Talk:Five-paragraph essay

Semi-protection request
request of semi-protection due to frequent vandalism --84.115.230.94 (talk) 17:11, 16 October 2018 (UTC)
 * Padlock-dash2.svg Not done: requests for increases to the page protection level should be made at Requests for page protection. That said, there's nowhere near enough activity on this page to warrant semi-protection. There have only been about 25 edits to this article in 2018. The protection policy requires heavy and continued vandalism to warrant semi-protection - that certainly isn't happening here. &#8209;&#8209; El Hef  ( Meep? ) 17:30, 16 October 2018 (UTC)

NPOV
I'm feeling this article is swayed to the negative point of view. Does anyone else think it lacks balance of views? Elfalem 03:45, 1 October 2006 (UTC)
 * I can see what you mean sort of. I'm not sure why, but I really don't think the article is written well as a whole, especially the later parts. I do think it is rather negative towards the 5-paragraph format though.Salur 05:52, 11 October 2006 (UTC)
 * O pfff, I thought this page was vandalised.... yeah, but... how do YOU have "critic" of an essay format, it's seemingly efficient.... LOL —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.158.75.220 (talk • contribs)

This article gets an "F". Not only are there only three paragraphs, but there's no clear thesis and the first paragraph failed to grab my attention. Re-write it and re-submit it next week, and I'll consider bumping it up to a "D".
 * I know talk pages aren't supposed to serve as forums, but I just have to say that this type of essay is idiotic and shouldn't be taught after 6th grade. I'm a senior and I still have to deal with this shit.--[User talk:MKnight9989] 14:39, 26 November 2007 (UTC)
 * Well of course it's biased, it's probably written by someone who deals with them a lot. Most people dealing with education on either end end up either writing or grading a hell of a lot of these.

Globalise/USA tag
I've added this tag partly for US-specific language ("college", for example, is not a synonym for "university" in the UK) but mostly because to my (British) eyes there seems to be absolutely no acknowledgement that this form of essay is not standard throughout the English-speaking world. It isn't: I studied English up to GCSE level (age 16) and while we occasionally wrote essays in this sort of strict structure as an exercise, it was in no way considered almost an article of faith as it seems to be in (some? most?) American schools. If I see a five-para essay of this type online, it very rarely turns out to have been written by a British author, unless said author is deliberately imitating US style, perhaps for use in an American publication. (Personally I sympathise with the comments above: from this outsider's perspective, the form is greatly overused.) Loganberry (Talk) 00:02, 15 November 2009 (UTC)


 * If this is an American thing, asbyounseem to suggest, then perhaps we should make that more specific and revert the language to American. I personally am not familiar with the situation outside of America to know whether or not this should be a "global" article or an "American" one.Wschart (talk) 15:28, 17 January 2011 (UTC bubble guppies-Bold text)

Origin of 5-paragraph essay
It would be useful to include information on the background and history of this particular form, and why and how it rose to dominance within the US educational system. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 86.145.70.89 (talk) 14:27, 22 January 2012 (UTC)


 * I Agree. The article as it's currently written seems to be mostly about what the 5PE is, for the benefit of a K-12 student who needs to learn the format to pass a class, but only oblique nods to things like its history and its context within educational practice. 73.164.3.207 (talk) 11:35, 6 August 2019 (UTC)
 * @86.145.70.89 I agree. As a non-American, I'd never heard of such a thing until today, nor see any particular value in such a restrictive and formulaic approach to composing an essay. yoyo (talk) 03:05, 22 June 2023 (UTC)

Wiki Education assignment: English 112 - Freshman Composition
— Assignment last updated by Alice.lous (talk) 18:04, 8 March 2023 (UTC)