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The Basic 5-Paragraph Essay Format

Following this format will help organize your essay and make it easy for the reader to follow your thoughts.

Logical & Effective


Paragraph 1 – Introduction

• Hook

• Tie-in to prompt

• Thesis statement with 3 clear

reasons, including one character trait

Example of Paragraph 1

As I sauntered through the local mall, I couldn’t help but smile

from ear to ear. I was bogged down with heavy, multi-colored

shopping bags from all of my favorite stores. Rounding a corner, I

spotted a few faculty members from my school seated on a wooden

bench. I stopped abruptly and shifted the bags in my hand.

Suddenly, I remembered about the upcoming School Advisory

meeting and the proposed changes for our school. I figured they

were meeting here to discuss it. The School Advisory Committee

should institute group work in the classroom because it will help

develop cooperation, encourage higher achievement, and improve

social skills.

Intro

Tie-in to

prompt

Thesis Statement

Sample Essay written by Lauren


Paragraph 2 – First PointBegin with a transition and your first reason from thesis statement

• Example Transitions:

– To begin with,

– In the first place,

• Follow up with 3 solid sentences to support your reason

– Use a quote, example, or statistic

• End with a justifier sentence (restate the main idea of the paragraph)

– Use a justifier transition such as: Obviously,


To begin with, working with groups should be permitted

because it teaches students to be cooperative. This is

because kids will have to work together to complete the

assignment. My science teacher always reminds us, “Two

heads are better than one.” Therefore, two or more people

helping each other on classwork can only be beneficial.

Just think how students can work cooperatively to tackle an

otherwise insufferable assignment. Clearly, changing all

classwork to a group effort is an important and helpful idea.

Transition

Quote

Justifier TransitionJustifier sentence - persuasive

Restate 1st reason from thesis



Paragraph 3 – Second PointBegin with a transition and your second reason from thesis statement


– Additionally,

– Equally important,




– Use a justifier transition such as: Clearly,


Additionally, working with partners will almost always mean

higher grades. Especially if a student is struggling in a class, his

or her peers should be able to assist. A perfect example of this

would be at my friend’s school. Most of her teachers allow

group participation on assignments. A school wide study

showed a 43% increase in class averages after the group work

rule was initiated. Furthermore, students learn when they work

together because in almost all cases, one person will be

stronger than the other and able to help his or her partner.

Obviously, completing work with multiple students will allow for

improvement in all academic areas.

Transition

Statistic

Justifier

Transition

Justifier sentence - persuasive

Restate 2nd reason from thesis



Paragraph 4 – Third PointBegin with a transition and your third reason from thesis statement


– Of course,

– Furthermore,




– Use a justifier transition such as: Thus,


Moreover, working in groups will help students socially.

When a group assignment is issued, it forces kids to interact,

discuss, and learn together with one another, which is of the

utmost importance. For example, one of the school board’s

missions is to help students develop life skills. This means

allowing both academic and social skills to be taught in

schools. Also, we don’t have enough free time as it is. Some

children suffer and begin to dislike attending school because

of the lack of interaction among their peers. Thus, partner

work will initiate friendships, bonds, and social skills, which

will all help a child’s future.

Transition

Example

Justifier

Transition


Restate 3rd reason from thesis



Paragraph 5 – Conclusion

• Re-state thesis in 2+ sentences

• Tie-back to hook from intro

• Complete introduction


Overall, the School Advisory Committee should

definitely consider changing the rules about allowing

multiple students to work together because it teaches

them to get along. Also, children will most likely score

higher and develop socially from the experience.

Interested, I began to inch closer to my school’s faculty

members. I was hoping to overhear their discussion and

add some ideas of my own. I decided I should give them

my input to help improve my school!Conclude

Tie-back to intro

RestateThesis Statement



Here’s another example!

This essay written by Lauren

begins with a quote introduction.


William James once said, “Act as though what you do

makes a difference. It does.” Basically, people don’t realize

that what you do affects everything. This is also true about

watching Reality TV It can affect your mood, which can affect

the mood of someone else who is around you. Watching

Reality TV is like throwing a rock into a pond. The ripples

spread out to the edges of the pond, just like what you do

affects everyone until it reaches the end of the Earth.

Audiences prefer Reality TV as opposed to other types of

programs because it is humorous, unique, and has a sense of

adventure.

Intro

Tie-in to

prompt

Thesis Statement


Transition & Explanation


Initially, Reality TV is humorous. Who doesn’t like a good

laugh once in a while? Everyone needs a stress reliever every

few days so that they won’t end up like an old man yelling, “Hey,

kids, get off my lawn!!” For instance, I once had a terrible day at

school. I failed a test; I had a gigantic fight with my friend and I

tripped in front of a cute guy. When I got home, I turned on the

T.V. My favorite show, Survivor, was on they were eating bugs

to survive. I laughed so hard that I nearly cried. I forgot about

all my troubles and relaxed. Clearly, Reality TV makes your gut

bust from laughing so much.

Transition

Example

Justifier TransitionJustifier sentence

Restate 1st reason

from thesis



Additionally, Reality T.V. is one of a kind. What

other type of T.V. would have the crazy situations and

unpredictable events that Reality T.V. has? It is not

“played out” like many shows, so it is always candid.

Fights can break out and love can bloom on these

types of shows. My mother always says, “Normal is

overrated. Without unpredictability, life is too boring.”

In other words, people want to see something that is

unscripted. Thus, a one-in-a-million type of T.V. is

Reality T.V.

Transition

Quote

Justifier Transition

Justifier sentence

Restate 2nd reason

from thesis



Furthermore, Reality T.V. is adventurous. Who

doesn’t like to watch other people do crazy and

phenomenal stunts while sitting in the comfort of your

own couch? It’s the adventure on the show that

makes everyone keep watching. A recent survey in

the Sun-Sentinel showed that four out of five people

prefer action stories or shows, as opposed to comedy

and drama. Obviously, the sense of adventure

prominent in many Reality T.V. shows is enjoyed by

viewers everywhere .

Transition

Statistic

Justifier

Transition

Justifier sentence

Restate 3rd reason

from thesis



All in all, Reality T.V. is enjoyed by viewers

because it is one of a kind television and completely

hilarious to watch. Also, it is full of action. It is very

tempting to watch other programs on television

because some people do not like Reality T.V. Yet,

we still watch the cast put their lives in danger

anyway. And we love it!! William James hit the nail

on the head with that quote. Everything you do, or

watch, makes a difference!Conclude

Tie-back to intro

RestateThesis Statement



Here’s another example!

This essay written by Christian

begins uses a generalized

statement in the introduction.


Having a curfew for all children under the age of

sixteen requiring them to be inside their homes

before 8:00 p.m. is a great idea. First, the mayor

should keep the 8:00 p.m. curfew because it keeps

children safe. Next, it give parents the reassurance

that their kids are where they are supposed to be.

Finally, it will stop problems caused by young

drivers who are out at night.

General Statement

Time Order Transitions

3 Detail Statements

Sample Essay written by Christian


To begin with, the curfew should be kept because it keeps

children safe. Studies show that 87% of fights and child

abuse occurs past 8:00 p.m. Many terrible people are out

at night in search of children to harm. If a curfew is set for

kids not to be out alone without parents, then a majority of

the child abuse will be obliterated. It also lets kids know

that they will be okay at night and not have to worry.

Obviously, an 8:00 p.m. curfew will keep children safer at

night.

Transition

Statistic

Justifier Transition Justifier sentence - persuasive

Restate 1st detail statement



Furthermore, the curfew would let parents know their

children are going to be okay. For example, if your child is

not at home by 8:00 p.m. after being out in the late

afternoon, then you would know that something is definitely

wrong. Giving them a curfew would also mean that they

will be home earlier. Then the parents won’t have to

commiserate when something happens to their beloved

children. Clearly, the curfew will help parents not stress out

at night waiting for their children to come home after

they’ve been waiting long hours.

Transition

Example

Justifier

Transition


Restate 2nd detail statement



Finally, having a curfew will stop accidents and problems

caused by young drivers at night. As my grandma always said,

“Young kids don’t have any business driving around late at night.”

Giving young drivers a curfew will stop them from doing puerile or

puckish act that they will regret for the rest of their lives. Most of the

drunk driving accidents are usually caused because young drivers

feel like it’s cool to drink, and then, through an egregious idea, drive

home like they didn’t do absolutely anything wrong. If a curfew like

this is set, then young men who have just received their license will

know that they have to get home soon and have less time to get into

trouble. Thus, having an 8:00 p.m. curfew will stop most of the

young driver accidents and keep the streets safer at night.

Transition Quote

Justifier Transition Justifier sentence - persuasive

Restate 3rd detail

statement



To conclude, the underage curfew should be

enacted because it will keep children safe, let

parents know where their children are, and will stop

accidents caused by young drivers from occurring. I

guess my grandma was right. Kids definitely should

not be out too late. Having an 8:00 p.m. curfew is a

great idea and should be used in every town in the

world to keep kids safe!Conclude

Tie-back to supporting detail

Thesis Statement


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