What are the most common types of essays

There are many different kinds of essays, and they can be grouped into four general types, each with its own structure:

- The expository essay presents a specific topic and then explains or explores it. This type of essay is often used for school assignments, and it adheres to an inverted-pyramid structure.

- The process essay takes a process that occurs in nature or at some stage of a machine's development and describes how that process works. You follow this template: "First, Second, Third. Finally."

- The compare/contrast essay sets up two or more ideas and shows their similarities and/or differences. (This type of essay is often used in school.)

- The argumentative essay tries to convince the reader of something using logic and reason. It has two parts: "Three reasons why" followed by "A conclusion."