What is a Process Essay? Professional Writing Help

Written by

Nancie Atwell

August 24, 2023

7 min read

Many students ask us how to write a process essay and it is not surprising. This type of the assignment is not typical and not every scholar faces it during student years. If you want to succeed in delivering an outstanding paper, you should start with getting familiar with its definition.

In simple words, a process essay is a paper, which answers the question ‘How to..?’ It is an informative essay, which gives the reader a guideline on how something is completed. Usually it can be a manual, information paper or an instruction. For example, how to build a Lego house or to bake an outstanding apple pie. That is why the main goal of such a task is to lead the reader to success in completing a certain action.

Now, when you know what a process essay is, you are ready to get familiar with its structure. It includes:

• Introduction;
• Main paragraphs;
• Conclusion.

The first, introductory, section is where you explain the goal of the paper, leaving details for the future. Usually, this part contains two or three sentences, where you provide main information on the matter, meaning of different terms and how the subject can be applied in real life. Here you need to explain how the instruction can simplify reader’s life and why he or she needs such skills.

Main paragraphs of your essay should contain a list of steps the reader needs to take to achieve the result. Make sure you provide all the steps in a logical way, describing them in a clear and understandable language. Remember, readers don’t know specific terms, so you should always use common words and phrases. Don’t forget to provide all the necessary details on the tools, quantity and applications the reader needs to succeed.

The final stage is the conclusion, where you need to restate the results of your essay. Don’t forget to summarize the main idea of your guideline and try to motivate the reader to try your instruction out.

Unfortunately, due to quite a rare usage of such an assignment, students make many mistakes, which could be avoided with ease. Here are only some of them:

• Missing out important details. A good instruction is the one, which contains lots of details on the matter. These may be numbers, quantity, duration, tools to use and so on. Make sure you provide even the slightest details to give the reader all the necessary information;
• Not following chronology. You should describe every stage in accordance with time and appliance. Check your essay a few times before the delivery to make sure that every stage is logically placed in the text;
• Using difficult terms and complicated language. Knowing the subject perfectly may make you use specific terminology without any second thoughts. However, your reader may not know the subject, so try to make your text as simple, as possible;
• Slang. On contrary, don’t sound too familiar. Instruction is an official guideline, which shouldn’t contain any slang, jargon, shortenings and so on;
• Wordiness. Always stick to the point. There is no need to write long sentences on the history of a dish or 100 original ways how to use a hammer. Readers value their time and need to have a brief and clear instruction at once.

5+ Process Essay Examples & Samples

If you don’t know where to start or how to make your essay outstanding, you can always get familiar with process essay examples. They help students from all corners of the world to get a better understanding of the subject, to save lots of time and get a fresh look on a beaten topic!

A process essay example can be a true salvation if you are puzzled and can’t write a line. Just download a sample, follow its structure and create your own essay in the best way!

Process Essay Outline

You already know what elements your essay should contain and it is a right time to start working on a process essay outline and format.

Unfortunately, not every student knows how important it is to have a plan of the future work. It saves lots of time and you can avoid a fear of a blank page. That is why, if you want to succeed, you should create an outline of the future paper, noting down even minor details. It should eventually look like a bullet list, which will help you stick to the structure.

Another important section is the formatting style. Luckily, a process essay doesn’t have strict formatting requirements and you have a chance to complete it in a lose way. However, you should start with asking your professor for any specific details.

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They may concern references, fonts and size of letters. Make sure you follow all the recommendations carefully not to have to rewrite the assignment anew.

Here are some tips, which you may need along the way:

• Take into account the target audience. Depending on the skill level of the reader, you will need to select your vocabulary. For example, for a common audience your manual on using a difficult device should be as simple as possible. However, if you write an instruction for a chemistry experiment, which will be read by the teacher, you can use complex terms and definitions;
• Always separate every step. It will be perfect if you create a different paragraph for each step of the process. It will make your essay readable and people will be able to get back to certain parts without any difficulties;
• Use visual materials. What makes a good instruction? Presence of various images, graphs and schemes. Use them if the topic allows and you will see that your grade will improve!
• Avoid too many connections and long sentences. Instructions are often difficult to read, so you should be brief to help the reader process information;
• Insert transition words or phrases to connect different paragraphs;
• Always correct your mistakes. It may seem that you don’t need to work hard on eliminating errors in your process essay, as lexis and typos are not important. However, every professor pays attention even to the smallest details and you risk of getting a lower grade simply because you didn’t want to spend a couple hours on proofreading.

Remember, a process essay consists of multiple elements and the key to success is to connect all of them.

Fresh Process Essay Topics

Very often students need to decide which topic to choose on their own. This may take lots of time and nerves, causing additional stress and anxiety. Luckily, we are here to offer process essay topics, which may help you to choose a direction. You can even use any topic from the list below if you find it appealing!

Here are the topics, which by right can be considered the best for a process essay:

• How to survive a car accident;
• How to design your apartment;
• How to lose extra pounds;
• A legal way to get rid of an annoying neighbor;
• How to drop a bad habit;
• How to play poker and win;
• How to find a perfect soulmate;
• How to find a dream job;
• How to cook the best Thanksgiving turkey;
• How to be in peace with yourself;
• How to mend everything with your own hands;
• How to grow plants on a balcony;
• How to boost your immune system;
• How to train your dog a few tricks;
• How to throw an outstanding party.

As you see, process essay ideas may be very different. Just turn on your imagination and create an outstanding essay!