different kinds of essays, this one is likely to leave you overwhelmed with research. An argumentative essay has the following characteristics:
- Clearly presents a controversial question or circumstance.
- Explores all sides of the question or circumstance.
- Determines your position on the question at hand.
- Presents authoritative research to support your position.
Argumentative Essay vs Narrative Essay
Argumentative essays may seem similar to narrative essays. They typically use first-person POV to present an argument directly to the reader. They may also rely partially on personal experience to prove a point.
One main difference is the amount of research required. Argumentative writing prompts require you to go beyond just your personal experiences and ideas. You need to examine all sides of the argument and back up your position. In short, they require a deeper level of critical thinking.
Other differences include the type of information delivered and the underlying intention. Narrative essays are more story-like; they’re often used to entertain and inform. On the other hand, argumentative essays highlight a problem or convince others of a given perspective. Think of it as arguing on paper rather than sharing a piece of your life.
Expository Essays
Think of the expository essay as a deep dive into a topic. You want to overview what the subject of the essay is and then go into how it works. You may also compare the subject of the essay with related objects, people, or ideas. The goal is to provide in-depth information that answers questions that readers may have about the topic.
For example, an instructor asks you to write about a social issue that you believe is impacting your local community. You choose to write about homelessness. You may incorporate the following information to create your expository essay outline:
- Share a story that explains why homelessness is an important issue for you. This brings in a touch of narrative essay writing.
- Reveal statistics that show the increase in homelessness in your city, state, or the country at large. Use authoritative data to prove the importance of this social issue.
- Discuss factors contributing to homelessness. You may rely on personal knowledge here, but make sure to include some well-researched sources as well. You may discover new factors that you weren’t aware of before writing the essay.
- Use critical thinking to present ideas for overcoming this problem. What do you think needs to change to stop rates of homelessness from increasing?
You can use first-person POV for many expository essays, which is a great choice if you want to keep that personal tone. For a more sophisticated or less personal tone, consider using third-person POV, which removes your personal insight from the essay and uses more general pronouns like “he/she” or “they/them.”
Descriptive Essays
Descriptive essays are often one of the most enjoyable types of essays to write and read because they create a sensual experience that brings the topic to life. Your goal is to bring the reader into your world so that they see, smell, hear, taste, and feel life through your words.
Ideally, your reader will have images of your setting in their mind as they read. They may hear voices in their heads as they read dialogue. If you talk about food, flowers, or anything else with a scent, they may smell it in the air. They come away from the essay with a vivid idea of your perspective.
A good example of a descriptive writing prompt asks you to describe your favorite place in the world. The instructor is looking for sensory details that allow the reader to experience that place through your words. This would share many elements of a narrative essay, including the first-person POV.
Other Types of Essays
The four major types of essays detailed above are storytelling tactics that you may use to complete a variety of writing assignments—think of them as category headings that may incorporate a variety of subcategories. You can then mix and match those subcategories to create dynamic essays that inform, entertain, and persuade others with ease.
The following types of essays are all subcategories that can easily fit into some or all of the major types we already discussed. You can craft essays that use just one of these writing elements or combine them for more intricate essays.
Persuasive Essays
A persuasive essay aims to convince the reader to believe an idea or take a certain side to an argument. If you want to improve your writing skills with this type of essay, start by clearly presenting the idea or argument. Then, incorporate personal narratives, authoritative data, and thorough research to persuade the reader. You may also discuss why alternative views are invalid in order to increase support for your view.
Analytical Essays
An analytical essay should analyze a person, place, or issue in great depth. You should start by discussing what you want to analyze and why it’s important. Then, in the body paragraph sections, go into detail describing what it is, how it works, and factors to consider. Don’t forget to incorporate data and trends into the analysis so it goes beyond narrative writing.
Reflective Essays
A reflective essay is often formed as a personal narrative. You look back at something in your past and provide insights that may entertain or help the reader in some way. You may not need to do any research at all to complete a reflective essay assignment; you can use your creativity to share experiences with your readers.
Informative Essays
An informative essay should educate readers in some manner. They may take the form of how-to essays, analytical essays, or comparison essays. The goal is to explain what the subject is and answer common questions that readers may have. Readers should have a deeper understanding of the topic after reading the essay.
Rhetorical Analysis Essay
A rhetorical analysis essay is designed to analyze how a speech or written work evokes a given emotion or effect. If you want to pen an effective rhetorical analysis essay, start with an overview of what you’re analyzing. Then, break your subject down and explain how the pieces fit together to create an effective and cohesive piece. Opinion pieces that analyze political speeches are often great examples of rhetorical analysis.
Literary Analysis Essay
A literary analysis essay should, as its name suggests, examine a literary work. Most instructors want you to form an opinion about the work. You then use examples and critical thinking to explain your position. Literary analysis may also require you to find meaning within a literary work. You may also discuss themes and analyze the language used to evoke emotion in readers.
Compare and Contrast Essay
A compare and contrast essay assesses the similarities and differences between multiple subjects. For this essay type, start by discussing what each subject is and how they’re related. You can then detail the ways those subjects are similar to and different from one another. You may end this type of essay with a recommendation that helps readers make informed decisions.
Definition Essay
A definition essay tells the reader what something is and possibly how it works. You may start with a simple definition and then move on to a more detailed discussion that breaks the subject into pieces. You want readers to gain an understanding of how it works and why it’s important. Some essays will also discuss what a subject is not.
Critical Analysis Essays
A critical analysis essay evaluates a subject in great depth and then presents an argument or position. You may analyze books, films, news articles, plays, and many other types of content. The goal is to think critically and back up your position with direct quotes and examples. Your analysis may include fact-checking or comparisons to other works.
Cause and Effect Essays
A cause-and-effect essay should examine the relationship between two or more things. The goal is to explain how something is caused or created due to interactions with other things. You should start by identifying a phenomenon or occurrence that the reader may want to understand. Then, explore factors of causation that connect that phenomenon or occurrence to other things.
Evaluation Essays
An evaluation essay should provide a thorough examination of a subject. Start by creating a list of criteria to guide your assessment. You can then evaluate the subject in each of those areas to see how well it scores. Comparing the subject to related items or ideas can provide another layer of depth to your evaluation.
Synthesis Essays
A synthesis essay should combine ideas or incorporate views from multiple sources—think of it as analyzing all sides of a subject through multiple lenses. This essay requires you to make connections between different items and then present your findings in essay form, making it one of the most difficult types of essays for students at all academic levels.
Process Essay
A process essay is similar to a how-to article. It breaks a topic down into steps. This structure works well if you want to educate your audience on how something works. It’s also the best format if you want to explain to readers how you did something or how they can do something themselves.
