The 5 Paragraph Essay

The 5 Paragraph essay is the basic building block of the essay genre. Once students have become
comfortable with this form, it is easy to expand and complicate into other types and lengths of essays.
The basic structure that makes up the 5 paragraph essay provides a blueprint for all other essay writing.
The 5 paragraph essay is typically associated with school assignments, but its format is flexible enough to
be of wider use. Mastery of this basic format will improve essay writing across the board.

Structure

The structure of the 5 paragraph essay can be thought of as a sort of template. Once you are familiar with
it, it is remarkably easy to fill in your ideas. The 5 paragraphs are simply the introduction, three body
paragraphs, and a conclusion. Let’s look at each section in more depth.

Introduction (Paragraph 1)

It is important to set up your essay. Envision the introduction as an upside-down triangle. It’s a sort of a
funnel, starting generally. Your readers fall in at the beginning and then get “funneled” into the point of
the triangle. The beginning of the essay is general—an introduction to the wider topic. As the
introduction progresses, the topic increasingly narrows. At the end of the introduction (the point of the
triangle) the writer states his or her specific thesis, which makes a claim or argument that the rest of the
essay then supports. The writer might also preview the argument here by listing the subtopics of the
paper that will be used to support the thesis statement.

State the general topic at the

beginning and then narrow
down to the thesis

Thesis (the point of the triangle)

A good thesis is crucial. It drives your essay. A strong thesis:

• makes a claim, or argument.

• is debatable (rather than wishy-washy)

• is specific (rather than vague).

• is more than a topic—it is your focused position on a topic.

Here are some examples of good and bad thesis statements.

Body (Paragraphs 2, 3, and 4)

The body is the meat of your essay. It is three paragraphs long in the basic 5 paragraph essay, but more
complicated topics require more body paragraphs. In such cases, the structure of the overall essay
remains the same…you just more body paragraphs to adequately cover the subject and prove your point.

The body of the paper provides the evidence that supports your thesis. Each paragraph is a point you
want to make.

Tips:

• Save the strongest argument for the last body paragraph so that you leave your reader with a
lasting impression.

• Use transitional phrases so that your essay “flows” from one paragraph to the next. Here is a
helpful list of transitional words and phrases.
• Don’t ignore counterarguments. Think about objections readers might have to your argument,
and counter back.

• Think of each paragraph as a cohesive unit. Each paragraph has its own main idea or topic
sentence that you then develop in the rest of the paragraph.

Conclusion (Paragraph 5)

If the introduction was an inverted triangle, then the conclusion can be thought of as a right side up
triangle. The conclusion begins with the point, or thesis, and then widens up again as the readers are led
out of the piece. In a short piece, don’t restate the thesis word for word, but do try to echo it.

Examples

There are several models available that demonstrate the typical organizational pattern of the 5 paragraph
essay.

• Here is an annotated 5 paragraph essay discussing short stories of Edgar Allan Poe. The writer
walks you through the essay, explaining how each paragraph is organized.

• Another example of writing within the 5 paragraph structure can be found here.

• For further information, read Lucile Vaughan Payne’s The Lively Art of Writing, which details the
structure of the 5 paragraph essay in detail.

Source: The Writing Insight Blog