how fast can someone write a 5 page essay

Hacks to Write a Five Page Essay Paper in a Day or Less

Let’s face it, writing a five-essay paper fast is not a walk in the park. Like a comprehensive essay , it entails planning, critical thinking, researching, outlining, writing, and polishing. Yet, it is a typical writing assignment in high school, college, and university. Even graduate students pursuing MBAs, Masters, and PhDs write five-page essays on various topics.

One thing is for sure; it is an ideal essay for honing research, writing, creativity, critical thinking, reasoning, and organization skills. However, while some find it easy to write it, some students might struggle, especially if the deadline is shorter.

If you were assigned a five-page paper and need advice on saving time and finishing your 5-page essay paper fast, this quick guide is a perfect place for you to start. We cover aspects such as the meaning of a five-page essay, how to plan and budget time for it, and the steps it takes to write a well-organized and professional essay that scores you a better grade.

Let’s dig right in!

What is a 5-page essay?

A five-page essay is an academic piece of assignment assigned to students to write about a specific topic in 5 full pages. If it is double-spaced, it is between 1250 words and 1500 words assuming a page is anything between 250 and 300 words. If it is single-spaced, it is between 2500 words and 3000 words.

It is a typical essay for nursing, English language, English literature, sociology, business and management, medicine and health sciences, biology, social work, and humanity subjects.

Because of its length, it is expected that students explore different topics in the five pages. Therefore, it always requires 5-8 references or sometimes ten resources, depending on the complexity of the subject or topic.

As it is considered a short assignment, its deadline is often between a few hours and three days. Therefore, when assigned such an essay, do not panic. Instead, follow the steps outlined below to conquer your fears of writing.

The time it takes to write a 5-page essay

In most cases, five-page papers are assigned within a one-week submission window. In other courses, you can be assigned homework to write a five-page paper overnight. Still, some professors assign five pages essay papers to be completed between 10 to 48 hours.

Suppose you are settled to write a five-page essay paper. In that case, it will only take you 10 hours or less, depending on your motivation, the complexity of the content of the paper, availability of resources, your typing speed, and your writing skills. A professional and experienced writer will take 5-6 hours at most, planning, drafting, writing, and polishing a 5-page essay.

Writing fast is relative. For example, a student rushing to complete a last-minute essay may only have a few hours to do it. On the other hand, a student who wants to complete their essay, submit it, and move to other things will also want to hasten the process of writing their essay. At the same time, a student assigned to write an essay that is five pages long under a day would also want to write faster.

The secret of writing a five-page essay paper fast lies in adequate planning. By the end of this guide, you will be able to write a five-page essay in under 8 hours, and not just write it but write it to the desired quality.

Budgeting time for a five-page essay

Assuming you already have a topic and want to write a five-page essay, you should divide the writing process into prewriting, writing, and post-writing stages.

During the prewriting stage, you engage in brainstorming, formulating a thesis, outlining, and researching. Naturally, therefore, pre-writing should take much of your time. Precisely, it should take 60 percent of the entire time you have to write the essay. If you have an hour to fall a tree, spend at least 45 minutes sharpening the ax and the remaining 15 minutes falling the tree quickly. Well, that analogy applies here. We have tested it, our writers use it, and it works perfectly.

Budget your time as follow if you have 12 hours to complete a 5-page essay: brainstorming (2 hours), research (5 hours), and writing an outline (1 hour).

In the writing stage, you frame your title, set the title page, write the body paragraphs, and write the introduction and conclusion. The writing stage should take 25% of the entire time you have to write an essay. For instance, if you have 12 hours to write an essay, allocate 3 hours to the writing section: writing the body paragraphs (2 hours), writing the introduction (20 minutes), writing the conclusion (20 minutes), and setting the title page (10 minutes)

Finally, in the post-writing stage , spend the remaining 15% of the entire time. For instance, if you have 12 hours, allocate one hour for rewriting and editing, one hour for proofreading, and thirty minutes for formatting.

Steps to Write a 5-page essay fast

Now that you are conversant with the essay writing process or stages, and you have probably budgeted your time well, here are some steps to follow to write that five-page essay fast, accurately, and coherently.

Kickout the distractions

To be able to write any essay fast, you need to raise your concentration levels. Therefore, the first step is to find a good place to write your essay . It could be your room, a spot in the library, café, or office, or at your friend’s place.

Let it be distraction-free enough to give you room for concentrating on the task ahead of you. For example, if you work well when listening to music, have your favorite music that sparks your morale in the background.

Another thing, keep off any distractions – turn off your phone or put it in silent mode, mute social media notifications, and don’t engage anyone on the phone unless it is utterly vital.

Have a schedule and stick to it

With the mind free to think, create a schedule for your paper. You can do this manually on sticky notes and pin it where you can see it.

You can place it on a mirror, table, at the back of your laptop, or on the surface of your study area.

Ensure that each time is spent as budgeted to prevent deadline violations or lateness, which can cost you some marks.

Brainstorm for points and the way forward

Assuming you have the topic, begin by brainstorming. Brainstorming stretches your mind , expands your creativity, and makes you actively think of the best ways to solve a problem.

If you brainstorm well, you will create a mind map that guides your writing process. Besides, it makes the research process easier.

While brainstorming, be at ease but do not relax too much. Decide on the points you want to feature in your essay, the claims and the counterclaims, and the examples you want to give. As you brainstorm, take notes. These questions can help you as you brainstorm:

• What is the meaning of the topic?
• What is the purpose of the essay?
• Are there enough sources for this essay?
• What are some examples I can give?
• What are the likely challenges, potential solutions, and recommendations?
• What unique lens can I view this problem given what others have written?
• What perspective am I sticking to for this essay?
• What are the resources and research materials that I will need?

Structure you essay

Now that you have brainstormed, design a proper essay scaffold that will determine the flow of ideas or order of points in your essay. by writing an outline, you are developing a framework that defines your essay paper.

 It is a blueprint or landmark that gives your essay some direction. Outlining helps in avoiding the number one killer of research skills: information overload. When you derail, you will not derail when you have an outline.

Research Widely and Deeply

Nothing substitutes comprehensive research when writing an essay. However, you must check various sources to understand the subject of your essay and get facts to support your thesis.

Although Wikipedia and website blogs are not recommended as scholarly sources, use them to familiarize yourself with your topic .

Check through the governmental documents, pdf files published by organizations, and research journal articles to get facts and evidence to support your thesis. When researching, you will generate fresh ideas to make your essay presentable, engaging, and of high quality.

To avoid information overload, check the authenticity of the information, check for the recency of the information, and omit information that is obsolete, does not create rigor in your essay, or has questionable facts.

As a rule of thumb, always choose information published within the last five years, unless you need old seminal works on frameworks, concepts, and ideas. Keep an inventory of every research that matters.

You can do so using online bibliography organizers such as Zotero, Citethisforme, or Citefast. However, it is best if you decide the number of references to use in your essay early enough so that you can organize them better and cite them as you write for a fast, accurate, and efficient writing process.

Complete the body paragraphs

Although many students prefer to begin their essays with the title, introduction, body, and then conclusion, we find it practical to deal with the body of your essay first. Developing the body paragraphs helps you to understand the flow of your essay better.

 You will know how to develop topic sentences that support the thesis and link each paragraph to one another and the thesis.

The supporting paragraphs in the body of your essay should be between 3-8 paragraphs, depending on the essay's word count . Ensure that every paragraph has its own idea, and it should be supported by facts, evidence, and examples from research.

Cite the body paragraphs where you paraphrase, summarize, or quote from other resources. As well, conclude the body paragraphs with concluding sentences that make sense and link to the next paragraphs or sections of your essay.

Given that your essay is 5-pages long, the body should be comprehensive; it should at least be 4-pages long with 5-8 paragraphs. In addition, each paragraph should have at least 5-9 sentences for good balance.

And to top it all up, write your paragraphs using short, clear, and concise sentences. Of course, once in a while, you can throw in long sentences, but ensure that they are sound and fit the context of your essay. 

Write a catchy introduction

Your introduction is one of the earliest contact points with your readers second to your title. Ensure that it creates a lasting first impression . You must begin the introduction with an appropriate hook . Essay hooks or attention grabbers help to grab the attention of your readers and introduce the topic generally. You can use relevant statistics, facts, evidence, anecdotes, or quotes.

As well, give good background information on your topic. Finally, finalize the introduction paragraph with one or two lines of your thesis statement that announces your main argument in the essay. Ensure that your introduction foreshadows your argument; it is where you frame your arguments.

We have a complete guide on how to begin an essay , familiarize with the process.

Write the conclusion of your essay

In an essay, the topic sentences are signposts that work together with the conclusion and introduction to guide a reader through the arguments in your essay. The conclusion must be succinct but comprehensive enough. You can achieve this through restating the main argument, recapping or summarizing the logic of the argument, and writing a final statement that reinforces the argument better. If possible, include an active call to action for your readers by suggesting materials for further reading or recommending solutions. This is the very last page in your five-page essay, and it should leave a lasting impact on your readers.

Polish your essay without rushing

When you are done with the writing phase, take a break. It helps refresh your mind and develop an objective mind, which can help you spot little or silly mistakes you made while writing.

Rewriting your essay helps to rephrase the essay and make it straightforward, coherent, and accurate. It can also be helpful when you have identified plagiarism in your essay. To speed up the process, read out loud your essay to yourself and make the changes that seem relevant. You will be amazed at how keen you are to be able to catch errors and improve the essay.

You should also proofread and edit your essay, which entails checking for any omissions, misspellings, punctuation errors, grammatical mistakes, and typos in your essay. Make sure that everything flows.

Finally, you need to spend some quick 10-20 minutes checking the format of your essay. Double-space your essay , check on the font style and size, check if your essay's cover or title page is good, and check whether you have achieved the desired essay length . If you are short of a few words, follow our recommended steps to increase the length of your essay . Remember to format the paper in APA , MLA, Harvard, or Chicago formatting styles.

Parting Shot!

Now that you know the tips to write a five-page essay fast, you can apply them when writing a 3-page essay, 4-page essay, or two-page essay. The process is literary the same, only that you will reduce the budget for prewriting, writing, and post writing, respectively.

If you need someone to write your last-minute essay, we have fast essay writers who can help. It could be that you realized late that you have an upcoming deadline, have an emergency, or things are getting pretty sticky with writing an essay, do not struggle alone.

2 out of 3 students get help from experts, their friends, parents, and classmates. Instead of facing the ridicule that comes with such available help, our experts will never judge you. They will write your essay professionally and fast. We are a cheap writing website, so be sure to get a first-timers’ discount. Ask from our support team.

If you decide to write it on your own, keep practicing, perfect, and scale through the heights of academia. We wish you the best of luck!

Gradecrest is a professional writing service that provides original model papers. We offer personalized services along with research materials for assistance purposes only. All the materials from our website should be used with proper references. See our Terms of Use Page for proper details.

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How to Write an Essay in Under 30 Minutes

Last Updated: June 28, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Arash Fayz . Arash Fayz is the Co-Founder and Executive Director of LA Tutors 123, an academic consulting and private tutoring company based in Los Angeles, California. Arash has over 10 years of educational consulting experience, managing the tutoring of students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds to score higher on standardized tests and gain admission to their target schools. He has a BA in Applied Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of California, Los Angeles. There are 12 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 606,875 times.

If you’re taking your SATs this year, you may be preparing to write a solid essay within the 30 minute time limit. Or you might be trying to improve your writing speed to complete essay exams faster and more efficiently. Writing a five paragraph essay in under 30 minutes can seem daunting, but with the right planning and time management, it is certainly achievable.

Sample Essays

Planning the Essay

• For example, you may get a prompt in the form of quotation: “Time has a doomsday book, on whose pages he is continually recording illustrious names. But as often as a new name is written there, an old one disappears. Only a few stand in illuminated characters never to be effaced.” Henry Wadsworth Longfellow [3] X Research source
• You may then receive a question attached to the prompt: “Are there some heroes who will be remembered forever? Or are all heroes doomed to be forgotten one day?" Plan your response, and then write an essay to explain your views on this issue. Be sure to support your position with specific points and examples. You may use personal examples or examples from your reading, observations, or, knowledge of subjects such as history, literature, science. [4] X Research source

• For example, you may brainstorm the Longfellow quote/question by thinking of personal examples of heroes who are remembered or forgotten, such as family members, friends, teachers, or peers who have acted as heroes to you or to others. Or you may focus on a historical figure who seems to be a forgotten hero or a decorated hero.
• This essay question is asking for two sides of the discussion, the forgotten hero and the remembered hero. Your thesis should discuss both sides and choose one side to argue for or against.
• You may choose to spotlight a historical figure who encountered opposition and challenges in her life, such as the suffragette Susan B. Anthony. Anthony worked tirelessly for decades to get the government to recognize women’s right to vote, and was often derided by the government and by individuals within her own organization. She is a good example of a hero who was not recognized as a trailblazer until late in her life, though she is now remembered as a heroine in history. Try to refer back to the quotation in the essay prompt in your thesis, if possible, to show you have read the entire question.
• A possible thesis statement could be: “Though Longfellow argues that names, or heroes, may be forgotten over time, one historical figure, Susan B. Anthony, was derided in her lifetime for her beliefs but is now remembered as a heroine of her time.”

• Introduction: Your beginning paragraph should contain an engaging first sentence and your thesis statement. Some writers find it easier to write create a temporary introduction and revise it once they are finished with the essay. This will ensure the introduction is cohesive with the rest of the essay.
• Conclusion: This paragraph should summarize your main argument and restate your thesis. You may also want to include last thoughts around the essay question.

Writing the Essay

• An interesting or surprising example: This could be a personal experience or a key moment in the life of the historical figure you are discussing in your essay. For example, you may discuss Anthony’s childhood as a Quaker and her later adoption of more casual dress and growing interest in social reform at the age of 26. [9] X Trustworthy Source University of North Carolina Writing Center UNC's on-campus and online instructional service that provides assistance to students, faculty, and others during the writing process Go to source
• A provocative quotation: This could be from a source you used for your essay or one that feels relevant to your topic. For example, you may use a well known quote from Anthony, such as: “Cautious, careful people, always casting about to preserve their reputation and social standing, never can bring about a reform. Those who are really in earnest must be willing to be anything or nothing in the world's estimation, and publicly and privately, in season and out, avow their sympathy with despised and persecuted ideas and their advocates, and bear the consequences.” [10] X Research source
• A vivid anecdote: An anecdote is a very short story that carries moral or symbolic weight. Think of an anecdote that might be a poetic or powerful way to start your essay.
• A thought provoking question: create a question that will get your reader thinking and engaged in your topic. For example: “Did you ever wonder how women received the right to vote in the United States?”

• Body paragraph 1: You may start by discussing Anthony’s early successes. Look at the establishment of the Women’s Loyal National League in 1863 by Anthony and Stanton. As the first national women’s political organization in the United States, it had a membership of 5000 and provided a platform for women to speak out on issues like slavery and women’s right to vote. [11] X Research source
• Body paragraph 2: You may discuss Anthony’s mid career struggles. Look at the split in the women’s movement in May 1869, with the establishment of the National Woman’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) by Anthony and Stanton, and the rival American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). Note how after the Civil War, Anthony devoted her time and life to the suffrage movement, assuming leadership of the NWSA in 1890 and continuing to advocate for women’s rights. Anthony also remained unmarried, which gave her an advantage under the law, as married women at the time were not permitted to sign official documents and had to defer to their husbands. [12] X Research source
• Body paragraph 3: You may discuss Anthony’s later life, including her many speaking engagements throughout the United States on the need for women’s suffrage and equal rights. Though Anthony died in 1906, and did not live to see the passing of the Nineteenth Amendment of the Constitution, affording women the right to vote in the United States in 1920, her forty years of tireless work paved the way for the legal precedent and gave women a strong sense of empowerment and equality. [13] X Research source

• For example, you may restate your thesis: “Throughout her life, Susan B. Anthony’s sacrificed her time, energy, and personal livelihood to advocate for women’s rights, proving that though many heroes may be forgotten, their actions will live on in history.”

Editing the Essay

• For example, an essay on Susan B. Anthony could have the title: “An Unsung Heroine” or “Susan B. Anthony: An Advocate for Change”.

Community Q&A

• If you're writing an essay in 15 minutes, try to spend two to three minutes on each body paragraph. Then, take three minutes on your conclusion paragraph and go back to your introduction. Spend the last three minutes revising your introduction so it matches the tone and perspective of the rest of your essay. Thanks Helpful 0 Not Helpful 0

Tips from our Readers

• If you need to write the essay in one day, focus on writing a paragraph at a time and taking small breaks in between by relaxing and browsing the internet. A 10-minute break should be enough time to relax before it's back to crunch time.
• Writing the body paragraphs first can sometimes make it easier to write the introduction and conclusion later on.

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Arash Fayz. Test Prep Tutor. Expert Interview. 1 November 2019.
• ↑ https://libguides.newcastle.edu.au/essay_planning/essay-planning
• ↑ https://resources.warburg.sas.ac.uk/pdf/emh823b2778298.pdf
• ↑ https://www.hunter.cuny.edu/rwc/handouts/the-writing-process-1/invention/Writing-a-Response-or-Reaction-Paper
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/thesis-statements/
• ↑ https://kidshealth.org/en/teens/test-terror.html
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/introductions/
• ↑ https://writingcenter.unc.edu/tips-and-tools/should-i-use-i/
• ↑ https://www.rochester.edu/sba/
• ↑ https://repository.library.georgetown.edu/bitstream/handle/10822/553350/laCossJoanHarkin.pdf
• ↑ https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony
• ↑ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Susan-B-Anthony

About This Article

In order to successfully write an essay in under 30 minutes, you need to plan it out and work efficiently. Take a good 10 minutes to plan out the essay and come up with a thesis statement that will convey your argument and help guide your essay. It may seem like a large chunk of your time, but it will save you from having to rewrite or restructure your essay later on. Then, take 15 minutes to write your introductory paragraph, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Use the last 5 minutes to proofread your essay and look for spelling, punctuation, or grammatical errors. Don’t worry about coming up with a title until you’re finished. It will be much easier then. For tips about how to edit an essay you write in under 30 minutes, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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The Time it takes to Write a 5-Page Paper or Essay: In Hours

• by Joseph Kenas
• January 11, 2024

The question of how long does it take to write a 5-page essay is a question that has every student has to ask. When you think about it, it isn’t that hard to write a 5-page essay.

However, when you add in the other assignments and tests the student has, it becomes a lot harder. We can help you estimate how long it would actually take to write a 5-page essay.

What is a 5-Page Paper?

A five-page paper is a common assignment in college or university. It is given for short papers to help students write better papers and it’s about 500-1000 words. The five-page paper is also known as a five-page essay or a five-page assignment and students are expected to write five pages including the title page and reference page. 

Although the number of pages in a paper depends on the assignment, some professors will assign a page limit, in this case, 5 pages.

Regardless, it is important to remember that the page count is the total number of pages within the paper, including the abstract, introduction, discussion, conclusion, references, and appendix.

How Long Does it take to Write a 5-Page Paper?

The time taken to write a 5-page paper varies between 8 and 48 hours on average. While a good writer can take 8 hours, other writers may take a day or two. This is because, the time taken depends on factors like the complexity of the subject the topic of research, research method, writing and typing skills, and your professor’s specification. 

It is important to note that the longer it takes to write a certain paper, the more comprehensive the work.

This is mainly due to the research involved.

With that said, different levels of study require different depths of research.

This is to say, the length of a 5-page paper may also depend on the level of study you’re at.

Basically, there are a lot of factors that can play a role in how long it takes to actually write the paper. An undergraduate student will often write a 5-page paper in a day or two.

A 1st-year undergraduate will take a module that requires about 5-6 hours to produce a 5-page paper. A 1st-year undergraduate could complete a 5-page paper in a day, but a 3rd year could take a week. A Ph.D. student could take up to a month to produce a 5-page paper. 

How to Write a Good 5-Page Essay

We wrote a full guide on how to write a good essay for you to learn in-depth details of the steps involved. But here is a good summary. Writing a 5-page essay involves the following simples steps.

1. Do Comprehensive Research 

Before you start writing your essay, you should do extensive research on the topic.

It is better to have a lot of information than to have the essay filled with mistakes.

Doing research on your essay topic is an important part of writing an essay because, the more information you have, the greater your chances of success.

Some research sources include interviews, books, journals, newspapers, and the internet.

2. Write an Outline

Before you start to write, it is important to make notes of the various parts of your essay. This will help you bring order to your ideas and make writing the essay more logical and therefore easier.

The general outline of a 5-page essay includes an introduction, at least 3 paragraph body, and a conclusion.

3. Write an Introduction to Your Essay

An introduction is the first and the most important paragraph in an essay. It sets out what you are going to say, to whom and why.

What you write here needs to hook the reader’s interest, and make him or her want to keep reading. An excellent introduction should include all the following: 

• An attention grabber 
• An opening sentence that gives the reader a clue as to what is to come. 
• A summary of the main points to follow. 
• A statement of the topic. 
• A transition sentence to guide the reader from your introduction to your body paragraphs.

4. Write the Main Body

The main body of the essay is where you should place all of your strongest evidence. It contains the essential information about your subject and it’s your most effective way of showing your reader why your topic is important.

This is where you’ll make the case for your topic and try to convince people that your position is worth considering.

You could have the best thesis statement in the world, but if the evidence isn’t good, your essay will fall flat.

The main body of your essay is also where you should answer the questions your thesis statement poses.

This is where you should be focused on proving your thesis.

You should have at least three paragraphs in your 5-page essay’s main body, and you should make sure each paragraph has a topic sentence and at least two examples.

Such an essay is long. If you are writing a short essay, look at our guide on how to write a short essay for more insight on the same.

5. Write the Conclusion

The conclusion of an essay is the place where the writer’s voice becomes most apparent. It is the place where you wrap up everything that has been said, and where you make your personal opinion clear.

A good conclusion shows how the main body is related to your thesis and draws a final judgment based on the evidence.

The conclusion is the very last impression you leave with your reader and it can be a very powerful and persuasive tool if used correctly.

6. Proofreading and Editing

One of the main reasons students don’t get good grades on their essays is because they don’t proofread them enough. 

The only way you are going to be able to improve your grades is by proofreading your work properly. Most students think that they have written the perfect essay when in fact it is filled with errors.

Proofreading is not something you can do in a few minutes. You have to take your time and read your work over and over again to eliminate all grammatical and spelling errors.

Tips on How to Format a Good 5-Page Essay

The format of a paper is a style of writing that a student uses when writing a research paper. Formatting is not hard to do and anyone can learn how to do it with some practice.

The main purpose of formatting a research paper is to make the paper easier to read. Also, a paper that is formatted correctly has a professional look. Some of the basic formats for most writing styles include

• Font type; Time New Roman
• Font size; 12
• Double line spaces
• An inch margin on all sides
• Half inch paragraph indentations

Read more about how long in terms of the time it takes to write a 5-paragraph essay and compare the optimal lengths for the two types of academic works.

Joseph is a freelance journalist and a part-time writer with a particular interest in the gig economy. He writes about schooling, college life, and changing trends in education. When not writing, Joseph is hiking or playing chess.

5 Page Essay: Examples, Topics, & Word Count

What does a five page essay look like? If you’re searching for an answer to this question, you’re in the right place! Such a paper is a standard high school and college assignment. That’s why it might be written on almost any topic. Organic farming, overpopulation, police brutality, and abortion are just some examples.

A 5 page essay word count is usually 1200 to 1250 words (12 pt., double-spaced). The length of a typical academic paragraph is 100 to 150 words. So, there are 12 to 16 paragraphs in a five page essay.

If you need 5 page essay examples, take a look at the list below. We’ve collected A+ samples for you to get inspired. Good luck with your essay!

5-page Essay Examples: 11670 Samples

This capstone class: practice of ethical and social responsibility.

• Subjects: Family, Life & Experiences Personal Experiences
• Words: 1380

Recreational Shark Fishing

• Subjects: Environment Environmental Studies
• Words: 1297

The Candy Bombers by Andrei Cherny

• Subjects: Historical Literature Literature
• Words: 1320

We Don’t See Things As They Are; We See Them As We Are

• Subjects: Cognition and Perception Psychology
• Words: 1406

Concepts of Truth in Mathematics, the Arts and Ethics

• Subjects: Philosophical Concept Philosophy
• Words: 1628

HR Department and Employee Relations

• Subjects: Business Management
• Words: 1331

How Judges Think at a Criminal Trial

• Subjects: Judicial Process on Criminals Law
• Words: 1427

T. Roosevelt as a Rough Rider

• Subjects: Historical Figures History
• Words: 1465

Plants in Lakota Folklore

• Subjects: Cultural Studies Culture
• Words: 3727

An Analysis of Michelangelo’s Work

• Subjects: Art Sculpture
• Words: 1353

Definition of a good roommate

• Subjects: Sociological Theories Sociology
• Words: 1368

David Mccullough: Summary and Themes in “1776”

• Subjects: American Literature Literature
• Words: 1407

Miami School Negotiations: A Plan for the Mediating Process

• Subjects: Business Case Study
• Words: 1559

Socialism & Democracy: Fundamental Believes and Concepts

• Subjects: Politics & Government Social & Political Theory
• Words: 1582

The Development of Twentieth-Century Music: Schoenberg vs. Stravinsky

• Subjects: Art Musicians
• Words: 1435

Managing Cross-Cultural Staff: Norms for Groups Within the Organization

• Words: 1581

Behavior Modification in Children With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Introduction

• Subjects: Education Education Issues
• Words: 1382

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Steps To Write A Great 5-Page Essay

Table of Contents

Want to craft a great 5-Page essay ? There are steps to write great long form essay with efficiency.

Writing long essay is definitely not an easy task. Many hours are needed to think, research, outline, write, and edit.

Students are often asked to write an effective 5-page essay about a particular topic. The truth is, you may run into difficulty on writing one if your experience level is not too high.

Writing an essay like a pro is a skill that takes time to gain, and requires lots of practice.

Check these seven steps to make your next 5-page essay a great one

There are 7 steps you can follow to write a great 5-page essay.

1. Start with a Planning Stage

This is where you map out your details and consider the content you want to write about. It’s paramount to have an idea of where you’re headed and what you’re going to say before you begin writing.

2. Make your research

This part is where you gather your evidence and data. You might want to search for statistics or compare two or more things. Before you write, have all your ideas and information in a neat format.

3. Pick an essay thesis

In your very first paragraph, you may want to introduce your thesis. The thesis is what the writer wants the reader to understand at the onset. It’s not just a title or a word, it’s a whole idea that you want the reader to grasp in the very first paragraph. It doesn’t have to be a huge one either.

It can be as small as a statement like, “Many people think that dogs are a better family pet than cats.”

Thesis is what you’re trying to prove and get across. In this case, “Dogs are better than cats because dogs are loyal, loving, and obedient while cats are independent, selfish, and rude.”

4. Create an essay outline

This will help you avoid many pitfalls when writing. An outline helps you to stay organized and on track as you write. It makes it easier to keep your thought process clear and concise.

5. Write your essay

You will spend most of your time at this stage of the writing process. This should be a fun experience, you should try and have more fun than stress about this part. Try to not think so much about what you are writing and why you’re writing it, just do it.

At all times, stay vigilant and vigilant, if you feel like you are getting stuck, take a break and then continue writing.

Your goal when writing essays is to answer your questions in a well-written manner. Your goal is not to impress people, and so you should not write your essay just to write it. Don’t get ahead of yourself.

When you write about the world, or yourself, you should write about what you know best. For example, if you want to write about your own feelings, you should write about your own experiences.

This should help you to connect back to your own experiences and emotions. This is one of the best ways to write your essay. If you get stuck at this point, take a break. Then you can come back to the essay with fresh inspiration.

You should use short paragraphs, and you should use plenty of writing down notes. This will help you get clear in your head. Your aim in writing an essay should be to get to the end with clarity. This means that you should be able to get your thoughts together and make sure that they are organized and connected.

6. Edit and proofread your essay

It is important to proofread your essay. You should do this before you write your final copy. This will enable you to see any spelling errors, grammar errors, and organizational errors.

When you proofread, you should take all of your notes that you have made and incorporate them into the finished copy. You should never stop editing until you are completely satisfied with your piece.

7. Formatting your essay

This is another important step to write your essay. You should be sure to format your text because it is a way of making sure that your content is easy to read. You should use proper headings, indent, and bullet points.

This should be the final step in the writing process before submitting your essay.

The five-paragraph essay has been a staple in the American public school system for a long time. Due to its archaic style, teachers and students find it rather tedious to write and take.

Novice high school students may have difficulty writing, as it is hard to write a logical and informative paper when your experience is poor.

The automatic flow of the paragraph is most times the source of frustrations for both the writer and their audience. The difficult part about writing a five-paragraph essay is that there is not much variety or variety of themes or topics.

As a result of its broad, overarching nature, it encourages overly general thesis statements that lead to poorer writing quality.

The Introduction

This paragraph should have the purpose of the essay. It should introduce the issue that is the central focus of the argument. Make it clear to the reader as to why you are writing the essay. Give your readers a glimpse into what they can expect to find in the essay. Next, make it clear to the reader that you are going to solve the issue that you are writing about.

The body provides the hook to the essay, making it possible for the reader to connect it to the introduction. In the five-paragraph essay, the hook typically ends at the end of the second paragraph. The body should have a thesis statement and three points.

A thesis statement is like a question. Make it clear to the reader and then put the question out there. Now, present three points that answer the question. They should be linked together by transitions.

A transition is like a bridge. A reader could walk away from the essay and not understand what you are saying. Transitions make your points clear, and helps the reader to connect them.

The Conclusion

The conclusion is usually short. It should reiterate the main point and provide a call to action. It is usually 2-3 sentences. The conclusion tells the reader the thesis was proven, and gives a new perspective on the topic. In an argumentative essay, the conclusion should also explain in detail why the thesis statement was proven.

We have found that five-paragraph essays are difficult to write. Writing them typically takes hours on the first paper, or a lot of energy with no result.

You can avoid this by following these eleven steps, which will guide you in how to write a five-page essay. Draft a topic, argument, relevant examples, impact, thesis, body, conclusion, outline, conclusion and criticism.

Have you ever sat down to write a 5-to-7-page essay, only to have your 10-minute deadline pass, with only one sentence typed? It’s probably happened to you. Students who are working on essays are often inundated with information, and they struggle to keep up.

Students are often faced with the challenge of differentiating useful to their essay topic and most critical to their argument. They’re also faced with the challenge of deciding which examples may be beneficial and which will be irrelevant.

With a good amount of planning, however, essays can be approached in an organized manner. In this chapter, you’ll get the basic tools to help you organize and plan your first five paragraphs.

How can you write a 5-page essay in no time? We have compiled a checklist of the essentials you need to complete in order to write a 5-page paper. This checklist is very helpful in understanding what things you need to achieve when you first start working on your essay.

The first five-paragraph formula is the best-known and most commonly used structure. It’s an easily memorized formula for constructing a logical, cohesive first five paragraphs quickly.

Think of the five-paragraph structure as a series of questions you must answer in the following order:

1. Introduction: starts the flow of the story. The first paragraph of your introduction (the first question) should do one of two things:

• Introduce the topic with a hook i.e. The one single thing that makes your story interesting.

• Provide the reader with a reason to care.

2. Development and Support: are the meat of the story. The first three paragraphs of your story should ask, What’s in it for me and/or What’s in it for us.

3. Conclusion: A final note that ties up the story. The next, or last paragraph (the conclusion), can be a summary of all the hooks you’ve used in the story. It can be a series of follow-up questions, or it can just be a simple conclusion.

The first five-paragraph formula is a handy tool for structuring and drafting your story from beginning to end.

Writing well-researched and informative texts is not always a walk in the park. If you are struggling to write a 5-page essay or any other research paper for that matter, don’t be disheartened.

Whether you are writing a 5-page research paper, a 5-page speech or a 5-page book report, it’s all about your personal touch.

This way you can enjoy the process and come up with a better grade without having to worry about grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Pam is an expert grammarian with years of experience teaching English, writing and ESL Grammar courses at the university level. She is enamored with all things language and fascinated with how we use words to shape our world.

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How Long Does It Take to Write 5 Pages?

Writing 5 pages will take about 1 hours for the average writer typing on a keyboard and 2.1 hours for handwriting. However, if the content needs to include in-depth research, links, citations, or graphics such as for a blog article or high school essay, the length can grow to 8.3 hours.

Documents that typically contain 5 pages include college essays, operating manuals, and longer form blog posts. A typical single-spaced page is 500 words long.

You may write faster or slower than this depending on your average writing speed. Adults typically type at about 40 words per minute when writing for enjoyment and 5 words per minute for in-depth essays or articles. They can handwrite at 20 words per minute. College students typically need to be able to write at 60-70 words per minute in order to quickly write essays.

Writing Time by Word Counts

The table below will tell you how long it will take to write typical word counts. If you want to know how long writing an essay or book will take, check out the table below:

Writing Time by Page Counts

The table below will tell you how long it will take to write typical page counts. If you want to know how long writing an essay or book will take, check out the table below:

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College Info Geek

How to Write High-Quality Papers and Essays More Quickly

C.I.G. is supported in part by its readers. If you buy through our links, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read more here.

I’m not gonna lie: writing papers can suck. Even as someone who basically writes papers for a living these days (like this article), I still viewed every college paper with a tinge of dread.

After all, writing a paper isn’t like working math problems or reading a chapter of a book. As frustrating as those activities can be, they always seemed more finite than the monumental task of “writing a paper.” You can’t just open the book and start working : you have to brainstorm, research, outline, draft, edit, and add those pesky citations.

As I moved through college, however, I developed a system for cranking out papers in record time. This let me spend more time on things that I enjoyed, such as writing for this blog and taking long walks through the woods. Today, I’m going to share this process so that you too can write papers more quickly (without a decrease in the quality of your writing).

Sound impossible? Read on to see how it works.

1. Understand the Assignment

The ultimate waste of time when writing a paper is to write something that doesn’t even answer the question the professor is asking. Don’t be afraid to ask the professor to explain any part of the assignment that’s unclear.

If the assignment seems vague, it’s not because the professor is trying to trip you up. Often, it’s that they know their field so well that it’s easy for them to think some things are “obvious”…even when they aren’t to us non-experts.

Remember: asking for clarification because you don’t understand the assignment doesn’t make you stupid; what’s stupid is to complete the assignment without understanding it.

Yet, when I was an English TA in college, I saw this problem all the time. Students would spend hours researching and writing a paper on a completely different topic than what the professor assigned. It doesn’t matter how good a paper is–if it doesn’t answer the question, it’s going to receive a bad grade.

Best case scenario, the professor is nice and lets you rewrite it, but why do all that extra work? Furthermore, asking the professor for clarification shows initiative –that you care about the assignment. Demonstrating this level of engagement with your assignments can only boost your grade.

2. Research with Ruthless Efficiency

Once you understand the assignment, you need to start researching. But beware! If you’re not careful, research can be one of the best ways to procrastinate. “One more source” can easily turn into hours that you could have been writing.

To overcome the temptation to procrastinate on research, I employ my favorite approach for beating all forms of procrastination: setting a time limit. As I explained in my guide to research , you shouldn’t spend more than 30 minutes per page of the final paper researching. That is, if the paper is supposed to be 5 pages, don’t spend more than 2.5 hours on research (maximum).

Spending any more time than this puts you at a point of diminishing returns. Don’t worry about not having enough information. If you find that you need more info after you start writing, you can always do more research . The goal of your initial research session is to give you just enough material to start writing. Get into the library or database, find your sources, take your notes , and then get to writing.

3. Create a Flat Outline

“It’s impossible to figure out every detail of your argument before you sit down, look at your sources, and actually try to write. Most students abandon their hierarchical outline soon after their fingers hit the keyboard.” – Cal Newport, “How to Use a Flat Outline to Write Outstanding Papers, Fast”

Ever since I learned the traditional method of outlining papers in 8th grade, I felt the system was broken. I never created an outline with bullets and numbers and letters before writing the paper. I always just made one up afterwards because I was required  to turn one in with the final paper.

Starting in college, I developed my own outlining technique that was much more effective. As it turns out, my technique wasn’t so original after all. As Cal Newport explains, it’s called a flat outline . In Cal’s words, the flat outline works as follows:

Don’t build a hierarchical outline. Instead, list the topics you want to tackle in the order you want to tackle. Revisit the library to find sources for the topics that still need support. Dump all relevant quotes from your sources under the topics. Transform your topic-level outline into your paper. Don’t start from a blank screen.

Isn’t this so much better? The flat outline works because it mirrors the writing process . No one sits down to write with a perfect idea of what they’re going to say. You discover what you’re going to say through the process of writing . The flat outline gives you just enough structure to overcome the dreaded “blank canvas” while still leaving room for discovery.

Struggling to write your draft? Here’s how to overcome writer’s block .

4. Create the Perfect Writing Environment

Okay, so you have a rock solid understanding of the topic, you’ve done your research, and your flat outline is ready. Now, you need to sit down and write the sucker. But not so fast: where you write makes a difference.

Because after procrastination, the greatest obstacle to writing a paper quickly is distraction. If you don’t have an environment where you can focus, you’ll waste hours jumping back and forth between the paper and whatever distractions come your way.

To make sure you have the focus of a zen master, you must create a writing environment that enables zen-like focus . For a full guide to creating a distraction-free study space, check out our article on the topic . In the meantime, here’s a summary of the best practices:

• Go to a studious place. This could be a quiet part of the library, an off-campus coffee shop, or even your dorm room. Wherever you know that people won’t distract or interrupt you, that’s the place you must go.
• Make it comfortable. You won’t be able to focus on writing if your chair feels like a bed of nails or the table wobbles. Take care of your base physical comfort before writing anything else. Caveat: don’t write while in bed . Your bed is only for sleeping and…you know, that other s-word.
• Block digital distractions. Depending on how bad your internet/phone addiction is, this could be as simple as closing unrelated programs and putting your phone in airplane mode or as drastic as installing an app such as Cold Turkey Writer that blocks everything on your computer until you  write a certain number of words. If you need the internet to write (maybe you’re writing in Google Docs, for example), then you can install an app such as Freedom or SelfControl to block distracting sites.
• Assemble your supplies. Sitting down to write and realizing you left one of your sources back in your dorm is a definite productivity killer. Be sure you have your computer charged, sources assembled, and coffee/tea at the ready before your write a word.
• Put on your pump up playlist. If you don’t find it distracting, then I recommend using music that will get you in the zone to write. I have a few albums on rotation that get me into a mode of writing flow. For example, when writing this article I put on Muse’s The 2nd Law . You better believe I felt ready to conquer the world with that in the background. If you’re looking for a killer pre-made collection of study music, have a look at Thomas’s Ultimate Study Music Playlist .

5. Follow a Standard Structure

Each paper you write should not feel like reinventing the wheel. Your goal when writing a paper for a college class is to fulfill the assignment requirements in a way that goes just above and beyond enough to impress the professor. You’re not trying to break new ground in your discipline or redefine the way we use the English language (if you are, then you don’t need to read this article).

The way to make sure that you don’t get caught up in the structure is just to pick a standard structure for your discipline and follow it. Save the originality for your arguments. So how do you find these elusive standards? Ask your professor.  They can point you to some relevant guides or examples.

Also, pay attention to the readings your professor assigns for the class. This should give you some idea of the academic conventions you should follow in your papers. It’s easy to go through an article and focus so much on the information that you ignore the structure (which is a good thing–the structure shouldn’t distract you). But if you spend a couple reading sessions paying attention to structure, you’ll get a feel for how it should go.

If that seems too advanced or too much work, then another option is to Google “SUBJECT NAME paper template”. Just be careful about the source–a template from a university is fine; one on some random student’s Blogger page, not so much.

6. Focus On Quality Over Quantity

If the paper is supposed to have a final page count of 5-7, you may be tempted to write a paper that’s 7 or even 8 pages. After all, more is better, right?

Wrong.  Every professor I had in college told me that they would  always  prefer a good 5-page paper over an okay 7-page paper. Frankly, some topics don’t need 7 pages–5 is plenty. If you try to stretch it out, you may end up diluting your argument.

If you’re not convinced, consider this: I rarely wrote more than the minimum page count, and I consistently received A’s on papers in English, History, Religious Studies, and Education classes.

Knowing this, why would you ever write more than you need to? It’s not just a waste of time or effort; it may even be counterproductive .

Of course, your paper has to be good for this to work. For advice on improving the quality of your papers, check out my post on 6 Writing Tips to Make Your Papers 300% Better .

7. Draft and Edit Separately

Editing and drafting at the same time is, like all forms of multitasking , inefficient and ultimately impossible. Don’t do it. Write with your full attention and effort, and then  edit.

Similarly, never stop to look stuff up when you are writing. If you don’t know something, just make a note of it and come back to it later. At best, looking something up takes you away from writing, but even more likely it will pull you into an internet rabbit hole that will really derail the entire writing process.

The goal of writing this way is to keep you in the flow state  as long as possible. Because if you can just get to a place of flow, your momentum will be unstoppable.

8. Write the Conclusion and Introduction Last

One of the greatest barriers to starting a paper is coming up with an introduction. If you think about it, this difficulty makes sense: how are you supposed to introduce something you haven’t even created?

This is why you shouldn’t write the introduction until you’ve finished the main body of the paper. I know it seems like a counterintuitive approach, but I challenge you to try it. This method avoids what has happened to me more times than I can count: writing the paper and then realizing that my intro doesn’t even fit with the final paper.

The same goes for the conclusion. Write it last. After all, how can you conclude when you haven’t even finished writing? If you want more advice on the specifics of writing solid conclusions, check out my post on how to write a paper .

9. Don’t Edit Alone

When you’re writing the draft, you need privacy and focus. But when you’re editing, having someone else to look over your work can speed things up. Why? Because you’re inherently blind to the mistakes in your writing . You’ve been looking at the draft so long that mistakes won’t jump out at you the way they will to a fresh set of eyes.

When it comes to finding someone to help you edit, you have a few options:

• Get a trusted friend to read the paper. Just make sure they don’t end up distracting you.
• Take the paper to your college’s writing center.  Don’t expect them to be your copy editor, however. More than likely, the writing center staff will have you read the paper aloud to them. This lets you catch the errors yourself while still having the accountability of another person in the room.
• Ask your professor for feedback. This won’t always be possible, but sometimes your professor will be willing to give you feedback before you turn the paper in, especially if it’s a term paper or capstone project. Professors often build this feedback into the assignment by setting separate due dates for a proposal, a draft, and a final version. But even if they don’t, it never hurts to ask for feedback . The worst they can say is no.

10. Use a Citation Generator

Adding citations is the worst, especially when you just spent hours writing a paper and are so over it. If you don’t want to spend further hours paging through some arcane style manual, do yourself a favor and use a citation management/generation tool.

My favorite is Zotero , which allows you to keep track of research sources and even has a browser extension that will pull the citation info from a library catalog web page. But I also have friends who prefer EasyBib . It doesn’t matter which one you use–just pick one and watch your citation worries evaporate.

That being said, it doesn’t hurt to glance at your citations before submitting, as these tools aren’t perfect (especially when it comes to digital sources).

Bonus Tip: Take a Writing Intensive Class

This tip isn’t strictly part of the paper writing process, but it can make a big difference in your writing speed and quality. At my college, the definition of “writing intensive” varied from professor to professor, but it always meant a class with lots of writing, often one (short) essay per week in addition to a 20+ page final paper.

Each of these classes was intense, but at the end I always found myself a better writer. This went beyond just getting faster, although that was a major benefit. I also found that the quality of my arguments and analyses increased, along with massive improvements in my research skills.

If your college offers classes specifically geared to improve your writing, do yourself a favor and take a least one. Strong writing skills are always a benefit, both in college and beyond.

At the end of the day, writing a paper is still a lot of work. But if you follow the process in this article, you’ll be able to do it more quickly without a loss of quality.

What tactics do you use to speed up the paper writing process? Share them in the comments below, or discuss them in the College Info Geek Community .

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How long does it take to write a 5-page paper?

How long it takes to write a 5-page paper (or any specific page count that you are aiming for) depends on several factors, including your writing process, style of writing, the time taken to research the topic, essay topic / given topic, the font type, number of body paragraphs, how much information you need to cover (does it require extensive research  or is it more of a common assignment that is minor), research materials, research methods and so forth. 

The important part is not necessarily how much time that is needed but rather whether nor not you are able to present a good idea, with a solid conclusion that answers the topic that you are adressing in an effective way.

Average time for writing a 5-page paper

If we assume that one page has roughly 500 words, then a 5-page paper should require 2,500 words. From experience, in order to write about 2,500 words in an effective way, you would need about 4-8 days (between 625/words per day at the most, and 313 words/day if you are spacing it out over 8 days).

Regardless of whether your paper needs to cover a lot of information or if not, it is always a good idea to write over an extended period of time instead of writing everything at one go. This usually ensures a higher quality for your paper. 

Students undergoing academic programs at various higher institutions all over the world may occasionally be tasked to prepare 5-page papers. These 5-page papers may not be as long as projects and theses but they require no less attention. Students who assume that 5 pages are too few to attract serious concern can end up struggling to produce quality work.  

Before estimating how long it takes to write a 5-page paper, it is necessary to first estimate the number of words a typical 5-page paper will contain.  But coming up with both estimates involves a complex mix of factors.

Factors that can affect the number of words in a 5-page paper 

• Writing/typing speed
• Paper format 
• Paragraphing
• Use of images/illustrations

How many words are in a 5-page paper?

As noted above, a number of variables can determine the word length in a 5-page paper. Previously we said that one page is about 500 words. However, different combinations of these variables will lead to different word lengths. For instance, a combination of times new roman font size 12 and single line spacing with about 6 paragraphs of not more than 5 sentences each (all on A4 paper) will contain around 570 words or thereabout. So 570 x 5 = 2850 words.   

Factors that can affect how long it takes to write a 5-page paper

The nature of the paper

Though no academic discipline or course can be described as easy, still, there are courses that are clearly more tasking or tedious than others. An assignment in physics, engineering, or math can be a lot more demanding than summarizing a book chapter in literature, or writing an essay for an English language class, for example. While the latter can take you a few hours or even minutes to complete, any of the former can take several hours or even days to tackle successfully.   

Also, academic papers sometimes come with strict formal guidelines the student must comply with. For instance, many academic papers require the student to include citations in the main body of the paper and references at the end of it. This implies that a student facing such conditions will have to conduct significant research for appropriate sources to cite in his or her paper. Such research can end up being more time-consuming than a paper that does not require citations and references. 

Similarly, the student may also be asked to use one of the several style guides (e.g., APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, and others). Each of these guides has its own rules on several aspects of writing (punctuation, quotation, capitalization, citation, referencing, etc). Observing all these rules can affect how long it takes to write a 5-page paper.  

The proficiency of the writer

The ability to continuously knit words together to make chronological and logical sense varies from individual to individual. While some students have worked hard to improve their writing skills and become wordsmiths, others tend to struggle to put even one paragraph together.

For those that have developed a high level of proficiency in English (or whatever language they are writing with), a 5-page paper is just another exciting exercise that shouldn’t take much time immediately research is concluded. For the other group, it is yet another nightmare that will take days to get over (some will eventually outsource their assignments to any of the proficient students at a cost).

The writer’s time management skills

Apart from their studies, all students need to allocate time to several areas of life that also require attention. This means that a student must be a very efficient manager of time if he or she intends to achieve academic excellence and still cope effectively with other facets of life such as family, religion, work, etc.

One way to manage time efficiently is to construct a schedule for your daily activities and ensure you religiously comply with it. This will help ensure minimal conflicts between time for academic and non-academic activities. If you still find time management difficult after creating a schedule, be sure to seek advice from professionals in the field. The internet and time management books will also be very helpful. 

The writing format

Format here has to do with whether the 5-page paper has to be written manually in an exercise book or typewritten. At the post-graduate level, the norm is usually to type all papers meant to be submitted albeit there may be instances where students are allowed to submit manually written papers.  Therefore, how long it takes to write a 5-page paper can vary between an exercise book (say foolscap sheets) and a standard typing sheet such as A4 since both are not of the same size.

Deadline for submission

It is usually the case for professors and other lecturers to assign specific deadlines for assignments such as a 5-page paper. The longer the deadline the more time it takes for most students to turn in their papers. This is especially the case for papers whose topics are not easy to cope with. Short deadlines can lead to hastily written papers that may not yield the best in terms of quality.

Tips for writing an excellent 5-page paper

• Construct a time management schedule
• Develop genuine interest in the topic
• Conduct in-depth research
• Adhere to all formal instructions
• Avoid distractions
• Construct an outline for the paper
• Edit edit edit!

So how long will it take to write a 5-page paper?

Considering the factors highlighted above, it becomes a difficult task to say exactly how long it will take to write a 5-page paper due to the complexity of the matter. It is due to this complexity that most institutions and instructors will clearly specify their desired font size, spacing, citation/reference format, etc to make things clearer for students.

However, any student that is very serious about his or her studies should endeavor to complete a 5-page paper between 48 to 72 hours. If you have the luxury of a long deadline, you can delay submission and edit painstakingly for a few more days in a bid to make the paper as robust as possible. 

Finally, remember to take a short break every now and then from writing if you feel overwhelmed. Also make sure that you are using reliable sources that are authoritative in your space. The fastest way to write a paper is to start writing today! Try to write at least 300 words per day if possible. Try to avoid information overload by remembering that the first version of your short paper is a rough draft , and you can always improve it later on, 

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• How Long Does It Take to Write a 5-page Paper
• Do You Know How Long Does It Take to Write a 5-page Paper?

Is it Easy to Estimate the Time Needed for a 5-page Paper?

What are the main factors, number and reliability of sources, your writing skills, writing an excellent 5-page paper, 1) topic is your start point, 2) conduct the research, 3) don’t skip the outline, 4) revise your paper.

Every time when you start working on your writing assignment, you may wonder, how much time will it take to complete it? If it is a two pages essay or an average research paper , you can easily estimate the time (taking into account your topic). What about writing a 5-page paper? How long does it take to write a 5-page paper? Read this article, we will try to find the answer to this question.

Not easy, it is almost impossible to estimate the time before analyzing some details & this is why:

• You don’t know does the paper need some easy or good research to be done;
• You need to study your sources, this process takes a couple of days;
• You will study other papers written on your topic;
• If it is an experience story or definition essay , it may take a lot of time to distinguish paragraphs, it depends on the requirements, etc.

So each writing assignment requires the different amount of time from an hour to a couple of days or even weeks. It is based on the type of the paper, topic, your purpose, & requirements (single or double spaced, specific terminology, etc.). Your writing skills influence.

Your topic is the main factor which influences the working time. It may be simple or complex, boring or interesting to you. If your topic is complex, you will have to make more deep research and spend a lot of time on it.

Some areas are less explored by authors, others are more popular. If you can find a lot of reliable sources, it will make your writing process much easier. The topic which is not examined gives a lot of space for investigation, finding & presenting your own innovative ideas. But if you need to write your paper fast, it’s better to choose the topic on which you can find a lot of reliable resources & papers.

If you have excellent writing skills, it will be easy for you to cope with a 5-page paper & you will hardly ask the question how long it takes to write a 5-page paper. But if you are not an expert & have strict deadlines, this issue may bother you. In this case, it is better to delegate this task to professional writes . It is obvious that the expert will write this paper much faster along with following all requirements such as the list of sources, style, format, etc.

Writing a 5-page paper is the process which has its own peculiarities as any other work. It is not as easy as it may seem. You are limited with space & you have to check every your sentence in order to avoid unnecessary & meaningless information in your paper. We have some advice of the algorithm, just follow it as advice from the professional writers & you will succeed with it.

The topic of your paper influences the length. Considering it, you should understand that it’s better to choose the narrow topic. Only having a narrow area you will be able to write a 5-page paper. Wide & complex topic requires research, & you have no space to represent it in your work. That’s why you need to find the field which is interesting to you & then narrow it to the topic. Take into account the details & availability of reliable evidence. If you come up with an interesting topic, it will make the half of your success.

It is obvious that you don’t need to make deep & long research if you ask how long it takes to write a 5-page paper. Generally, 4-5 sources will be enough. You are not limited you can study the topic as much as you want, as deep as you want, it is up to you to decide. Pay attention that you need to choose only reliable sources that you can trust, keep yourself on a safe side.

Even if the paper is not long, it still needs the outline. Don’t skip this step, it will become your greatest helper when you start writing. After you learn everything about how to write a 5-page research paper here, you can read more about research paper outline . An outline will organize your work, you will feel more confident, realizing that you don’t put unnecessary points to your work.

Remember that the first version of your writing paper is always a draft. Revise it after you finish. We sure you will find something that you need to add or to delete. If you don’t make a draft, you will spend less time on writing your paper but you will have more chances to get good grade if you don’t skip it.

Revise & polish work may seem boring; it is an obligatory step of the process if you want to be successful with your assignment. Check your grammar, content & pay attention to your thesis statement. Revise introduction & conclusion twice because teachers always pay special attention to it.

How to Write a 5-page Essay Like a Pro: The Only Tips You’ll Need to Know

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Top Tips on Writing a 5-page Essay

Of course, having little or no experience, you can still speed up the process of writing the paper. Here are some useful tips on how to write an excellent 5-page essay.

• Don’t think that you can write it in an hour

Some websites promise to teach you to write an essay on five pages in an hour (or to write the essay for you). In theory, you really can type five pages in an hour; however, that will work only if your professor is not going to read even the beginning of your paper. Therefore, don’t put yourself in a tight time frame as even the experienced writer will not produce a high-quality essay in 1 hour only. Make sure you have at least a day for writing and research, and don’t hurry.

• Do a preliminary research

Your thoughts won’t come out of anywhere, so the best way to find suitable arguments is to do research. It can take from several hours up to several days (depending on the depth of your research); however, the results are totally worth it. You will have a solid basis on which you will be able to produce a good 5-page research paper or essay.

• Have a plan 

Create a 5-page essay outline to make sure that all your ideas are appropriately introduced and organized. Moreover, an outline will help you conveniently keep all the necessary information so that you won’t need to remember everything. In case you don’t have time to write an outline, write a short plan instead: don’t write full sentences, preferring bullet points, or keywords as an alternative. 

• Review the issue from the different perspectives

Even if you are writing an argumentative paper, make sure to introduce several different points of view instead of sticking to only one. In such a way, you will show your expertise in the topic, being an open-minded author who is not influenced by a particular point of view. Being unprejudiced is essential for the academic writer and a researcher, so you will get more points from your professor by covering several contradicting aspects. 

• Use at least several sources

As you need to review different articles, you shouldn’t stick to a specific source (unless your instructions require that). Even if you think that the source has all the necessary information, you should always double-check information elsewhere: it may be outdated, contradicting, or narrowed too much. There is no set number of sources to be used in the five-page essay, so try to use enough literature to cover all the necessary information in your paper.

Five Steps to Create a Perfect Five-Page Essay

As you already know the useful tips, it’s time to check the process of creating a powerful 5-page essay. You can subdivide some of the steps, but we don’t recommend omitting any of the stages, even if you find them too time-consuming or not that interesting.

Step 1: Write down the most essential parts of the paper

First of all, you need to draft a general idea of your paper. Therefore, you need to come up with the topic (which will be your title), thesis statement, and the main arguments. You can write as many as you have in your head, expanding or cutting down them after you review all the relevant literature. 

Step 2: Conduct research

Try to create a few keywords based on your topic and start looking for the relevant literature for your essay. Depending on the assignment, you can use any sources or limit yourself to peer-reviewed articles only. In any case, you can also review the links provided in each source to understand where the data comes from. Besides, try to rely on credible sources, even if there is no requirement to use academic articles only: instead of using the excerpts from the unknown blog, dig deeper and look for the materials in the credible online magazines at least. 

Step 3: Create an outline 

After you have gathered all the necessary facts, arguments, and ideas, start organizing them to make your essay strong and credible. Create a clear outline that will have all the necessary components of the essay: an introduction with the attention grabber and thesis statement, body sections with the topic sentences and arguments, and conclusion with the main results of your research. You can also include background information in your paper if your topic is complicated or not popular to the audience, and abstract if your instructor mentions that.

Step 4. Draft an essay

Having everything prepared, you can now start writing the paper. Consider the writing as a draft, capturing all the arguments with the proper polishing later. Don’t get stuck on one phrase or word — as you will waste your time by doing so — keep writing and return to the problematic fields later. Make sure you follow your outline while writing; however, it doesn’t mean that you should start strictly from the introduction, moving to the body and finishing with the conclusion. You can start with the body section first and build your essay around it — whatever you find convenient for you. 

Step 5. Polish your paper

After your draft is complete, read it once again (or several times, if you can) to improve the flow, work on the writing style, format everything correctly, and get rid of the grammatical errors. Double-check if your thesis statement corresponds with the information provided further (if not — change your thesis statement). Make sure that the introduction is linked logically with your body paragraphs, while the conclusion wraps everything and does not indicate any new piece of information. It is always a good idea to polish your paper the next day after you have written the draft; however, if you don’t have that much time, try to have a quick rest before starting revising. 

• How to Write a 2 Paragraph Essay: The Only Guide You’ll Need
• How to Write a 3 Paragraph Essay: The Best Tips for a Perfect Paper
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• How to Write a Striking 300-Word Essay: The Only Tips You’ll Need

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The Beginner's Guide to Writing an Essay | Steps & Examples

An academic essay is a focused piece of writing that develops an idea or argument using evidence, analysis, and interpretation.

There are many types of essays you might write as a student. The content and length of an essay depends on your level, subject of study, and course requirements. However, most essays at university level are argumentative — they aim to persuade the reader of a particular position or perspective on a topic.

The essay writing process consists of three main stages:

• Preparation: Decide on your topic, do your research, and create an essay outline.
• Writing : Set out your argument in the introduction, develop it with evidence in the main body, and wrap it up with a conclusion.
• Revision:  Check your essay on the content, organization, grammar, spelling, and formatting of your essay.

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Table of contents

Essay writing process, preparation for writing an essay, writing the introduction, writing the main body, writing the conclusion, essay checklist, lecture slides, frequently asked questions about writing an essay.

The writing process of preparation, writing, and revisions applies to every essay or paper, but the time and effort spent on each stage depends on the type of essay .

For example, if you’ve been assigned a five-paragraph expository essay for a high school class, you’ll probably spend the most time on the writing stage; for a college-level argumentative essay , on the other hand, you’ll need to spend more time researching your topic and developing an original argument before you start writing.

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Before you start writing, you should make sure you have a clear idea of what you want to say and how you’re going to say it. There are a few key steps you can follow to make sure you’re prepared:

• Understand your assignment: What is the goal of this essay? What is the length and deadline of the assignment? Is there anything you need to clarify with your teacher or professor?
• Define a topic: If you’re allowed to choose your own topic , try to pick something that you already know a bit about and that will hold your interest.
• Do your research: Read  primary and secondary sources and take notes to help you work out your position and angle on the topic. You’ll use these as evidence for your points.
• Come up with a thesis:  The thesis is the central point or argument that you want to make. A clear thesis is essential for a focused essay—you should keep referring back to it as you write.
• Create an outline: Map out the rough structure of your essay in an outline . This makes it easier to start writing and keeps you on track as you go.

Once you’ve got a clear idea of what you want to discuss, in what order, and what evidence you’ll use, you’re ready to start writing.

The introduction sets the tone for your essay. It should grab the reader’s interest and inform them of what to expect. The introduction generally comprises 10–20% of the text.

1. Hook your reader

The first sentence of the introduction should pique your reader’s interest and curiosity. This sentence is sometimes called the hook. It might be an intriguing question, a surprising fact, or a bold statement emphasizing the relevance of the topic.

Let’s say we’re writing an essay about the development of Braille (the raised-dot reading and writing system used by visually impaired people). Our hook can make a strong statement about the topic:

The invention of Braille was a major turning point in the history of disability.

2. Provide background on your topic

Next, it’s important to give context that will help your reader understand your argument. This might involve providing background information, giving an overview of important academic work or debates on the topic, and explaining difficult terms. Don’t provide too much detail in the introduction—you can elaborate in the body of your essay.

3. Present the thesis statement

Next, you should formulate your thesis statement— the central argument you’re going to make. The thesis statement provides focus and signals your position on the topic. It is usually one or two sentences long. The thesis statement for our essay on Braille could look like this:

As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness.

4. Map the structure

In longer essays, you can end the introduction by briefly describing what will be covered in each part of the essay. This guides the reader through your structure and gives a preview of how your argument will develop.

The invention of Braille marked a major turning point in the history of disability. The writing system of raised dots used by blind and visually impaired people was developed by Louis Braille in nineteenth-century France. In a society that did not value disabled people in general, blindness was particularly stigmatized, and lack of access to reading and writing was a significant barrier to social participation. The idea of tactile reading was not entirely new, but existing methods based on sighted systems were difficult to learn and use. As the first writing system designed for blind people’s needs, Braille was a groundbreaking new accessibility tool. It not only provided practical benefits, but also helped change the cultural status of blindness. This essay begins by discussing the situation of blind people in nineteenth-century Europe. It then describes the invention of Braille and the gradual process of its acceptance within blind education. Subsequently, it explores the wide-ranging effects of this invention on blind people’s social and cultural lives.

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The body of your essay is where you make arguments supporting your thesis, provide evidence, and develop your ideas. Its purpose is to present, interpret, and analyze the information and sources you have gathered to support your argument.

Length of the body text

The length of the body depends on the type of essay. On average, the body comprises 60–80% of your essay. For a high school essay, this could be just three paragraphs, but for a graduate school essay of 6,000 words, the body could take up 8–10 pages.

Paragraph structure

To give your essay a clear structure , it is important to organize it into paragraphs . Each paragraph should be centered around one main point or idea.

That idea is introduced in a  topic sentence . The topic sentence should generally lead on from the previous paragraph and introduce the point to be made in this paragraph. Transition words can be used to create clear connections between sentences.

After the topic sentence, present evidence such as data, examples, or quotes from relevant sources. Be sure to interpret and explain the evidence, and show how it helps develop your overall argument.

Lack of access to reading and writing put blind people at a serious disadvantage in nineteenth-century society. Text was one of the primary methods through which people engaged with culture, communicated with others, and accessed information; without a well-developed reading system that did not rely on sight, blind people were excluded from social participation (Weygand, 2009). While disabled people in general suffered from discrimination, blindness was widely viewed as the worst disability, and it was commonly believed that blind people were incapable of pursuing a profession or improving themselves through culture (Weygand, 2009). This demonstrates the importance of reading and writing to social status at the time: without access to text, it was considered impossible to fully participate in society. Blind people were excluded from the sighted world, but also entirely dependent on sighted people for information and education.

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The conclusion is the final paragraph of an essay. It should generally take up no more than 10–15% of the text . A strong essay conclusion :

• Returns to your thesis
• Ties together your main points
• Shows why your argument matters

A great conclusion should finish with a memorable or impactful sentence that leaves the reader with a strong final impression.

What not to include in a conclusion

To make your essay’s conclusion as strong as possible, there are a few things you should avoid. The most common mistakes are:

• Including new arguments or evidence
• Undermining your arguments (e.g. “This is just one approach of many”)
• Using concluding phrases like “To sum up…” or “In conclusion…”

Braille paved the way for dramatic cultural changes in the way blind people were treated and the opportunities available to them. Louis Braille’s innovation was to reimagine existing reading systems from a blind perspective, and the success of this invention required sighted teachers to adapt to their students’ reality instead of the other way around. In this sense, Braille helped drive broader social changes in the status of blindness. New accessibility tools provide practical advantages to those who need them, but they can also change the perspectives and attitudes of those who do not.

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Checklist: Essay

My essay follows the requirements of the assignment (topic and length ).

My introduction sparks the reader’s interest and provides any necessary background information on the topic.

My introduction contains a thesis statement that states the focus and position of the essay.

I use paragraphs to structure the essay.

I use topic sentences to introduce each paragraph.

Each paragraph has a single focus and a clear connection to the thesis statement.

I make clear transitions between paragraphs and ideas.

My conclusion doesn’t just repeat my points, but draws connections between arguments.

I don’t introduce new arguments or evidence in the conclusion.

I have given an in-text citation for every quote or piece of information I got from another source.

I have included a reference page at the end of my essay, listing full details of all my sources.

My citations and references are correctly formatted according to the required citation style .

My essay has an interesting and informative title.

I have followed all formatting guidelines (e.g. font, page numbers, line spacing).

Your essay meets all the most important requirements. Our editors can give it a final check to help you submit with confidence.

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An essay is a focused piece of writing that explains, argues, describes, or narrates.

In high school, you may have to write many different types of essays to develop your writing skills.

Academic essays at college level are usually argumentative : you develop a clear thesis about your topic and make a case for your position using evidence, analysis and interpretation.

The structure of an essay is divided into an introduction that presents your topic and thesis statement , a body containing your in-depth analysis and arguments, and a conclusion wrapping up your ideas.

The structure of the body is flexible, but you should always spend some time thinking about how you can organize your essay to best serve your ideas.

Your essay introduction should include three main things, in this order:

• An opening hook to catch the reader’s attention.
• Relevant background information that the reader needs to know.
• A thesis statement that presents your main point or argument.

The length of each part depends on the length and complexity of your essay .

A thesis statement is a sentence that sums up the central point of your paper or essay . Everything else you write should relate to this key idea.

The thesis statement is essential in any academic essay or research paper for two main reasons:

• It gives your writing direction and focus.
• It gives the reader a concise summary of your main point.

Without a clear thesis statement, an essay can end up rambling and unfocused, leaving your reader unsure of exactly what you want to say.

A topic sentence is a sentence that expresses the main point of a paragraph . Everything else in the paragraph should relate to the topic sentence.

At college level, you must properly cite your sources in all essays , research papers , and other academic texts (except exams and in-class exercises).

Add a citation whenever you quote , paraphrase , or summarize information or ideas from a source. You should also give full source details in a bibliography or reference list at the end of your text.

The exact format of your citations depends on which citation style you are instructed to use. The most common styles are APA , MLA , and Chicago .

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