A classification essay assignment can easily make students feel a bit confused. What can you classify in an academic paper? Well, that’s a common question that students ask quite frequently, even despite all the short and long explanations from their professors.
By the way, the problem with classification essay writing can be there for students of any level, from high schools to universities. Just like any other essay, classification papers work as perfect evaluation tools. When speaking of the discussed type of academic assignments, they are called to make you show your skill in data categorizing (aka classification) regarding some particular features of the chosen topical subject.
Does that sound too complicated? Well, there is no wonder, especially if you are facing the classification essay writing assignment for the very first time in your life. However, you’ll feel it much simpler after you read this expert guide.
Good news first suit as the most suitable ones to close up an article’s intro: a classification essay is just another essay. Below, you’ll see a lot of familiar points. Though, it’s never too bad to reread some common guidelines to improve your writing skills even more.
So, here we go! Let’s proceed with a close-up look at the classification essay. What’s that? How to write it? And how to complete it to get a good grade? Find all the answers further in this article.
To Clarify: What Is a Classification Essay?
When it comes to explaining anything connected with the academic experience or activity, the first thing to give is a clear definition. Let’s keep up with that usual approach. It offers effectiveness tested with time and millions of students.
Keeping that in mind, before you find out how to write a classification essay, you should have a picture of what it is in your mind. So, the simplest way to define a classification paper is to call it a writing assignment requiring a student to demonstrate their ability to generalize and categorize things.
Consequently, to craft a worthy classification essay, one needs to:
- pick a suitable topic (generalization);
- come up with the suitable division criteria (categorization);
- provide examples to illustrate and explain each category;
- wrap up the topic with a sound conclusion.
The topic may depend either on you or your professor. Some profs prefer assigning topics on their own, while others like to give students more freedom. But what depends on you all the time is the decision on classification criteria and the explanation of your reasons to divide things exactly the way you do. Make sure to come up with understandable and full-scale explanations before you start specifying the features and examples of your categories.
Writing a Classification Essay: Structure
As always, it is crucial to understand the structure of a paper before you even start building an outline. Moreover, even checking samples of classification essays online after you find out more details about the required structure will surely bring you more benefits. Like, you’ll know what to look for in an example.
Just as we said above, a classification paper is nothing but another essay. Consequently, a classical five-paragraph approach would cut it to serve as an example. Keep in mind the requirements given by your professor. The actual word count extension may be the reason to come up with more categories and examples. Some profs may even specify the number of paragraphs they want you to write.
The standard scheme of any essay includes three parts: introduction, main body, and conclusion. When speaking of five paragraphs, the distribution of the essay’s inner space should look like this:
- 1 paragraph – intro;
- 3 paragraphs – body;
- 1 paragraph – conclusion.
Here goes another critical tip you should read before we proceed with the main part of this chapter. When your professor specifies more than 5 paragraphs, 2 pages, or 500 words as a requirement, they don’t want you to make your intro or conclusion wordier. They need to see more categories, examples, and explanations from you.
Consequently, to craft a classification essay worth the best grade, you need to think about the topic to discuss (if you can pick it), your thesis, categories to introduce, explanations to provide, examples to illustrate categories, and a conclusion to wrap things up. Let’s proceed with even more details to give you even more chances to get the top grade you surely want.
Intro
A suitable introduction is the entry point of any essay, and your classification paper is not an exception. To compose it well, you might want to provide your professor with a clearly visible subject identification. That means you should write an explanation of your categorization ideas and choices. Stating the essay’s purpose can play for you well enough here, too. What’s the reason for you to categorize the chosen items?
The last but not least important intro element is the thesis statement. Pay attention to the identification of groups and explain criteria briefly to make it look perfect.
Body
As we said above already, the body of the classical five-paragraph classification essay consists of three paragraphs. The space distribution is simple: one paragraph per one chosen category.
To begin a paragraph, explain the category’s criteria. Maybe, you might want to mention weaknesses or strengths. Additionally, it would be nice to come up with relevant and illustrative examples explaining the category and features.
It is okay to cut your paragraphs to make them shorter when necessary. However, double-check your transitioning sentences and logical connections when you proceed with the next category.
Conclusion
The summary is obviously the last paragraph of an essay. Here, you need to tie all the categories displayed and investigated in the main essay body and to make the paper look finished.
A commonly suitable solution is to come up with a short conclusion on each category. Regarding the topic and thesis statement, you may want to highlight certain advantages or features of one category, making it stand out among other ones. Still, if you decide to go that way, it is critical to provide clear explanations for that solution.
Now, when you know more about the structure of your future classification assignment, you are ready to compose an effective and helpful outline. Continue reading the guide to improve your knowledge on the topic and increase your chance of getting a perfect grade as a result.
Classification Essay Outline: Sample
You can check examples of classification essay outlines online with no problem, though it would be better for you to see one instantly. Keep in mind the key elements and tips stated above to understand the outline perfectly. So, here it is.
Note: this is a sample outline that may not suit your assignment when taken “as is”. If you decide to come up with the same topic, check all the requirements and contents twice before accepting an outline as your primary classification essay writing plan.
Topic: Video Games
Category: Genres
- Intro
Video games have become a great cultural phenomenon in recent years.
The worldwide community of gamers formed stable demand for different gaming genres.
Thesis: three most wanted video game genres are action, role-playing games, and simulators.
- Category 1: Action Games
- First-Person Shooter (example: Counter-Strike)
- Third-Person Shooter (example: Gears of War)
- Hack and Slash (example: Devil May Cry)
- Category 2: Role-Playing Games (RPG)
- Isometric (example: Baldur’s Gate)
- First-Person (example: Kingdom Come: Deliverance)
- Third-Person (example: The Witcher)
- Category 3: Simulators
- Sports (example: NBA 2K21)
- Fighting (example: Street Fighter)
- Racing (example: Need for Speed)
- Conclusion
Action, role-playing, and simulator video games are the most wanted by the public.
To Conclude on Classification Essays
As you might understand already, a classification essay is not too challenging to complete well. If you want to do that, your first need is to know and understand the definition of that type of academic assignment and to keep in mind its structure. Then, come up with a suitable and interesting topic, and think about a thesis statement and categories you are going to introduce.
After that, you are ready to come up with an outline. An outline can serve as a perfect plan to expand step by step and finally receive a completed paper worth the top grade.
Remember that the classification essay is the professor’s tool to test and estimate your abilities to categorize and generalize things. That should be your point of focus.
Of course, don’t forget about professional writers available online. You can call them for help whenever you need it.