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Different Types of Persuasive Essays With Pros & Cons

Published by Natasha Flecther at November 1st, 2021 , Revised On September 3, 2025

There are four main types of persuasive essays: argumentative, expository, discursive, and exegetical.

Argumentative Essay: Presents a clear position on one stance and supports it with evidence.
Expository Essay: Explains a topic impartially but leads readers towards a conclusion.
Discursive Essay: Analyses different viewpoints before arriving at a logical position.
Exegetical Essay: Interprets and critiques another author’s viewpoint to persuade.

An academic essay involving arguments, evidence, and counterarguments is an argumentative or persuasive essay.

When to Use Argumentative or Persuasive Essays?

An argumentative or persuasive essay is used to:

Represent two groups with different points of view.
To change the reader’s mind by convincing them to agree or disagree with your perception.

Pros and Cons of Persuasive Essay Writing

A persuasive essay has some pros and cons, which are discussed below:

Pros

It reflects upon real-world issues
It is reliable because it involves in-depth research
It aims to persuade readers by presenting fact-based arguments.
It provides a broader spectrum of thinking.

Cons

It is impersonal.
It is dependent on the research material.
It doesn’t allow for the author’s personal bias.

Persuasive vs Scientific Writing

The main difference between persuasive writing and scientific writing is that scientific papers are based on investigations, and the writer provides factual data gathered through scientific means. On the other hand, in a persuasive essay, the writer shares their opinions and thoughts and tries to convince the readers to agree with a specific standpoint.

What are the Different Types of Persuasive Essays?

Persuasive essays are of four kinds; they are:

Discursive
Argumentative
Exegetical
Expository

Discursive Essay

Discursive essays aim to persuade the readers by exploring different aspects of the topic. The writer needs to compare multiple pieces of information surrounding the topic to express their views and facts clearly and logically.

Argumentative Essay

In this kind of essay, a writer must observe a scientific aspect of research. It aims to grab the readers’ attention towards new ideas and concepts in a specific field. A writer needs to have expertise in a particular field related to their writing topic.

Exegetical Essay

The writing of an exegetical essay involves two tasks. The first is to conduct an exegesis proper. The second is writing the results of that exegesis. It is vitally important that a student views these two tasks as separate.

Also read: Steps of writing a flawless essay

Expository Essay

Expository essays are all about describing or explaining an idea, a topic, or a method rationally and reasonably without personal bias. They involve thorough research to establish an impartial and composed view towards any given topic or idea.

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Types of Persuasive Essays vs the Role of the Author

Persuasive essays are of four types, a nd each one is different from the other. The author’s role and point of view play a key role in differentiating and understanding the different types of persuasive essays.

Discursive Essay

Objectives	Role of the Author
It presents thoughts and ideas. The thoughts and ideas can have strong chances of existing in another form already. They should be presented with an appropriate logical view.	A writer plays a moderate role by comparing various aspects of the arguments. He concludes by analysing different views depending on their validity and relativity.

Exegetical Essay

Objectives	Role of the Author
This type of essay usually deals with the details of a concept or theory. It defines the phenomenon, an idea or a concept. A writer cannot reveal the entire history of a concerning theory; instead, they only explain the procedure or implementation.	Here, the author is considered a generalist, and his views on theory are associated with the findings or understandings of the argument.

Argumentative Essay

Objectives	Role of the Author
This type of essay usually deals with the details of a concept or theory. It defines the phenomenon, an idea or a concept. A writer cannot reveal the entire history of a concerning theory; instead, they only explain the procedure or implementation.	Here, the author is considered a generalist, and his views on theory are associated with the findings or understandings of the argument.

Expository Essay

Objectives	Role of the Author
A writer has to add a new concept or view in this type of essay. It shows the cognitive ability of a writer. This type of writing should have some valid points to support the meaning. The writer has to showcase so that a reader may understand the concept without any difficulty. It should be clear, concise, and cohesive as well.	The author plays a vital role in this type of writing. The author can create something new, and his creativity is original and manifests itself. It signifies a writer’s ability to share their thoughts on any topic.

How do Different Types of Persuasive Essays Correlate?

Although different types of persuasive essays have unique characteristics, they are all related to each other.

Always remember that you don’t have to stick to any one particular type of persuasive essay unless specifically advised by your tutor. In some cases, it may be possible to use two or more persuasive writing types in the same essay to improve the clarity and logic of the arguments.

Nonetheless, all kinds of persuasive writing require valid arguments and cohesion. You should avoid loose discussion in the essay and present your concepts with solid evidence and facts.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the difference between a discursive and an argumentative essay?

A discursive essay explores multiple viewpoints and encourages balanced thinking through counterargumentation. At the same time, an argumentative essay focuses on defending one main position with strong supporting evidence.