How To Write An Illustration Essay

You may deliver your message to readers in a variety of ways – by arguing your point and backing it up with evidence, by giving relevant examples, or by appealing to the audience’s logical reasoning. One of the effective ways to build a better understanding of the subject is to illustrate the point with examples and clarifications. That’s what can be best achieved with the help of an illustrative essay. 

As the illustration essay definition suggests, this type of academic task is aimed at explaining a concept, process, or idea with the help of examples. This way, you need to use hands-on evidence and real-world examples to deliver your information and ensure that the readers capture the point. In this article, we discuss all the nuances of writing an illustrative essay and share professional tips for outlining, topic selection, and selection of effective linking phrases. You will also find examples of illustrative writing to learn with a hands-on template. 

What Is an Illustration Essay?

According to the illustration essay definition, this kind of work is an explanation of the subject matter with the use of relevant examples. Before you learn how to create an interesting and engaging piece of work, you should know its specificity and its difference from other written tasks.

An illustration essay, also known as an exemplification paper, needs you to sum up empirical data, make an explanation, and provide supporting evidence. This is why it is often confused with compare and contrast essays and cause and effect essays. Instead of arguing a point, you need to demonstrate your all-around understanding of the topic by using sufficient examples.

Throughout the writing process, you should demonstrate a topic through the prism of associated details. This is how the reader can visualize the described person, situation, process, or event. Without the discussion of examples, an illustration essay won’t be complete.

Why Is an Illustration Essay Important?

Illustration essay writing is crucial for your personal academic development. It creates the necessary basis for dissertation and thesis writing in the future. While writing an illustration essay, you learn how to develop arguments based on thorough research and analysis. By illustrating different points in the academic format, you demonstrate your ability to deal with discussions. The significance of illustrations is determined by their value in an academic essay. Here are three types of illustrations to be used:

• The personal illustration can be taken from your personal background. For example, you can describe the situation that is taken from your personal background. In your essay, you will say how to deal with it.
• The traditional illustration is a generic example that can be addressed by many people on the particular topic. For example, the situation can be discussed as an average thing that might happen to everyone.
• The hypothetical illustration is an invented illustration. For example, you can cover the idea of circumstances under which this kind of situation might occur.

Whatever illustration you are about to use, you need to adjust it to your context. This way, you can provide the reader with the better understanding of the covered topic. Thus, illustrations are to be relevant to both your subject and your audience. You can sort out the evidence in terms of importance by moving from the least valuable to most valuable examples or from the most valuable to least valuable examples.

Phrases of Illustration 

When writing an illustrative essay, you may use some effective phrases that will structure your content and help you deliver the intended message to the audience. Here are the most commonly used illustrative essay phrases that will strengthen your appeal: 

• Such as, for example – these phrases help the writer illustrate the point by giving a hands-on example for general data. 

Examples:

The massive spread of social media has affected personal relationships, such as family dynamics, closeness of friends, and communication in a romantic relationship, significantly. For example, people have started spending less time together and preferring online communication to warm, hearty personal meetings. 

• In this case, in the case of – these phrases also give a more concrete analysis of a general statement with examples. 

Examples:

People living with chronic stress find it hard to relax on their own. In this case, they often feel a lack of emotional expression and lose a sense of purpose in their lives, thus being unable to withdraw from the stress circle on their own. In the case of exacerbating stress and the person’s perceived inability to unwind, experts recommend art therapy. 

• Specifically, namely, to demonstrate – the phrase supports an argument with precise examples and narrows down the discussed context. 

Examples:

Art therapy, namely painting, music, dance, and expressive writing, are the best methods for managing chronic stress and a lack of effective emotional expression. 

Illustration Essay Outline

How to write an illustration essay? Proving your point through different examples is not hard. When you choose a correct topic and conduct proper research, you make the content sound trustworthy and reliable. Similar to every academic piece of work, an illustration essay can be written in three stages. Here they are:

Introduction

The introduction paragraph aims to present the topic you are going to cover in an illustration essay. It is crucial to find a thesis that reflects your point of view. You need to point briefly why other people have different opinions from yours. You should be able to defend your thesis better than they can defend theirs.

If you decide to discuss social networks’ impact on your daily communication, you may refer to the personal background and scientific data. Before you integrate certain examples, you can make up some foundations first. Once you are done with it, you can highlight some key points to prove that the membership in the popular social network has really changed the way you communicate with other people. First, you can talk about the value of communication in social networks. Second, you can discuss the opportunity to get closer to your family and friends. Finally, you can explain how social networks help you in your studies or work. You can also take the opposite side by discussing the negative effects of social networks on human life. The final sentence of your introductory paragraph is the thesis statement, where you build up the foundation for your further discussion.

An average introduction involves five sentences. But it can be slightly smaller or bigger, depending on the general size of an illustration essay. While writing an introduction, you should include the following elements:

• Inform: Inform the reader about the selected topic.
• Notify: Notify the reader of background information about the topic.
• Translate: Translate the essay question by saying it in different words.
• Report: Report on your supporting points after you introduce the example.
• Outline: Outline the essay organization by using transition words, such as “firstly, secondly, thirdly.”

Body paragraphs

An average number of body paragraphs is three, although there can be some variations. Depending on how many ideas you want to cover, you can have more than three paragraphs involved. Each body paragraph should highlight a separate idea that addresses your thesis statement. Generally, paragraphs in the body section have two goals:

• Describe and define: You need to introduce your topic in a simple and clear way. The reader should gain the impression that you have a deep knowledge of the topic.
• Explain and exemplify: You need to provide as many examples as possible to address your topic.

Before you start writing the body paragraphs, you should introduce them first. For each paragraph, write down a topic sentence with an argument addressing your thesis. This is where you should mention all the support that includes factual data, examples, and other proofs. After you finish your initial research on the thesis, sort out the examples by priority. It will make your narration more structured. As a result, it won’t be difficult for the reader to understand your points of view.

Every example should be examined and defended in detail. This way, you will convince the audience of your thesis by using factual information and formal language. Some topics need additional investigation and collecting examples, while others will allow you to rely on your own personal experiences.

Throughout the writing process, you should remember who your target reader is. This will allow you to keep your text customized. Depending on the target reader, you will make the right accents, involve the right details, and collect the relevant examples in the text. With this information in mind, you will be able to describe the central points effectively.

Conclusion

Now that you have your topic properly covered in the body section, you need to create a striking conclusion. The last paragraph aims to sum up everything that has been mentioned in the previous parts of the illustration essay.

You may use the 5 C’s method to make your conclusion interesting and memorable for the reader. Ideally, you write one or two sentences per point. But some variations are acceptable.

1. Close the loop: You need to connect the first and the last paragraph. This is why you will discuss the thesis statement through the prism of examples highlighted in the body section. This will make your essay look concise and cohesive.
2. Conclude: You should make the final word on the issue. In other words, you can rephrase the thesis statement by using different words.
3. Clarify: You should answer the essay question by using the examples from the body section.
4. Concern: You should mention the party that might take responsibility for the issue.
5. Consequences: You should introduce the possible effects of the covered issue.

The conclusion section is usually the shortest one in an illustration essay. It aims to mention the main points from the body paragraphs and prove their relevance to the reader. While this section is short, it is also important. In order to create a high-quality conclusion, think of it as the last impression the reader has! So, this section should be strongly worded.

While a research essay won’t be complete without references, an illustration essay can be used with and without them. If an illustration essay relies on your personal experiences, it won’t need external sources. If it relies on scientific data, the use of sources is inevitable.

Now that your illustration essay is finished, it needs to be edited properly. You should read it once or twice to check it for grammatical, structural, and contextual mistakes. Also, make sure that your essay is devoid of plagiarism. While there are some general rules for an illustration essay outline, your instructor may have some additional instructions for you. Make sure you read your assignment properly not to miss a crucial detail.

An illustration essay should be simple and clear. Otherwise, the reader won’t be able to understand what you are writing about. Complicated topics, massive paragraphs, and overwhelming information can hardly be suitable for an illustration essay.

How to Choose a Topic for an Illustration Essay?

If you struggle to create an excellent illustration essay, you have most likely chosen the wrong topic. It will turn the writing process into torture as you won’t know what to write about and how to write it. When you choose the right subject, you will move in the right direction from the very beginning. So, how can you make the right choice? Here are the instructions to be followed:

• Write about your personal interests. You should choose the topics for an illustration essay that correspond to your personal interests. While writing about something you are actually interested in, you become more enthusiastic about the whole creative process. Before you come up with the idea for writing, you should think of the topics you are passionate about.
• Focus on the topic simplicity. You should make sure that your topic is convenient for you. If you try to impress the instructor by choosing an overly complicated topic, you shouldn’t do this. Instead of demonstrating your writing skills, you will demonstrate your inability to create a worthy piece of content.
• Pay attention to the topic originality. When choosing a topic, you should focus on less common and less generic options. A unique topic has higher chances to catch the reader’s attention and earn you a higher score. Moreover, a unique topic will have more space for discussions, which is always interesting to read.
• Consider information availability on the topic. When writing an illustration essay, you need to dig deep into the examples and descriptions related to the topic. Before starting the actual writing process, you need to collect sufficient information. Therefore, it is much easier to cover the topic that is widely discussed in academic and scientific sources.
• Stick to essay writing guidelines. While choosing a topic, you should never forget about the initial instructions. If your professor asks you to write about a psychological disorder or discuss a philosophical dilemma, you should stick to this detail. Keep the topic manageable without making it too narrow or too wide.

Choosing the right illustration essay topics has always been a serious challenge, even for experienced writers. A successful topic should match the interests of the audience and have certain value in society. Here are some examples you may use:

• How can society support school victims of bullying?
• Customers are never wrong. Discuss this popular statement.
• Discuss the impact of Tick Tock and Instagram on the young generation.
• Describe the best ways to prepare for a college exam.
• Write a complete description of a student’s academic duties.

That being said, the variety of topics to discuss is huge. But instead of rushing with the final decision, you should take some time to check the catalogue of options. This is where you shouldn’t underestimate the value of research. With the adequate information on the subject matter, you won’t struggle to create a decent piece of writing.

Illustration Essay Examples 

According to the illustration essay definition, you need to illustrate some subject or point in a way that makes it clear to the reader, even if they are completely new to it. Here is an illustrative essay example that exemplifies everything we’ve shared in this article. 

Pros and Cons of Remote Employment 

Remote work, such as freelance or off-office employment, has grown increasingly common worldwide since the advent and massive spread of the Internet. Employers have quickly grasped the benefit of avoiding the geographical limitation of hiring staff from their immediate surroundings. The Internet has made global employment possible, such as hiring a developer or writer in Eastern Europe for a North American company. This way, the companies facing staffing issues have acquired a much broader spectrum of opportunities. For example, they no longer needed to agree to the high hourly rates of local experts who knew about their scarcity in the local labor market and tried to take maximum advantage in terms of the salary premium and favorable working terms from that situation. 

Yet, along with the indisputable benefits of working from any corner of the globe and accessing global talent pools, hiring companies have also quickly felt the drawbacks of this hiring model. For example, it is much harder to protect sensitive business data when working with a remote employee. Specifically, companies have no control over the data and accesses they give to a freelancer or outstaffed employee, as the person is working beyond the company’s office and passing the data to anyone, even regardless of the signed NDAs and contracts. Besides, the management of a remote workforce is a separate managerial challenge that not every company can manage. Namely, there should be a dedicated project manager on board, aligning the work of all staff on every project and harmonizing the activities of a globally scattered team working from numerous time zones. 

Remote work also comes with specific pros and cons for employees as well. In the case of getting a remote job, most employees are free to schedule their own working days in a way that meets their personal needs and work-life balance the best. Besides, they get access to vacancies that stretch far beyond their local labor market and can live in clean rural areas while working for large corporations. At the same time, remote work creates additional hardships and implications for employees. For instance, people may be urged to work at night or early in the morning because of the time zone differences or spend time online at the weekends to get their work approved and aligned with the rest of the team. Therefore, a person wishing to hire remote staff or get a remote job should consider all these pros and cons to make an informed decision.  

Illustration Essay Writing Tips

Knowing how to put your illustration essay ideas together is important for doing a good job with your illustration essay. With the professional writing tips, you will be able to deliver an excellent result. Feel free to check some of them down there:

• Do some brainstorming. When you choose a topic or collect examples, you may do some brainstorming. The main point is that there are no bad ideas. When you have a particular idea, you should use every piece of mind. By writing down every idea in your head, you will gain a better understanding of what you want to write about. After all, your ideas build up bases for successful writing. So, if you think that you don’t have time for silly games, you are wrong. Instead of being a time-waster, a method of brainstorming turns out to be a time-saver for you.
• Avoid undebatable illustration topics. The importance of the topic choice has been mentioned before. So, you should write about something that is actually suitable for debates. You should be able to find sufficient information on the selected topic.
• Conduct a lot of research. Now that you know the topic of your essay, you should conduct thorough research to collect sufficient information. Even if your topic relies on your personal experiences, you should still analyze your background to extract the relevant examples. In other words, you need to find the authentic points that will support the topic.
• Rely on credible sources. Although most illustration essays are personable, some of them rely on factual information. This is why you should use respectable scientific and academic literature as a credible source of information. With unreliable sources, you increase your chances to lose some valuable points from your grade. The use of editable sources such as Wikipedia is also a bad idea since they can be edited by everyone. So, when you choose information for your illustration essay, you should double check its authenticity in advance.
• Filter out the information. If you spend a lot of time thinking about the topic, you probably have enough to say in your illustration essay. Of course, not all of them can make it into the final draft of your paper because they have a negative impact on the context. By choosing a few strongest examples, you can make your essay more convincing. This way, the final result will be interesting, engaging, and concise.
• Focus on the target audience. While you are writing an essay, you should always put yourself in the reader’s place. What information do you want to see in the essay? Is every example clear to you? Do you understand the descriptions that are in the essay? Answer the questions honestly before, during, and after the writing process.
• Make every example clear. Find examples to enable a better illustration of the selected topic. The stronger your evidence is, the more seriously the reader will consider your point. This is what will make your essay academically correct. By using strong words in your example, you will make each example sound convincing. Reading a paper that contains unclear pieces of information and mismatched conclusions will irritate the reader. The importance and urgency of the work will automatically become distant. Using evidence effectively can be a hard thing to do, though. Try to collect relevant examples to make sure that they are interrelated. Thus, the reader will never question the use or meaning of any illustrations you will include in your essay.
• Edit your paper before submitting it. Before you hand over your illustration essay to the instructor, you should make sure that it is grammatically, structurally, and contextually accurate. For this reason, check your essay more than once to eliminate all the imperfections.

Write My Illustration Essay for Me, Please!

As you can see, writing illustration essays is not such a complicated assignment. However, it may take time to set the balance between its descriptive nature and your personal experience. While you don’t have sufficient skills to perform this kind of work, you may use an illustration essay sample or just order an essay from professional writers. But it still can’t guarantee you an excellent result.

In a situation like this, you can send a “Write my illustration essay for me, please!” request to professional writers. You can find a lot of writing services that know everything about academic writing on the Internet. Regardless of what your academic level is, you will get exceptional and 100% unique content right on time!

Being aware of all the characteristics and peculiarities of illustration essays, our qualified and experienced essay service knows how to take this kind of challenge. For this reason, their professionalism can fulfill the requirements of the most complicated orders. If you are not ready for the illustration kind of work, entrust it to specialists. They will prove their proficiency to you!