examples of 5th grade informative essays

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5th grade writing samples.

Fifth Grade Opinion Writing Sample 1

Fifth Grade Opinion Writing Sample 2

Fifth Grade Opinion Writing Sample 3

Fifth Grade Opinion Writing Sample 4

Fifth Grade Informative Essay Prompt

Fifth Grade Informative Essay Sample 1

Fifth Grade Informative Essay Sample 2

Fifth Grade Informative Essay Sample 3

Fifth Grade Informative Essay Sample 4

Fifth Grade Narrative Essay Prompt

Fifth Grade Narrative Essay Sample 1

Fifth Grade Narrative Essay Sample 2

Fifth Grade Narrative Essay Sample 4

5th grade writing

by: Jessica Kelmon | Updated: August 4, 2022

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By now, your child knows that writing is a process that requires research, feedback, and revision. This year, kids are expected to respond to others’ prompts for improvement and learn how to evaluate their own work, too.

Super study skills

In fifth grade, taking notes becomes an essential academic skill. Fifth graders use books, periodicals, websites, and other sources to do short research projects. Kids learn to use several sources to investigate a topic from different angles — both on their own and as part of group work with peers. Your child should keep track of all the sources they use and note what they learn, the name of the source, and the page number or url so they can find it again to create a source list or bibliography later. A big step in your child’s research process this year: taking the time to review, categorize, and summarize or paraphrase the information they’ve learned. What did your child find out about the animal’s habitat from each source? Sorting evidence into categories and summarizing information will help your fifth grader with the planning, writing, and revising stages of their writing project.

Can your 5th grader get organized to write an essay?

Revise, rewrite

By now, your child should understand that writing is a process requiring several steps: planning, first draft, revisions, editing, and publishing or sharing work. Your child’s planning work should include reading and rereading, taking notes, finding additional sources, discussing how new knowledge fits into what your child knew before, visually organizing the information they plan to include, and determining the best way to clearly present their evidence as a cohesive set of points. After the first draft is written, the teacher and other students will offer feedback: asking questions to elicit new details, suggesting ways to clarify an argument, or pressing for new sources of information. Don’t be surprised if there are a few rounds of revisions this year: it’s how your child’s writing gets stronger. If revisions aren’t enough to improve your child’s writing, then this year your child may be required to rewrite the piece or try a new approach . Once the structure and contents are set, final edits are the time to perfect spelling and grammar. All this work on one writing assignment is meant to help your child think of writing as a multistep process so they can evaluate their work and see that — if it’s not up to snuff — they should keep trying until it is.

Fifth grade writing: opinion pieces

Your child’s opinion pieces should start by clearly stating an opinion about a topic. Then, kids should set up and follow a logically ordered structure to introduce each reason they’ll offer in support of their opinion. Their reasons should be supported by facts and details (a.k.a. evidence), and your child should use linking words, such as additionally, consequently , and specifically to connect evidence-backed reasons to their opinion. Finally, kids should close their argument with a well-articulated conclusion that supports their original opinion.

Fifth grade writing: informative writing

Logic reigns when evaluating your fifth grader’s informative writing. The purpose of this type of writing is to convey facts and ideas clearly. So a logically ordered presentation of supporting points is, well… quite logical. Your child should clearly introduce the topic and present related information in the form of a few clear, well-thought-out paragraphs. Kids should draw on facts, definitions, concrete details, quotes, and examples from their research to thoroughly develop their topic. To clearly connect their research, fifth graders should use advanced linking words (e.g. in contrast, especially ) to form compound and complex sentences that convey their points. Remember that your child’s presentation matters: making use of subject headings, illustrations, and even multimedia to illustrate points is encouraged whenever they make your child’s work more logical and clear. Then, to wrap it up, your child should have a well-reasoned conclusion.

Check out these three real examples of good 5th grade informational writing: •” How to save water ” •” Saving a Resource ” •” Water Saveing ”

Can your 5th grader write an informational essay?

5th grade writing: narrative writing

A narrative is a story. Whether inspired by a book, real events, or your child’s imagination, your child’s story should start by introducing a narrator, characters, or a situational conflict. Fifth graders will be asked to use classic narrative devices like dialogue, descriptive words, and character development. Your child should be able to show how characters feel and how they react to what’s happening. Finally, the events should unfold naturally, plausibly bringing the story to a close.

Grammatically correct

By now, your fifth grader should have a solid understanding of the parts of speech. This year, your child should learn to use and explain the function of conjunctions (e.g. because, yet ), prepositions (e.g. above, without ), and interjections (e.g. Hi, well, dear ). Kids should also start using correlative conjunctions (e.g. either/or, neither/nor ). What’s more, students learn to form and use the past, present, and future perfect tenses ( I had walked; I have walked; I will have walked. ). With this tense mastered, fifth graders will be expected to use various verb tenses to convey a sequence of events and to recognize and correct any inappropriate shifts in tense.

Check out this related worksheet: •  Active and passive sentences

More sophisticated language

This year your child will: • Regularly refer to print and online dictionaries, thesauruses, and glossaries to spell challenging words correctly. • Use academic vocabulary words in writing. • Use more nuanced descriptions (think advanced synonyms and antonyms). • Master homographs (e.g. understand that bear means the animal and to support or carry). • Employ common idioms, adages, and proverbs (e.g. “born yesterday”; “the early bird gets the worm”; “failure teaches success” ) • Interpret figurative language like similes (e.g. “light as a feather” ) and metaphors ( “it’s a dream come true” ).

This year, your child will learn to use commas after a sentence’s introductory segment (e.g. Earlier this morning, we ate breakfast .), to set off the words yes and no in writing (e.g. Y es, we will ; and no, thank you ), to set off a question from the rest of a sentence (e.g. It’s true, isn’t it? ), and to show direct address. (e.g. Is that you, Mike? ) Your child will also use commas to separate items in a series. (e.g. I want eggs, pancakes, and juice .)

Your child should also be taught how to consistently use quotation marks, italics, or underlining to indicate titles when citing sources in reports and papers.

Check out these related worksheets: •  Punctuating a paragraph • Simile or cliche? •  Homophones and homographs

And it’s live!

The final step in writing this year? Publishing! Once all the hard work (the research, planning, writing, revisions, edits, and rewrites) are finished, your fifth grader’s ready to publish. Many classes will experiment with printing work or publishing it on a blog, website, or app. While teachers should be there for support, your child should be doing the work. The point is to learn keyboarding skills (2 full pages is the goal for fifth graders) and to interact and collaborate with peers. This could mean, for example, that your child reads a classmate’s published work online and either comments on it or references it when answering a question in class.

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70+ Fascinating Informative Essay Topics for Kids and Teens

Tell them what you know.

Informative essays are a chance to show what you know. They’re all about informing the reader, without trying to persuade or offer an opinion. Informative writing can include how-to process essays, biographical writing, an in-depth analysis of a topic, research papers, or compare-and-contrast essays . Just remember to stick to the facts, and be clear and descriptive. These informative essay topics offer something for all interests and ages.

How-To Informative Essay Topics

Social studies informative essay topics, science informative essay topics, pop culture informative essay topics.

Teach your reader the steps or process to:

• Cook a recipe
• Set a table
• Make a quilt
• Change a tire
• Start a recycling program
• Play a game
• Build a birdhouse
• Plant a garden
• Make and care for a compost pile

• Care for an animal
• Start a business
• Catch a fish
• Tie a necktie
• Train for a marathon
• Prepare a campsite
• Make a campfire
• Clean a room
• Wrap a gift
• Plan a party
• Kick a bad habit
• Use social media responsibly

• Manage time effectively
• Make a budget
• Describe the life of a world leader.
• How has the role of women in the workplace changed in the last hundred years?

• Explore the current path to becoming an American citizen.
• What are some of the possible ways the pyramids were built?
• Describe a time period in history.
• How does one country’s economy affect another country?
• What is the difference between socialism and communism?
• Explore the benefits and drawbacks of legalizing drugs.
• Describe the political system in a foreign country.
• Explore the causes of a specific war or armed conflict in history.

• How is a new law passed in the United States?
• Give an overview of the history of any country, state, or city.
• Describe the three branches of American government.
• Explain how the American judicial system works.
• Describe the evolution of fashion throughout history.
• Describe a science experiment, including the hypothesis, process, and conclusion.

• Explain what it means to lead a healthy lifestyle.
• What is the relationship between calories and fat?
• What is the physics behind a bicycle?
• How do plants convert sunlight into energy?
• Describe any element from the periodic table, including its makeup and uses.
• What is the difference between a crocodile and an alligator?
• Describe the life cycle of any animal.
• What are the benefits of recycling?
• Describe the life of a prominent scientist.
• Explain what E = mc 2 means.
• Describe any disease, including its symptoms and treatments.

• Why do leaves change color in the fall?
• Explain the difference between climate and weather.
• Describe a specific ecosystem, including the plants and animals that live there.
• Describe the history of video games.
• What are recent trends in the video game industry?
• Describe your favorite superhero.
• Explain the motivations of any fictional villain.
• Describe the life of your favorite celebrity.
• Explore the development and growth of a main character in any book series.

• Describe the process of making a movie or TV show.
• Tell the story of any band, including its founding, successes and challenges, and breakup (if applicable).
• Describe the life of a famous artist.
• Explore the history of Disney World (or any theme park).
• Plan the perfect fantasy football league team.
• Describe popular trends and fads from any decade.
• Explore the history of the Olympics.
• Describe the music of a generation and how it reflected that time.

• Explain the history of the internet.

What are some of your favorite informative essay topics? Come share your ideas in the WeAreTeachers HELPLINE group on Facebook .

Plus, check out the big list of essay topics for high school (100+ ideas).

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Student Writing Samples | Informational Writing

Informational Writing- Grade 5 - Beach

Read Time 4 mins | Dec 8, 2021 12:09:26 PM | Written by: Toolbox

Informational/Opinion Writing Grade 5 Sample The Beach

Feedback for Improvement

Topic:  the beach Main Idea #1:  shells Main Idea #2:  relaxation Main Idea #3:  volleyball

This young author has attempted to write an informational piece about the beach.  There are some things that he has done well, but there is also room for improvement, especially when it comes to transitions.  Although most of the sentences flow nicely, there are others that do not.

In addition, a conversation about genre would be helpful .  Although this assignment was to write an informational piece, and this does provide information to the reader, it is full of opinion language (I love...Ahhh...now that’s relaxing…) suggests that the author’s purpose is to express and support a strong opinion about the topic.  This is an important distinction to make , and one that the author needs to be clear about.  A straight piece of informational writing should stick to objective information rather than these types of opinion statements. 

What worked:

Let’s look closer at the strengths first. This student has chosen broad yet distinct main ideas/reasons for the beach experience.  He elaborates on these main ideas/reasons throughout the piece and does a fair job supporting them with details.  The use of the detail generating questions, “What does it look like?  Why is that important?” would help this author further elaborate.

Feedback with Prescriptive Lesson:

CHOOSE a Focus Skill: What skill will make the biggest impact for this writer?

Transitions and Sentence Variety:  A closer look reveals an area where there is room for growth.  The second paragraph reads... The first reason I love about the beach is that there is many different types of shells.  Later in the paper he writes... Another way to relax is to close your eyes, hear the sounds, and take a deep breath.   These are weak and predictable transitions. This child needs help with sentence variety.  

• Section 2 Lesson 10: Alternatives to Boring, Redundant Main Idea/Reason Sentences
• Section 2 Lesson 11: Revising Boring, Redundant Main Idea/Reason Sentences
• Section 2 Lesson 12: Main Idea Blurbs into Sentences
• Section 4 Lesson 11: Transitional Words and Phrases

With the Empowering Writers curriculum, students are exposed to transition sentence starters to help with sentence flow.  Let’s look at an example...

• It’s amazing to think about the different types of shells , instead of... The first reason...
• Who wouldn’t enjoy closing their eyes, listening to nature sound, while taking deep breaths?   instead of... Another way.

Young writers need to be given a variety of transition words and phrases to use in place of redundant, predictable language.  Once you give them the words to use and teach them how to make their sentences flow naturally, one to another, it will make a big impact in their writing.

Recommended Resources

• Empowering Writer's Methodology
• Informational & Opinion Writing Guide for Grade 5

Free Printable Informational Writing Worksheets for 5th Grade

Informational Writing: Discover a collection of free printable Reading & Writing worksheets tailored for Grade 5 teachers, designed to enhance students' understanding and skills in Informational Writing.

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Explore printable Informational Writing worksheets for 5th Grade

Informational Writing worksheets for Grade 5 are an essential tool for teachers to help their students develop strong reading and writing skills. These worksheets are specifically designed to engage fifth graders in the process of reading and writing nonfiction texts, which is a crucial component of their language arts curriculum. By using these worksheets, teachers can provide their students with a variety of engaging topics and activities that will challenge them to think critically and creatively about the information they are reading. Furthermore, these worksheets will help students to improve their ability to organize and present information in a clear and concise manner, which is a vital skill for success in both their academic and professional lives. Informational Writing worksheets for Grade 5 are a valuable resource for teachers who want to provide their students with the best possible foundation for success in reading and writing nonfiction texts.

Quizizz is an excellent platform for teachers to use in conjunction with Informational Writing worksheets for Grade 5, as it offers a wide range of interactive quizzes and activities that can help to reinforce the skills and concepts taught in the classroom. By incorporating Quizizz into their lesson plans, teachers can create a more engaging and dynamic learning environment for their students, which can lead to improved comprehension and retention of the material being studied. In addition to quizzes, Quizizz also offers a variety of other resources, such as flashcards and games, which can be used to supplement the worksheets and provide additional opportunities for students to practice and apply their reading and writing skills. By combining the use of Informational Writing worksheets for Grade 5 with the innovative tools and resources available through Quizizz, teachers can create a comprehensive and effective learning experience that will help their students to excel in the area of nonfiction writing.

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Printable 5th Grade Informational Writing Worksheets

In this summer writing prompt worksheet, children will describe their summer plans, including the activities they'll do and the places they'll go.

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When I look back to my first experience teaching five paragraph essays to fifth graders, I can remember how terribly unprepared I felt.

I knew that the five paragraph essay format was what my students needed to help them pass our state’s writing assessment but I had no idea where to start.

I researched the few grade-appropriate essays I could find online (these were the days before Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers) and determined that there was a structure to follow.

Every essay followed the same basic structure. I taught the structure to my students and they did well.

I have been teaching five paragraph essay structure and everything that goes with it for several years now. I hope that after you read this blog post, you will have a good understanding of how to teach and grade five paragraph essays.

Once you’ve learned all about teaching basic essay structure, you’ll be ready to grow your writers from “blah” to brilliant! 

Teaching five paragraph essays is just one part of teaching 5th grade writing. Click here to find out exactly how I teach writing to my 5th graders! 

Start with Simple Paragraphs

We always start with simple paragraphs.

Yes, this is basic, but if your students cannot write excellent paragraphs, their five paragraph essays will be train wrecks. Trust me!

We spend a while cementing paragraph structure:

Topic Sentence

Closing Sentence

I give students topics, they come up with their own topics, we write together, they write with a partner or independently, the more variety, the better.

We have fun with simple paragraphs. Then, it’s time to move on to body paragraphs.

Organize and Write Body Paragraphs

Please refer to my five paragraph essay organizer below.

The three body paragraphs are absolutely crucial to the success of the five paragraph essay.

Some teachers have trouble teaching the structure of five paragraph essays because they start with the introduction paragraph.

Always teach the body paragraphs first!

I had a teacher say to me once, “What’s the point of just writing parts of the essay? They need to write the entire five paragraphs to get all of the practice they need.”

I understand that point. However, think of it as building a house. Should you test out the foundation and make sure it’s sound and sturdy before building on top of it? Absolutely! That’s what we’re doing here.

The three body paragraphs are the foundation of the essay.

Ask students to write out their three body paragraphs just like they have practiced…Topic sentence…Detail 1…Detail 2…Detail 3…Closing Sentence.

I “ooooh and aaaah” over their three paragraphs. Students are on their way to five paragraph essays, so be sure to build their confidence.

Teach the Introduction Paragraph

I have to say, this is my favorite paragraph to teach. The introduction paragraph is what draws readers into the essay and makes them want to read more.

We start with what I call a “hook.” The hook captures the readers’ attention and can come in many forms: asking a question, making a bold statement, sharing a memory, etc.

After the hook, I ask students to add a sentence or two of applicable commentary about the hook or about the prompt in general.

Finally, we add the thesis sentence. The thesis sentence always follows the same formula: Restate the prompt, topic 1, topic 2, and topic 3.

That’s all you need to write an excellent introduction paragraph!

I do suggest having students write the introduction paragraph plus body paragraphs a couple of times before teaching the closing paragraph.

Teach the Closing Paragraph

In the conclusion paragraph, we mainly focus on restating the thesis and including an engaging closing thought.

With my students, I use the analogy of a gift.

The introduction paragraph and body paragraphs are the gift and the conclusion paragraph is the ribbon that ties everything together and finishes the package.

When you talk about restating the thesis sentence, tell students that they need to make it sound different enough from their original thesis sentence to save their readers from boredom.

Who wants to read the same thing twice? No one!

Students can change up the format and wording a bit to make it fresh.

I enjoy teaching the closing thought because it’s so open to however students want to create it.

Ways to write the closing thought: ask a question, personal statement, call to action, or even a quote. 

I especially like reading the essays in which a quote is used as a closing thought or a powerful statement is used.

Example of a full five paragraph essay

Let’s Talk About Color-Coding!

Who doesn’t like to color? This is coloring with a purpose!

Training your students to color-code their paragraphs and essays will make grading so much easier and will provide reminders and reinforcements for students.

When students color-code their writing, they must think about the parts of their paragraphs, like topic sentences, details, and the closing sentence.

They will be able to see if they are missing something or if they’ve written something out of order.

Color-coding is a wonderful help for the teacher because you can skim to ensure that all parts of your students’ paragraphs and essays are present.

Also, when you are grading, you can quickly scan the paragraphs and essays. Trust me, you will develop a quick essay-grading ability.

I start color-coding with my students at the very beginning when they are working on simple paragraphs. I add the additional elements of the color-code as we progress through our five paragraph essays.

This is the code that I use:

Let’s Talk About Grading Five Paragraph Essays!

Imagine a lonely, stressed teacher grading five paragraph essays on the couch while her husband is working the night shift.

That was me!

Seriously, guys, I would spend about ten minutes per essay. I marked every little error, I made notes for improvement and notes of encouragement. I reworked their incorrect structure.

Those papers were full of marks.

On Monday, I proudly brought back the essays and asked students to look over them and learn what they needed to fix for next time.

You can guess what happened… there were lots of graded essays in the trashcan at the end of the day.

I decided that my grading practices had to change. I needed my weekends back and my students needed to find their own errors!

This is my best advice:

STOP correcting every error!

Your students are not benefiting from marks all over their writing. They need to find those errors themselves so that they will remember their mistakes and change their writing habits.

Do a quick scan of each student’s writing as soon as it’s turned in to you.

If there are major problems with a student’s writing, call him/her over individually and show him/her what needs to be fixed or put the student with a competent peer editor who will help them fix mistakes.

If you have several students who are struggling with a skill, like closing sentences, do a mini-lesson on this topic.

You can do a mini-lesson with a small group. However, I prefer doing mini-lessons with the entire class. The kids who need help will get it and the rest of your class will receive a refresher.

It’s OK if there are some small spelling/grammar mistakes!

If the errors are few and they don’t take away from the meaning/flow of the essay, I don’t worry about them.

Our students are still learning.

Even your brightest star writer will have a few spelling/grammar mistakes from time to time.

Don’t discourage students from writing because of small errors.

Students who receive papers back with markings all over them don’t think, “Oh boy, my teacher has made it so easy for me to make all of these corrections.” They are thinking, “What’s the point in writing? I must be a terrible writer. Look at all of these mistakes.”

If your students are taking a standardized writing assessment, the structure and flow of their essays will be worth much more than perfect spelling.

Need more help?

I created this five paragraph essay instructional unit for teachers who are new to teaching five paragraph essays OR just need all of the materials in one place.

“Teacher Talk” pages will guide you through the unit and this unit contains all materials needed to help students plan, organize, and write amazing five paragraph essays! Click here to check it out:

I have a freebie for you! Enter your first name and email address below. You’ll receive three original prompts with five paragraph essay organizers AND two lined final draft pages!

Once your students are good essay writers…

These task cards will help your students stay sharp on their five paragraph essay knowledge. Students will review hooks (attention-getters), thesis sentences, body paragraphs, topic sentences, closings, and more. Each card contains a unique writing example!

I suggest using these task cards as a quiz/test, scoot game, individual review, or cooperative group activity.

Click on the image to view these task cards:

To save this post for later, simply pin this image to your teacher Pinterest board!

21 comments.

Wow! I really enjoyed reading this. I’ve always stressed over the thought of teaching writing, but your blog makes me think I can do it successfully. Putting your writing packet on my TPT wish list!

Thank you, Shannon! I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment. I am so glad that my blog post was helpful to you!

Thanks for the tips! When I taught 6th grade I taught this same subject matter, but struggled to get started. I wish I had this then!

I appreciate your comment! Teaching was much different before Pinterest, wasn’t it?!?

This helped me so much!🙂 thanks a lot, I imagined being one student of yours. I’d be so smart and good at essays! Would’ve been so much easier in person❤️❤️❤️

Thank you so much, Aizlyn!

Thank you so much for this! May I ask where I can see the rubric for scoring the compositions?

You are so welcome! Click on the resource link. Then, you will see the rubric in the preview!

Thank you so much,I am a parent and this really helped me be clear how to guide my son. God bless you always.,

Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!

you are welcome!!!

This looks great! Looking forward to using your tips and freebies with my 6th graders. 🙂 THANK YOU.

You are so welcome! Thank you for taking the time to leave a comment!

Can’t wait to use this with my class tomorrow! Thanks a bunch for sharing!!

You are so welcome, Amy!

Thank you for making it easy to teach an essay with clarity.

You are very welcome, Yamuna! Thanks for taking the time to leave feedback 🙂

I am so happy I discovered your blog. I just started teaching grade 5 in September I have been searching for a simple method to hel me in guiding them in writing. I will be putting your method into practice in the coming week.

That’s wonderful, Cherry! Thank you for sharing your thoughts! Welcome to fifth grade 🙂

Beautiful lesson well explained! Thank you so very much .

Thank you so much, Cheryl!

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Informative essays

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Organize and write

Students write a 5 paragraph essay starting from a prompt and using a graphic organizer.

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Grade 5 Writing About Informational Texts Worksheets

Related ela standard: w.5.9.b.

As students progress through the educational process the focus is away from fictional works and more towards nonfictional works. Sharing what you have learned from nonfictional works is paramount towards the future grade levels. These skills follow us into the real world when we have actual money paying jobs; this is primary purpose and use for reading. This becomes an essential skill in adulthood. These worksheets will help students learn to communicate the ideas that they take away from reading informational texts.

Writing About Informational Text Worksheets:

Reasons and Evidence – Choose a point the author keys in on and run with it.

Peregrine Falcons – I never knew they were the most common prey bird in so many locations.

Reasons and Evidence – This worksheet is a really good summation piece.

Building a Case – This is geared mostly for nonfiction texts.

Biodiversity – Literally it is balancing most ecosystems.

Traveling In The Desert – What assertion does the author make about the desert?

Desert Plants – Read the paragraph. Fill in the diagram.

The Poor Reader – Read the passage. Then answer the questions.

Reasons and Evidence – Choose a point the author is trying to make in the text. Write the reasons and evidence the author uses to support the point.

Finding Reasons and Evidence – A slightly different setup can be found here.

Assistance Dogs – Determine if what is presented is a main idea, reason, or evidence.

The Washington Monument – What evidence does the author offer directly to support the assertion that the Washington Monument is one of our nation's most revered monuments?

Reasons and Evidence – Break this one up into chunks.

The Rain Forest – Based on the information presented about "the emergent layer", what can you infer about it? (HINT: Why is it called "emergent"?)

Reading Wizard – Read the assigned text. Fill out the diagram below.

Tips for Writing about Informational Text

Whenever you are asked to write about another text, the main purpose behind that is not only to test your summarizing and understanding skills, but to also make the text easier so that others can understand it with ease. An informational text is usually all about details, facts, and figures and it gets very hard to write about those, especially, since you have to include every bit of information given in those texts without making a mistake and making your writing simpler and easier than the original text.

Here are a few tips to consider when writing about another piece full of information and details to follow so that you can craft a perfect piece of written work:

Cut the Unnecessary Information Out

Informational pieces usually have a lot of information from various sources. Read all the information carefully and decide for yourself what the paper can do without. If a point is giving enough idea about the topic being addressed, you do not have to add other minor stats and figures. Just one or two descriptions about something are usually enough to prove your point and state it to the readers. Try selecting only limited points, but full of information and only mention those in your writings.

Focus on Tables and Graphs

Tables and graphs are visual informational pieces that can convey a lot of information while occupying little space. Try to summarize and represent as much information as possible in the form of these tables and graphs to make it easy for your readers and for yourself as well.

Recheck the Information

Always be sure that whatever you are writing in your paper is correct. Try cross-checking the figures from the internet if possible and remove all those which cause even a little bit of doubt.

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5 Expository Essay Examples (Full Text with Citations)

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

Learn about our Editorial Process

• Video Overview
• Quick Example
• Formatting Guide

An expository essay attempts to explain a topic in-depth, demonstrating expert knowledge and understanding.

This form of essay is structured around the clear, factual presentation of information, devoid of the writer’s personal opinions or arguments.

The primary goal is to inform or explain rather than persuade.

Unlike an argumentative essay, which is built around defending a particular point of view with evidence and persuasion, an expository essay maintains a neutral stance, focusing on delivering straightforward facts and explanations.

An example of expository writing could be an article explaining the process of photosynthesis.

The article would systematically describe each stage of how plants convert sunlight into energy, detailing the role of sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide.

It would explain the sequence of reactions – first, second, third, fourth, fifth – that occur and the importance of each step in supporting the life of the plant.

An expository essay generally follows this essay format:

• A) To persuade the reader to adopt a particular viewpoint
• B) To inform or explain a topic clearly
• C) To present the writer’s personal opinions and arguments
• D) To entertain the reader with creative writing
• A) An expository essay uses creative storytelling techniques
• B) An expository essay remains neutral and avoids personal opinions
• C) An expository essay focuses on persuading the reader with evidence
• D) An expository essay prioritizes the writer’s personal experiences

Expository Essay Examples

#1 impacts of technology on education.

955 words | 4 Pages | 15 References

Thesis Statement: “The integration of technology in education represents a complex and critical area of study crucial for understanding and shaping the future of educational practices.”

#2 Impacts of Globalization on Education

1450 words | 5 Pages | 9 References

Thesis Statement: “This essay examines the profound and multifaceted effects of globalization on education, exploring how technological advancements and policy reforms have transformed access to, delivery of, and perceptions of education.”

#3 The Role of Emotional Intelligence in Interpersonal Relationships

1211 Words | 5 Pages | 22 References

Thesis Statement: “The central thesis is that EI, defined as the ability to perceive, understand, and manage emotions, is a crucial determinant of success and well-being.”

#4 The Future of Renewable Energy Sources and Their Impact

870 words | 4 Pages | 20 References

Thesis Statement: “The essay posits that although renewable energy sources hold immense promise for a sustainable future, their full integration into the global energy grid presents significant challenges that must be addressed through technological innovation, economic investment, and policy initiatives.”

#5 The Psychology Behind Consumer Behavior

1053 words | 4 Pages | 17 References

Thesis Statement: “The thesis of this essay is that consumer behavior is not merely a product of rational decision-making; it is deeply rooted in psychological processes, both conscious and subconscious, that drive consumers’ choices and actions.”

How to Write an Expository Essay

Unlike argumentative or persuasive essays, expository essays do not aim to convince the reader of a particular point of view.

Instead, they focus on providing a balanced and thorough explanation of a subject.

Key characteristics of an expository essay include:

• Clarity and Conciseness
• Structured Organization (Introduction, Body, Conclusion)
• Objective Tone
• Evidence-Based (Cite academic sources in every body paragraph)
• Objective thesis statement (see below)
• Informative purpose (Not argumentative)

You can follow my expository essay templates with AI prompts to help guide you through the expository essay writing process:

How to write a Thesis Statement for an Expository Essay

An expository thesis statement doesn’t make an argument or try to persuade. It uses ‘is’ rather than ‘ought’ statements.

Take these comparisons  below. Note how the expository thesis statements don’t prosecute an argument or attempt to persuade, while the argumentative thesis statements clearly take a side on an issue:

💡 AI Prompt for Generating Sample Expository Thesis Statements An expository essay’s thesis statement should be objective rather than argumentative. Write me five broad expository thesis statement ideas on the topic “[TOPIC]”.

Go Deeper: 101 Thesis Statement Examples

Differences Between Expository and Argumentative Essays

Expository and argumentative essays are both common writing styles in academic and professional contexts, but they serve different purposes and follow different structures.

Here are the key differences between them:

• Expository Essay : The primary purpose is to explain, describe, or inform about a topic. It focuses on clarifying a subject or process, providing understanding and insight.
• Argumentative Essay : The goal is to persuade the reader to accept a particular point of view or to take a specific action. It’s about presenting a stance and supporting it with evidence and logic.
• Expository Essay : It maintains a neutral and objective tone. The writer presents information factually and impartially, without expressing personal opinions or biases.
• Argumentative Essay : It often adopts a more assertive, persuasive, and subjective tone. The writer takes a clear position and argues in favor of it, using persuasive language.
• Expository Essay : The reader is expected to gain knowledge, understand a process, or become informed about a topic. There’s no expectation for the reader to agree or disagree.
• Argumentative Essay : The reader is encouraged to consider the writer’s viewpoint, evaluate arguments, and possibly be persuaded to adopt a new perspective or take action.

Go Deeper: Expository vs Argumentative Essays

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Read Next: Process Essay Examples

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 19 Top Cognitive Psychology Theories (Explained)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 119 Bloom’s Taxonomy Examples
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ All 6 Levels of Understanding (on Bloom’s Taxonomy)
• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 15 Self-Actualization Examples (Maslow's Hierarchy)

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