Whether they have to do it for a school or a work project, a classification essay often raises a series of question marks among those who have no idea about its main principles. So, what is a classification essay after all? The name is self-explanatory. The writer is supposed to sort or organize things into more categories. It sounds easy, but what are the most important rules for a successful result?

Splitting a Classification Essay into Multiple Categories

The writer is supposed to split a classification essay into various groups. Each of them must have its unique characteristics. There are three concepts to remember when building a plan.

The set is basically the array of common characteristics for a particular category. For instance, students might have to share the year they are in and their age.

The scheme is another function to remember. It is most commonly used to define the function defining the sets. When sets are organized into classes, there must be a method of selection and differentiation.

Last but not least, classes represent the final categories. There are shared elements, as well as unique considerations. To help you understand this aspect better, if the classification essay is based on animals, it can be split into mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, and reptiles. One must underline how all these categories are related to.

Defining the Main Steps for an Efficient Classification

So, what is a classification essay if not just a list of categories? While classification is essential for its purpose, the writer must define the connection between categories and the elements that make each category unique.

The first step implies sorting things into the right categories. Imagine organizing your desk. You have plenty of papers everywhere. Before putting them out in cabinets and drawers, you determine the purpose of each file. Some papers go to the bin, others to accounting, and others to storage.

The second step involved finding the main organizing principle that connects all these categories. You cannot write an essay based on random categories that have nothing in common.

Finally, the third step is supposed to explain the classification and help the reader understand it. In other words, you are supposed to provide examples that fit into each class.

Tips to Write a Professional Classification Essay

How many categories did you decide on? This is usually how many paragraphs you will require. Sure, a long essay will require more paragraphs for each category. Forget about the standard five-paragraph style as it no longer applies to the professional essay. You will redefine this concept based on how many categories you explore. It is imperative to avoid coming up with too many categories, or your entire classification will be hard to read and stuffy.

Each paragraph must begin with a topic sentence that helps the reader identify the respective category. Then, you can go into specifics.

Keep a logical flow between categories. One thing must lead to another, and so on.

So, what is a classification essay? While the concept is not hard to understand, it does take time to make it perfect.