When we think of essay writing, our mind conjures up images of long lectures and a professor asking us to write about a specific topic in 500 words or less. However, that is not what an essay is. An essay is simply a piece of writing on a given topic, with no set word count or format limitations. In fact, an essay can take almost any form. The key is recognizing the different types of essays and knowing which one you need to complete for your assignment. Fortunately, there are only five main types of essays that you might be asked to write in school: Narrative, Persuasive, Opinion, Compare and Contrast, and Reading Response. Let’s break them down one by one.

A narrative essay is a short story. There are two types the first is a fictional narrative which is usually a short story that is fictional. The second is a personal narrative which is usually based on one of your real-life experiences. In a narrative essay, you will write about a real-life situation, describing the events in chronological order. Your essay should have a clear beginning, middle, and end, and should have a specific purpose for writing the essay. Narrative essays are often used in the social sciences and humanities to research and explore a topic through personal experience. This type of essay is one of the most common types of essays written in high school, college, and even at the graduate level. Narrative essays can be written to analyze a situation, explore an event, or tell a short story. You will more than likely be asked to write personal narratives for college essays or for admission essays to get into a program.

 

A persuasive essay is one in which you are trying to convince your reader on a particular topic or issue. This type of essay is much like a debate, as you must provide evidence for your argument and then refute alternative points of view. A persuasive essay generally has a strong introductory and concluding paragraph, where the body paragraphs provide evidence to support your claim. This type of essay is common in disciplines such as political science, sociology, and psychology, and is used to explore alternative points of view on an issue. Persuasive essays can be written to argue for or against a certain topic.

 

An opinion essay is a type of writing where you express your views on a certain topic. Unlike a persuasive essay, where you try to convince your reader of something, an opinion essay is all about you and what you think. You can write an opinion essay about almost anything, from a political issue, to a social topic, to a cultural phenomenon. Unlike other types of essays, opinion essays do not require any research or citations. This makes them a great option for topics where you do not have a lot of information to go on. Opinion essays are commonly used in the humanities to explore a particular topic through the writer’s personal perspective. This type of essay is one of the most common types of essays written in high school, college, and even at the graduate level.