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5 Paragraph Essay: An Overview of the Model and the Structure
The 5 paragraph essay model is considered one of the most common models for written assignments. Despite some criticism such model is widely used, specifically in the lower academic levels, such as schools and colleges. This article provides an overview of the 5 paragraph essay, in terms of its description and implementation.
5 Paragraph Essay
As the title implies the 5 paragraph essay can be defined in terms of the structure, where the essay consists of five paragraphs, one for introduction, one for conclusion and three for the body of the essay. The main area of criticism can be seen in that such models might limit the development of the argument. Nevertheless, a short 5 paragraph essay might be sufficient to develop the argument. Additional benefit can be seen in helping the students form the outline for their essay, in which the limitation of three paragraphs for the body will maintain the 5 paragraph essay focused and to the point.
The Structure
In addition to the general “quantitative” attribute of the 5 paragraph essay, the content of the paragraphs follow several accepted guidelines, which can be summarized as follows:
- Each of the three body paragraphs in the 5 paragraph essay is devoted to a single argument.
- The order of the body paragraphs reflects the strength of the arguments, flowing from the strongest to the weakest.
- Each of the body paragraphs should be connected to the previous paragraph through transitional and topic sentences.
- The introduction should contain a thesis statement.
- The conclusion should summarize the arguments used in the body and restate the thesis indicated in the introduction.
If following the aforementioned guidelines when writing the 5 paragraph essay, it can be stated that a part of the job is already done. Thus, it can be stated that the 5 paragraph essay is an easy model to follow an implement.
