How to Write an Exemplification Essay in 5 Steps

How to Write an Exemplification Essay That Stands Out

You know narrative, descriptive, and argumentative writing. You thought you were home safe, but no such luck. Now the professor wants you to turn in an exemplification essay. Luckily, we know precisely how to deal with this assignment, and we’ll share the pro tips with you.

What Is an Exemplification Essay?

Exemplification sounds scary and complicated until you realize you use it a dozen times every day. Every time you suggest getting takeaway and include several options, like pizza or Thai, you use exemplification. And you don’t even have to pre-empt it with “for instance” or “for example”!

Exemplification Essay Definition

Patterns for College Writing: A Rhetorical Reader and Guide (2012) by Kirszner and Mandell defines the exemplification essay as a “kind of writing situation to explain and clarify, to add interest, and to persuade.” However, most writing experts agree that exemplification is a type of argumentative writing wherein you convince the audience to agree with your side of the argument by sharing compelling examples.

If you want to dig deeper, the effectiveness of this writing type comes down to the exemplification theory. It states that events are examples of entity properties; therefore, you can support any generalization with sufficient examples to explain it in its entirety.

Not All Examples Are the Same

Before we take a closer look at how to write an exemplification essay, let’s discuss example types and the ways to use them in your writing:

Brief examples can be barely a few words long, but they demonstrate you know the topic well. For instance, if you’re writing about Shakespeare’s deception themes, you may mention Macbeth, Much Ado about Nothing, and Julius Caesar.

Extended examples can span a whole passage or more, introducing finer details to add an extra dimension to the issue. Depending on your topic and class, these can take on the form of:

Personal experience examples. Tell a short story or anecdote, retell what you’ve observed, read online, or seen in a movie, or describe the people you’ve met. These examples are best for in-class assignments, as you don’t have to provide hard evidence.

Reference data examples. Use facts, figures, and statistics to support your generalization, and remember to cite the sources according to the required formatting style. These examples are preferable for homework assignments when you have plenty of time and opportunities for research.

Whichever example types you choose, only pick the strongest and most relevant bits of information that support your side of the argument. Eliminate generic data and replace it with more relevant details or other examples to make the most of the available word count.

Exemplification Essay Structure

Like most academic writing assignments, exemplification essays follow the classic three-part structure: introduction, body, and conclusion.

The Introduction

The first passage serves two goals: inciting interest and introducing the topic in general terms. Your first sentence, the hook, can be a provocative question, a quote, or a statistic. Add a few sentences on the issue background to bridge the gap between the hook and the thesis statement. Finally, formulate the core idea you will argue and include a few key points to give the reader an idea of the paper’s structure.

The Body

The number of body paragraphs depends on the word count requirements, though usually, you’ll need to include at least three. Each should ideally be devoted to a single point or idea and include several examples supporting it.

To organize the body paragraphs order, consider one of these options:

• Chronological order. It works well for topics that require an overview of different periods or years. For example, you can compare the industry challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, 2021, and 2022.
• Ascending order. Start with the weakest point and work your way through the arguments and examples in ascending order to make a lasting impression with the final passage.
• Descending order. Convince the readers from the beginning with the strongest point in the first paragraph and finish with the weakest argument and example before the conclusion.
• Rhetorical order. A combination of the previous two options, this order uses the strongest point at the beginning and the second-strongest at the end, with the weaker points spread in between.

The Conclusion

The two primary goals of the conclusion are to give the reader closure and a positive last impression. So you need to reinstate your core points and formulate the final thoughts to make the reader ponder the topic long after they’ve finished your essay. Sometimes, it’s appropriate to finish a paper with a question or further research opportunities. You can also provide another quote to mirror the introduction.

Step by Step Guide to Writing an Exemplification Paper

Study Essay Requirements and Define Your Topic

Working on any assignment should start with reading, analyzing, and specifying requirements. Look for keywords (analysis, arguments, etc.) and action verbs (analyze, describe, provide, etc.) to better understand what’s expected from you. Pay attention to numbers (submission date, word count, number of sources) and formatting requirements (MLA, APA, Chicago, etc.). If some requirements aren’t clear, ask your TA or professor to provide more information.

Selecting a good topic for an exemplification essay comes down to two critical requirements:

• It must be controversial. You’re essentially working on an argumentative essay with examples, so you need a topic with at least two sides. “Smoking is bad for you” is a bad example, while “Depiction of cigarettes in film and video games is the main driver for teenage smoking” is good.
• It must fit the assignment scope. Consider your word count limits before picking a general topic like “The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic”. You need a few volumes to barely scratch the surface of the issue. Instead, narrow the scope to “The disastrous effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on the movie theater industry in the US.”

Research and Find Examples of Exemplification Essays Online

To get into the right frame of mind, find inspiration and ready-made exemplification essay topics, look for free essay sample collections online. They are never perfect, but even flawed pieces by your fellow students can be an excellent guide on what not to do in your writing. If you don’t find any inspirational work, check out The Student Writer: Editor and Critic by Barbara Fine Clouse. It’s one of the greatest resources on academic writing with plenty of student-written and professional essay samples. Finally, you can also ask your professor for samples of their students’ best works to get a better idea of what they are looking for in an essay. A rubric will also go a long way in meeting the professor’s requirements.

Brainstorm and Draft an Exemplification Essay Outline

Once you have your topic and a good idea of what you want your essay to look like, brainstorm, research, and note as many examples as possible. You can add them to your research file randomly, but you’ll need to categorize them later. Each category can then become a significant point in your essay structure. We’ve already gone over your choice of an exemplification essay outline options; now, you just need to pick the one that fits your topic and narrative best based on the examples you’ve found.

Write the Paper and Cite Your Sources

The secret to writing an essay fast is to write everything that comes to mind with no concern for mistakes, typos, or choppy transitions. You have your outline and examples, so put them together, one passage at a time. And if you can’t think of a good opening line, skip the introduction and start with your first body passage. You can return to the introduction once the rest of the paper is ready.

Edit, Proofread, and Format the Essay Before Submission

Pulling an all-nighter to finish the paper an hour before the submission deadline is a bad idea because you leave yourself no time for finishing touches. And that’s the time to turn your brain dump into a cohesive piece by adding logical transitions, eliminating repetitions, etc. Proofreading using specialized software like Grammarly will remove most typos and errors, and formatting will make your paper look polished and guarantee an excellent first impression.

Get Writing Help and Score Top Marks

If you’re still working on your writing skills and the assignment deadline is too close for comfort, getting professional help will kill three birds with one stone. You will get an excellent paper to score a high mark, a perfect essay sample to use as a template for future assignments, and more time to work on other pieces. Our writers can help you every step of the way, from finding excellent exemplification essay topics to outlining, writing, and editing the finished work. So get in touch and let us solve all your writing problems.