Informative essays are a breeze to write, yet many students find themselves stuck in writing the introduction. Some can’t even think of a good essay topic when there are many subjects to write about. If you are one of these students, know that there is still hope. What we mean is that you can always seek the help of paper writing services like write my paper, or you can choose to work on your knowledge on how to write an informative essay. The choice is entirely yours.
Being an excellent essay writer doesn’t happen in a day. It requires consistent training and applying writing techniques that work. If you are interested in speeding up your writing skill enhancement so you can start drafting your informative essay, read this article entirely. Similarly, if you want to read a definitive guide in writing a compare and contrast essay and an argumentative essay, you will find our other blogs helpful.
Table of Contents
What is an informative essay?
An informative essay is a piece of writing that aims to inform the readers about a particular person, object, event, issue, or phenomenon. After finishing an entire informative essay, the readers are expected to gain something– maybe a particular fact or an opinion that can change his view of that specific topic. Here is a more detailed breakdown of the purpose of an informative essay:
1. To explain the importance of a particular subject.
2. To analyze relationships between two things.
3. To inform the readers about a topic that is unfamiliar to them.
4. To present the current trends.
Steps in writing an informative essay
There are a lot of informative essay examples and guides you will find on the internet, but most of them are too exhausting to read because they are very technical. We don’t want you to get bored reading this article, so we’re keeping it short but detailed. Here are five easy steps on how to write an informative essay:
Step 1: Choose the topic
Many students don’t have any idea on how to start an informative essay. Well, the first step in any writing process is thinking of a topic. Unfortunately, many students, even those who are already taking their graduate studies, find it hard to choose a subject. Below are some useful reminders in deciding where to focus on your informative essay:
- Choose specific topics over broader ones.
- Avoid topics you do not have any idea of, or you aren’t interested in writing about.
- Ensure that the topic is relevant to society and not trivial.
- Read the guidelines given by your teacher if there is any.
Informative essay topics
A. Sample topics for High School
- The role of the internet in our lives
- Why the relationship between parents and children is important
- How to take care of the environment
- Greatest inventions in history
- The importance of freedom and independence
- Becoming a writer
- Hollywood actors
- What it means to be happy
- Leadership skills
- Favorite novel
- Living in the old days without technology
- Favorite film of all time
- Christianity and Atheism
- Friendship rules
- Family values
- The value of tolerance
- How to eradicate bullying
- What is a pop culture
- The logo of the Olympic games
- Most exciting event from history
- Dream college
- Nuclear energy
- Gun control
- How do the homeless survive
- Why are school textbooks expensive
- TV censorship
- The life cycle of a specific animal
- Skills required for vlogging
B. Sample topics for College
- Marijuana Legalization
- Using filthy language at school
- Addiction causes
- Where did the universe originate
- Prostitution and how we view it
- Modern technology and its impact on our lives
- Notable leaders in history
- Body language
- Handwriting interpretation
- Top sights to visit
- The science of astrology
- Censorship and mass media
- How the UK parliament works
- An inspiring fictional character
- How recycling can end pollution
- Why it is important to vote
- The current state of women’s rights
- Election changes over the years
- The consequences of illegal immigration
- Cybersecurity
- How to use a MacBook
- What is artificial intelligence
- Female leaders and their strategies
- How to create a horror film
- Why do some people wear a hijab
- The current view on plastic surgery
- Effects of smoking
- Overcoming anxiety and depression
- Modern planting techniques
- Type of human-made disasters
- Effects of consuming too much fast food
Step 2: Research!
After figuring out the topic of your informative essay, the next logical step on how to write an informative essay is to research what you will include in your paper. By only doing an internet search, you’ll find a lot of relevant information that most people aren’t aware of. Use them to craft an interesting essay that will make the reader consume your writing from beginning to end. Just be careful not to get details from non-reputable sites.
Step 3: Create an informative essay outline
An essay outline will serve as your guide in creating your first draft. This will contain every single detail that you would like to share with your reader in informative writing. Below are the three types of outline that you can use:
1. Alphanumeric outlines (Roman numerals, capitalized letters, Arabic numerals, lowercase letters)
2. Full-sentence outlines
3. Decimal outlines
Step 4: Write the essay following a four-part structure
Following a particular form is also essential if you want an organized paper. We strongly suggest that you use the four-part structure in informative writing which is composed of the introduction, thesis, body, and conclusion.
A. Introduction
The introduction will give the reader an idea about your chosen topic. You can do this by providing a brief background of the subject or stating the current issues. Ensure that you write in an exciting way because this is the deciding factor whether the reader will finish your whole essay.
Here is a sample of an informative essay introduction from Western Technical College. The title of this piece is Tenacity: Vital to Success.
For many, the demands of college are the greatest challenges they have yet faced. Daily, students are exposed to a barrage of new ideas that they must quickly grasp to meet ever-present deadlines. This unrelenting process is made more difficult with schedule conflicts with work, financial difficulties, and other personal problems. Many are overwhelmed by it all, yet every year people graduate while others dropout.
B. Thesis
A thesis statement contains what you want to share with the readers and why it is relevant in an informative essay. It doesn’t have to be very detailed because your body will serve as its explanation. Here are the steps to writing your thesis statement:
- Answer the prompt
- Be specific
- Take a stance
- Answer the “How” and “Why”
Here is the continuation of the sample used for the introduction, which contains the thesis statement:
In most cases, only one thing separates those that graduate from those that dropout. That one thing is tenacity. Tenacity is found in all people that succeed and it has benefits even in failure.
C. Body
The body paragraphs should cover all the interesting facts about the topic and details that are unknown to the reader. Your goal in these sections is to intrigue your reader and make them gain new knowledge based on what you have written. Here are the three integral elements of the body of an informative essay:
1. Claim
2. Supportive evidence
3. Explanation
The example body of an informative paragraph below is an excerpt from the same essay used in the discussion about the introduction and thesis statement:
The importance of tenacity is stressed by those that have studied success. Napoleon Hill spent twenty years studying success and was a pioneer in the field. Hill determined that persistence was a key factor in achieving success. In his monumental book, Think and Grow Rich, Hill states, “Lack of persistence is one of the major causes of failure. Moreover, experience with thousands of people has proved that lack of persistence is a weakness common to the majority of men” (152). Hill goes on to say, “One thing we all know, if one does not possess persistence, one does not achieve noteworthy success in any calling” (155).
Anthony Robbins has built a multi-million dollar empire by teaching people to be successful. His “Ultimate Success Formula” is the essence of tenacity. First, the tenacious must define a goal. Second, they take action to achieve the goal. Finally, they notice if what they are doing is working or not, and adapt their approach until they reach their goal (Robbins, 11).
The value of tenacity is proven repeatedly in various success stories. Colonel Sanders, the founder of KFC, did not begin creating a chicken franchise until he was a sixty-five years old retiree. Deeming his Social Security checks too small, he looked for something he could do to bring in more money. He had a great chicken recipe and believed a restaurant would use his recipe and give him a percent of the profits from the recipe. It was absurd to assume a restaurant would share profits with someone else when they already have a chicken recipe they can use for free. In fact, the idea was not an easy sell, but Sanders would not give up on his idea. He was turned down one thousand nine times before a restaurant made a deal with him. Had he stopped at ten, or one hundred, or even one thousand rejections he would not have reaped the rewards from his not-so-crazy idea (Robbins, 13-14).
D. Conclusion
The last part of the informative essay is the conclusion. This should contain one to two paragraphs summarizing the main details you have discussed in the body. You should also restate your thesis statement to remind the reader of your goal. However, remember not to include new facts because they may cause confusion.
Here is the conclusion to the sample we have used earlier:
Currently, I am among the top students in all my classes. However, tenacity makes no promises that I will stay at the top of my classes. Though tenacity may not always be good enough to pass tests or classes, it does guarantee that I will give my absolute best, and it will see me through any failure I must endure. Most important, as long as I remain tenacious, tenacity promises that I will receive my degree.
The French scientist Louis Pasteur sums up tenacity best with his quote, “Let me tell you the secret which has led me to the goal. My only strength resides in my tenacity.” (Dubos, 63). Ultimately, the level of one’s tenacity determines the level of success one achieves in life. Whether it is because of faith, love, or a deep sense of purpose, people that have tenacity will live a more fulfilling life than those that collapse at every obstacle.
Step 6: Review your draft
The last but equally important step on how to write an informative essay is the post-writing. This is when you review your initial draft. If you are not sure about your proofreading and editing skills, ask the help of a friend who can critique your work. You can also seek the help of professionals because they can point out some areas that need revision that even your expert friend would not notice.
Conclusion
We hope that through this guide, you’ll be more equipped in writing a good essay. Remember that your primary goal is to leave something in your readers’ minds and impressing them just comes second.
Here is a recap of the five easy steps how to write an informative essay that you can also apply if you want to be a freelance writer:
Step 1: Choose the topic
Step 2: Research!
Step 3: Create an informative essay outline
Step 4: Write the essay following a four-part structure
- Introduction
- Thesis
- Body
- Conclusion
Step 5: Review your draft
Did we miss any vital step or tip on how to write an informative essay? Feel free to comment them below!
Todd VanDuzer
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