What Are The Core Components To Writing A Five-Paragraph Academic Essay?

A five-paragraph essay is one of the most common formats of academic writing. It’s the easiest format for the beginners to master. Here are the key things you need to know when writing your academic essay of that type.

Structure

Your essay should consist of an introduction, three body paragraphs for proving your point, and a conclusion. In the introduction you state the problem in general and then specify the part of it you will be writing about. It’s vital to end it with the so-called “hook” sentence which will connect your introduction to the first body paragraph. It should also be phrased in a way that will catch the reader’s eye and stir their interest.

In the body of your essay you list pieces of evidence you find. Remember that these paragraphs should be also intertwined with the help of “hooks” in order to make one strong and persuasive argument. Keep in mind that the “hook” in the last body paragraph should relate to your conclusion.

In the last paragraph you sum up all the elements listed earlier in your work. You restate the introduction and briefly recount your findings from all three body paragraphs.

Choosing Your Thesis and Evidence

There’s a difference between the thesis of your essay and its topic. Remember that the topic tells your readers about the subject, while the thesis argues about some point of your subject which isn’t uniquely defined. So, neither facts nor observations are suitable for your thesis as they are not at all challenging. Your introduction should impress your readers, so try to choose a topic which is really catching and a thesis which will excite your audience.

Choose your evidence carefully. It may either be something not previously studied or some well-known points reviewed from a different angle. The evidence you’ve chosen for your essay should be listed from the strongest one in the first body paragraph to the weakest one in the third. It is also useful to know the counter-arguments not only in order to be able to gain your point in a debate which may arise, but also to make your argument more solid and convincing.

Making Your Essay Better

It’s quite important to be able to take a detached view of your wording when writing a draft of your essay. If you don’t think you can fully imagine the readers’ reaction, show your draft to someone. Remember that logical order is as essential as coherence and correct grammar.