An excellent outline often translates to a quality expository essay. This is because a well-structured outline lets you identify which information you will present and plan how it all fits together to create a coherent and informative essay. It entails summary sentences or phrases of every key point that you will cover in the final essay. To help you prepare such an outline, we have designed an essay outline template that is consistent with the standardized format of an expository essay. Whether you are a beginner or a top-rated writer, this template guides you to include an exceptional introduction, develop valuable and seamless content, and finish with a satisfactory conclusion. Try this free and downloadable template to guide your writing process in different contexts, whether the essay is part of your coursework assignment, in-class tasks, or exam question.
How to Use This Expository Essay Outline Template
You need to understand the crucial role of each component of the outline in creating a comprehensive essay before using this template. When you know which information to input and why, you can use this template effectively and maximize its potential benefits. Below is a look at each of the components we have included and their importance in creating the final outline.
Introduction
The introduction sets the stage for the rest of the essay. It generates the reader’s interest using a hook, shares some background information, and states what the essay is about through a thesis statement. Use the hook to set the tone of the essay and the background information to contextualize your subject.
When filling this section, start by providing a strong opening in the ‘hook’ subheading. The hook can be a thought-provoking question, an intriguing quote, or a striking statement. In the ‘background and context’ segment, briefly provide statistics and crucial information needed to introduce the subject. Then, conclude the introduction with a thesis statement that contains a specific claim, original, arguable (not obviously true or false), and original. Base the thesis statement on the central point you want to divulge.
Body paragraphs
Use this section to inform, explain, or clarify the subject by providing in-depth information that makes the essay valuable to the reader. Remember to remain objective and formal and avoid bias and advocacy. To fill this section, you need to first categorize the information you have received from research into key themes and order it in a way that serves your argument. Cover each category or theme in a single paragraph. You can order or arrange the information based on various factors such as degree of importance or chronological order.
When filling this section, begin each paragraph with a topic sentence to highlight the topic or idea you will be discussing in the paragraph. Follow up with factual evidence that gives insights into the main point introduced by the topic sentence. Then, analyze the evidence and state its significance in strengthening your thesis. Though this template has provided the format for one paragraph, you can have more paragraphs. To interlink one paragraph with the next, use the ‘transition sentence’ segment.
Conclusion
A conclusion sums up your main points, and it is your last chance to throw a final word in. This section provides three subheadings. Make sure to summarize the main points you have discussed, restate your thesis, state the significance of the subject, and a concluding sentence. Avoid introducing any new information.
