Like most five-paragraph essays, the expository essay begins with an introduction. The introduction should begin with an attention-getter, something that will interest your audience and is relevant to the topic and your particular angle. Statistics, famous or profound quotes or anecdotes are good examples of attention-getters. Next, the introduction should give necessary background information. Finally, the most important part of the introduction is the thesis statement. The thesis statement, which is usually one sentence, is a concise summary of your argument. It should include a topic, what you're writing about, a claim, the argument you're making, and the major support points you will be using to support that claim. For instance, you might write, "Teachers should use multiple methods of assessment in the classroom because this benefits students with diverse learning styles, proves that students can apply the material learned and offers teachers greater insight into which skills students must review."
Because most expository essays are written in typical five-paragraph essay format, many writers include three body paragraphs. Each body paragraph needs to correspond to one of the areas of support that you identified in your thesis statement. To make it clear to your instructor that you are answering the argument you set forth in your thesis, write topic sentences for each paragraph that contain the same words that appear in the support portion of your thesis statement. However, don't be afraid to change the formatting of your essay based on the type of writing you are doing. According to the Purdue Online Writing Lab, an expository essay "can be accomplished through comparison and contrast, definition, example, the analysis of cause and effect, etc." If you choose to write a definition paper, for instance, you might have a paragraph devoted to the current definition of a term, a paragraph explaining why this definition is inadequate and a paragraph where you propose your own definition. No matter what organizing strategy you choose, support all of your claims with evidence.
Though there are types of writing in which it pays to use artistic, creative language, the expository essay is not one. Because the goal of the essay is to prove that you can think and write intelligently about a topic, your language needs to clearly communicate your understanding of the topic and the voice you've added to the common debates about the topic. Be as concise as possible while still writing clearly; expository essays usually are not very long. However, don't forget about transitions. These are essential for your reader to understand your text. According to Essay Writing Help, "Transitions confirm the organization and the logic of your composition as they allow the reader to move smoothly from point to point of your essay."
The conclusion can be one of the most challenging aspects of the expository essay because you're likely short on words and time by the time you get to it. However, the Purdue Online Writing Lab notes, "This is the portion of the essay that will leave the most immediate impression on the mind of the reader." For this reason, the resource states that you should not include new information in the conclusion. However, neither should you simply repeat the thesis statement or what you have said in the paper's body. Instead, show your audience how the information in the essay has worked together to help you make the point you stated in your thesis statement. You might also include what this information implies. Does more research need to be done? Should the reader take a certain action? Answering questions like these can help you write an effective expository conclusion.