30 Helpful Prompts for Your 5 Paragraph Essays
In most college environments, the first two semesters require the student to do lots of writing. The following 5 paragraph essay topics are just some prompts to help you get started on your essay project or you can just use them for practice.
On many English courses, professors tend to ask for one type of essay in particular – the 5 paragraph essay. These essays become really easy with a bit of practice. Always start your five paragraph essay with an outline. Then use your 5 paragraph essay outline to construct the rest of the essay.
Hopefully, you will find the following prompts helpful and that they go some way towards showing you how to write a 5 paragraph essay:
30 Useful Essay Prompts
- A lot of teenagers feel compelled to run away. What do you think are the main causes for this?
- Describe how advertising has influenced your life or how it has influenced your friends’ lives. Provide relevant examples where appropriate.
- Is there a case for forcing every US citizen, provided they are physically able, to serve for a set period in one or other area of the military?
- Do you think the idea of living in a large city is appealing? Explain your thinking.
- Is there a case for allowing US citizens to own firearms? Discuss why you think this would be right or wrong,
- If you were able to put some item in a time capsule that would show people 2,000 years from now what life was like in 2015, what would you put in it?
- A lot of college students drop out before completing their course. Why do you think this happens?
- The changes the women’s liberation movement brought to society are mostly thought to be advantageous to women. Do you think these changes are beneficial to men?
- There are many regional food types in America. If you were asked to recommend Southern-style food to a tourist, what would you suggest they try?
- Some people apply the term “epidemic” to obesity. Do you think this is accurate?
- Should the appropriate agencies let parents know when legally underage children ask for birth control?
- Secondary schools are short of mathematics teachers. How should this shortage be addressed? Don’t forget you can always use a professionally-developed 5 paragraph essay template to help structure your answer.
- It has been suggested that drugs should be provided to known addicts as a means of partially addressing the current drugs problem. This would make supply less profitable for dealers. What is your opinion?
- If the life span of humans were extended so that people might live until the age of 200, what significant changes would you expect to see in society?
- If you could suggest one experience that all humans should undergo to make their lives complete, what would it be?
- If you were given the opportunity to make one single important discovery or breakthrough in the field of science, what would you choose and why would you choose it?
- Is the workplace made better or worse by robots?
- If you were given a choice between a high-paid job you hated and a low-paid job you loved, what would your decision be and why?
- Do you think that young people should provide financially for the elderly?
- Is it right that animals are used for medical research?
- Describe your favorite hobby and say why you like it.
- Do you prefer spending spare time with your family or your friends? Explain your choice.
- Would you prefer to live beside a beach or deep in a mountain? What lies behind your preference?
- A common complaint from new college students is that they were never actually taught the art of study. What tips would you give these students to improve their study techniques? Maybe you would recommend they use a well-written 5 paragraph essay example to guide them?
- What is your preferred choice of career and why?
- Is the media overstepping the mark with its extensive scrutiny of the private lives of public figures? Explain your thinking.
- What is your favorite type of reading matter and why?
- There is now a trend among modern women to delay marriage until later in life. Why do you think this is?
- Do you think dating patterns have changed because of AIDS?
- Do you agree or not with the Vince Lombardi statement that winning is not the most important thing but that it is “the only thing?” Discuss your thinking.
When crafting your five paragraph essay, do not forget that many English tutors and examiners are interested in structure more than content. Undoubtedly, content is important too for all 5 paragraph essay topics but attend carefully to your essay’s structure.