Are you having trouble starting your informative essay? Every student encounters a type of informative essay writing more than once in their academic life. It can cover any subject, course or topic. A student may not know how to write an informative essay or even when they are writing one. We will talk about finding topics, introducing and concluding your essay and, most of all, what you shouldn’t do when writing your informative essay. Follow our expert advice to write an excellent essay.
What is an informative essay?
To define informative essay simply, it is an essay that teaches an audience on a particular topic. It can be a definition, analysis or comparison between two or more things. However, it is not an opinion piece. The essay reader is free to make their own opinion on the topic discussed.
So, how do you begin creating your essay? The first step is to identify your focus area and narrow it down to an original topic. Sometimes, your teacher will give you a good topic. If your professor does not assign you an idea that you will write about, you will need to come up with your own. So, before you can begin to write your informative essay, you need to think about potential topics that are both interesting and new to your reader.
What you should avoid in writing your informative essay:
- Don’t put too many facts in your essay. Your focus should be to make your topic narrow but relevant and informative.
- Don’t start your introduction with meaningless phrases. Go straight to the main point of your essay from the start.
- Don’t draw too much from another person’s work. Your professor expects you to present fresh, well-written ideas. Do your independent research. It is the only way to create new and interesting work.
- Don’t forget to format and proofread your essay. Your MS Word grammar checker is not enough to guarantee that your work is free from typos. Always proofread your work.
- Don’t address your reader directly as ‘you’ in your academic essay. Avoid usage of first-person pronouns as well.
Structure your informative essay correctly
A majority of college students have limited knowledge on how to structure an informative essay. The key aspect to remember when writing your essay is to present a brief idea of the facts while showing that you adequately understand them by making an independent assessment. Prove to your professor that you possess the ability to correctly format and structure your essay by using a simple yet distinct style.
Writing your essay in the right structure not only impresses your instructor but can also earn you extra marks. Include a thesis, the main argument and then a conclusion. An improper structure depicts a lack of preparation. Teachers and professors have different ways of assessing the effort a student makes on an assignment, and paper structuring is a standard technique.
Tips on informative essay paragraph structure:
- Tread carefully between formal and informal language. Academic writing is a form of formal writing and therefore should use formal English expressions. However, too formal may make your writing dull.
- Discuss separate ideas in individual paragraphs. Let each independent idea have its own paragraph.
- Use transitioning words to connect paragraphs. Hence, your work will flow from one point to another.
- Make your paragraphs short. Long paragraphs tend to make your work look bulky, thus scaring the reader.
Compose a captivating introduction to your informative essay
Not familiar with the aspects to include in your informative paper introduction? You need to know how to write informative essay introduction to get your audience interested. The aim is to hook the reader with the first introductory statement. A good example you could use is mnemonics.
The last sentence of your introduction paragraph should outline your thesis statement. Though there is no right or wrong length for your informative essay introduction paragraph, a maximum of eight sentences is sufficient for stating your paper’s main ideas. However, the essay length dictates the introduction span.
How to write your college informative essay body paragraphs
The length of the body section of your informative essay is usually up to your institution. However, the standard for most informative essays is three to five paragraphs. Your ideas will dictate the number of paragraphs. For each paragraph, you need to discuss a different idea relating to your main topic. The format for high school or university informative essay body paragraphs, you must begin with a topic statement. It should introduce the idea discussed in the paragraph.
Link your main points to the thesis statement. For every aspect you give in your body paragraphs, you must provide supporting evidence. The thesis statement is your claim, so, the essay body’s purpose is to provide substantial evidence to support your claim.
Write an epic conclusion to your informative essay
As you wrap up your essay paper, you need to restate the essay thesis statement. Write an informative essay’s conclusion that presents your final thoughts on the topic a new way. End by explaining the motivation for the essay.
How to develop innovative topics for your informative essay
If you are still stuck in finding a suitable top, here are vital steps to coming up with informative essay topics:
- Choose a subject that you have some experience and interest in; don’t tackle something you have completely no idea of.
- Research and brainstorm for topic ideas in a chosen subject. You can find inspiration online or in things happening around you.
- Compare the pros and limitations of each idea. Briefly note the points supporting and opposing each idea.
- Select a topic and then narrow down its scope. Select a favorable topic based on your essay rubric. If it’s still too broad, narrow it down a little further.
- Create an outline to see if your idea is viable. Make an essay outline to evaluate if your topic works in practice. We’ll help you write the informative essay.
