Nova A.
Nova A.

Different Types of Essays In Academic Writing

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Published on: Sep 20, 2017

Last updated on: Mar 17, 2023

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As a college or high school student, you will be assigned to compose several different types of essays. Professional essay writing provides an effective way to learn to write such essays for middle school, high school, and college applications.

There are 4 types of essays you are most likely to get assigned in your academic years. Your teacher will not tell you which type of essay you should be writing. So, you need to figure it out from the question you have been asked.

While most of them share the same basics and format, there are a few differences as well. In this article, we have discussed the basic types of essays with examples for your help.

Refer to this article and learn different types of essay writing to score brilliant grades.

Major Types of Essays In Academic Writing

Essay writing is a part of academic activities that students have to deal with. Academic essays can be formal and informal, argumentative, persuasive, critical, and narrative.

There are four types of academic essays and each type is different in nature and is written with a different perspective. Your first step is to identify the type of essay you are assigned with. After that, the methods are involved while composing it.

Since every essay type is different, each of them aims to achieve different goals. That is why you should understand and remember the main objective of writing an essay on any topic.

The different types of essay formats include the following. Here you can find the definition of each essay type in detail along with examples to help you understand better.

Descriptive Essay

A descriptive essay ‘describes’ the main topic in detail and with the aim of letting the reader relate to your experience. The topic, or the object in the discussion, could be anything from a place or a person.

Writing a descriptive essay is all about in-depth details, information, and discussion regarding the subject in question. It describes the topic, or matter under scrutiny, from different angles and perspectives.

The descriptive essay must evoke the senses and emotions of the reader. In simple terms, the reader should see what you saw and feel what you felt. To make it better, you can use several literary devices like;

  • Metaphors
  • Analogies
  • Alliteration
  • Imagery
  • Dialogue

All of them help in making the experience and your essay better.

Descriptive Essay Example

Creating a perfect descriptive essay for an assignment is not difficult if you go through some expert descriptive essay examples first.

Here we have provided a well-written descriptive essay for you to get inspired from and start the writing process confidently.

Related: Descriptive Essay Examples and Writing Tips

Narrative Essay

Narrative essays refer to the narration of a study or experienced by the writer. It is usually written in the first person and expounds on the main topic in detail. The purpose of writing a narrative essay is to indulge the reader in the personal experience of the writer.

The central idea is to create an essay that is clear, detailed, and explains the main topic. The topic can be an event, a story, an incident, to the reader.

Your aim is to explain it with such detail that readers feel as if they were with you at that time.

Narrative Essay Example

Wondering how to get your story into an interesting narrative? Learn the best way to write a perfect narrative essay with the help of expert narrative essay examples.

Here are some more narrative essay examples for your help.

Expository Essay

An expository essay is about facts, and facts only. Unlike the other types of essays, where the writer has the freedom of adding his own opinion and analysis. Expository essays involve facts only. This makes it simple, but, at times, it could be challenging as well.

Therefore, it is important that you make a focused outline and stick to it throughout the process.

In higher education, show your ability to research your selected topic and cite expert sources along the way. In the end, provide the final perspective and also point out how other sources can contribute to it.

An expository essay incorporates a wide array of essays such as:

  • Cause and effect essays
  • Process essays
  • Analytical essays
  • Compare and contrast essays

Expository Essay Example

To start the writing process, here is an expository essay example from one of our expert writers to understand the basics.

Related: Free Expository Essay Examples to Help you Get Started

Argumentative Essay

Similar to a persuasive essay, the argumentative essay aims to convince the reader about a particular point of view.

The goal is to examine the information available regarding a subject and develop an argument based on it. However, it is necessary for the writer to support his claims and stick to one side.


The argumentative essay provides both sides of a particular issue or strongly establishes one approach towards the subject matter.


In this type of essay, the writer develops an argument and defends his side with solid proof and reasoning.

Argumentative Essay Example

Before beginning the writing process, it is better to go through some expert argumentative essay examples. In this way, you can understand the argumentative essay outline and the writing style of an argumentative essay better.

Here is a high-quality argumentative essay example for you to get inspiration for your essay.

Persuasive Essay

A persuasive essay is another type of academic essay. In this essay type, the writer utilizes logic and reasoning to show one’s idea is more convincing than another idea.

In writing a persuasive essay, the main aim is to persuade the reader to accept a certain point of view. The presented argument or claim must use solid evidence and sound reasoning by stating facts, examples, and quotes.

Persuasive Essay Example

Since persuasive essays are the most common type of essay, it is essential to get familiar with their writing style. For that, here is an interesting persuasive essay example that you can explore for your better understanding.

Analytical Essay

An analytical essay is a type of academic essay in which the writer analyzes a topic bit by bit. Writing an analytical essay is not about convincing readers of your point of view. But wanting readers to agree with what you have written.

So, there is no need to use strong persuasive language in an analytical essay. Rather you should aim to provide enough analysis to make sure your argument is clear to the readers.

Analytical Essay Example

If you are looking for an analytical essay example, here is one from one of our expert writers. Explore this great analytical essay example and learn how to master your analytical essay writing task.

Reflective Essay

A reflective essay is a type of essay writing where you examine your personal experiences through self-reflection. In the process of writing a reflective essay, you provide insight into what you have gained from those experiences.

What makes reflective essays different from other essay types is the fact that it examines the past experience from the present. Reflective essays take the reader through a journey of self-growth.

Reflective Essay Example

The following reflective essay example will help you get a clear idea of how to structure your analytical essay.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay

It is a form of a textual analysis essay in which the student examines and analyzes a persuasive text. It is like an essay, speech, or visual art and analyzes the rhetorical devices used in it. Writing a rhetorical analysis essay is different from writing other essays because it will be more than adding facts only.

Rhetorical Analysis Essay Example

Here is a rhetorical analysis essay example that will help you learn better. For more samples, refer to the below downloadable PDF.

Literary Analysis Essay

A literary analysis essay is based on close reading and analysis of a work of literature like poetry and novel. It identifies different literary factors like themes, setting, characters, setting, and the kind of language used in it. A literary analysis essay has the same 5 paragraphs as any other essay but the main subject and topic are different.

Literary Analysis Essay Example

Need help with your literary analysis essay? Below is a sample essay to help you understand better.

Get All of Your Essays Done Here!

Now you know what are the different types of essays in academic writing that you are most likely to get assigned. However, if you still find it difficult to compose your essay, leave it to our expert writing services and get a perfect essay according to your requirements. 

The following writers are available 24/7 to help you with your essay writing needs:

Let our professional essay writers help you write different kinds of essays; be it descriptive, narrative, argumentative, or expository. If you are looking for different types of essays pdf, we can also help. 

Contact us and we will help you with writing problems to write A+ grade essays within your specified timeline!

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the most important element in any essay?

A thesis statement is the most important part of any essay. Other than the research itself, the thesis statement is the most important part of an essay or research paper. A thesis statement summarizes the main point and essence of the argument.

What type of essay is most common at university?

Usually, university students get argumentative kinds of essays. No matter what kind of essay you write, you will need to develop an argument.

Here are some kinds of essays and the kind of arguments added to them. 

  • Analysis and interpretation of literary texts are discussed in literary analysis essays. 
  • The importance of a particular event or theory is analyzed in a history argumentative essay. 
  • A political theory is examined in a political argumentative essay. 

Besides, there are a number of different kinds of argumentative and analysis essays.

Nova A.

WRITTEN BY

Nova A. (Literature, Marketing)

Nova Allison is a Digital Content Strategist with over eight years of experience. Nova has also worked as a technical and scientific writer. She is majorly involved in developing and reviewing online content plans that engage and resonate with audiences. Nova has a passion for writing that engages and informs her readers.

Nova Allison is a Digital Content Strategist with over eight years of experience. Nova has also worked as a technical and scientific writer. She is majorly involved in developing and reviewing online content plans that engage and resonate with audiences. Nova has a passion for writing that engages and informs her readers.

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