1-3-1 or 5 Paragraph Essay Guidelines, Essays (university) of Technical Writing

Download 1-3-1 or 5 Paragraph Essay Guidelines and more Essays (university) Technical Writing in PDF only on Docsity! E-1 1-3-1 Essay Guidelines (May 2011, ASC EngRead) Page 1 Writing Handout E-1: 1 – 3 – 1 Essay Guidelines A 1-3-1 essay is a five paragraph essay.  The first paragraph is an introduction. It contains a sentence or two to get the readers’ attention and ends with a thesis statement. The thesis statement contains the main idea of the essay. The rest of the essay supports the thesis statement. Example: Jacques Cousteau is to be admired because of his inventiveness, his contributions to marine science, and his dedication to this field.  The next three paragraphs are the body paragraphs. Each body paragraph discusses one of the points raised in the thesis. In this example, the first body paragraph would discuss his inventiveness, the next body paragraph would discuss his contributions to marine science, and the third body paragraph would discuss his dedication to this field. Each body paragraph begins with a topic sentence: Body paragraph 1: Of these admirable characteristics, Cousteau’s inventiveness has assisted him most in his desire to explore the new world of inner space. Body paragraph 2: Cousteau is to be admired not only for his inventiveness, but also for his many contributions to marine science. Body paragraph 3: Cousteau’s inventiveness and his contributions to marine science are matched by his dedication to the field. The rest of each body paragraph provides details and examples to support the topic sentence.  The fifth paragraph of the essay is the final paragraph and concludes the essay. In this paragraph, the thesis in your introductory paragraph is restated (not repeated). The introduction and conclusion of a 1-3-1 essay are generally less detailed than the rest of the essay. The three body paragraphs need many details and examples to support the topic sentences. An example of a 1-3-1 essay is attached as well as a 1-3-1 template. E-1 1-3-1 Essay Guidelines (May 2011, ASC EngRead) Page 2 Template for a 1-3-1 Essay: I. Introductory paragraph A. Attention getter: B. Thesis statement: (may contain preview) II. First body paragraph, topic/transitional sentence: A. Point 1: 1. Proof: 2. Proof: B. Point 2: 1. Proof: 2. Proof: III. Secondary body paragraph, topic/transitional sentence: A. Point 1: 1. Proof: 2. Proof: