The best essay structure types and examples
If you want to be successful academically, you will probably have to write tons of essays. It is one of the most usual assignments given to students at school. If you want to get into a college, you will probably have to write an essay in your application.
There are tons of different essay structures. But what is the best one? Well, we can’t say for sure. But we know that there are some essay structures that are considered.
So, today we are going to provide you with the best structures and give you an outline for each of them. Let’s get going. Every outline will have five paragraphs, because this is the usual amount of paragraphs in an essay.
Argumentative Essay
When you want to write an argumentative essay, you will need to research the topic thoroughly. After you have collected all the information needed, you will need to take a stand on the topic, by presenting your arguments (hence the name argumentative).
Our suggested outline for an argumentative essay would be the following:
Introduction
- Provide some information about the topic you’ll write about
- State your opinion about the topic (also known as thesis)
- Outline the arguments you’ll write about
Main Body
- Write topic sentences for each of the arguments
- Give some explanations about each argument
- Link each paragraph with the next one
Conclusion
- Summarise the key points of the essay
- Restate your opinion
Analytical Essay
This is one of the most used structures, because of its versatility. All that it really is, is an analysis of the text you are given. You will need to find the literary terms that are used, so that the text is clear.
Our suggested outline for an analytical essay would be the following:
Introduction
- Provide some information about the topic you’ll write about
- State your opinion about the topic (also known as thesis)
- Outline the components you’ll write about
Main Body
- Write topic sentences for each of the component
- Give some explanations about each component
- Link each paragraph with the next one
Conclusion
- Summarise the key points of the essay
- Conclude, predict or recommend, depending on the topic
Interpretive Essay
An interpretive essay, as the name suggests, is an essay in which the writer must interpret and analyse a subject. The analysis consists of gathering information from the subject you’re given (this is usually a work of literature), in order to provide some solutions or recommendations, or find the meaning of it.
Our suggested outline for an interpretive essay would be the following:
Introduction
- Provide some information about the topic you’ll write about
- State the overall interpretation (also known as thesis)
- Outline all the issues you’ll write about
Main Body
- Write topic sentences for each of the issues you have found
- Give some more information and about each issue, and further explain by offering proof
- Link each paragraph with the next one
Conclusion
- Summarise the key points of the essay
- Make some recommendations, depending on the topic
- Restate the thesis (overall statement)
Comparative Essay
A comparative essay is an essay in which you will have to usually compare two or more items (hence the name Comparative). You will need to find the things that are similar and the ones that are different between the items.
Our suggested outline for a comparative essay would be the following:
Introduction
- Provide some information about the topic you’ll write about
- Give a reason behind you writing this essay
- Outline the items that you will be comparing, contrasting, or analysing
- Analyse the key points you will write about
Main Body
- Write topic sentences for every similar or different feature/characteristic you find
- Give some reasoning behind you selecting the certain features/characteristics
- Link each paragraph with the next one
Conclusion
- Repeat the reason of you writing the essay
- Summarise the key points of the essay
- Make an overall conclusion of the topic
- If needed, recommend which item would be better for a certain situation
Cause and Effect Essay
In a cause and effect essay, you will be asked to analyse a certain topic and find its causes or its results (or both). Such topics could be based in history, an illness and many more. You will have two different choices when it comes to structuring. You will either present the causes first, followed by the effects, or vice versa.
Our suggested outline for a cause and effect essay would be the following:
Introduction
- Provide some information about the topic you’ll discuss
- Explain the circumstances
- Outline the causes or effects you’ll write about
Main Body
- Write topic sentences for each of the effects or causes
- Give some explanations about each cause or effect to back your selection
- Link each paragraph with the next one
Conclusion
- Summarize the key points of the essay
- Conclude, predict or recommend, depending on the topic
Conclusion
We hope that this article helped you find the best essay structure type for you. As you saw, there are many choices to choose from. All you need to do is start writing. Happy Writing!