Essay Outline Builder

An empty frame for planning an essay or report: fill in the thesis, topic sentences, evidence and transitions for each paragraph. Use it before writing to fix the structure and the length of each paragraph.

How to use

1. Under "Template for a new outline", choose five-paragraph, argumentative, compare and contrast, cause and effect, narrative or research report (IMRaD), then press "Start new outline".
2. Enter the "Essay title or topic" and the "Target length (words)".
3. Fill in boxes such as "Thesis statement", "Topic sentence", "Evidence or example 1" and "Transition". The grey text tells you what goes in each box.
4. Change the structure with "Add paragraph" or the move buttons, then use "Copy outline", "Save as .txt", "Save as .md" or "Print".

How it works

• The target length is split across the paragraphs and shown as an approximate word count. In the essay templates, the introduction and conclusion get two thirds of the length of a body paragraph.
• It does not write anything for you; the grey text only describes what goes in each box.
• You can keep several outlines, and they are saved automatically in this browser on this device.

Questions and answers

How do you structure a five-paragraph essay?

An introduction with a thesis, three body paragraphs that each support it, and a conclusion that restates it. For a 1,000-word target, the introduction and conclusion get about 150 words and each body paragraph about 230.

What is a thesis statement?

It is your main claim in one sentence. It usually comes at the end of the introduction, and every topic sentence in the body supports it.

Where does the counterargument go in an argumentative essay?

The argumentative template puts a "Counterargument and rebuttal" paragraph after the two reason paragraphs. Write the strongest opposing view and its support, then explain why your position still holds.