How to Write a Strong 5 Paragraph Essay

A strong 5 paragraph essay requires a good topic and proper planning. This task may not take as long as you think when you consider breaking things up into smaller steps. Your essay should have interesting content based on personal knowledge and opinion. As you gather information for your topic, analyze supporting evidence to ensure it lines up with your main idea. Each paragraph should transition smoothly into the next with an effective conclusion toward the end closing out the topic.

Take Good Notes on Your Topic

Get to know your topic well before you start writing. Take notes on details that stand out and information you need to make your paper interesting. Try to use different sources to help gather more data and insight. Look for information new to you or something your audience will find useful. You can make notes and compare them to what you already know on the subject.

Organize Data Based on Paragraphs and Their Purpose

When you organize your data based on paragraph structure, you need to understand the purpose of each paragraph. For instance, the first paragraph is your introduction that states the main purpose behind the essay. Your thesis statement and background information on the topic would be discussed here. As you take notes think about where the information will appear on the page. The second, third and fourth paragraphs is the body. You would discuss a supporting point in each part that supports your thesis. The last paragraph is your conclusion; you would state what you want readers to remember about the essay.

Create Outline and Write Rough Draft

The outline will help you sort talking points and data found during research. Some students use an outline to help the research their topic. The outline breaks up the essay into smaller parts to make it easier to write. As you collect your information you will see how it comes together in your outline. Use the outline to start your rough draft. Your outline may have ideas that you will make into complete sentences and paragraph in your rough draft.

Revise, Edit and Proofread

Revise your rough draft. Some students decide to write it over again to help clarify sentence and paragraph structure and organization. Read over what you have written and look for areas that need improvement. Look for misspelled words and other errors to improve reading quality.