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Planning an Essay

Once you have written your thesis statement, you are ready to plan your essay.  You might feel this is an unnecessary step or a waste of your time, but a few moments of simple planning will greatly benefit the focus and organization of your essay. 

Determine the Length

Check assignment instructions for any specific length requirements for the essay.  If not, plan three or more body paragraphs plus the introduction and the conclusion.  Once you begin to plan, you can decide how many body paragraphs you will need in order to argue and prove your thesis adequately.

Map Out the Body Paragraphs

• Write your thesis statement at the top of your planning page to keep you focused. 

• Next, consider how to organize your essay, which will depend on the essay question and the assignment guidelines. 

• Below your thesis statement, write topic sentences for each body paragraph, ensuring that your topic sentences follow these guidelines. 

All topic sentences must do the following:

• connect in a clear way to your thesis (an easy way to ensure this is to use keywords from the thesis in each topic sentence)

• clearly show what each body paragraph will argue

• be statements, not questions 

REMEMBER:  The single most important job of the body paragraph is to prove your thesis.   

Develop Your Ideas

Consider what ideas and examples you will include in each paragraph to support and prove your thesis.  Time spent in this stage will really pay off as you begin to write your essay.

Below each topic sentence, place a few bullet points indicating what ideas you will discuss and what examples you will give to support your ideas.  All body paragraphs should contain a combination of ideas and examples to ensure you have proven your opinion.