1. Five-paragraph
ESSAYS
{ Structure

2. When you take the GED, you will receive a prompt to
answer in an essay. The prompt will be about a general
topic, and you will be asked to give an opinion or an
explanation of something. To do this, you will need to use
details that come from your personal observations and
experiences.
An example of a prompt:
What is one important goal you would like to achieve in
the next few years?
In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to
achieve it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge
to support your essay.

3. Another example of a prompt:
Why is learning English important to you?
In your essay, explain why learning English is important to you. Use
your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support
your essay.

4. The basic school essay is composed of 5 paragraphs:
I. Introduction
II. Body Paragraph 1
III.Body Paragraph 2
IV.Body Paragraph 3
V. Conclusion

5. 1.Introduction
The introduction should:
• grab the reader’s attention so he/she wants to read more.
• provide necessary background information.
• identify your main idea (answer the prompt).
• preview what will come in your body paragraphs.
You will identify your main idea and preview the body
paragraphs in a thesis statement.
A thesis statement summarizes the main idea of your essay
and supplies a little information about your supporting
points.

6. What is one important goal you would like to achieve in the
next few years?
In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you plan to achieve
it. Use your personal observations, experience, and knowledge to support
your essay.
Let’s say your goal is to find a better job than the one you
have now. The prompt asks you how you plan to achieve it.
Your plans to get a better job include: 1) finishing school, 2) preparing a
resume, and 3) searching for jobs.
Your thesis statement might be:
It is my goal in the next few years to get a better job by
finishing school, preparing a resume, and searching for jobs.
*OR*
A major goal I would like to accomplish in the next few years
is getting a better job. My plan to do this is to finish school,
prepare a resume, and then search for jobs.

7. Your turn!!
What is one important goal you would like to achieve in
the next few years?
In your essay, identify that one goal and explain how you
plan to achieve it. Use your personal observations,
experience, and knowledge to support your essay.
I. Write down one goal you have.
II. Think about 3 things you can do to achieve it.
1. ____________ 2. _____________ 3. ___________
III. Now, put those together in a thesis statement. (1 or 2
sentences)
IV. The teacher will come by and check your work.

8. Back to the introduction:
After you have a thesis statement, you can work on an
introduction.
Remember, the thesis statement identifies your main idea
and previews what will come in your body paragraphs.
You will put it at the END of the introduction.
Before that, you need to:
• grab the reader’s attention so he/she wants to read more.
• provide necessary background information.
Let’s look at an example of an introduction:

9. Making goals for myself  The writer introduces
the topic of the essay and
and working toward them keeps provides a bit of
me on my toes and makes my life background information
interesting. There are many goals to make the essay more
interesting.
that I would like to achieve
throughout my life. I have begun
working toward many of them by
looking into going back to school
and thinking about what I’d like
to do for a career. One major goal  The thesis statement
I would like to accomplish in the starts here. We see one
goal the writer wants to
next few years is getting a better accomplish and 3 ways
job. My plan to get a better job is in which he/she plans to
to finish school, prepare a achieve it.
resume, and then search for jobs."

10. Another Introduction
Many people speak  The writer introduces
the topic of the essay and
English around the world, and it provides a bit of
is a universal language. People background information
who were born in the United to make the essay more
interesting.
States are lucky, because they
grew up speaking English every
day. I wasn’t so lucky, but now I
am taking classes to improve my
English. Learning English is  The thesis statement
starts here. We see the
important for me so that I can
reasons why learning
earn more money, help my family, English is important for
and meet new people. the writer.

11. 2. Body Paragraph One
The first body paragraph should discuss the first point in
your thesis statement.
Let’s look at the last thesis statement again:
Learning English is important for me so that I can earn
more money, help my family, and meet new people.
In this case, Body Paragraph One should explain how
learning English will give the writer the possibility to earn
more money.

12. If I learn English, I can  Transition to 1st point in
thesis statement
make more money. Right now,
my job is to clean homes and
offices. It’s a hard job, and I
don’t make much money. But
it’s hard for me to get another
job. My English still needs some
improvements, and when I go to  This explains how
learning English can help
interviews, it’s hard for me to the writer make more
speak to the people. When they money.
see that I don’t speak good
English, they immediately think
I can’t do the job. If I learn
English, I will be able to get a
better job and thus make more
money.

13. 3. Body Paragraph Two
The second body paragraph should discuss the second point
in your thesis statement.
Thesis statement:
Learning English is important for me so that I can earn more
money, help my family, and meet new people.
In this case, Body Paragraph Two should explain how
learning English will allow the writer to help his/her family.

14. Another reason learning English is  Transition to 2nd point
important for me is so that I can help my in thesis statement
family. My husband doesn’t speak English.  Example of how it will
help family and details
It’s my responsibility to speak when we go to
 Another example and
restaurants, stores, or the doctor. Also, I need
details
to understand letters and notices that arrive
at our house. Sometimes they are very
important, and if I can’t understand them, we
can have some problems. I also need to
know English to help my daughter. She is in  Another example and
elementary school now, and I want to help details
her with her homework when she has
problems. Also, I need to speak to her
teacher, and I want to volunteer at her school.
If I can’t speak English, life in the USA is
much more difficult for my family.

15. 4. Body Paragraph Three
The third body paragraph should discuss the third point in
your thesis statement.
Thesis statement:
Learning English is important for me so that I can earn
more money, help my family, and meet new people.
In this case, Body Paragraph Three should explain how
learning English will help the writer meet new people.

16. Finally, I really want to learn more  Transition to 3rd point
English so that I can meet new people. I’m a in thesis statement
sociable person, and I like to talk to
 Explanation of
everyone. The problem is that right now I
problem
can only speak to people that speak Spanish.
I’m too shy when I must speak English. It is
OK to speak to Spanish speakers, but I also
want to talk to other people, especially  Details
Americans. I think if I meet new people, it
will help me learn more about the culture
here and also learn more English. For
example, my cousin has a friend from
Georgia. They do lots of fun activities
together, and my cousin is learning a lot
about American culture and seems happier
here than he did before. I think meeting new
people is important, but now I sometimes
feel isolated or lonely.

17. 5. Conclusion
The conclusion paragraph ties everything together from
your essay and restates your thesis statement with
different words.
When I lived in my country, I  Connects to the rest
didn’t understand how important English of the essay
could be. I only realized it when I came to
the United States. Learning English is a  Restates the thesis
necessity for me now, and I hope that statement, using
when I speak English better, I will be able different words
to make more money, assist my family
more, and make new friends.

18. Let’s compare the thesis statement with the
statement in the conclusion:
Learning English is Learning English is a
important for me so that I necessity for me now,
can earn more money, help and I hope that when I
my family, and meet new speak English better, I
people. will be able to make
more money, assist my
family more, and
make new friends.
They say the same thing, but the words are slightly
different. Don’t repeat the thesis statement 100%.