Classification Essay

Contents

What is a Classification Essay?

What is classification essay? A classification essay is designed to help students categorize data into its various components. High school and college students are bound to experience it at some point in their education in their assignments. In the beginning, when one is new to this type of task, it is quite daunting, but it gets better when you understand what this essay type entails.

If the nuanced task of writing a classification essay has you feeling overwhelmed, from sorting items into meaningful categories to providing insightful commentary on each, StudyMoose may be the solution you've been seeking. Also you need to know that StudyMoose can help with research papers, papers in apa format, term papers and other assignments for students.

Part of what you need to know when writing a classification essay is that the various components should have identifiers. That basically is a unique character that allows you to group like terms together. The essay will also require a short description of each category.

How to Write a Classification Essay

When looking at how to write a classification essay, you want to remember that it is not the easiest to write. Some planning has to go into this, and that means a reasonable amount of planning beforehand. Here are some of the things to have in mind when making a classification essay outline:

  • Brainstorm your ideas
  • Choose your categories
  • Put things in order
  • Develop a thesis

Brainstorming

If you haven't been allocated good classification essay topics, then you get to choose the idea you want to write about. You certainly want ideas that allow you to classify things or people into distinct classes. Here, you want to go for 3 to 5 categories that will provide you with sufficient information without taking too much of your time. Of course, you also want to have the word count for the assignment in mind.

Categorize your Work

Now choose your categories to comply with the classification essay definition. If you are discussing a group of people, you may want to look at their age, race, height, and other distinctive aspects. Once this is set, you can now start a proper writing plan.

Get things in Order

Think of this part as a way to organize your notes for the next phase. You want to write bullet points for each category so that you finally have something to go with when you start writing. It helps to look at a classification essay sample at this point.

Thesis

The thesis will form an important part of the writing – from the introduction to the body. So, here you want to explain why the categories are as they are and the criteria you used to come up with them. At this point, you get to decide whether one category is more superior to the other.

This is the initial planning stage. After it is all done, you can go ahead and start your writing. You can even go online to check examples of classification essay to see whether you are on the right track.

Arguable thesis means that it can be argued. It must either state or refute an argument about your topic. To be debateable, a thesis must have some possibility of being true. However, the thesis should not be universally accepted as true. Instead, it should be something that people can disagree with. A thesis can be both an observation or an opinion.

observation + opinion (the "why") = thesis

Seeing if your thesis creates a powerful antithesis is an excellent approach to determine how strong it is.

Common thesis pitfalls:

  • A thesis in the form of a fragment.
  • A thesis that is overly broad.
  • A thesis that is phrased as a question. (The thesis is usually derived from the solution to the question.)
  • Extraneous information is included in a thesis.
  • A thesis that begins with the words "I believe" or "In my opinion."

Classification Essay Examples

  • Classification Essay Students

Classification Essay Students

  • Classification and Division Essay

Classification and Division Essay

  • Learning Styles Classification

Learning Styles Classification

What is the Structure of a Classification Essay?

Many classification essay examples show the structure to be quite simple to follow. It looks like this:

  • Introduction
  • Body
  • Conclusion

With most classification essay samples, this format is followed to the letter, which is what makes them quite easy to write. You could tweak the number of words per segment to suit your needs, but overall the structure is what matters the most.

Introduction: This paragraph is as usual, where you explain your classification essay idea. The reader will want to know what you are categorizing and why. You will then identify the products to be discussed and the various classifications. A brief description explaining the criteria of each product will also be appreciated here. A paragraph or two will suffice.

The Body: This part will take more than a few paragraphs. You will be breaking down the different categories, preferably each on its own paragraph. You want to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of each of the categorized items in brief to give the reader a deeper understanding. Feel free to give examples that explain the categories as deeply as you wish for your readers. When moving from one category to the next, ensure the transition is clear and seamless.

Conclusion: There is no way you would explain details of the categories and not conclude them in a way the reader understands. You are essentially summarizing each of the categories and concluding what the reader should deduce from each reading. This part is essential because skimmers will sometimes not have the time to go through the entire essay. From the classification essay conclusion, they should have a clear understanding of what the categories represent.

Outline and Format of Classification Essay

There are elements of classification writing that you have to pay attention to as they are quite substantial in structuring: Set, Scheme, and Classes.

Set of the Classification

To form a set of things, you have to look for aspects that are similar to only that set. If, for instance, you are discussing vacation spots, they can only be classified together if they are alike. So, islands with white sandy beaches are ideal here.

Scheme

This is where you justify your selection. Why is the set as it is? What qualifies it for further scrutiny? In this part, the sets you have selected are classified in terms of their value and effectiveness for the study and writing the essay.

Classes

When looking at classes, there are specific items to consider. You are looking at an item's description, the identification traits that set it apart from the others, and other similar aspects. You will also compare and contracts it with the rest in that class. When this part is done, each item in the category is well-defined, explained, and the reader can clearly see how it differs from the rest. Classification forms an integral part of the structure, and it might actually be the one that consumes the most time.

Other concerns you want to address after selecting classification essay ideas are in the structuring of sentences and texts. You do not want run-on sentences that do not form complete ideas when writing. Your sentences should explain everything without sounding as though some parts of your thought process were left incomplete. After writing, you certainly want to go through the entire script and edit it accordingly before handing it in.

Do you Need Classification Essay Samples? You're at the Right Place

Looking at a classification essay example could make it easy to know what is expected as you write. An example of classification essay will highlight what we have already mentioned in this text: this type of essay is quite easy to write.

We know what it takes to get a proper classification essay done, which we admit is not easy when you are doing it for the first time. Our team of experts knows exactly what is required and will take this concern off your mind if you let us. So, if you need help with your essay, let us know.

Also, Check Out These Classification Essay Topics

Here are topics for classification essay for various levels of education:

Topic for Classification Essay for Middle School Students

  • Teaching strategies and techniques in Middle school
  • Top 5 Best Places to Vacation During Summer
  • Characteristics of Good Friends
  • How Different Types of People Respond to Sarcasm
  • Top Décor Ideas for Small Spaces
  • How to Quit Smoking Cold Turkey
  • How to Distinguish Between good and Bad Influence

Topics for High School Students

  • Religion and its Various Categories
  • Why Arranged Marriages are Becoming Popular
  • Classifying People According to their Shopping Tendencies
  • Classifying People According to their Dance Styles
  • Online Shopping Behavior of People in Various Age Groups

Topics for College Students

  • Nationalities and Religion
  • Race and Specific Health Concerns
  • Elements of Food
  • The Different Genres of Music and their Origins
  • Different Types of World Leaders
  • Varying Levels of the Worst Natural Disasters in History
  • Multiple Personality Disorder
  • Classes of Mental Health Concerns
  • Exercise, Bodybuilding, and Fitness

Other Classification Essay Topics

  • The enforcers of sports rules: referee vs. umpire vs. official
  • Modern outdoor sports (ultimate Frisbee, Frisbee golf, etc.)
  • Elements of the U.S. constitution that are antiquated/outdated
  • Youth protests
  • Rules about teens trick-or-treating
  • Holistic medicine covered by health insurance
  • Teasing categorized as bullying
  • Types of snacks called “chips” that aren’t actually chips
  • Caffeinated drinks categorized as energy drinks
  • Earbuds categorized as a type of headphones
  • Most annoying songs
  • Clubbers
  • Dancing styles
  • Movie endings
  • Cinema-goers
  • Extracurricular activities
  • College athletes
  • College fraternities
  • Parenting styles
  • Child-parent relationships
  • Students and their study habits
  • Lectures
  • Students during an exam
  • Stand-up comedians
  • Self-centered people

How to choose a topic for a classification essay

When choosing classification essay topics, you want elements with aspects of comparison. Frankly, almost everything has unique qualities and so all that matters is you being able to classify them accordingly. If you are working with a group of students, you may need to get together for a brainstorming session where you come up with as many ideas as possible. You will then discard the ones that do not stand out, so you are finally left with unique ideas.

Two things you want to consider when selecting your topics are target audience and categorization. The people you will be focusing your study on will influence your choice since it will be of better value if they are interested in the write-up. Rocks and their formation will not be as exciting to a group of students looking for summer camp ideas, and so you may want to go with beach vacations instead.

The characteristics of the subject matter will also need to be considered since you do not want to choose a topic with barely any comparative qualities. Bearing in mind the number of words required for the assignment, you do not want to struggle too much finding useful content online.

Lastly, there are several classification essay examples free online that you can use as a comparison with your topic of choice.

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FAQ about Classification Essay

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