How to Write a 5-Paragraph Essay

Hardly there is a student who doesn’t know what is a 5 paragraph essay. Yet, we still fill obliged to present a brief explanation about it as this is one of the most popular types of academic papers students get to write. The five-paragraph essay is a special structural type of writing, the only peculiarity of which is the precise structure that must be observed by the author. It must necessarily include an introduction, the main body, consisting of three paragraphs, and a conclusion. Let’s take a closer look at a 5 paragraph essay structure:

• An introduction provides background for the writing, outlining the topic, and evoking the reader’s interest, presents a thesis, a brief insight into the writer’s point of view and a transition to the first paragraph. If you wonder how to start a 5-paragraph essay, the answer to that is quite simple: start in with a hook to get the reader’s attention. How long should the introduction be? Well, there’s no universal standard for that; however, usually, three to five short sentences is enough.
• The first paragraph must provide the reader with the strongest and most interesting argument, supported by a good example. The first sentence of the paragraph must be a well-structured topic sentence, and the paragraph itself must necessarily contain a reference back to the introduction, the so-called “reverse transitional hook”. The last sentence of the paragraph is the transition to the second paragraph of the main body. The second and the third paragraphs are organized in a similar way with transitions between them and differ only in the value of the argument, as it must be weaker in each consecutive paragraph.
• The concluding paragraph is a summary, which must provide a restatement of the initial thesis and the supporting ideas. However, the restatement must be powerful and should not duplicate the above-mentioned information. It must also contain a hint, emphasizing the introduction and the final sentence, which signals the end of the discussion. The secret to writing a 5 paragraph essay conclusion is doing it in a powerful way, as it is aimed at influencing the reader’s idea or opinion.

5 paragraph essay topics vary considerably, as they are not confined to a definite sphere of knowledge. So, in case you can choose a topic, write about something you know well, as it will give the chance to focus on a complicated structure without being distracted by the aspects of meaning. Additional information considering the definition of the topic can be found in the Essay topic selection section.