Informative writing is the act of writing to enlighten, share, or impact knowledge. In contrast to other writing forms, informative writing aims to educate the reader rather than persuade them into taking action.
Informative essays integrate other essay types; they could be descriptive, narrative, expository, or argumentative, depending on the contexts of informative essay topics provided. Because this kind of essay is not subjective, some people find it a bit difficult to write without including persuasiveness.
Some informative essay examples include:
- writing to provide information on how to choose the best fishing destinations in a particular country;
- writing about the effects of procrastination;
- writing to inform your readers about current stock market prices; and so on.
Because most people do not know how to write an informative essay, the need to provide guidelines has become necessary. Before diving into the basic tips for writing an informative essay, it is important to outline the basic writing steps for this type of writing.
Steps to writing an informative essay
The pattern for writing various essays differs according to context. While some may argue that an outline is unimportant, on the contrary, an informative essay outline provides you with step-by-step guidelines on how to start an informative essay and develop your paragraphs. Below are the outlined steps:
- Begin with a paragraph of the introduction.
- Prepare your background information.
- Write an informative essay thesis to describe your aim.
- Write a transitory sentence soon after to begin the body.
- Start the first body with a topic sentence with your first major idea.
- Include statistical data.
- Insert a transitional sentence.
- Begin your second point with an introductory topic sentence.
- Provide information.
- Repeat for the third and fourth (if any) paragraphs.
- Write a transitory paragraph leading to the conclusion.
- In the final paragraph, summarize the body of your essay.
- The thesis statement for an informative essay is a vital part of the essay and should be rewritten.
- Include your closing remarks.
Tips for writing an accurate informative essay
When writing an informative essay, three basic steps are essential. These steps include: selecting your topic, researching, and brainstorming. The tips needed to complete these steps are explained below.
- Gain an understanding of your assignment
The first step to writing anything accurately is to understand the requirements. Following or refusing to follow instructions plays a major role in your grades. If it is an assignment, it is expected that you read through the instructions and understand the parameters.
Keep an eye out for formatting techniques. These include font size and style, number of subheadings, and citation method, amongst other requirements. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind the deadline for submission.
- Select a topic
For some students, a topic is provided. For others, it is expected that you generate your topic about a theme or requirement. Selecting a topic can be a bit tricky if you have a wide range of options to choose from.
When selecting a topic, ensure that it aligns with the audience you intend to target. Pick a topic that will neither be too broad nor too narrow. If you have been asked to select a topic, consider it an opportunity to choose that which interests you the most.
- Conduct your research
An integral part of an informative essay is information, and this comes from research. Making thorough research can be difficult. However, selecting a topic that interests you would help you in the area of research.
Filter out irrelevant, unreliable, and repetitive content, as this would only reduce your grades. To keep in mind all your research, you might also want to take notes. While doing your research, remember to keep track of your sources for reference purposes.
- Brainstorm
Mull over your ideas to gain more perspective. Look out for missing pieces, take out your notes, and brainstorm. This will help you find connections you probably never saw while doing your research, thus assisting you in generating your ideas.
Conclusion
An informative essay is one written to either describe a term, make comparisons, evaluate information, or offer guidelines. Generally, this type of essay aims to answer the 5 W’s: Who, When, Why, Where, and What. In addition to this, it also answers the question of ‘how’.
