What is an exploratory essay? This type of academic writing should examine different views that people have on a certain issue instead of arguing a particular point. Such essays are similar to news reports because they focus on looking at many available opinions rather than picking only one idea to argue. This English paper is easy to write and organize. All you need to do is to work hard to gather information, analyze it, and check each source before you start putting all interesting ideas together in your exploratory essay.
Powerful questions for your exploratory essay
To submit a perfect essay and impress every reader, be careful when integrating all sources of information into it smoothly and ensure that you explain each side of your subject in a coherent manner. Are there any helpful questions? What are their types? Answer them to determine the following:
- Fact and reliability;
- Its definition and meaning;
- Value and importance;
- Basic causes;
- Policy and suggestions for what to do about it.
How to select a good question
Ensure that your exploratory essay examines a few sides of the chosen subject that readers don’t agree about. Your basic step is to decide what your question is. There are many interesting exploratory essay topics to choose from. To make the best choice, determine:
- If your topic is something many people disagree with or something they want to discuss;
- Whether any current events make people think about it;
- The type of question and if it’s suitable to write a winning essay.
Consider these questions that can work in any situation:
- What is the main life need that your issue relates to (peace, good health, education for all children, chances to work, and others)?
- What is the most efficient way to solve it?
- What are its possible causes and effects?
If you gather more information about an enduring issue, it will help you better understand your targeted readers and decide if they’re passionate about it.
How to structure your exploratory essay
Ensure that your essay has the right structure and make its outline to make things easier. What should it contain? A basic principle to end up with a strong organization is to write its introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Wonder how to do that? Look for updated, matching, and credible exploratory essay examples online because they can guide you, or look at a helpful sample paper below.
Introduction
This exploratory essay paragraph is usually less than one page (write 1 or 2 brief paragraphs to describe your subject and state an interesting question). What do you need to do?
- Make your subject interesting to all readers by using vivid images and excellent examples;
- Explain it clearly and define its background history or relevant terms;
- Keep your perspective neutral and ask a question clearly.
Feel free to use helpful techniques when writing an introductory paragraph of your exploratory essay, including scenarios, stories, history, vivid descriptions, current news, statistics, unusual facts, interesting quotes, examples, etc. Determine the most effective one that you’ll use.
Body paragraphs
The main body of your essay should have two basic parts:
- The first one explains to readers the rhetorical situation surrounding a topic (tell them who is interested in it and state significant disagreements, possible changes, and current news that can interest them);
- Explain different answers to a given question, their logical reasoning, strong evidence for each one, and whether they address objections of other sides.
Analyze a rhetorical situation, such as historical, cultural, or social backgrounds. Discuss how long your chosen issue has been around. Determine if there any media, writing, or other resources that convey valuable messages and ideas on it and whether recent news can affect people’s opinions about it. Highlight the main points to answer your arguable question.
The main body of your exploratory essay should consist of 3 or more paragraphs, and each one explores a separate possible answer to a given question. Provide readers with detailed explanations of your view and its strong evidence. Identify different ways people answer it and their logic.
Look at available sources of information to find strong evidence and facts to support each point in your exploratory essay and convince your targeted audience. Credit all of their authors to avoid copyright problems. Determine the best order for all possible answers. It’s possible to put them:
- From least to most popular;
- From most to least popular;
- End with your personal stance that leads to interesting conclusions;
- From a positive, middle, or negative ground.
Conclusion
In a concluding paragraph of your exploratory essay, tell readers what you think or challenge them to make their own decisions. State if you changed your beliefs and what convinced you. Define the best answer to your question and decide whether it’s one of the views that you discovered in your study or research. Pinpoint crucial guidelines to other people to use in answering this question.
What are the most powerful ways to conclude your exploratory essay? There are many effective techniques that you can use to draft a strong concluding section:
- Add final evidence and the most convincing facts;
- Challenge readers to make their own decisions;
- Tell them your personal conclusions;
- Finish your frame story;
- Outline what others need to think about to find the best solution to your question.
