Non-fiction is an account or representation of a subject which is presented as fact.
These look at two or more points of view on an issue. They discuss the pros and cons of each point of view and examine the evidence for them before drawing a conclusion or leaving the readers to make up their own minds.
As the name suggests, these explain how or why something happens or answer a question.
Instruction or Procedural texts
These tell the reader how to do something, often with the help of lists of instructions and diagrams.
These aim to persuade the reader to agree with the author or to follow a particular course of action. Although they may look at alternative opinions, they don't do this in the balanced way of a discussion text.
These retell a sequence of events in chronological order although there is often an introductory section to set the scene. Biographies and autobiographies are recounts.
These present a collection of short pieces of information organised in a way that makes them easy to locate - usually alphabetical. Encyclopaedias, dictionaries and bird books fit in this category.