Explanatory Essay Topics

An explanatory essay is the most common assignment type in most academic programs. In this writing, the author explains an opinion on something (an event, somebody’s action, a problem, etc.). An important note: you are not criticizing but explaining, so it’s much easier for the reader to understand what happened. It’s a thin line between explanatory and other essays, so the writer should stay within the territory.

Besides sticking to the guideline, choosing an excellent topic for the explanatory essay is also important. It may be almost everything that could be explained according to the assignment’s parameters. However, depending on what grade students belong to, they may write about more complicated things, describing socially essential programs. To show what is the difference between beginning, intermediate, and advanced explanatory essay topics, we will provide some examples and explain what you can write in them.

The Definition of Friendship

How do people make friends? How do people feel they need friends? What qualities may people have to become good friends? First, such a topic may seem complicated, but it’s not. You can rely on personal experience and answer those questions describing personal experience and supporting your statements with examples. 

How Do People Choose Jobs for Themselves?

People probably won’t go for a job that doesn’t suit them. It’s usually something a person studies or is passionate about. Building, software engineering, military service, UI/UX design, game development, etc. There are numerous opportunities, but how do individuals choose the job? Share your thoughts and provide examples to support your opinion.

A House of Your Dreams – What Would It Look Like?

You may live with your parents or rent an apartment, but you definitely understand what house you want to live in. How many rooms does it have? What shape does it have? There are myriads of details you can describe in your writing. You could take something from famous houses from movies or novels and want to have it in your dream house. When having such topics, people usually don’t ask, “Please, write my essay for me.”

How Does Social Media Affect Socialization?

Now we are moving to more complicated topics, and here’s one of them.

The problem of social media becomes more real every year. Kids and teenagers spend hours chatting with friends, watching reels, or scrolling photos on Instagram. Social media replaced live communication, and now people can stay home and chat on messengers. Do individuals become less socialized? Should parents limit the time children spend on social media? There are myriads of opinions on this point, and you can share yours, describing situations from your life to support your argument. 

The Role of the United States in World War II?

The Second World War affected the whole planet as allies united to stop the Axis Alliance led by Germany. Everyone paid the price, but the United States made the most significant impact during the war. First, they defeated Japan in the Pacific and invaded Europe to liberate it. 

Several crucial operations were organized to achieve success on the battlefield, and more was done to help allies. There’s a lot to tell, so use historical facts for your essay.

Does Space Exploration Resolve the Overpopulation Problem?

How often do we hear about Mars exploration? First, people investigate the planet and analyze its conditions to decide whether it’s accessible. Moreover, volunteers are ready to participate in colonization and stay on Mars forever. And what about other planets? What do we know about them?

Like with the previous topic, you have enough information for an explanation. The research has been conducted for years, and plenty of information supports an opinion. Feel free to mention something in your explanatory essay if you disagree with something.

The Characteristics of a Good Explanatory Essay

To receive a high grade for your writing, ensure it matches the following criteria:

  • Simplicity. Readers should be able to understand what you want to say. Even though some definitions sound complicated, consider explaining them in easy words.
  • Informative and attractive. The explanatory essay may not only provide readers with crucial facts or statements but also draw readers’ attention and make them read your essay from the beginning to the end. Start with a hook and add strong topic sentences to each part.
  • Clear and precise. Ensure your essay does not have any complex parts that require clarification.

If you are unsure how to clear your writing, read it several times and clarify problematic parts.