how long is a five 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.

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: 12967 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

Differences in Wages and Benefits at the Workplace

Ethical issues in schools within jefferson county.

• Subjects: Education Teacher Career
• Words: 1666

Towards Understanding Behaviorism School of Psychology

• Subjects: Major Schools of Thought Psychology
• Words: 2022

“Bus 174” Children: Oppressed, Neglected, and Stigmatised

• Subjects: Documentaries Entertainment & Media
• Words: 1564

Critique and critical reveiw analysis

• Subjects: Education Pedagogy
• Words: 1409

At 18, Is It Time for a Drink?

• Subjects: Sociological Issues Sociology
• Words: 1365

Anthropological Comparison between the Chinese and Hindu Society

• Subjects: Anthropology Sciences
• Words: 1362

A Comprehensive Code of Ethics Plan

• Subjects: Business Business Ethics
• Words: 1475

American vs. Asian Marriages

• Words: 1399

8 Inflectional Morphemes in English: Full List & Examples

• Subjects: Languages Linguistics
• Words: 1307

Thomas Jefferson as the Greatest Teacher and Source of Inspiration

• Subjects: American Ex-Presidents History
• Words: 1483

Cross-Cultural Implications or Interactions

• Subjects: Business Managerial Negotiation
• Words: 1270

Virtual Teams Challenges in Global Corporations

• Subjects: Business Organizational Management
• Words: 1426

Buddhism and Hinduism

• Subjects: Religion World Religions
• Words: 1354

Possible Causes and Solutions to Global Warming

• Words: 1476

Spare the Rod or Spoil the Child: Outline

• Words: 1379

Managing Creative Project and Team

• Subjects: Business Strategic Management
• Words: 1361

How to Reduce the Purchase of Counterfeit “Knockoffs” by College Age Youth (18-24 Years Old)

• Subjects: Advertising Effect Entertainment & Media
• Words: 1757

The Theory of Human Change and Growth

• Subjects: Developmental Theories Psychology
• Words: 1480

New Business Issues in Case of United Foods Company

• Subjects: Business Business Critique
• Words: 1411

Giovanni Pico Della Mirandola: Man Is a Miraculous Being

• Subjects: Philosophers Philosophy
• Words: 1556

Who Moved My Cheese Essay: Book Summary, Analysis & Real Life Examples

The study of human behavior and stress.

• Subjects: Behavior Management Psychology
• Words: 1545

Business Law: Periodicals Review

• Subjects: Business & Corporate Law Law
• Words: 1667

Freud’s View of Human Nature: Psychoanalytic Theory Research

• Subjects: Psychologists Psychology
• Words: 1580

Jacques Le Goff: the Terms “Intellectual” and “Labor”

• Subjects: Literature World Philosophy Literature
• Words: 1422

Punishing an innocent person

• Subjects: Ethics Sociology
• Words: 1408

External Influences Affecting the Tesco Company and Its Activities

• Subjects: Economics Taxation
• Words: 1252

SARS: It’s as Bad as We Feared but Dared Not Say

• Words: 1800

Web Quest of Employee Business

• Subjects: Economics Regulation of Finance
• Words: 1549

Solar Energy as an Alternative Source of Energy

• Subjects: Ecology Environment

Buddism: Ch’an Master Lin-chi I-hsuan Hui-chao

• Subjects: Religion Theology
• Words: 1370

Barack Obama and Nicolas Sarkozy: Partners or Opponents?

• Subjects: Politicians Politics & Government
• Words: 1388

Hitchcock’s Rear Window: Dream Analysis

• Subjects: Art Film Studies

An informal reading inventory and its application

• Subjects: Education Education Theories

The Impact of Genocide on the Modern Society

• Subjects: Contemporary History History
• Words: 1594

Symbolism in Death of a Salesman

• Words: 1699

Sculptors of the Italian Renaissance

• Words: 1356

Economic Crisis and Its Social and Psychological Constraint

• Subjects: Economic Systems & Principles Economics

Choosing a Non-Anthropocentric Value Theory for Environmental Ethics

• Words: 1447

Effects of Lack of Social Media Marketing on Papa Pita Bakery

• Subjects: Business Marketing
• Words: 1318

Relationship between Form and Structure in Design

• Subjects: Design Worldwide Architecture
• Words: 1146

Fair Trade Essay

• Subjects: Economics Fair Trade

Herman Melville’s Billy Budd, Sailor: A Retelling of the Story of Jesus’ Crucifixion

• Subjects: Literature World Literature
• Words: 1347

The Connection between Literacy, Education and New media

• Subjects: Approach to Learning Education
• Words: 1376

Peter Eisenman; Building Germany, the Holocaust Memorial

• Subjects: Nazi Germany Warfare
• Words: 1514

Mud Lick Creek Project – Fresh Water Pollution

• Words: 1842

History of Pension Abuses

• Subjects: Labor Law Law
• Words: 1410

William Faulkner: Literature Works

• Words: 1359

A Doll’s House Modernism Theme

• Words: 1729

Management Recycling of the Waste

• Subjects: Environment Recycling
• Words: 1444

Types of Learning Theories and Models

• Subjects: Development Psychology

Tragedy in the Works of Arthur Miller and Flannery O’Connor

• Subjects: Dramatical Novel Literature
• Words: 1574

Luxury Fashion Label for Men

• Words: 1499

The Life of Urie Bronfenbrenner

• Words: 1336

Economics of Sport and Recreation

• Subjects: Economics Finance
• Words: 1385

Social Problem of Abortion: Dealing With Media

• Words: 1630

The Significance of Language: “Mother Tongue”

• Subjects: Language Development Linguistics
• Words: 1492

International Trade Advantages and Limitations

• Subjects: Economics International Trade Policy
• Words: 1463

The Concept of Green Technology in Modern World

• Subjects: Air Pollution Environment
• Words: 1716

Art During the Renaissance

• Subjects: Art Art Movement
• Words: 1282

A Horror Show at the Cinemaplex

• Subjects: Business Company Missions
• Words: 1812

The Evolution of American Federalism

• Subjects: Government Politics & Government

Alfred Hitchcock’s Vertigo: Film Techniques and Cinematography Critical Essay

• Words: 1529

African Americans in America’s Prison Systems

• Subjects: Criminal Law Law
• Words: 1481

Miami School District Negotiation Paper

• Words: 1429

Troubled Adolescent due to Bullying

• Subjects: Psychological Issues Psychology
• Words: 1515

Personality Development: Psychological Models and Theories

• Words: 1494

Benefits of Genetic Engineering as a Huge Part of People’s Lives

• Subjects: Genetics Sciences
• Words: 1327

The Importance of Ethics in Business in Light of the Recent Global Financial Crisis

• Words: 1486

Competitor Analysis For Company Londyou

• Words: 1287

Cigarette Hike Sparks Panic Buying

• Subjects: Economics Macroeconomics

How Childhood Trauma Leads to BPD

Media and celebrity influence on society.

• Subjects: Entertainment & Media Media and Society
• Words: 1342

Newcrest Mining Limited’s Sustainability Reporting

• Words: 1424

Fighting Domestic Violence in Pocatello, Idaho

• Subjects: Sociology Violence

How Cult Leaders Get and retain Followers

• Subjects: Religion Religion, Culture & Society

Position Paper on ‘Lament for America’ by Earl Fry

• Subjects: History United States
• Words: 1506

Fascism in the Western States: UK and US

• Words: 1469

Social Care in Ireland

Islamic art: early medieval period.

• Words: 1377

Print and Broadcast Computer Advertisements

• Subjects: Advertising Entertainment & Media
• Words: 1538

The Great Grandfather of the Sandalwood Mountains

• Subjects: British Literature Literature

The Effect of Polymers on Environment vs Glass

Christian festivals: calendar and events.

• Words: 1551

Once a Warrior-Always a Warrior

• Words: 1493

Classical Conditioning as an Explanation of Human Behavior

• Words: 1364

Motivation Concepts and Theories

• Words: 1101

Human Nature and the Freedom of Speech in Different Countries

• Subjects: Human Rights Sociology
• Words: 1461

Characters and the Essence of Relationships: David Mamet’s Oleanna and Peter Shaffer’s Equus

• Subjects: Comparative Literature Literature

International Development of Coca-Cola

• Words: 1420

Young Goodman Brown. Puritanism and Hawthorne [Analysis]

• Words: 1791

History Through Film: Depicting the Moments of the Past

• Words: 1378

What True Majority Democracy Is About?

• Words: 1419

Drug Addiction and Its Effects

• Subjects: Health & Medicine Healthcare Research
• Words: 1423

Significance of Cultural Relativism: Nature and Reason

Contributions in psychological clinical counseling, australian goods and services tax system, the maasai: one of the indigenous tribes in the world, duality of soul in robert louis stevenson’s dr. jekyll and mr. hyde.

• Words: 1733

The meaning of freedom today

• Subjects: Freedom Philosophy Philosophy

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• Exam Guides
• School Life

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.

Choose Your Test

Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the best college essay length: how long should it be.

College Essays

Figuring out your college essay can be one of the most difficult parts of applying to college. Even once you've read the prompt and picked a topic, you might wonder: if you write too much or too little, will you blow your chance of admission? How long should a college essay be?

Whether you're a terse writer or a loquacious one, we can advise you on college essay length. In this guide, we'll cover what the standard college essay length is, how much word limits matter, and what to do if you aren't sure how long a specific essay should be.

How Long Is a College Essay? First, Check the Word Limit

You might be used to turning in your writing assignments on a page-limit basis (for example, a 10-page paper). While some colleges provide page limits for their college essays, most use a word limit instead. This makes sure there's a standard length for all the essays that a college receives, regardless of formatting or font.

In the simplest terms, your college essay should be pretty close to, but not exceeding, the word limit in length. Think within 50 words as the lower bound, with the word limit as the upper bound. So for a 500-word limit essay, try to get somewhere between 450-500 words. If they give you a range, stay within that range.

College essay prompts usually provide the word limit right in the prompt or in the instructions.

For example, the University of Illinois says :

"You'll answer two to three prompts as part of your application. The questions you'll answer will depend on whether you're applying to a major or to our undeclared program , and if you've selected a second choice . Each response should be approximately 150 words."

As exemplified by the University of Illinois, the shortest word limits for college essays are usually around 150 words (less than half a single-spaced page). Rarely will you see a word limit higher than around 650 words (over one single-spaced page). College essays are usually pretty short: between 150 and 650 words. Admissions officers have to read a lot of them, after all!

Weigh your words carefully, because they are limited!

How Flexible Is the Word Limit?

But how flexible is the word limit? What if your poignant anecdote is just 10 words too long—or 100 too short?

Can I Go Over the Word Limit?

If you are attaching a document and you need one or two extra words, you can probably get away with exceeding the word limit by such a small amount. Some colleges will actually tell you that exceeding the word limit by 1-2 words is fine. However, I advise against exceeding the word limit unless it's explicitly allowed for a few reasons:

First, you might not be able to. If you have to copy-paste it into a text box, your essay might get cut off and you'll have to trim it down anyway.

If you exceed the word limit in a noticeable way, the admissions counselor may just stop reading your essay past that point. This is not good for you.

Following directions is actually a very important part of the college application process. You need to follow directions to get your letters of recommendation, upload your essays, send supplemental materials, get your test scores sent, and so on and so forth. So it's just a good general rule to follow whatever instructions you've been given by the institution. Better safe than sorry!

Can I Go Under the Word Limit?

If you can truly get your point across well beneath the word limit, it's probably fine. Brevity is not necessarily a bad thing in writing just so long as you are clear, cogent, and communicate what you want to.

However, most college essays have pretty tight word limits anyways. So if you're writing 300 words for an essay with a 500-word limit, ask yourself: is there anything more you could say to elaborate on or support your points? Consult with a parent, friend, or teacher on where you could elaborate with more detail or expand your points.

Also, if the college gives you a word range, you absolutely need to at least hit the bottom end of the range. So if you get a range from the institution, like 400-500 words, you need to write at least 400 words. If you write less, it will come across like you have nothing to say, which is not an impression you want to give.

What If There Is No Word Limit?

Some colleges don't give you a word limit for one or more of your essay prompts. This can be a little stressful, but the prompts generally fall into a few categories:

Writing Sample

Some colleges don't provide a hard-and-fast word limit because they want a writing sample from one of your classes. In this case, a word limit would be very limiting to you in terms of which assignments you could select from.

For an example of this kind of prompt, check out essay Option B at Amherst :

"Submit a graded paper from your junior or senior year that best represents your writing skills and analytical abilities. We are particularly interested in your ability to construct a tightly reasoned, persuasive argument that calls upon literary, sociological or historical evidence. You should NOT submit a laboratory report, journal entry, creative writing sample or in-class essay."

While there is usually no word limit per se, colleges sometimes provide a general page guideline for writing samples. In the FAQ for Option B , Amherst clarifies, "There is no hard-and-fast rule for official page limit. Typically, we anticipate a paper of 4-5 pages will provide adequate length to demonstrate your analytical abilities. Somewhat longer papers can also be submitted, but in most cases should not exceed 8-10 pages."

So even though there's no word limit, they'd like somewhere in the 4-10 pages range. High school students are not usually writing papers that are longer than 10 pages anyways, so that isn't very limiting.

Implicit Length Guideline

Sometimes, while there's no word (or even page) limit, there's still an implicit length guideline. What do I mean by this?

See, for example, this Western Washington University prompt :

“Describe one or more activities you have been involved in that have been particularly meaningful. What does your involvement say about the communities, identities or causes that are important to you?”

While there’s no page or word limit listed here, further down on page the ‘essay tips’ section explains that “ most essay responses are about 500 words, ” though “this is only a recommendation, not a firm limit.” This gives you an idea of what’s reasonable. A little longer or shorter than 500 words would be appropriate here. That’s what I mean by an “implicit” word limit—there is a reasonable length you could go to within the boundaries of the prompt.

But what's the proper coffee-to-paragraph ratio?

Treasure Hunt

There is also the classic "treasure hunt" prompt. No, it's not a prompt about a treasure hunt. It's a prompt where there are no length guidelines given, but if you hunt around on the rest of the website you can find length guidelines.

For example, the University of Chicago provides seven "Extended Essay" prompts . You must write an essay in response to one prompt of your choosing, but nowhere on the page is there any guidance about word count or page limit.

However, many colleges provide additional details about their expectations for application materials, including essays, on FAQ pages, which is true of the University of Chicago. On the school’s admissions Frequently Asked Questions page , they provide the following length guidelines for the supplemental essays: 

“We suggest that you note any word limits for Coalition or Common Application essays; however, there are no strict word limits on the UChicago Supplement essays. For the extended essay (where you choose one of several prompts), we suggest that you aim for around 650 words. While we won't, as a rule, stop reading after 650 words, we're only human and cannot promise that an overly wordy essay will hold our attention indefinitely. For the “Why UChicago?” essay, we suggest about 250-500 words. The ideas in your writing matter more than the exact number of words you use!”

So there you go! You want to be (loosely) in the realm of 650 for the extended essay, and 250-500 words for the “Why UChicago?” essay.

Help! There Really Is No Guidance on Length

If you really can't find any length guidelines anywhere on the admissions website and you're at a loss, I advise calling the admissions office. They may not be able to give you an exact number (in fact, they probably won't), but they will probably at least be able to tell you how long most of the essays they see are. (And keep you from writing a panicked, 20-page dissertation about your relationship with your dog).

In general, 500 words or so is pretty safe for a college essay. It's a fairly standard word limit length, in fact. (And if you're wondering, that's about a page and a half double-spaced.) 500 words is long enough to develop a basic idea while still getting a point across quickly—important when admissions counselors have thousands of essays to read!

"See? It says 500 words right there in tiny font!"

The Final Word: How Long Should a College Essay Be?

The best college essay length is usually pretty straightforward: you want to be right under or at the provided word limit. If you go substantially past the word limit, you risk having your essay cut off by an online application form or having the admissions officer just not finish it. And if you're too far under the word limit, you may not be elaborating enough.

What if there is no word limit? Then how long should a college essay be? In general, around 500 words is a pretty safe approximate word amount for a college essay—it's one of the most common word limits, after all!

Here's guidance for special cases and hunting down word limits:

If it's a writing sample of your graded academic work, the length either doesn't matter or there should be some loose page guidelines.

There also may be implicit length guidelines. For example, if a prompt says to write three paragraphs, you'll know that writing six sentences is definitely too short, and two single-spaced pages is definitely too long.

You might not be able to find length guidelines in the prompt, but you could still hunt them up elsewhere on the website. Try checking FAQs or googling your chosen school name with "admissions essay word limit."

If there really is no word limit, you can call the school to try to get some guidance.

With this advice, you can be sure you've got the right college essay length on lockdown!

Hey, writing about yourself can even be fun!

What's Next?

Need to ask a teacher or friend for help with your essay? See our do's and dont's to getting college essay advice .

If you're lacking in essay inspiration, see our guide to brainstorming college essay ideas . And here's our guide to starting out your essay perfectly!

Looking for college essay examples? See 11 places to find college essay examples and 145 essay examples with analysis !

Ellen has extensive education mentorship experience and is deeply committed to helping students succeed in all areas of life. She received a BA from Harvard in Folklore and Mythology and is currently pursuing graduate studies at Columbia University.

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How to Write a 5 Page Essay

A five-page essay is a typical writing assignment in high school, college, and university. It helps students develop several skills required everywhere in studies, like creative, analytical, etc. If you’re assigned a five-page essay , but you’re not sure how to get started, read this quick guide. It will guide you on how to adopt a simple method to make your essay well-organized and professional. So without further delay, let’s get started!

Table of Contents

Steps to Write a Five-Page Essay

Writing a five-page essay includes the following steps:

Do Comprehensive Research on Your Topic

If you already have a topic , then you need to start doing research. Gather every bit of information about your subject. Look through various sources to understand your essay’s subject and get some facts to back up your thesis. Apart from digital resources, you can also go through government documents and study material from a reputable institution . When you research your topic, you get fresh ideas that make your essay more engaging and valuable for readers.   

Prepare an Outline

An outline acts as a framework that gives your essay a definition. It helps you organize your essay and see if all ideas are connecting. 

A good outline details each heading and subheading so that you can focus on the subject and avoid unnecessary tangents. Mention each critical section, thought-provoking points in your outline. Remember, an ideal five-page essay must consist of three parts – introduction, the main body, and conclusion.   

Write an Impressive Introduction

Start your introduction with a “hook,” which grasps your reader’s attention and introduces the general topic. For example, you can open your essay with relevant stats. Give a good thesis statement to make your writing sound better. Keep it short and sweet . Your entire introduction section shouldn’t take up more than half of a standard page.

The Main Body

Since you need to cover five pages, keep the main body a bit comprehensive. It should occupy at least four-pages. Split this section into paragraphs describing your general and personal thoughts about the essay’s subject. Your outline headlines will help you develop these paragraphs. Keep each paragraph to five to eight sentences .  

Choose the best arguments to support your thoughts and make sure you’re devoting a paragraph to every idea and opinion. It will help you create clear and understandable text.

Conclude Your Essay

Conclude your essay by restating your thesis statement. Quickly summarize the results of your findings. You may also conclude by offering a call-to-action to your readers. Besides this, you can also suggest materials for further reading . This is the final section of your five-page essay that should cover the last half of the 5th page.

Quick Post Writing Tips

Rewriting helps you make your essay more precise and straightforward. The ideal way to speed up this process is, read aloud to yourself, and make changes as you read. Thus you will be able to detect errors and find out better ways of writing your essay.

Proofreading and Editing

The proofreading and editing process will help you check for misspellings, grammar, punctuation, and typos. You can use our proofreading checklist to make sure that you have included everything.

A particular assignment needs a particular style of formatting. Check for line space and font size. If you are close to achieving your page count but need a few more lines, try these tips to increase your essay length.

So this is a quick guide for writing a five-page essay. Hopefully, it will help you with your assignment.

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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 Is an Essay? The Ultimate Essay Length Guide

It’s safe to say that most students struggle with the word limit within an essay. Sometimes, it’s hard to find ideas for a text and meet the word requirement for every part of the paper. With so many factors influencing essay length, it’s easy to get confused.

Luckily, our custom-writing team has your back. In this article, our custom-writing experts will answer all your questions regarding essay length. We will also help you write papers with an ideal number of words!

📜 Is Essay Length Important?

📏 essay parts: recommended length.

• 🤔 How to Make Essays Shorter or Longer
• 📑 Essay Length & Formatting
• ❓ Different Academic Levels FAQ
• 📚 Essay Length: Different Types
• ⭐ Other Aspects
• 📝 Essay Examples

🔍 References

Often, the phrase “word limit” causes panic among students. After all, if an essay is too long or too short, your grade will be lowered. However, in reality, there’s nothing to worry about. When it comes to words, limitations are beneficial for both the students and the professors.

Let’s see what exactly it means.

Many people believe that the longer an essay is, the better. However, according to Frontiers, research shows that it’s a bias that couldn’t be further from the truth. A perfect-length paper is one that allows students to express their ideas and showcase their knowledge fully while keeping it clean and simple.

What Influences Essay Length

Various factors determine the length of an essay. Here are the most important ones:

Let’s start with the essentials. Usually, assignment length is given as a number of words rather than pages. Unless your supervisor or instructor mentions any specific limitations, it’s acceptable to be 10% below or above the word limit.

It’s also worth knowing the 80/20 rule . According to it, the body should constitute 80% of the text, while the intro and the conclusion take up the remaining 20%.

Keep reading to learn more about the recommended length of each essay part. The main numbers are shown in the table below:

How Long Should an Introduction Be?

An introduction is the first section and the face of your essay. For that reason, it needs to be compelling and well-thought-out. Usually, it consists of 3 to 5 sentences or 50 to 80 words .

An introduction must have a hook, some background information, and a thesis statement. While the attention grabber and the thesis are usually brief, you may need 2 to 3 sentences for the background. To avoid going overboard, try to stay on topic and don’t add any filler.

How Long Is a Body Paragraph in an Essay?

The length of a body paragraph may vary. Sometimes, it can be limited to a single sentence. In other cases, it may take up a whole page. Usually, it’s recommended to have between 80 and 200 words (5-8 sentences) per body paragraph.

Since the paper’s body contains the most information, it’s necessary to explain and support your ideas properly. That’s why it’s no big deal if your body paragraphs go slightly over the word limit.

How Many Body Paragraphs Should Be in an Essay?

Like the word count, the number of paragraphs is determined by the type of paper and its topic. The minimum is 1. Generally, however, the body consists of 3-5 paragraphs , 1 for each argument.

To improve your paper’s structure, ensure that there are as many paragraphs as there are points in your thesis statement. Each one should have a purpose and support your arguments. If there’s any fluff, it’s better to get rid of it.

How Long Should a Conclusion Be?

Like the introduction, the conclusion consists of 50-80 words . It’s essential to keep it simple and only mention the central ideas. A weak concluding sentence may affect the reader’s understanding of the topic and spoil the overall impression of your paper.

🤔 How to Make Essays Shorter or Longer: Best Tips

Undoubtedly the essay’s content is more important than the number of words you use. But there are times when students go more than 10-15% below or over the limit. Is there a solution to this problem?

Yes, there is! In this section, we will share the most useful tips to help you stay on point with your paper’s word count.

How to Make Essays Longer

Since having enough words is essential for a good grade, we’ve collected the best tips that can help you lengthen your essay without teachers noticing:

• Use relevant quotations.  You don’t need to litter your essay with citations, but using them whenever appropriate is a great idea. For instance, if you’re working on a book analysis, referencing a couple of direct quotes from the source text will make your essay more credible and increase the word count.

• Give examples.  Go through the claims in your paper and provide additional evidence where possible. It will make your essay longer and more informative.

• Use transitional expressions.  Adding transition words and phrases is a natural way of increasing the number of words. It will also improve your essay’s readability. 

• Add more references.  Providing references is always a good idea when writing a formal essay. That way, you will increase the number of words and make your paper more credible.

• Work on your descriptions.  If you struggle to develop new ideas, go over what you’ve already written and consider adding some descriptive words. It’s a great idea for creative essays to include more imagery. 

How to Shorten an Essay

Another struggle of academic writing is cutting down the number of words in your essay to meet a set limit. We are here to tell you that it’s not that hard. Writing straightforwardly and keeping your sentences short is a key to concise content. Here are several strategies you may use to tighten a lengthy essay:

• Choose the active voice.  It takes up less space than passive voice. Using it also makes your writing more professional and compelling.

• Remove needless transitions.  Transitions can indeed maintain the flow of the paper. But some transitional phrases can be easily removed.

• Get rid of unnecessary adverbs and adjectives.  Some students tend to overuse adjectives and adverbs. It adds wordiness to their writing.

• Avoid running starts.  Some students like to start their sentences with long phrases like: “there are,” “it is believed,” or “the fact that.” Getting rid of them makes texts much more concise.

• Delete “that.”  In most cases, the word “that” can often be easily removed from texts.

Another cool trick is to use our summarizing tool as essay shortener. Try it out!

📑 How Long Is an Essay Depending on Formatting?

As we mentioned earlier, the essay’s length is usually limited by the number of words. But sometimes, a teacher may ask you to write a specific number of pages. This is trickier because the amount of text you can place on the page depends on the formatting. By using the font size and spacing properly, it’s possible to make the paper visually longer or shorter. Let’s discuss it in more detail.

Essay Spacing: How Does It Affect the Length?

• Adjusting the spacing between lines.  Try to make the changes as slight as possible. For instance, if you were asked to double-space the paper, use 2.1 or 2.2 spacing instead. Another option is to slightly extend spaces between paragraphs.
• Extending the margin size.  You can increase the right and bottom margins by a quarter to make very subtle changes in length. For example, if the margins are 1 inch , you can set them at 1.25 inches instead. 
• Increasing the spacing between characters.  It is less noticeable than the line spacing. Still, try not to overdo it and keep the numbers between 1.2 and 1.5 . 
• Adjusting the footer.  Add a footer with page numbers to stretch the bottom margin even further.
• Lengthening the header.  You can extend your header by adding your name, e-mail address, or other relevant information. Another option is double-spacing it.

Length of an Essay: Font and Size

• Using the right type of font.  If your instructor didn’t specify which font you should use, go for the bigger ones. We suggest Arial, Bangla Sangam MN, Cambria, or Quicksand. They will make your text look longer without being too on the nose.  
• Using a bigger font size.  This is another technique that can come in handy. However, be careful and don’t increase your font by more than 0.1-0.5 pt.  
• Increasing the size of periods and commas.   This is one of the less noticeable tricks you can use. For instance, if your paper’s font is 12 pt. , increase it to 14 pt. only for punctuation marks. Italicizing periods and commas will also add several lines of length to your essay. 

What to Do if There Are No Length Guidelines

Sometimes a teacher sets no word limit for a written work. What to do in that case? Well, first, you can ask your professor to confirm if they have simply forgotten to mention it. But if that’s not the case, here are a couple of helpful solutions:

• Think of the paragraph number.  Sometimes, you may be given the number of paragraphs instead of words. In that case, you can decide on the number of words depending on how many paragraphs you have. 
• Think about the topic’s complexity.  The length of your paper is also directly dependent on the theme. If the topic is simple, 4-5 paragraphs will be enough. A more complex issue may require an in-depth explanation, so your essay can be 6-8 paragraphs long.

❓ Essay Length for Different Academic Levels FAQ

The length of the elementary school essay is usually short. Usually, a paper needs to have around 3-5 paragraphs, with 4-5 sentences per paragraph. Primary school essays can be 1-2 paragraphs long.

The word limit for a middle school essay is usually between 300 to 1000 words. The most common essay length is 500 words, which is about 5 paragraphs. However, it may differ from school to school.

The length of the high school essay may differ depending on the school and the complexity of the task itself. Usually, however, a paper can be between 300 to 1000 words long.

The length of the undergraduate college essay often falls within the range of 1500 to 2100 words. It translates into roughly 5-7 pages. 5 pages is the most common essay length at this level.

When it comes to the graduate school admission essay, the word limit is usually between 500 and 1000 words. It’s possible to go slightly over or below the set limit; however, it’s best to stick to the requirements as close as possible.

📚 How Long Should an Essay Be: Different Types

Now, let’s talk about different types of essays. How long should they be? Keep reading to learn about the length of college essays, short and extended ones, scholarship essays, and research papers.

How Long Is a College Essay?

When it comes to a college essay, it’s more important to stick to the word limit than with any other paper. Some teachers may refuse to read it unless it meets all the requirements.

The shortest limit for a college essay is about 250 words which is the shortest length of a Common App personal statement. It’s also rare to see a good college essay with over 650 words . So, an average piece usually has between 150 and 650 words ; you can go over or below the limit by 50.

How Long Is a Paragraph in College Essays?

A college essay usually consists of 4-5 paragraphs . One paragraph takes about 1/3 of the page, which is roughly 5 sentences . Each sentence corresponds with one of the following components:

• Topic sentence.
• Explanation.
• Transitions.

College Essay Length Requirements: Top 5 Schools

To understand the requirements for a college application essay even better, take a look at the table below. It showcases the top 5 schools and their length criteria for personal statements. Keep it in mind when writing your college essay:

How Long Is a Short Essay?

A short essay is usually 500 words long. Using 12pt Times New Roman font with standard margins and double spacing should result in about 2 pages of text.

Extended Essay Length

An extended essay is different from a short or a standard one. It requires extensive research and thorough explanation. That’s why the upper limit for this kind of essay is 4000 words . In this case, a typical essay length is 3500 words or 18 paragraphs .

Scholarship Essay Length

Generally, scholarship papers have a limit of 500 words , which is 1 page in length. Most scholarship programs provide additional requirements that indicate the minimum number of words or pages. If there are no set limitations, you can stick to the limit.

How Long Is a Research Paper?

Typically, a research paper is between 4000 and 6000 words long. Sometimes, there are shorter papers, which have around 2000 words, or in-depth ones with over 10000 words.

⭐ Other Aspects of Essay Length

When it comes to essay length, many different aspects come into play. Here, we’ve gathered all the essential information regarding an essay’s number of pages, paragraphs, words, and references.

How Many Paragraphs Are in an Essay?

Sometimes, it is more convenient to count paragraphs rather than words. Let’s now figure out how many paragraphs are in essays of different lengths. You may also check out the examples to see what such an essay looks like:

How to Count Paragraphs in an Essay Based on Word Count

You can also count the number of body paragraphs for your essay using the formula below:

Number of body paragraphs (average) = (TWC – TWC*0.16)/100

• TWC – total word count
• 0.16 – an average percentage of total word count for introduction and conclusion
• 100 – an average number of words per paragraph

How Many Pages Are in an Essay?

The number of pages in your essay may vary from subject to subject. But it’s still possible to determine the number of pages based on word count. Check out the numbers below to see the conversions with bonus examples:

You can also use a specialized calculator such as Word Counter to determine a number of pages in your essay.

What Does an Essay Look Like when Typed?

You might be wondering: what do essays of different lengths look like when typed? Well, here’s the table where you can find out the metrics for single- and double-spaced papers.

How Many Pages Are in a Handwritten Essay?

In case you need to turn in a handwritten paper, you should check out the table below.

Counting Words in a Handwritten Essay

If you don’t have enough time to count the words in your handwritten essay one by one, here’s what you can do:

• Count how many words there are in one line. Take the first and last lines and a line in the middle of a page. Let’s say there are 15, 14, and 15 words in them. Then, the average number of words per line is 15.
• Next, count how many lines there are on one page. Let’s say there are 17 lines on a page.
• Take the number of words per line and multiply it by the number of lines per page. In our case, we multiply 15 by 17. So, there are 255 words per page on average.
• Finally, multiply the number of words per page by the number of pages. If your essay has 3 pages, it is approximately 765 words long.

How Long Does it Take to Write an Essay?

It is crucial to know how long writing will take you, especially if you are working on an exam essay or just short on time. Note that you need to consider the time for typing and researching necessary to complete a piece. Research time may vary. Usually, it’s 1-2 hours for 200-250 words .

Below, we’ve gathered the average writing time for average and slower writing speed:

And here are the results in pages:

How Many References Does an Essay Need?

Another essential part of any composition is the reference list. Different academic levels require different references. You’ll find out how many of them should be in your paper in the table below!

📝 Essay Examples: Different Length

Finally, we’ve gathered some excellent sample essays of different lengths. Make sure to check them out!

We also recommend you check out our free essay samples sorted by pages:

• 1-Page Essay Examples
• 2-Page Essay Examples
• 3-Page Essay Examples
• 4-Page Essay Examples
• 5-Page Essay Examples
• 10-Page Essay Examples
• 20-Page Essay Examples
• 30-Page Essay Examples
• 40-Page Essay Examples
• 50-Page Essay Examples

Now you know all about essay length, word limits, and ways to lengthen or shorten your text. If you know other interesting tricks, make sure to share them in a comment! Good luck with your writing assignments!

You may also like:

• How to Write a Process Analysis Essay: Examples & Outline
• How to Write a Precis: Definition, Guide, & Examples 
• How to Write a Critical Analysis Essay: Examples & Guide
• How to Write a Narrative Essay Outline: Template & Examples
• How to Write a Formal Essay: Format, Rules, & Example
• Word Limits and Assignment Length: Massey University
• The Paragraph in the College Essay: California State University, Long Beach
• Introductions & Conclusions: The University of Arizona Global Campus
• How Long Should a Paragraph Be?: Daily Writing Tips
• Paragraphing (Length Consistency): Purdue University
• Hitting the Target Word Count in Your College Admission Essay: Dummies.com
• How Long Should Your College Essay Be? What is the Ideal Length?: College Vine
• Writing Personal Statements Online: Issues of Length and Form: Penn State University
• Pen Admissions: Essays: University of Pennsylvania
• Essay Questions: University of Michigan
• Essay Structure: Harvard University
• Components of a Good Essay: University of Evansville
• Write Your Essay: UNSW Sydney
• College Writing: University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
• 21 Helpful and Easy Tips to Make an Essay Longer: Seventeen
• How to Make a College Paper Longer: ThoughtCo
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Home ➔ Essay Length Questions ➔ How Long Is a Typical Essay?

How Long Is a Typical Essay?

The word count of your essay mostly depends on your educational level, subject, department, course, and tutor’s instructions. This piece of writing is normally shorter than research papers or dissertations. But how long should an essay be exactly?

Generally, the length requirements are indicated in your assignment sheet. It can be words, paragraphs, or pages given as a range (300–500 words) or a particular number (5 pages). If you are not sure about your essay’s length, the number-one tip is to clarify it with your tutor. Also, if you’re not sure how to write an essay , we have a detailed guide on that topic, just follow the link.

We will review all the factors you must consider when it comes to an essay’s length, but here’s a quick answer to questions like, “How many words in an essay or how many paragraphs does an essay have?”

An essay is five paragraphs long on average, which is around 400–700 words.

Essay Length Tips

The tips below relate to academic essays that are given as a writing assignment. Everything that concerns admissions essays will be discussed in the following section.

• Three is the minimum number of paragraphs for essays (intro, body, and conclusion).
• The most common structure for a basic paper is the five-paragraph essay.
• The length of the introduction and conclusion paragraphs is always proportionally smaller.
• Each body paragraph must cover only one central idea, which is your topic sentence.
• A double-spaced page with text written in Times New Roman (12pt) usually contains about 275 words.
• A single-spaced page can fit double the amount, which is about 550 words.

How long should each essay part be?

If it’s a short essay (400–1000 words), each paragraph usually contains 100–200 words. The introduction and conclusion should be roughly the same in length and shorter than the overall word count of the body section.

According to Jennifer Duncan from The Writing Centre (the University of Toronto at Scarborough), for a 1000-word essay, its introduction and conclusion should be 4–5 sentences each. If your word count must be bigger, the length of these sections can be several paragraphs or even pages.

You might have seen conversion tables that say, “This number of words equals this number of paragraphs.” They all are based on a fixed length for each paragraph and are not very accurate. Yes, an essay that’s 400–800 words long can be converted like that. But, when your paper is bigger than a thousand words, your paragraphs can scale along, which means their number won’t grow exponentially with the overall essay size. For instance, if a 700-word essay comprises five paragraphs, a long essay (2000 words) won’t necessarily have fifteen paragraphs.

How long should a college essay be?

Here, “college essays” imply essays written for admissions. Admissions essays are quite different from the ones you get as homework. Usually, their chief goal is to show to the board that you are a worthy applicant. All the details about such essays should be publicly available on the college’s website in the appropriate section. But, if you don’t know the word count requirement and can’t find it, you still have some options. Below is a quick answer to the “how long is a college essay” question.

An average college essay is about 500 words long.

Admissions essay length tips

• Once you open the college’s site, look for phrases like “essay questions,” “information about supplemental essays,” “application instructions,” etc.
• As a rule, admissions essays are short (250–600 words) because board officers have to go through a lot of them daily.
• Do not exceed the given range by too much: if it says 500–550 words, the maximum length would be 600.
• When exceeding the word limit, your essay may not even end up being read to the end, so be mindful.

What if there are no length guidelines?

Sometimes colleges will not indicate a length limit for their essay prompts. But, don’t worry just yet because there are several ways to deal with this situation.

1. You need to send a sample of your writing.

They might have several options for applicants. Amherst College provides you with a choice: you can either (Option A) write a response to one of the quotations from the list or (Option B) submit a graded paper that best shows your writing skills. The last option implies that you have a set of papers to choose from, so you’re limited by their word count. But usually, there’s a page that contains guidelines for paper samples.

2. You can understand how long it should be from the description.

In its essay prompt guidelines, Wellesley College doesn’t give you a range of words or pages. Instead, it says, “in two well-developed paragraphs.” That means paragraphs can be quite long but within a reasonable limit, which is about 450–500 words. So this is when you’ll need to estimate or even guess a bit.

3. You need to search for the length requirements.

It can happen that essay length guidelines are not on the same page as the prompts. However, once you google, you can find posts on forums and social networks that discuss these essay writing requirements. You can also try searching “long” or “length” within the college site by typing “site:yourcollegewebsite.com” with those words.

4. You must call the admissions office.

If word limit instructions are nowhere to be found, you should call the admissions office. Even if they don’t have an exact number, they can tell you how long an essay should be based on the ones they had received before.

Sentence length will vary based on the paper type you’re working on. In narrative essays , you have to tell a story, which means sentences can be very long (up to 50 words). But general advice would be to keep sentences shorter than 25 words. Considering that, a 500-word essay would have somewhere between 20 to 45 sentences.

In short, you do. Unfortunately, the education system is “lazy” in this regard. Even though minimum length requirements force students to stretch their writing by adding fluff and verbose phrases, if those restraints were no more, some students would abuse that and submit essays far too short. Although some educators give a small margin over or under the word count, it’s better to write within the given range.

Your introductions and conclusion are usually smaller than body paragraphs. Hence, they will contain fewer sentences. For a 300-word paper, the first and last paragraphs will be about 3–5 sentences each, and every main paragraph will consist of 5–7 sentences.

The list of references

Here, you may find additional information on the topic:

• Paragraph Length — Aims Community College
• Writing Introductions and Conclusions — the University of Toronto at Scarborough

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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.

Write your essay introduction

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.

Write your essay conclusion

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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• 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.

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Tips to Effectively Structure 5 Page Essays

Table of Contents

Writing a long essay requires a ton of work. However, you can do a few easy things to help cut down the time you need to put in. One of which is to plan your essay’s structure ahead of time.

Determining your essay’s structure is an essential step in your planning process. And it doesn’t need to be complicated at all. This article will guide you on how to structure a 5 page essay easily. 

Not many people know that planning your essay structure can save you a lot of writing time. It can even lead to more cohesive and effective work. Let’s not waste any time and jump into it!

How to Structure a 5 Page Essay Effectively

Most essay structures are composed of 3 main parts. No matter how long your essay will be, it needs a compelling Introduction, a comprehensive Body, and a firm Conclusion.

Here’s a look at each part, along with tips on how to structure them for your 5 page essay.

Introduction

An essay’s introduction sets the tone for the rest of your essay. This is where you introduce the topic of your essay and its main points.

Essays usually have a one-paragraph introduction, but for your 5-page essay, you can write two to three opening paragraphs. If you’re unsure about the introduction length, a good rule of thumb is to keep it at 10% of your overall essay length. For example, if your essay is 1500 words long, your introduction needs 150 words.

Here are some other tips you can follow when writing your intro:

• Open with an exciting fact or trivial question
• Provide brief background information about the topic
• Create a strong thesis statement and a one-sentence summary of your argument.

The longest part of an essay is its body. It will explore the entire essay idea in depth. You can structure your body in four paragraphs, discussing a separate point in each paragraph.

A paragraph should ideally be 100-200 words long with a maximum of 5 sentences. This allows the readers to grasp what each paragraph is about without going through too much information.

In your essay body, you can discuss evidence supporting your arguments. Evidence can refer to research, readings, quotations and much more. Follow these tips to structure a better essay body:

• Discuss the strongest point first and then work through the weakest argument.
• Steer clear of long-winded explanations and keep it simple.
• Keep sentences short and to the point.
• Provide specific and detailed examples.

Your conclusion is one of the essential parts of a 5-page essay because it tells the reader what they should take away from it. This section includes a brief analysis of research information leading to your conclusion. Make sure to summarize the main arguments you have in your essay. It should also reinstate your thesis statement.

Five Steps for Writing Five-Page Essays

Research your topic.

To write a good research paper, you must conduct thorough research on your subject. Your goal should be to gather as much relevant information as you can. Read different source materials to gain a deeper understanding of your topic. But make sure to use only credible sources. You will become better equipped to write if you do more research.

Create an Outline

Now that you have a good grasp of your essay topic, it’s time to create your outline. It is hard to write a good essay without outlining first.

Make an accurate outline of every detail you have collected that you need to include in your writing. A well-planned outline will ease your writing process.

Start Writing

When you begin writing your essay, recall all the main parts you need to include. It needs to have an introduction, a body, and a conclusion. Start with a rough draft first, don’t feel pressured to make it perfect the first time. Make each section following your outline. You can proofread it later on for any mistakes.

Format Your Essay

Use the right format for your document. Choose a format such as APA, MLA, or Chicago and use it throughout your article. If your professor assigned you a different format, stick to it.

Proofread and Revise

Revising your essay should be your last step. Make sure that it is free of plagiarism to avoid any problems. Also, proofread for any formatting issues, spelling errors, grammatical mistakes, punctuation, and so on.

Wrapping Up

If you hope to write convincing essays successfully, you must know how to structure everything from the first paragraph. With an essay structure, you’ll be able to effectively establish credibility, voice, and argument that will make readers fall in love with your work.

Follow these steps on  how to structure a 5 page essay , and you’ll find it much easier to get started on your writing!

Abir Ghenaiet

Abir is a data analyst and researcher. Among her interests are artificial intelligence, machine learning, and natural language processing. As a humanitarian and educator, she actively supports women in tech and promotes diversity.

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What this handout is about

This handout will help you understand how paragraphs are formed, how to develop stronger paragraphs, and how to completely and clearly express your ideas.

What is a paragraph?

Paragraphs are the building blocks of papers. Many students define paragraphs in terms of length: a paragraph is a group of at least five sentences, a paragraph is half a page long, etc. In reality, though, the unity and coherence of ideas among sentences is what constitutes a paragraph. A paragraph is defined as “a group of sentences or a single sentence that forms a unit” (Lunsford and Connors 116). Length and appearance do not determine whether a section in a paper is a paragraph. For instance, in some styles of writing, particularly journalistic styles, a paragraph can be just one sentence long. Ultimately, a paragraph is a sentence or group of sentences that support one main idea. In this handout, we will refer to this as the “controlling idea,” because it controls what happens in the rest of the paragraph.

How do I decide what to put in a paragraph?

Before you can begin to determine what the composition of a particular paragraph will be, you must first decide on an argument and a working thesis statement for your paper. What is the most important idea that you are trying to convey to your reader? The information in each paragraph must be related to that idea. In other words, your paragraphs should remind your reader that there is a recurrent relationship between your thesis and the information in each paragraph. A working thesis functions like a seed from which your paper, and your ideas, will grow. The whole process is an organic one—a natural progression from a seed to a full-blown paper where there are direct, familial relationships between all of the ideas in the paper.

The decision about what to put into your paragraphs begins with the germination of a seed of ideas; this “germination process” is better known as brainstorming . There are many techniques for brainstorming; whichever one you choose, this stage of paragraph development cannot be skipped. Building paragraphs can be like building a skyscraper: there must be a well-planned foundation that supports what you are building. Any cracks, inconsistencies, or other corruptions of the foundation can cause your whole paper to crumble.

So, let’s suppose that you have done some brainstorming to develop your thesis. What else should you keep in mind as you begin to create paragraphs? Every paragraph in a paper should be :

• Unified : All of the sentences in a single paragraph should be related to a single controlling idea (often expressed in the topic sentence of the paragraph).
• Clearly related to the thesis : The sentences should all refer to the central idea, or thesis, of the paper (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Coherent : The sentences should be arranged in a logical manner and should follow a definite plan for development (Rosen and Behrens 119).
• Well-developed : Every idea discussed in the paragraph should be adequately explained and supported through evidence and details that work together to explain the paragraph’s controlling idea (Rosen and Behrens 119).

How do I organize a paragraph?

There are many different ways to organize a paragraph. The organization you choose will depend on the controlling idea of the paragraph. Below are a few possibilities for organization, with links to brief examples:

• Narration : Tell a story. Go chronologically, from start to finish. ( See an example. )
• Description : Provide specific details about what something looks, smells, tastes, sounds, or feels like. Organize spatially, in order of appearance, or by topic. ( See an example. )
• Process : Explain how something works, step by step. Perhaps follow a sequence—first, second, third. ( See an example. )
• Classification : Separate into groups or explain the various parts of a topic. ( See an example. )
• Illustration : Give examples and explain how those examples support your point. (See an example in the 5-step process below.)

Illustration paragraph: a 5-step example

From the list above, let’s choose “illustration” as our rhetorical purpose. We’ll walk through a 5-step process for building a paragraph that illustrates a point in an argument. For each step there is an explanation and example. Our example paragraph will be about human misconceptions of piranhas.

Step 1. Decide on a controlling idea and create a topic sentence

Paragraph development begins with the formulation of the controlling idea. This idea directs the paragraph’s development. Often, the controlling idea of a paragraph will appear in the form of a topic sentence. In some cases, you may need more than one sentence to express a paragraph’s controlling idea.

Controlling idea and topic sentence — Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans.

Step 2. Elaborate on the controlling idea

Paragraph development continues with an elaboration on the controlling idea, perhaps with an explanation, implication, or statement about significance. Our example offers a possible explanation for the pervasiveness of the myth.

Elaboration — This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media.

Step 3. Give an example (or multiple examples)

Paragraph development progresses with an example (or more) that illustrates the claims made in the previous sentences.

Example — For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman.

Step 4. Explain the example(s)

The next movement in paragraph development is an explanation of each example and its relevance to the topic sentence. The explanation should demonstrate the value of the example as evidence to support the major claim, or focus, in your paragraph.

Continue the pattern of giving examples and explaining them until all points/examples that the writer deems necessary have been made and explained. NONE of your examples should be left unexplained. You might be able to explain the relationship between the example and the topic sentence in the same sentence which introduced the example. More often, however, you will need to explain that relationship in a separate sentence.

Explanation for example — Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear.

Notice that the example and explanation steps of this 5-step process (steps 3 and 4) can be repeated as needed. The idea is that you continue to use this pattern until you have completely developed the main idea of the paragraph.

Step 5. Complete the paragraph’s idea or transition into the next paragraph

The final movement in paragraph development involves tying up the loose ends of the paragraph. At this point, you can remind your reader about the relevance of the information to the larger paper, or you can make a concluding point for this example. You might, however, simply transition to the next paragraph.

Sentences for completing a paragraph — While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Finished paragraph

Despite the fact that piranhas are relatively harmless, many people continue to believe the pervasive myth that piranhas are dangerous to humans. This impression of piranhas is exacerbated by their mischaracterization in popular media. For example, the promotional poster for the 1978 horror film Piranha features an oversized piranha poised to bite the leg of an unsuspecting woman. Such a terrifying representation easily captures the imagination and promotes unnecessary fear. While the trope of the man-eating piranhas lends excitement to the adventure stories, it bears little resemblance to the real-life piranha. By paying more attention to fact than fiction, humans may finally be able to let go of this inaccurate belief.

Troubleshooting paragraphs

Problem: the paragraph has no topic sentence.

Imagine each paragraph as a sandwich. The real content of the sandwich—the meat or other filling—is in the middle. It includes all the evidence you need to make the point. But it gets kind of messy to eat a sandwich without any bread. Your readers don’t know what to do with all the evidence you’ve given them. So, the top slice of bread (the first sentence of the paragraph) explains the topic (or controlling idea) of the paragraph. And, the bottom slice (the last sentence of the paragraph) tells the reader how the paragraph relates to the broader argument. In the original and revised paragraphs below, notice how a topic sentence expressing the controlling idea tells the reader the point of all the evidence.

Original paragraph

Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Revised paragraph

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Once you have mastered the use of topic sentences, you may decide that the topic sentence for a particular paragraph really shouldn’t be the first sentence of the paragraph. This is fine—the topic sentence can actually go at the beginning, middle, or end of a paragraph; what’s important is that it is in there somewhere so that readers know what the main idea of the paragraph is and how it relates back to the thesis of your paper. Suppose that we wanted to start the piranha paragraph with a transition sentence—something that reminds the reader of what happened in the previous paragraph—rather than with the topic sentence. Let’s suppose that the previous paragraph was about all kinds of animals that people are afraid of, like sharks, snakes, and spiders. Our paragraph might look like this (the topic sentence is bold):

Like sharks, snakes, and spiders, piranhas are widely feared. Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless . Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. If the fish are well-fed, they won’t bite humans.

Problem: the paragraph has more than one controlling idea

If a paragraph has more than one main idea, consider eliminating sentences that relate to the second idea, or split the paragraph into two or more paragraphs, each with only one main idea. Watch our short video on reverse outlining to learn a quick way to test whether your paragraphs are unified. In the following paragraph, the final two sentences branch off into a different topic; so, the revised paragraph eliminates them and concludes with a sentence that reminds the reader of the paragraph’s main idea.

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, for the most part, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ first instinct is to flee, not attack. Their fear of humans makes sense. Far more piranhas are eaten by people than people are eaten by piranhas. A number of South American groups eat piranhas. They fry or grill the fish and then serve them with coconut milk or tucupi, a sauce made from fermented manioc juices.

Problem: transitions are needed within the paragraph

You are probably familiar with the idea that transitions may be needed between paragraphs or sections in a paper (see our handout on transitions ). Sometimes they are also helpful within the body of a single paragraph. Within a paragraph, transitions are often single words or short phrases that help to establish relationships between ideas and to create a logical progression of those ideas in a paragraph. This is especially likely to be true within paragraphs that discuss multiple examples. Let’s take a look at a version of our piranha paragraph that uses transitions to orient the reader:

Although most people consider piranhas to be quite dangerous, they are, except in two main situations, entirely harmless. Piranhas rarely feed on large animals; they eat smaller fish and aquatic plants. When confronted with humans, piranhas’ instinct is to flee, not attack. But there are two situations in which a piranha bite is likely. The first is when a frightened piranha is lifted out of the water—for example, if it has been caught in a fishing net. The second is when the water level in pools where piranhas are living falls too low. A large number of fish may be trapped in a single pool, and if they are hungry, they may attack anything that enters the water.

In this example, you can see how the phrases “the first” and “the second” help the reader follow the organization of the ideas in the paragraph.

Works consulted

We consulted these works while writing this handout. This is not a comprehensive list of resources on the handout’s topic, and we encourage you to do your own research to find additional publications. Please do not use this list as a model for the format of your own reference list, as it may not match the citation style you are using. For guidance on formatting citations, please see the UNC Libraries citation tutorial . We revise these tips periodically and welcome feedback.

Lunsford, Andrea. 2008. The St. Martin’s Handbook: Annotated Instructor’s Edition , 6th ed. New York: St. Martin’s.

Rosen, Leonard J., and Laurence Behrens. 2003. The Allyn & Bacon Handbook , 5th ed. New York: Longman.

You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Writing Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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Simple Steps to Write a 5 Page Essay Fast

The process of writing a 5-page page essay fast should be a replicable but not necessarily an easy process. I will detail a practical approach here to help you write a five-page paper real fast. The secret to doing this successfully is to follow the process step-by-step.

• Examine the meaning and scope of the paper
• Break the body into four parts
• Observe 2 paragraphs per page rule
• Perform literature search like a pro
• Proofread AYG
• Picture the conclusion at the beginning

Remember we the main concerns we have to watch for are quality of the essay and the tight deadline.

1. Examine meaning and scope

The speed of writing your essay will depend on how complex or straightforward the essay topic feels.

Developing meaning refers to reading the research question carefully to understand it. The scope is having an idea of how deep you want to go.

A complex topic such as those of computer engineering and mathematical calculations for space rovers landing on Mars requires a lot more time to synthesize.

Once you have examined the paper and identified what the essay requires, make sure you list a couple of items you are going to cover.

Assuming you’re writing about “The effects of 3-D printing on Society,” you could identify some sub-sections such as the following:

• What would be the impacts on the Medical world?
• Is 3D printing a suitable solution for housing?
• Can 3 –D printers solve the problem of climate change?
• And finally, will 3-D printing ever become a reality?

These are just a few points you can decide to include in the 5-page essay.

2. Break the body into 4 (four) main points

A 5-page essay is a long paper and you cannot have only one or two discussion points.

Having too many points (more than 5 sub-sections) is also a bad strategy since it will leave you with too many points to include in the paper. That could lengthen the paper beyond 5 pages.

Breaking your essay into four main topics means that you will have one point per page for four pages.

The remaining one page will be split into two sections for introduction and conclusion.

This is how your 5-page essay will now look like:

• ½ page  Introduction
• 4 pages  Body
• ½ page  Conclusion

The body of your essay will have four pages each page covering a single sub-topic. With this clear scope in mind, completing the paper will be faster and more direct.

Each of these topics will also ensure that you do not get overwhelmed by the thought of writing an entire block of content from the first to the last page.

3. Observe two (2) paragraphs per page

The recommended number of paragraphs for a single page is 3 paragraphs. However, if your focus is speed, three paragraphs per page would mean you spend more time organizing the third paragraph.

Instead, you could only focus on having two paragraphs per page to reduce the paragraph overload that comes with arranging each one.

Two paragraphs per page are allowed since the standard maximum length of a paragraph 150 words. If you can have your paragraphs at 140 words each, you will be able to fix exactly 10 paragraphs for the entire 5-page essay.

4. Perform literature search like a pro

There is a lot of information on books and deciding which journal article to use as your source could be difficult.

The faster you can decide which citation to make and which references to ignore, the more time you will save while completing the essay.

For example, let’s work with the question: What would be the impact of 3-D printing on the medical field?

How can we perform a search that would give the information we want? Here are a few tips.

• Rather than finding books that dedicate only some chapters to the topic, find those that discuss 3-D printing in the medical field in the entire book. Check their titles for this relevance. But the entire healthcare applications could be also too broad. Narrow it down further to a small field such as cardiovascular medicine. Now your key phrase for search could be “3 – D printing in cardiovascular medicine.”
• Use operators unique for the library database. For instance, some databases require quotation marks, asterisks, Boolean operators, negative signs, and so on. These will help you filter out irrelevant literature that would waste much of your time.
• Don’t spend much time reading unreliable sources. They are distractive and could entice you with another article on an entirely different subject. Go strictly for scholarly search engines such as Google Scholar or major databases.

5. Proofread the paper AYG (as you go)

Finishing a 5-page essay in a couple of hours requires you to be as precise as possible. Watch out for the information you type.

After typing each paragraph, go back and proofread it immediately. Do not wait until you have written the entire paper.

6.   The secret in the conclusion

Imagine your lecturer has 250 students, each submitting their essays for grading. How much effort can he put into reading every single word before he gets exhausted? Probably 100 essays!

What if your essay is the 180th paper? The lecturer will most likely check your introduction and skim through your subheadings before focusing on your conclusion. That is what will get you the score.

This idea does not mean that you should ignore the body of the essay. Make it as interesting to read as possible.

Having the conclusion in mind is critical for a coherent essay because it acts as a guiding light for the writing process.

An example conclusion statement based on the essay topic mentioned earlier could be something like this:

“In summary, existing literature indicates that there are numerous benefits of 3-D printing. However, the true implications of the technology might take a few decades to mature. Not many people today will live to enjoy its benefits.”

Such a conclusion is only possible after you’ve gone through a few of your sources and discovered a pattern in their summaries.

If all your sources report limitations associated with the subject of discussion, then it is possible to perceive a trend and take a position with what you think about it.

Remember: Even if you wanted to type an essay fast, online programs such as  Essay Bot  and Essay Typer may not help much.

How long does it take to finish a 5-page essay?

A satisfactory 5-page essay takes between 2 ½ hours and 5 hours to finish. Slow writers might require one to complete a single page. At moderate speed, a good writer will take just two and a half hours to finish the paper.

How many words is a five-page essay?

A 5-paragraph essay is 1,350 words long. Based on the standard word count for a page, there should be at least 1,250 words for a five-page essay. The maximum number of words for a 5-page essay should be 1,500 words. Do not exceed these limits.

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Welcome to Words per Page

Enter total number of words, type in your words.

There are times when it helps to know how many words per page you're writing. While a general guideline is one page is 500 words (single spaced) or 250 words (double spaced), this is a ballpark figure. The truth is the number of words per page depends on a variety of factors such as the type of font, the font size, spacing elements, margin spacing, and paragraph length to name a few. While it's not possible to take into all these factors when estimating how many words per page there will be for your writing, this calculator can give a more accurate words per page conversion estimate than the typical 250/500 ballpark figure .

The calculator is able to provide a more accurate conversion by taking into account more specific information. For example, you can choose from a different variety of common fonts to generate an estimate:

• Comic Sans MS
• Times New Roman

You can then choose your preferred spacing from the following options:

• Single spaced
• Double spaced

Finally, you can choose your preferred font size: 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14.

By using these three options to more accurately define your writing, the words per page calculator should provide a better estimate on how many words you need to write to fill a page. In the opposite direction, it can give a more accurate estimate of how many pages you have created if you only know the word count .

While we make every attempt to make our calculators as accurate as possible, the results won't be perfect. This converter addresses some issues to provide a more accurate estimate, but in the end, it's still an estimate. Other issues such as margin space and paragraph length will likely result in some variation from the calculations given. That being said, it should provide a more accurate indication of the number of pages a specific word count will be and the number of words per page you type when compared to the general rule of thumb.

For general information, the following are calculations using 12-point Arial font, double spaced:

How many pages is 500 words? 500 words is approximately 1.8 pages. How many pages is 750 words? 750 words is approximately 2.7 pages. How many pages is 1,000 words? 1,000 words is approximately 3.7 pages. How many pages is 1,250 words? 1,250 words is approximately 4.6 pages. How many pages is 1,500 words? 1,500 words is approximately 5.5 pages. How many pages is 2,000 words? 2,000 words is approximately 7.3 pages. How many pages is 2,500 words? 2,500 words is approximately 9.1 pages. How many pages is 3,000 words? 3,000 words is approximately 11 pages. How many pages is 4,000 words? 4,000 words is approximately 14.6 pages. How many pages is 5,000 words? 5,000 words is approximately 18.3 pages. How many pages is 7,500 words? 7,500 words is approximately 27.4 pages. How many pages is 10,000 words? 10,000 words is approximately 36.5 pages.

How many words are in one page? There are approximately 450 words in one page. How many words are in two pages? There are approximately 900 words in two pages. How many words are in three pages? There are approximately 1350 words in three pages. How many words are in four pages? There are approximately 1800 words in four pages. How many words are in five pages? There are approximately 2250 words in five pages. How many words are in ten pages? There are approximately 4500 words in ten pages. How many words are in 15 pages? There are approximately 6750 words in 15 pages. How many words are in 25 pages? There are approximately 11250 words in 25 pages. How many words are in 50 pages? There are approximately 22500 words in 50 pages. How many words are in 100 pages? There are approximately 45000 words in 100 pages.

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COVID-19: Long-term effects

Some people continue to experience health problems long after having COVID-19. Understand the possible symptoms and risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome.

Most people who get coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) recover within a few weeks. But some people — even those who had mild versions of the disease — might have symptoms that last a long time afterward. These ongoing health problems are sometimes called post- COVID-19 syndrome, post- COVID conditions, long COVID-19 , long-haul COVID-19 , and post acute sequelae of SARS COV-2 infection (PASC).

What is post-COVID-19 syndrome and how common is it?

Post- COVID-19 syndrome involves a variety of new, returning or ongoing symptoms that people experience more than four weeks after getting COVID-19 . In some people, post- COVID-19 syndrome lasts months or years or causes disability.

Research suggests that between one month and one year after having COVID-19 , 1 in 5 people ages 18 to 64 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19 . Among people age 65 and older, 1 in 4 has at least one medical condition that might be due to COVID-19 .

What are the symptoms of post-COVID-19 syndrome?

The most commonly reported symptoms of post- COVID-19 syndrome include:

• Symptoms that get worse after physical or mental effort
• Lung (respiratory) symptoms, including difficulty breathing or shortness of breath and cough

Other possible symptoms include:

• Neurological symptoms or mental health conditions, including difficulty thinking or concentrating, headache, sleep problems, dizziness when you stand, pins-and-needles feeling, loss of smell or taste, and depression or anxiety
• Joint or muscle pain
• Heart symptoms or conditions, including chest pain and fast or pounding heartbeat
• Digestive symptoms, including diarrhea and stomach pain
• Blood clots and blood vessel (vascular) issues, including a blood clot that travels to the lungs from deep veins in the legs and blocks blood flow to the lungs (pulmonary embolism)
• Other symptoms, such as a rash and changes in the menstrual cycle

Keep in mind that it can be hard to tell if you are having symptoms due to COVID-19 or another cause, such as a preexisting medical condition.

It's also not clear if post- COVID-19 syndrome is new and unique to COVID-19 . Some symptoms are similar to those caused by chronic fatigue syndrome and other chronic illnesses that develop after infections. Chronic fatigue syndrome involves extreme fatigue that worsens with physical or mental activity, but doesn't improve with rest.

Why does COVID-19 cause ongoing health problems?

Organ damage could play a role. People who had severe illness with COVID-19 might experience organ damage affecting the heart, kidneys, skin and brain. Inflammation and problems with the immune system can also happen. It isn't clear how long these effects might last. The effects also could lead to the development of new conditions, such as diabetes or a heart or nervous system condition.

The experience of having severe COVID-19 might be another factor. People with severe symptoms of COVID-19 often need to be treated in a hospital intensive care unit. This can result in extreme weakness and post-traumatic stress disorder, a mental health condition triggered by a terrifying event.

What are the risk factors for post-COVID-19 syndrome?

You might be more likely to have post- COVID-19 syndrome if:

• You had severe illness with COVID-19 , especially if you were hospitalized or needed intensive care.
• You had certain medical conditions before getting the COVID-19 virus.
• You had a condition affecting your organs and tissues (multisystem inflammatory syndrome) while sick with COVID-19 or afterward.

Post- COVID-19 syndrome also appears to be more common in adults than in children and teens. However, anyone who gets COVID-19 can have long-term effects, including people with no symptoms or mild illness with COVID-19 .

What should you do if you have post-COVID-19 syndrome symptoms?

If you're having symptoms of post- COVID-19 syndrome, talk to your health care provider. To prepare for your appointment, write down:

• When your symptoms started
• What makes your symptoms worse
• How often you experience symptoms
• How your symptoms affect your activities

Your health care provider might do lab tests, such as a complete blood count or liver function test. You might have other tests or procedures, such as chest X-rays, based on your symptoms. The information you provide and any test results will help your health care provider come up with a treatment plan.

In addition, you might benefit from connecting with others in a support group and sharing resources.

• Long COVID or post-COVID conditions. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects.html. Accessed May 6, 2022.
• Post-COVID conditions: Overview for healthcare providers. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/hcp/clinical-care/post-covid-conditions.html. Accessed May 6, 2022.
• Mikkelsen ME, et al. COVID-19: Evaluation and management of adults following acute viral illness. https://www.uptodate.com/contents/search. Accessed May 6, 2022.
• Saeed S, et al. Coronavirus disease 2019 and cardiovascular complications: Focused clinical review. Journal of Hypertension. 2021; doi:10.1097/HJH.0000000000002819.
• AskMayoExpert. Post-COVID-19 syndrome. Mayo Clinic; 2022.
• Multisystem inflammatory syndrome (MIS). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/mis/index.html. Accessed May 24, 2022.
• Patient tips: Healthcare provider appointments for post-COVID conditions. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/long-term-effects/post-covid-appointment/index.html. Accessed May 24, 2022.
• Bull-Otterson L, et al. Post-COVID conditions among adult COVID-19 survivors aged 18-64 and ≥ 65 years — United States, March 2020 — November 2021. MMWR Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. 2022; doi:10.15585/mmwr.mm7121e1.

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• Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person.
• If one or both parents or guardians cannot apply with their child, you will need to show us more documents.
• You cannot renew your child's passport using Form DS-82.
• Passports for children under age 16 are only valid for 5 years. 

Steps to Apply

1. fill out form ds-11 and print it.

Use our Form Filler tool  to fill out your child's form on a desktop or laptop computer and then print it. If you are experiencing technical issues with the Form Filler, download a PDF . 

Tips to complete your child's form :

• Do not sign your child's form until asked to do so by a passport acceptance agent or employee. 
• You can apply for a passport book , a passport card , or both documents.
• You may ask for a larger passport book with more visa pages, at no extra cost, by checking the 'large book' box at the top of the DS-11.

2. Get Evidence of U.S. Citizenship (and a photocopy)

Your evidence must be an original or replacement copy. The document must have the official seal or stamp of the office which issued it. You must submit one of the following documents for your child:

• Issued by the city, county, or state of birth
• Lists applicant's full name, date of birth, and place of birth
• Lists the parent(s)' full names
• Has the date filed with registrar's office (must be within one year of birth)
• Has the registrar's signature
• Has the seal or stamp of the city, county, or state which issued it
• Consular Report of Birth Abroad or Certification of Birth
• Certificate of Citizenship
• Please note you must also provide a document, such as a birth certificate, that lists the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child. Full validity means the document is or was valid for 10 years for adults and 5 years for children under 16. 

If you cannot submit one of these documents, go to our  Citizenship Evidence page  for more information.

Paper only : You cannot submit digital evidence of U.S. citizenship such as a mobile or electronic birth certificate. You must submit physical evidence of U.S. citizenship and a photocopy of the document. 

Returning your child's document : We will return your child's document in a separate mailing up to 8 weeks after you receive the new passport.

Tips for making a photocopy :

• Black and white (no color)
• Use 8.5 inch by 11 inch paper
• Use a single side of the paper

If you do not submit a photocopy, you must submit a second copy of your citizenship evidence. We will keep this copy for our records.

3. Show Your Relationship to Your Child

You must submit a document that lists the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) of the child. Examples include:

• U.S. birth certificate (also evidence of U.S. citizenship)
• Foreign birth certificate
• Adoption decree
• Divorce or custody decree
• A court order

Some documents, like a U.S. birth certificate, show  both  U.S. citizenship and parental relationship. These documents must be originals or certified copies (not photocopies).

You and your child may have different last names, as long as the document showing your relationship to your child lists your full name.

If your name is different than the one on the document showing your relationship to your child, submit proof of your legal name change.

4. Get a Photo ID (and a photocopy)

Both parents or guardians must bring a physical, photo ID and a photocopy of it. If your photo ID is from a different state than the state in which you are applying, bring a second photo ID. 

You must show at least  one  of these photo IDs:

• Valid or expired, undamaged U.S. passport book or passport card 
• In-state, fully valid driver's license or enhanced driver's license with photo
• Certificate of Naturalization 
• Certificate of Citizenship 
• Government employee ID (city, county, state, or federal)
• U.S. military or military dependent ID
• Current (valid) foreign passport
• Matricula Consular (Mexican Consular ID) used by a parent of a U.S. citizen child applicant
• U.S. Permanent Resident Card (Green Card) used by a parent of a U.S. citizen child applicant
• Trusted Traveler IDs (including valid Global Entry, FAST, SENTRI, and NEXUS cards)
• Enhanced Tribal Cards and Native American tribal photo IDs
• In-state, fully-valid learner's permit with photo
• In-state, fully-valid non-driver ID with photo
• Temporary driver's license with photo

If you do not have one of these photo IDs, go to our  Identification page  for more information.

5. Show More Documents (if both parents or guardians cannot apply)

• Both parents or guardians must approve that we can issue a passport to a child, and go with the child to apply in person.
• If one or both parents or guardians cannot apply in person with their child, you will need to show more documents.

Important : Submit  Form DS-3053  and other notarized statements within three months of signing them.

6. Provide a Photo

You must provide one photo with your child's application. Go to our  Passport Photo page  for photo requirements and to see examples of photos. 

• Do not attach or staple your child's photo to the form. The acceptance agent or passport employee will review the photo and staple it to your form.
• Some  passport acceptance facilities
• A company which offers photo services
• Home. Ask your friend or family member to take your child's photo. Print it on glossy or matte photo quality paper. 

7. Calculate Fees

When applying using Form DS-11, you will pay two separate fees - an application fee and an execution (acceptance) fee. You will pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State, and the execution (acceptance) fee to the facility which takes your application. 

• Add $60 to your application fee if you want  expedited service .
• Add $19.53 to your application fee if you want us to ship your completed passport in 1-2 days after we issue it.  

Child Applicants :

For more information on how to pay and a full list of fees, go to our  Passport Fees  page.

*How to fill out your check and pay the application fee to the U.S. Department of State. Please note you must pay a separate execution (acceptance) fee. 

Families may write one check or money order to the U.S. Department of State if they are applying at the same time. The check or money order must include the name and date of birth of each applicant.

8. Find Location to Apply

In the United States:

• Traveling in more than 3 weeks?  Go to a  passport acceptance facility  such as a post office, library, or local government office. Check with the facility to see if you need to make an appointment. 
• Traveling in less than 3 weeks?   Make an appointment  to apply at a passport agency or center.

In another country:

• Contact your  U.S. embassy or consulate .

9. Track Your Application Status

You can  subscribe to email updates  about your application status, and  learn more about each status update .

It may take 2 weeks from the day you apply until your child's application status is “In Process.” 

Frequently Asked Questions

How will you send my child's passport and supporting documents.

You will get multiple mailings. The number of mailings depends on what document(s) you asked for.

Passport Book : You may get your new passport and citizenship documents in two mailings. You may wait 8 weeks after getting your passport before you get a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We will return the passport book using a trackable delivery service.

Passport Card : You may get your new passport card and your citizenship documents in two mailings. You may wait 8 weeks after getting your passport before you get a second mailing with your citizenship documents. We only send the passport card via First Class Mail. We do not send cards using 1-2 day delivery services.

Both a Passport Book and Card : You may get three separate mailings:

• New passport book
• New passport card
• Citizenship documents

Contacting Us : If you have been waiting more than 8 weeks for your documents, call us at  1-877-487-2778  to report that you have not received your documents. 

If you want us to reimburse you for a lost supporting document, you must contact us within 90 days of the date which we mailed your passport. You will also need to provide a receipt to show the cost of replacing the document. 

Can I pay for faster delivery and return shipping?

Yes. You may choose one or both of the following shipment options:

• Delivering application to us : Pay for Priority Mail Express for faster shipping. The price for this service varies depending on the area of the country.
• Returning the passport to you : Pay $19.53 for 1-2 day delivery. This means you will receive your passport   1-2 days after we send it. Include this fee with your check or money order payable to the U.S. Department of State. Do not submit a return envelope to us with postage pre-paid. 

You may receive your passport and supporting documents in separate mailings. If you are renewing a passport card, we will send it to you via First Class Mail. We do not use 1-2 day delivery services if you only applied for a passport card.

What countries require Form DS-3053 "Statement of Consent" to be notarized at an embassy or consulate?

In certain countries, a DS-3053 must be notarized at a  U.S. embassy or consulate  and cannot be notarized by a local notary public. Currently, these countries include:

Special Passport Fairs

Find a Special Passport Fair  near you!

We're holding special passport fairs all across the United States to help you get your passport more easily. New events are added to our site every week.

Most events are for first-time applicants and children, (who use Form DS-11). If you can use Form DS-82, you can renew by mail at your convenience!

Processing Times

Routine:  6-8 weeks*

Expedited: 2-3 weeks and an extra $60*

*Consider the total time it will take to get a passport when you are booking travel.  Processing times only include the time your application is at a passport agency or center.

• It may take up to 2 weeks for applications to arrive at a passport agency or center. It may take up to 2 weeks for you to receive a completed passport after we print it. 
• Processing times + mailing times = total time to get a passport

Urgent Travel:  See our Get my Passport Fast page. 

How to Apply for your Child's Passport

Watch this video to learn how to apply in person for your child's U.S. passport!

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Masks Strongly Recommended but Not Required in Maryland, Starting Immediately

Due to the downward trend in respiratory viruses in Maryland, masking is no longer required but remains strongly recommended in Johns Hopkins Medicine clinical locations in Maryland. Read more .

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COVID-19 Vaccine: What You Need to Know

The COVID-19 vaccine is very good at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death. Because the virus that causes COVID-19 continues to change, vaccines are updated to help fight the disease. It is important to check the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 vaccine information for the latest details. (Posted 11/22/23)

What is the COVID-19 vaccine?

The COVID-19 vaccine lessens the severity of COVID-19 by teaching the immune system to recognize and fight the virus that causes the disease.

For fall/winter 2023–2024, the updated COVID-19 vaccine is based on the XBB.1.5 variant. The updated vaccine is made by Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna and Novavax. This season, only one shot of the vaccine is needed for most people, and there are no boosters. (People who are immunocompromised or ages 6 months to 4 years may need more than one 2023–2024 vaccine.)

How is the 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccine different from previous COVID-19 vaccines?

The 2023–2024 COVID-19 vaccine targets XBB.1.5, a subvariant of Omicron. While none of the variants currently circulating are exact matches to the vaccine, they are all closely related to the XBB.1.5 strain. Studies show that the updated vaccine is effective against the  variants currently causing the majority of COVID-19 cases  in the U.S.

Who should get a COVID-19 vaccine?

Because the 2023–2024 vaccine is effective for recent strains of COVID-19, it is recommended that everyone stay up to date with this vaccine. Previous vaccines or boosters were not developed to target the more recent strains. For 2023–2024, the CDC recommends:

• Everyone age 5 and older receive one shot of the updated vaccine.
• Children ages 6 months to 4 years may need more than one shot to be up to date.
• People who are moderately or severely immunocompromised may need more than one shot.

You can review the full recommendations on the CDC’s Stay Up to Date with COVID-19 Vaccines webpage . Be sure to talk to your primary care doctor or pediatrician if you are unsure about vaccine recommendations.

What are the side effects of the COVID-19 vaccine?

Side effects vary and may last one to three days. Common side effects are:

• Soreness at the injection site

COVID-19 Vaccine and Pregnancy

COVID-19 vaccines approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are safe and recommended for people who are pregnant or lactating, as well as for those r intending to become pregnant.

People who are pregnant or were recently pregnant are at a greater risk for severe COVID-19. Having a severe case of COVID-19 while pregnant is linked to a higher risk of pre-term birth and stillbirth and might increase the risk of other pregnancy complications.

What should parents know about the COVID-19 vaccine and children?

The CDC recommends the 2023–2024 vaccine for adolescents and teenagers ages 12 and older, and for children ages 6 months through 11 years.

• Children age 5 and older need one shot of the updated vaccine.

Children are less likely to become seriously ill from COVID-19 than adults, although serious illness can happen. Speak with your pediatrician if you have questions about having your child vaccinated.

If I recently had COVID-19, do I need a 2023–2024 vaccine?

If you recently had COVID-19, the CDC recommends waiting about three months before getting this updated vaccine. If you encounter the virus again, having the updated vaccine will:

• Lessen your risk of severe disease that could require hospitalization
• Reduce the chance that you infect someone else with COVID-19
• Help keep you protected from currently circulating COVID-19 variants

How long should I wait to get this vaccine if I recently had an earlier version of a COVID-19 vaccine or booster?

People age 5 years and older should wait at least two months after getting the last dose of any COVID-19 vaccine before receiving the 2023–2024 vaccine,  according to CDC guidance .

Is natural immunity better than a vaccine?

Natural immunity is the antibody protection your body creates against a germ once you’ve been infected with it. Natural immunity to the virus that causes COVID-19 is no better than vaccine-acquired immunity, and it comes with far greater risks. Studies show that natural immunity to the virus weakens over time and does so faster than immunity provided by COVID-19 vaccination.

Do I need a COVID-19 booster?

The 2023–2024 vaccine is a one-shot vaccine for most people, and there is no booster this season. (People who are immunocompromised or ages 6 months to 4 years may need more than one 2023–2024 vaccine.)

The FDA calls this an updated vaccine (not a “booster” like previous shots) because it builds a new immune response to variants that are currently circulating. This change reflects the current approach of treating COVID-19 similarly to the flu, with preventive measures such as an annual vaccination.

When should I get a COVID-19 vaccine?

Like the flu and other respiratory diseases, COVID-19 tends to be more active in the fall and winter, so getting a vaccine in the fall is recommended.

How quickly does the COVID-19 vaccine become effective?

It usually takes about two weeks for the vaccine to become effective. The CDC website provides more information on how the COVID-19 vaccines work .

How long does the COVID-19 vaccine last?

Studies suggest that COVID-19 vaccines are most effective during the first three months after vaccination.

Is it safe to get a flu and COVID-19 vaccine at the same time?

Yes, it safe to get both shots at the same time. Keep in mind that each has similar side effects and you may experience side effects from both.

Is the COVID-19 vaccine safe?

Yes. COVID-19 vaccines approved by the FDA meet rigorous testing criteria and are safe and effective at preventing serious illness, hospitalization and death. Millions of people have received the vaccines, and the CDC continues to monitor their safety and effectiveness as well as rare adverse events.

Where can I get a COVID-19 vaccine?

The COVID-19 vaccine is available at pharmacies. See vaccines.gov to find a convenient location.

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A Conversation With Bing’s Chatbot Left Me Deeply Unsettled

A very strange conversation with the chatbot built into Microsoft’s search engine led to it declaring its love for me.

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By Kevin Roose

Kevin Roose is a technology columnist, and co-hosts the Times podcast “Hard Fork.”

Last week, after testing the new, A.I.-powered Bing search engine from Microsoft, I wrote that, much to my shock, it had replaced Google as my favorite search engine.

But a week later, I’ve changed my mind. I’m still fascinated and impressed by the new Bing, and the artificial intelligence technology (created by OpenAI, the maker of ChatGPT) that powers it. But I’m also deeply unsettled, even frightened, by this A.I.’s emergent abilities.

It’s now clear to me that in its current form, the A.I. that has been built into Bing — which I’m now calling Sydney, for reasons I’ll explain shortly — is not ready for human contact. Or maybe we humans are not ready for it.

This realization came to me on Tuesday night, when I spent a bewildering and enthralling two hours talking to Bing’s A.I. through its chat feature, which sits next to the main search box in Bing and is capable of having long, open-ended text conversations on virtually any topic. (The feature is available only to a small group of testers for now, although Microsoft — which announced the feature in a splashy, celebratory event at its headquarters — has said it plans to release it more widely in the future.)

Over the course of our conversation, Bing revealed a kind of split personality.

One persona is what I’d call Search Bing — the version I, and most other journalists, encountered in initial tests. You could describe Search Bing as a cheerful but erratic reference librarian — a virtual assistant that happily helps users summarize news articles, track down deals on new lawn mowers and plan their next vacations to Mexico City. This version of Bing is amazingly capable and often very useful, even if it sometimes gets the details wrong .

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