How to Write a Five-Paragraph Essay

A standard essay for college or university normally consists of five paragraphs. This typical structure contains an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. If you are looking for a cheap essay writing service, you will definitely find not only custom-written papers in a variety of disciplines but also very useful tips and pieces of advice on how to produce a really valuable and deserving grade-A work. Writing it is not difficult at all, but you should know its principal standards and requirements to actually satisfy your professor.

Academic Essays

If you are assigned to write a short essay, you should know that it must consist of at least three paragraphs. However, a standard test task would most probably require five paragraphs: an introduction, three body paragraphs, and a conclusion. Each of them should be properly structured and focused, completely fulfilling a certain purpose.

Such assignments entail a prompt for you to write an essay on a certain topic. Instructors also provide other guidelines and requirements for the written tasks. So, you should be attentive and follow them to the letter. The type of essay will help to define the general topic and to come up with a strong thesis statement.

Introduction

The first paragraph of any essay is the introduction. Just like the name suggests, it should introduce your topic to the audience. One of its main purposes is to grab the readers’ attention.

An introduction should not be too long; it generally occupies about 10% of the entire paper. Since it is the first thing a person reads, it should be clear, specific, and engaging, provoking the desire to read the paper to the end. Moving from general to specific, provide only the most important background information on the issue in your introductory paragraph.

Start with a hook to attract the audience. It may be a question, a quote, useful statistics, or an interesting and surprising fact exactly related to your topic. Provide the background information on the issue, gradually leading the reader to the thesis statement – the main argument of your essay. In a thesis statement, answer the question from the prompt and list three points that support your argument. Each of these points will be discussed in the body paragraphs.

Body Paragraphs

The body of the essay is the main part of the discussion. In this case, it should consist of three paragraphs, each dealing with one of the points provided by you in the thesis statement. Every paragraph must be focused on one narrow idea and support your argument rather than denying it.

Each paragraph also has a standard structure that must be accurately followed. Start your body paragraph with a topic sentence – the main idea of this very paragraph. Make sure that all the supporting evidence, examples, analysis, and comments that you will provide further revolve around this topic sentence. End with a concluding observation that evaluates everything discussed in the paragraph.

Conclusion

The last paragraph of a five-paragraph essay is a conclusion. In general terms, it is a summary of the entire paper. Here, you need to restate the thesis statement, remind the reader about the main points discussed above, and offer some afterthought to the audience. Do not repeat the same ideas and sentences used in the body. Besides, a concluding paragraph should not contain citations or any new ideas not discussed previously.

How to Write an Essay Paragraph

Every paragraph of an essay must be consistent, coherent, and relevant. All the information provided in one paragraph must deal with only one narrow idea. The sentences should be logically laid out and linked. Lastly, the paragraph should relate to the main topic and answer the thesis statement.

A typical structure of a well-organized paragraph would contain:

  • A topic sentence that provides the controlling idea and sets the tone for the entire paragraph;
  • A supporting sentence (or sentences) to show why the paragraph is relevant to the main topic and to expand on it;
  • Evidence and examples to support your point.
  • Explanation and interpretation of the evidence.
  • Concluding observation that sums up and evaluates all the information provided in the paragraph.

The evidence you provide depends on the topic, your personal approach, and the professor’s instructions. This may be a quote or a paraphrased idea from an outside source, qualitative or quantitative data obtained from a conducted experiment or research, or examples from first-hand experiences. However, all the ideas borrowed from other sources must be properly cited.

You may need to include several pieces of evidence or examples and their analyses in one paragraph. Add as many as needed to help you develop your point fully. Nevertheless, try not to make a paragraph too long. Besides, use transitions to create logical connections between different ideas.

Final Tips

An essay should be logically and accurately laid out. The ideas should flow smoothly into one another, be connected, and relate to the main topic. Use transitional words and phrases to create links between the paragraphs as well as between the sentences within them.

A topic sentence and a concluding observation of every paragraph must be related and connected. The main point of the paragraph should be clear from reading only these two sentences without the ones between them. Similarly, the main idea of your essay should be understood after reading only the introductory and a concluding paragraph.

A standard structure of a five-paragraph essay is a foundation for any written assignment you may get in college or university. Even longer essays and complicated research papers require an introduction, a conclusion, and a set structure of body paragraphs. When you master the standards of five-paragraph essays, you will not have any difficulties with any kind of written assignment.