Professional writers and journalists rather rarely rely on a five paragraph paper structure, whereas students of all educational establishments get this task assigned on a regular basis. Such essay structure teaches students to organize their ideas on paper. Moreover, students encounter a similar assignment while passing their tests and exams, which is seen in the form of response writing. As in most essay types, this paper includes the basic comments:

  • Introduction
  • Main body (consisting of 3 paragraphs)
  • Conclusion

We will explain you how to deal with all essay parts in a five paragraph paper. Moreover, we will explain you how to make your paper coherent with the usage of suitable transitions.


You should start your introductory paragraph by presenting general background ideas on the topic. Afterwards, you should move to more specific sentences and present the main argument that will be discussed in the whole paper. This sentence is called a thesis statement. Remember that your introduction is the only chance to make your reader explore the paper further. You should present a catchy introduction in order to attract attention of your readers. Do not make your thesis statement longer than 1-2 sentences. The length of introduction should be approximately the same as conclusion.

For example, if your paper focuses on the importance of using helmets, your introduction can present a catchy and terrifying statistics about road accidents among bikers and possible damages. In this case, the usage of statistics in introduction may serve as “attention grabber” – you will appeal to the readers’ emotions and make them sympathetic. Remember that it is essential to use a thesis statement in the end of your introduction, which should give a hint about a future division of the paper. If you plan to discuss three main reasons why helmets must be used, your thesis statement should reflect all of them, but in a shortened form.

Main Body

There should be three main body paragraphs in this type of essay. Every main body paragraph should include a topic sentence, which would reflect a purpose of writing. Your topic sentence is a partial reflection of a thesis statement. Remember about the length of the main body paragraphs, which should be almost equal in length. You have to dedicate enough focus to the discussion of all elements presented in the thesis statement. Do not forget about using enough evidential support in every main body paragraph. However, your examples should be relevant and up-to-the-point.


Your conclusion is a restatement of the thesis statement (key points that were elaborated in the paper). However, be sure that they are paraphrased in other words, not just repeated. You can also introduce several new sentences restating the importance of exploring the topic and how valuable your standpoint is.  Concluding paragraph is a “mirror reflection” of an introduction in terms of its organization. You should begin a concluding paragraph from specific ideas and move on to the discussion of general views leading to the closure.

Transitions and Linking Phrases

Linking words and transitional phrases should be placed between paragraphs and extensive sentences to connect ideas and make reading smoother. You should make sure that there are no abrupt and shortened sentences without any definite idea. Do not place transitions in the beginning of paragraphs. They should be used to join ideas inside paragraphs to ensure that they are related.

If your main body paragraph proceeds with the discussion of the previous idea (either adds new details or contrast existing ones), you should also use a transition. Here are some general recommendations:

  • If your main body paragraph discusses one point and the next one describes opposing ideas, you can use such transitions “however, on the other hand,” etc.
  • If you want to add significance or value to the previously mentioned ideas, you can begin your paragraph with transitions “more importantly, more significantly,” etc.
  • To explain a cause or purpose, your paragraph can begin with “in order to, for the purpose of, since,” etc.
  • To demonstrate time and chronology, the following transitions can be placed “as long as, as soon as, meanwhile,” etc.

Do not forget about “the golden means” – inserting too many transitions will confuse the reader. Your concluding paragraph is a summary of the preceding paragraphs, so be sure you do not present new ideas. Your five paragraph essay should include enough examples, which would make your paper detailed and informative.

Five Paragraph Essay Sample from (The Need for Gun Control)

Gun control in America has proven to be among the key important issues currently addressed in the country. A lot of civilians in America own guns and many of them are not afraid to use the weapons. Parents keep guns in the house in easily accessible places for children. A good example of this case happened at Sandy Hook Elementary were twenty-six victims were massacred by a student. Nowadays, a higher pressure on the United States government appears in order to control the use of guns within the country. It argued that the Second Amendment, crafted two hundred years ago, protects individual ownership of guns. What is more, the law protected the post-revolutionary Americans from local invasions. There is also no religious favor protecting American citizens having guns. In a situation when anyone mad can run and shoot innocent children, why civilians still keep firearms in their houses?

Many people are against civilian gun ownership in America. Individual gun ownership puts every civilian in America at risk. A great amount of people, despite their mental status, walk around the streets with guns and are not afraid to pull the trigger. Many of the shooters claim they did it in self-defense. However, how can we prove it was a self-defense when the person shot is dead? These are the reasons why many of the Americans are against civilians’ owning of personal guns. It happens that we are no longer safe in the streets because no one can actually predict when or where someone will madly run and start shooting. The only way that would make civilians feel safe is to decrease the use of guns at homes and on the streets in particular.

However, many self-sponsored organizations, among them NRA, strive to legalize individual gun ownership. The NRA and other groups claim that video games and movies are the major cause of the recent rampant shootings among the civilians. According to the NRA, video games as Grand Theft Auto are some of the groups that advocate for gun legalization to be a cause of the rampant shootings witnessed. NRA also states that legalization of individual gun ownership is essential for people’s safety and self- protection. The organization claims that putting specific people in order to watch over others is not just enough. One can never tell when a police officer, entrusted to protect the civilians, will unpredictably turn against them.

In my opinion, the United States government should do everything in its power to illegalize individual gun ownership in America. Having everyone walk around with guns does not mean that people are safe. From the sociological perspectives, it is a normal condition for humans to have enemies, disputes and feuds. Therefore, walking on the streets with guns create an unsafe environment for all of us. One cannot predict when a person will decide to shoot someone else because of receiving bad news. One cannot also tell when someone’s debtor will come with murder intensions, or how someone’s spouse will react on finding his or her partner cheating on him or her. Some people can just shoot one down for funny reasons because of their instable state of mind.

To attain a gun free society, the government should illegalize civilian gun ownership. The strict laws against anyone found with an unlicensed gun should be enforced immediately. Getting a licensed firearm should not just be a matter of flushing out some money and documents. People have to adduce their detailed mental examination in order to get permission on purchasing a gun, or if they could not show the needed document, they will not be able to get one. Moreover, the government should not allow military rifles to be in a civilian procession. Every gun possessed should be marked by a militant or a police officer; so it will definitely help in identifying the owner who will take all the responsibility of his or her gun used in a crime scene. Laws against civilians that were found in possession of an unmarked gun need to be more tightening and not just an insignificant punishment as few months in prison.

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