What Are Types of Informational Text?

By Staff Writer | Last Updated August 4, 2015

The various types of informational text are: literary nonfiction, which has shorter texts like personal essays; opinion pieces; speeches, literature essays and journalism; expository texts containing indexes and table of contents and navigational devices. It also includes persuasion or argument texts that include claims, warrants and evidence that influence actions of the target audience and procedural texts that give the step-by-step guidelines that describe how to do a task.

The literary nonfiction type usually gives accurate information and defines clearly the beginning, middle and the end. It is written in story form and gives facts, such as how birds convey messages as they nest, hunt, protect their young and get to know one another. It can also use poems to provide facts, and it is instrumental among authors in sharing factual information.

Expository texts are usually carefully labeled and have detailed diagrams that help the reader understand the context better. This type utilizes different text structures such as cause and effect, description, comparison and contrast, question and answer, and problem and solution, as well as temporal sequence. The persuasion or argument texts strive for credibility of the author, audience needs, and to reason and give evidence. Procedural texts entail graphics and material that illustrate the process clearly.