Find out How to Write a Classification Essay in Expert Guide

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Find out How to Write a Classification Essay in Expert Guide

Categorizing things is important to see the differences and similarities between them. What is a classification essay? That is a good question if you wish to obtain higher grades. The article from writing gurus explains how to write a classification essay, things to cover, topics to choose from, and several great examples.

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How to Write a Classification Essay? Definition

“What is a classification essay?” It is a primary question to pop up. It is easy to explain: this type of academic assignment encourages a writer to organize or group people, objects, or events into different categories. The primary goals of such paper are:

  1. Categorizing chosen topics;
  2. Ensuring a single organizing approach is followed everywhere;
  3. Providing examples that fall into every cluster.

The way an author groups things depends on their specific traits. The basic idea is to clarify the ordinary principle of categorization, a type of evaluation method to be used in the paper for grouping topics. The categories must be exhaustive.

How to write a classification essay? A 5-paragraph paper of this type will include:

  1. Definition of the classes/clusters. A writer should not leave out an important class. Example: A writer mentions pizza, carbonara, and pasta when speaking about the traditional Spanish dishes, but he misses paella, the paper will be incomplete as paella is the most popular Spanish dish. It is better to avoid topics with many categories: the text would be too long.
  2. Categorize by one chosen approach. Check whether the classes you came up with fit into the same structuring principle - that is the way a writer creates the categories. Avoid senseless categories. Example: The topic is “children-oriented games, and there is no need to develop one more group such as “violent teen games.
  3. Provide examples for every group. Share the equal numbers of examples to make a reader better understand the main point - the way you classified the things.

Classification Essay Outline Template

Some students hate writing outlines but it is crucial for writing creative essays. It is impossible not to lose the main point and logical flow of ideas without having a writing plan. It will keep a student on track! Experts recommend choosing a 5-paragraph structure while working on this type of paper. It means a writer must decide on 3 different categories and stick to the offered outline:

  1. Introduction with the bang & thesis
  2. Body paragraph number 1/Category number 1
  3. Body paragraph number 2/Category number 2
  4. Body paragraph number 3/Category number 3
  5. Conclusion
  6. References (a separate A4 page at the end)

Classification Essay Examples Free of Charge

To make you understand the process, look at one of the examples (detailed structure). Use it as a template.

I. Introduction

  1. The cinematography is one of the most significant aspects of the United States culture;
  2. Due to the multicultural essence of the US, various genres of movies have emerged throughout the history.

Thesis: The 3 main categories of the American cinematography today are comedies, action films, and science fiction.

II. Category I: Comedy

  1. Romantic comedies
  2. “Black” comedies
  3. Teen comedies

III. Category II: Action movies

  1. Thrillers
  2. Adventures
  3. Spy fictions

IV. Science fiction

  1. Fantasies
  2. Anti-utopias
  3. Fan fiction

V. Conclusion (A restated thesis could sound this way: The three primary groups of the US films include comedies, action films, and science fiction.

The Ways to Write a Thesis Statement for Classification Essay

The process starts with the introduction, and thesis statement for classification essay is part of it. Experts recommend ending up with writing a thesis. Seeing the whole picture allows building a solid thesis, which should contain the topic and the way it is categorized. A writer may name the categories.

(topic)...(how classified)...(category) (category) (category)

Example: Students who study Computer Science in-depth can enjoy such activities as playing video games, watching movies, and developing apps.

The writer then describes these three activities.

Things to Include in Your Classification Essay Conclusion

The last thing to discuss is a classification essay conclusion. It is a finishing point. The main idea is to make a concluding part naturally flow from the body paragraphs with the help of transition words/phrases. Mention the main ideas (topic sentences) in the closing paragraph. Share the final thoughts on the chosen topic, rewrite the thesis in other words, and share some expectations. Specify the importance of classifying people, objects, or events and underscore the significance to analyze the problem afresh.

Transition Words for Classification Essay

Transition words help to save the logical flow of thoughts in academic papers of any type. What are some good transition words for classification essay? Keep in mind these common phrases:

  • The 1st kind, the 2nd kind, the 3rd kind
  • The 1st group, the 2nd group, the 3rd group
  • The 1st category, the 2nd category, the 3rd category

Apply these transitions each time you arrange things into meaningful groups, apply a single arrangement approach, and provide examples of things that relate to every class.

45 Classification Essay Topics

Not all ideas can be good paper topics. We have divided some of the best titles into several categories to make you choose one easier.

Classification essay on sports

  1. Dancing Styles
  2. Physical Attributes of Good Athletes
  3. Ways to Classify Sports Gyms
  4. Baseball Pitchers, Soccer Quarterbacks, and Goalies
  5. Reasons for Attending Physical Education Classes
  6. Video Games Related to Different Sports
  7. Sports Reality Shows on TV
  8. Olympic Games
  9. Attitudes toward Exercising

Movie classification essays

  1. Videos on YouTube
  2. Various Movie Genres
  3. Movies about Memory Loss
  4. Movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger
  5. Films on “Harry Potter”
  6. The Best Hollywood Actors of XX Century
  7. The Most Popular Anime in the United States
  8. Famous World’s Comedians
  9. Types of Cartoons

Classification essay about diets and eating

  1. Styles of Eating in Public Places
  2. Stores in the Mall and What They Offer
  3. Hot Meals
  4. Meals That May Lead to Diabetes II
  5. Tipping in Restaurants
  6. Causes of Anorexia Nervosa
  7. Ways to Treat Obesity
  8. Impact of Eating Habits on Different Disorder
  9. Healthy Nutrition

Classification essay on music

  1. Teachers of Music
  2. Major Music Instruments
  3. Portable Music Players
  4. Different Genres of Modern Music
  5. Religious Music
  6. Music and Social Media
  7. Music and Politics
  8. Promoting Music: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, & Sound Cloud
  9. Female Pop Singers

Classification essay on animals

  1. Rare Species of Animals
  2. Animals That Cannot Be Kept as Home Pets
  3. Types of Dogs
  4. Animals That Live Only in Australia
  5. Best Places in the World to See Rare Species of Animals
  6. Types of Tests Used on Animals
  7. Animals We Consume in Food
  8. River, Sea, & Ocean Species
  9. The Most Ancient Animals

To get more topic ideas, read other blogs we have for our users. Start with compare and contrast topics, for example. 


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