Standardized tests such as the SATs require a 5 paragraph essay that has to be written in a certain format. During a standardized test, time is the biggest constraint which is why it is crucial that you manage the time accordingly in order to write a five-paragraph essay effectively.
The 5 paragraph consists of one introduction, 3 body paragraphs, and one conclusion. This may sound like a lot of writing, but once you know what you need to do for each paragraph, you will realize that it is actually very easy to do. It simply requires a bit of strategic thinking, which you will know more about after reading this entire article.
It is also better that you get the hang of writing a five-paragraph essay early on because this is something that you will be doing throughout your high school and college lives. Such essays are also a huge part of admission essays. So basically, it is a win-win situation for you if you master writing the 5 paragraph essay as early as possible. Let’s get into it without further adieu!
1. The Introduction
Also known as the first paragraph of the essay, and it is essentially the hook of the entire essay. This is the part where you want to make sure that the reader wants to read your essay further after reading the first couple of lines of your essay. There are lots of things you can do to grab the interest of the reader, such as asking an intriguing question or stating a fact that you were not aware of before.
The hook of the essay will also depend a lot on what the topic is. The introduction is also where you will introduce the topic to the reader, but in a more general way because the body paragraphs are for the specifics of the essay.
The introduction is also something that students struggle with the most which is why most of them resort to using writing services. Another important thing that is included in the introduction paragraph is the thesis statement which is a summary of the whole essay in just a couple of sentences. Now that we have the introduction cleared out of the way, let’s move on to the body paragraphs.
2. The Three Body Paragraphs
The purpose of the body paragraphs is to give three to four arguments that support the topic of the essay. These arguments can either be for or against the main idea of the topic, but will be the bulk of the entire essay. In the body paragraphs, you will want to ensure that the reader is convinced by what you are saying.
The common practice of starting each paragraph of the body is by stating your reasoning in one concise line, and then later going on to explain your reasoning in more detail. In order to make your body sound legitimate, you will want to back it up with a lot of examples and some research. During standardized testing, you may not be able to use citations because you will need access to other materials for that, but using the actual examples to support your arguments will suffice.
There are certain words you should use in order to transition from one idea to another such as similarly, moreover, furthermore, in contrast, and more. Since you will be short on time during the standardized tests, you will want to ensure that the length of each paragraph does not cross more than 7-8 lines. You should also make sure that you are not repeating yourself too much because that is something the examiners can mark you negatively for. “Quality over quantity” is key advice when it comes to the 5 paragraph essays
3. The Conclusion
The last paragraph which is the summary of the entire essay, is where you want to go over the arguments that you mentioned in the body paragraphs. Here you want to make sure that you are simply not repeating what you said earlier, but placing some emphasis on it so as to remind the reader what you have talked about.
The conclusion is also the part of the essay where you want to mention your own opinions and why you think the reasoning is valid as opposed to some other type of reasoning. With the conclusion, you will want to ensure that the reader is impacted by what you have written and you can do this by asking a question and make them wonder and think more. After you have written the rest of the essay, you will also want to go back to your introduction and adjust it a bit because now that you have written the entire essay you might have some ideas that could potentially improve the essay.
Some Additional Tips you can Use in your Essay
While we have mentioned the main ideas of writing a 5 paragraph essay, we have some brief tips that you can incorporate into your essay and spruce it up some more. These are the things that you should have laid out before you begin writing the essay, during the brainstorm sessions.
- Have a strong thesis statement. It should be effective in the sense that all your ideas are neatly written in concise sentences.
- Decide on the three main ideas. Make sure these ideas are not just any ideas but they should be impactful, and be relevant to what the topic is about.
- Think of a hook for the introduction that will motivate the reader to read the rest of the essay.
- Use good vocabulary.
- Make sure the transition between the body paragraphs flows smoothly and is not abrupt.
- Use a bunch of examples.
- Each paragraph of the body should end with the idea that is going to come next.
- The conclusion should be as interesting as the rest of the essay, and should contain your voice. It should make the reader think that you have some opinions of your own regarding the topic which conveys how knowledgeable you are.
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