50+ Uncommon Expository Essay Topics

Go beyond the traditional topics like, “Should kids wear uniforms at school?” Instead, try a unique education-related essay prompt like one of these:

• How is distance education different from attending school in person? How is it the same?
• Should teachers be available to answer questions after school hours? Why or why not?
• Write a job description for a teacher. Would you ever want to apply?
• Who should be responsible for setting a curriculum for a class - the teacher, the school, the district, the state, or someone else? Should students have input? Support your statement with facts.
• Are there any parts of your school day that you feel are totally unnecessary? Why? Find research to support your statement.
• Give someone else instructions on how to write an essay for school.
• What are the advantages to kids receiving special education being included in a regular classroom with peers? What are the advantages to a separate classroom?
• Should all schools receive the same amount of money from the government, or should some receive more or less? Find research to support your choice.
• Describe a typical day in your school from two different perspectives. Consider choosing a teacher and a student, two students with different backgrounds and strengths, a student and a visitor, or some other pair of people.
• How involved should parents be with their students’ educational life? Interview your parents and write about it from their perspectives.
• Describe a college or university you might consider attending.

Science and technology offer many opportunities to write extensively on a topic. You can craft a unique and interesting expository essay using one of these ideas:

• Research a career that can be done mostly or entirely online. Write a job description and tell about whether you would be interested in this job.
• Imagine what life will be like in 25 years and write a description of the type of technology that’s part of daily life in the future.
• Compare connecting with someone in person to connecting with them online.
• What are the advantages and disadvantages of artificial intelligence?
• How does science help people live longer and better?
• Pick a type of diet or lifestyle, such as being a vegetarian, living in a tiny house, etc. Why does this choice benefit the environment?
• Imagine you can invent something that will change the world. Describe your invention and how people will use it in their lives.
• Choose another planet to research. Describe what it would be like to visit that planet. What would you see, smell, hear, and feel?
• Choose an object you use in your daily life. Who invented it? Describe the process of bringing it to market.
• Write instructions for people to change one thing in their lives that will help mitigate the effects of global climate change.
• What kinds of things affect your memory? How does your memory change depending on your emotional state? What about the interactions of other people?

Social issues make great topics for expository essays, but the secret is finding a new way to express them. Consider these compelling questions to help you get started:

• Describe your personal code of ethics. How does this relate to your core values?
• How would stricter gun control laws change the lives of people in your community?
• As people age, how do their needs change? How can young people help?
• What are three things regular people can do to help the homeless?
• Describe a time you volunteered. What did you do that made a difference?
• How does obesity affect people’s lives? Think about emotional and social aspects, as well as health and economics.
• Pick a country other than your own. What is one social issue people in that country face?
• How have attitudes about mental illness changed over the years?
• How have parenting roles changed since your grandparents were growing up?
• What is a humane and realistic solution to the social issue of overpopulation?
• What do you think will be the biggest challenge facing your generation in the coming years? Why?

From the movies you see to the history of art, there are lots of great topics involving culture. Write your expository essay about one of these ideas:

• Describe the plot of a movie you think the person reading your essay has not seen.
• What is the culture of your neighborhood or town? What can you do to promote this culture?
• Write about something that symbolizes your culture. Why is this a symbol?
• Can music influence society in a positive way? Pick a song and tell how it helped.
• Explore a culture other than your own. Write an essay about a day in the life of someone your age living in that culture.
• Choose a book or book series. Write a review of it.
• How does seeing art affect you? Why does it affect you in this way?
• Choose an artist from any period. Write a brief biography of the artist.
• How is your culture today different from the culture of your country when your parents were growing up?
• What qualities make art, music, or literature timeless? Support your answer with evidence.
• Pick a local arts organization, such as a community theater. Write about what life is like behind the scenes.

The areas of philosophy and psychology offer many great topics for expository essays. Try one of these prompts to get started:

• If you had two weeks to do it, how could you dramatically change your life for the better?
• How can you tell if someone is lying? Support your claims with evidence.
• Does everyone perceive time the same way? Why or why not?
• Pick a religion. Give a description of what the people who follow that religion believe.
• How does being different from peers change a person? Find evidence to support what you write.
• Interview an older family member or friend about what they consider to be the greatest life lessons. Summarize what that person said.
• Would being immortal be a good thing or a bad thing? Why?
• Pick a psychological disorder. Write what life is like for someone with that disorder.
• What are three big sources of stress for students? How can people help?
• Research teenage depression. What are some signs that someone is struggling with depression?
• What qualities make someone popular?

Before you begin writing, take a moment to check out some tips for writing an excellent expository essay. If you start with an awesome expository essay topic, you’re already well on your way to writing an essay that will give you a great grade.