5 Types of Writing You’ll Encounter in College

In college, not only are students expected to write at a higher level, they’re also asked to use different writing styles to accomplish various tasks. For one class, you may be asked to write a persuasive essay, while for another you might find yourself writing a long research paper complete with a literature review. In order to feel equipped to complete these assignments, it can help to know what is expected in each writing style. Keep reading to learn five types of writing you’ll encounter in college.

College Writing Type #1: Expository Essay

The term "expository" stems from the purpose of exposing the facts on your subject of choice. This is informative writing in which you’ll provide a balanced portrayal of the facts. This will not be written with emotions or first-person observations. Instead, your essay will attempt to be objective and cite examples and figures to explain your topic. You may often see this type of writing on essay exams, because it can be a good way to test your retention of the course material.

For these essays, you’ll want to follow a structure with an introduction and thesis statement, supporting paragraphs in the body of the essay to back up your thesis, and a conclusion. This doesn’t mean you can’t use any creativity, but the main point of expository writing is to explain the facts at hand.

College Writing Type #2: Persuasive Essay

With this type of writing, your goal is to convince the reader of your point of view. This can take many forms—for example, you may be arguing in favor of a political stance or trying to explain the consequences of a historical event. While you’ll still need to base your argument on facts and research, this is different from expository writing because it aligns with a specific viewpoint or position. Typically, a persuasive essay will follow a similar format to an expository essay—an introduction, thesis statement, body, and conclusion—but you’ll craft your thesis statement with the intention of convincing the readers of your argument, rather than just informing them.

College Writing Type #3: Book or Article Review

This style of writing will require you to summarize key points of a text, but more importantly, provide critical analysis. The point is to make you think more deeply about the meaning of the text and how the...

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