Classification Essay Writing Tutorial
The classification essay involves breaking down a larger, complex subject into smaller ones that make the subject easier to understand. Also known as the "division" portion of the essay, while it is somewhat different from the classification, both parts are equally important.
How to divide the topic up?
When you're dividing the topic you've decided to write on, look at how the subject can be broken down into smaller parts. While this may sound easy, it can actually prove to be somewhat challenging. You need to make sure that you've divided the project evenly to promote balance, so that one section doesn't completely outweigh its counterparts.
Classifying the pieces you've divided.
Once you've divided your material into smaller categories, you then need to decide how you will classify the items you have. An easy way to do this is to determine which elements are the most important to the subject you're presenting, their relation to each other, and how they affect the bigger picture (the subject you're writing about as a whole). The categories you chose for your grouping should be easily linked back to the overarching topic.
In truth, it's very similar to organizing and filing documents. A strong option for this is to categorize the topics by what you feel is the most critical points and what you want to be brought to the reader's attention first.
Time to actually write the essay.
Like all essays, you should try to develop a strong introduction that grabs the reader's attention. Make sure that it is clean and precise, explaining what you intend to report in the essay. This should be breaking down a larger concept into smaller parts to be more easily understood.
In the body of your essay, at least one paragraph should be devoted to each of the categories you have developed in the "division" process. Be sure to describe the category, and elaborate on the elements within. Don't forget to mention how each of these smaller pieces ties into the overall scheme of the "big picture."
Of course, your final paragraph will be your conclusion. Use this time to once again state the purpose of the essay, though it should be worked in differently than in the introduction. Another good way to end would be leave something for your reader to ponder, by tying the big concept to a real life situation.