How to Write a Five-Paragraph Essay

A five-paragraph essay is considered to be one of the most common writing assignments at schools and colleges. In most cases, teachers provide students with a writing prompt. It is a good formula that gives students the opportunity to develop a topic in the sufficient depth and length. But don`t panic if you are unsure whether you can meet some five-paragraph essay requirements. Just search for essay writing reviews in the Internet to find the custom writing service where you could get the professional assistance. But now let`s learn how to write a five-paragraph essay on the example of such essay topic:

Today’s food travels thousands of miles before it reaches customers. Is this a positive or negative trend?

Introduction

It is very important to write an effective essay introduction because in this part you reveal the main idea of your paper, provide relevant background information, guide readers and try to grab their attention. You have to open your essay in an engaging way to generate interest in your specific topic. There are many useful strategies for writing introductions that can help you do it successfully. You can ask a question, present a problem, use a startling statistics, address your readers directly or even tell an anecdote. But there are some things you should avoid in your introductory paragraph. Don`t use overworn expressions, don`t apologize and don`t be too obvious.

Example: Nowadays, we do not rely exceptionally on the locally grown food anymore because we have a wonderful opportunity to buy produce from all over the world. While this trend has some obvious advantages to consumers, I would argue that overall transporting food over long distances has some negative sides.

The first body paragraph

This part of your essay should be dedicated to the most powerful argument. Introduce what your paragraph will be about with a topic sentence. Then introduce your supporting details. Clarify the information you provided with your examples and explain its significance to the argument of your essay. Don`t forget to set up the transition to the next paragraph.

Example: The strongest argument against importing food is environmental. According to some studies, transport and the use of fossil fuels is one of the leading causes of global warming and climate change. This means that if we want to lead a greener lifestyle, we should do our best to minimize transportation.



The second body paragraph

The second paragraph usually contains the weakest point. Write a topic sentence, explain your argument and present your argument to support it. Make sure that every sentence relates directly to the main idea of the whole paragraph.

Example: Another point that needs to be considered is the impact of transporting food on local farmers and traditional ways of life. Farmers are unable to compete in price with the supermarkets that import cheap and not always high-quality products from other countries. It also has the negative impact on traditional communities that rely on those farms for employment and trade.



The third body paragraph

Follow the same pattern as the first and second body paragraphs. Don`t forget to include these essential elements: a topic sentence, evidence, explanation, and a concluding sentence.

Example: A further consideration is that food that has travelled across the world is not as healthy as locally grown produce. The simple point is that the further food travels, the less fresh it will be. Therefore, it would be preferable if supermarkets did not transport food from abroad.

Conclusion

Your main task in the concluding paragraph is to repeat your argument in the light of everything you have analyzed. You have to make a strong final impression on your audience, stress the importance of your thesis statement and give the essay a sense of completeness.

Example: In conclusion, I believe that the trend for transporting food over long distances is undesirable because it is environmentally unfriendly, threatens local communities and results in less healthy options for consumers.

A few examples of five-paragraph essay topics:

Should nuclear weapons be outlawed worldwide?

Are atheists less moral than theists are?

Can online dating replace meeting a person in real life?

Does the media create unrealistic expectations of relationships and marriage?

Is it okay for parents to monitor teens` Internet use?

What effect did human curiosity in relation to our place?

Is there too much pressure on teenagers to go to college?

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