How to Write a Classification Essay

Short classification essay video guide

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Let’s have a closer look at what is a classification essay, and why you need to write it, aside from it being a mandatory assignment. While mastering a classification essay, you will also develop categorization and generalization skills, broaden your understanding of the topic, and improve your writing, and learn how to develop a working thesis statement.

Don’t you just enjoy when the name of a paper is straightforward, and the instructions are clear? If yes, then writing a classification essay is for students like you and the guide prepared by our essay writing service will be helpful for sure.

What’s so special about a classification essay?

Let us proceed with formulating the classification essay definition. A classification essay is a type of formal writing that requires the organization of subjects into different categories or groups using the same classification principle. It is vital to add examples for each group and category. The classification must have a purpose explained by the author and a correctly formulated thesis statement. This type of academic writing develops the generalization and categorization skills of the author, establishing logical connections between the items and evaluating their shared characteristics.

When preparing for writing a classification essay, you should focus on a particular broad subject and examine it for the elements that make it up. For instance, when you think about music, you may classify it by genre (rock, pop, jazz, electronic), mood (aggressive, fun, wistful, relaxing, intense), tempo (moderate, dynamic, lyric), etc. In this way, the primary objective of writing a proper classification essay is developing categorization skills and the ability to classify items based on a single criterion. When you turn to our experts with a “write my essay online” request, you get a chance to see how they do it with ease and elegance.

Once we’ve dealt with theory, it’s time to move to the practical part. Before we start talking about the writing process, here are some general tips to consider while you write a classification essay:

• First of all, identify the categories. After the topic for your future essay is selected, divide it into groups and establish logical connections between elements. You might say: “I take a similar approach when I need to do my term paper,” and you are right. Try to be as thorough as you can, as leaving out an important category is entirely inappropriate if you want to write classification essay that will be appreciated by your teacher.
• Remember that it’s crucial to sort by a single standard. Once you have determined the categories, ascertain whether they fit the single organizing criteria set. Organizing criteria are how you categorize the items into groups. Do not let an inappropriate principle destroy the logic of the paper. For instance, if your topic is water sports and classification principle is tourist benefit, you should not use any other unifying principle and write about extreme or dangerous sports.
• Make sure you provide each group with examples equally for an objective and non-biased classification essay. Remember that you should write the same number of examples for each group. However, the biggest and the most critical group is usually reserved for last, so it might need a bit more detailed elaboration.

Learn more on the classification essay outline

One of the significant stages of creating any essay is structuring.

It is also our top tip for those who wonder: “What is the most crucial thing I pay attention to when I do my dissertation?” That is why we will start answering the question, “how to write a classification essay?” with a detailed explanation on how to write a classification essay outline while making it detailed and proficient. Detailed outlining will let you to create a first draft and then polish it on the next stage of writing a good classification essay.

How to write a classification essay INTRODUCTION

Let’s take a closer look at the structure of a good classification essay. Remember that you should build your paper around the categories you write about, and I suggest using the following method of organizing your thoughts.

As with any other essay, you start with an introduction. Here you are supposed to state your topic, add a couple of descriptive details (don’t make it too long!) and suggest the purpose of your essay.

Remember to put your thesis statement in the last sentence of the introductory paragraph. You should also include the information about the topic and classification principle in your thesis statement. When you write a classification essay, feel free to name the categories if you wish and remember that your thesis statement should justify the specific groups chosen for classification. For example: Hawaiian tourists can enjoy many entertaining activities (topic), but some of the most popular are represented by three types of water sports (classification principle): sailing, snorkelling, and surfing (categories).

How to write a classification essay MAIN BODY

We’ve finished dealing with the introduction, and it’s time to start working on the body of your paper. “What is the right order of the arguments I list in the body paragraphs when I do my coursework or write a classification essay?” – we hear you asking. Let’s find out.

Remember that each body paragraph in the classification essay outline should open with a topic sentence that serves as a central element of the whole paragraph. Your topic sentence should narrow the focus of the entire essay to the category discussed in a particular paragraph. For example: “Sailing in Hawaii is one tradition that has remained unchangeable over the years.” After your topic sentence is ready, maintain it with additional details and provide a more comprehensive illustration of the category. Classification essays require many details and examples.

You may structuralize your body paragraphs in any order, just make sure it is logical. For instance, you may start writing about the most common types of water sports and move to the least familiar. However, do not forget to establish logical connections between the categories – compare them, comment, summarize or augment some essential details. Feel free to use the following transitional words, which are the most appropriate for usage in a classification essay: firstly, subsequently, lastly, initially, in regard to, in terms of, the first kind (group, type), the second group (kind, type), the third type (group, kind), etc.

How to write a classification essay CONCLUSION

Now let’s focus on the conclusion for a classification essay. In the concluding paragraph, you have an opportunity to blend all the categories and approaches you have been investigating. You are free in structure for the closing paragraph. For instance, you may write about each type discussed in the classification essay again, summarizing its strong and weak points, or you may emphasize the advantages of one category over the other and explain the reasons – just make sure your classification essay conclusion meets the purpose of the essay and conveys your main idea or inference properly.

Briefly speaking, when you write a classification essay, you should identify the topic in the introduction, present your classification principle in the thesis statement, develop the topic and establish connections in the main body, and, finally, draw some inferences about the group or the topic in general in your conclusion. Do I use the same logic when I do my personal statement and write a conclusion? Yes, and you should not hesitate to ask our writers for help if you need to craft an insightful concluding paragraph.

Stages of writing a classification essay

We’ve finished with the theoretical part of our guide, and now we are moving to the practical one. We know that the writing process is highly creative and it’s hard to set rules and time limits, but we still believe that having a plan will help you while writing. So, how to write a classification essay? We can offer you the following set of actions:

1. Select a topic of interest and limit it. If your instructor does not provide you with a particular topic, choose it independently and refer to the subject of your interest. For instance, consider the following options and use them as a basis for a classification essay:
2. Evaluate local daycare options by affordability.
3. Establish an individual classification criteria set for evaluating movies and TV-programs.
4. Rate services (airlines, stores, online libraries) from best to worst.
   • Break the topic of a classification essay into patterns. After your topic is selected, you should consider all the possible options of its classification and carry out some research.
   • Choose a classification principle. You need to choose the most important aspect of a certain topic and select the categories related to this aspect. Make sure that all of your categories are logically connected and have the same basis of classification. For instance, if you are writing about jobs and you classify them by type of employment, you should write about freelance, part-time, and full-time jobs, but omit the details about workplace routine, difficulty, purpose, etc.
   • Consider the importance of each category. Once you have divided your topic into groups under similar classification criteria, evaluate the importance of each group and decide how you will organize your essay. You may begin with the most important group and finish with the least necessary or vice versa.

5. Establish the purpose of the classification essay. Once you have evaluated the importance of each category, set up the purpose of your writing and do your best to achieve it!
6. Put your ideas into a diagram or outline. It will help you to begin your first draft successfully, and finally organize your ideas in the most logical way. It is also one of the first things our experts do when you ask them: “Help me do my college essay.”
7. Develop a thesis statement. Remember that your thesis statement should refer to the specific topic, establish a basis for categorization, and name the groups you have developed. A working thesis statement must be meaningful and clear.
8. Start writing an introduction. Open your classification essay by explaining the importance and purpose of writing, evaluate your role in the research, and explain which classification method you use and why.
9. Write topic sentences and body paragraphs of a classification essay. Dedicate each topic sentence to a certain element or group from your thesis statement and expand their meaning in the body paragraphs. Do not dedicate one paragraph to highlighting the specifics of two or more categories, as it will ruin the logical order of developing a thought.
10. Sum up the ideas in the conclusion for a classification essay. Summarize the main concepts highlighted in the body paragraphs and draw some inferences. Express the limitations of your classification, if there are any.
11. Proofread the classification essay. One of the biggest mistakes students make is forgetting to proofread the paper and submitting it with grammar or spelling mistakes. Proofread the classification essay thoroughly and correct the mistakes, if there are any.
12. Check the classification essay for plagiarism. Even if you did not use someone else’s words, you could forget to cite all the sources properly. To avoid misunderstandings, check your paper and make sure it is 100% original.

Guidelines and tightening your essay

Now you know a lot about a great classification essay, but the question is: what to write about? Though the choice of the classification essay ideas seems exceedingly difficult, there is a classical way of moving your ideas in the right direction. Look through the classification essay topics suggested below and develop your own.

• Types of users in a social network (evaluate them by appearance, behavior, or activity)
• Types of artists (classification by area of proficiency, popularity or artistic values)
• Extracurricular activities: unusual, unexpected, and common
• The most popular ways to keep fit (diets, exercising, giving up bad habits, etc.)
• Types of health and their importance in modern life (physical, emotional, spiritual, social, mental, and environmental.)

You can find more topics for classification essay and other types of essays in our book Essay Becomes Easy on Amazon. You will forget what struggling over a topic means with our awesome topic list! It is a universal approach you can use when you think “I need someone to help me do my research paper” or”I wish there was someone to help me do my powerpoint presentation and choose the right topic for it.”

Read this awesome classification essay example

We want to not only help you in defining the types of friends classification essay, format, structuring, and styling aspects. We also hope that after reading this outstanding classification essay on friends sample, you will see how a working classification essay must be arranged and written. Keep in mind that you can always turn to our service with a “Help me do my paper for cheap” request and hire the best writer. Our experts will be glad to assist you with your “Please do my APA paper” request as well. They know all about formatting.

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Mistakes to avoid while writing a classification essay

And we’re almost there. Now that you know everything you are supposed to do, let’s have a look at some mistakes that should be avoided while writing your paper. If you want to ensure you do not make these mistakes while working on your essay, just leave your “do my assignment” request by filling out an order form.

– First of all, make sure you do not leave a category out of attention. For example, if you write about healthy diets, you cannot avoid dairy products just because you don’t like them.

– Secondly, do not write about too many categories. It will blur your essay and make the classification less precise.

– You should use a similar criteria set. For example, if you are writing about water sports popular among tourists, you shouldn’t include ratings of water sports among natives who live near the seaside.

– Support the topic with examples equally. Providing an unequal number of examples for some category will make a particular group less significant than others.

Classification essay writing checklist

Wow, you’ve done an amazing job so far if you have been following this guide while writing. Even if you haven’t, this is still useful! Let’s make sure once again that your paper contains everything it should, and then you can send it to your professor. You can create a similar checklist when you write a cause and effect essay as well. It will help you ensure you do not miss any crucial details.

• Have you determined the purpose of writing and explained it in the introduction?
• Have you clearly identified the group you are categorizing?
• Have you written about your topic, categorizing principle, and groups developed in your thesis sentence?
• Does your thesis statement justify the groups chosen for deeper analysis?
• Does each of your body paragraphs open with a topic sentence?
• Do your topic sentences narrow the topic of the whole paper to the topic of a particular paragraph?
• Have you complimented topic sentences with background information and descriptive details to expand readers’ knowledge about certain categories?
• Is the structure of your body paragraphs and connection between them logical?
• Have you used transitions and comparisons for enhancing the structure of the main body?
• Have you blended together all the investigated categories in the concluding paragraph?
• Have you made a logical inference in the conclusion (provided a summary of strong and weak points of each category or emphasized the advantages of one category over the other)?
• Have you achieved the purpose of writing which was established in the introductory paragraph?
• Have you used a single classification principle?
• Have you made sure not to forget about any important categories to write about?
• Have you avoided including inappropriate or unimportant categories in your essay?
• Have you supported each category with examples equally?
• Have you established logical connections between categories?

FAQ on classification essay writing you often ask

1. How do you start a classification essay?

Students should open a classification essay, as any standard essay, with an introduction. The first paragraph must present the subject and explain the topic to readers. Note that it should contain some highlights on how the topic divides into more minor issues and groups.

2. What is the purpose of classification?

The core idea of classification is breaking the vast subject into smaller subgroups of subjects. In addition, classification means dividing the subgroups by categories and developing the overall purpose.

3. How to write a thesis statement for a classification essay?

After you decide on the topic for a classification essay, you need to develop the main thesis. Before you proceed with the core idea for your paper, you must define the core categories and subgroups that relate to the subject. To generate a working thesis statement, you must include:

• The names of things you will classify.
• The types of categories you developed.
• The basics of the complete classification.

4. How does a classification essay differ from other types of essays?

The main idea of writing a classification and division essay is to organize things related to the whole subject into subgroups and categories. It is vital to include examples of items for each group and class.

5. How to write a hook for a classification essay?

The hook must be presented in an introduction part of an essay. In addition to explaining the prerequisites and aims of the classification, it should contain an element that will draw readers’ attention. A hook can be a joke, a quotation, a surprising fact, a rhetorical question, etc., related to the topic.

What else can we offer you except this classification essay guide?

We created this perfect instruction on classification essay writing to keep you updated on the latest trends and rules of writing such papers. Since we work with brilliant authors who know everything about academic writing, we can help you with any problem providing you with guides, blog posts, useful links, videos, and book suggestions. Turn to us for help whenever you have doubts about how to write a reflection paragraph or how to start a career essay to attract the attention of readers. We know what to do.

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