The body of your essay is where you support (or “prove”) the thesis you stated in the introduction. You do that by building each body paragraph around a clear claim and then backing it up.
Your body should have four components:
This order usually works best because it moves from claim → connection → evidence → balance. That said, the paragraph can still work if you change the order.
Let’s continue the example essay that we started in the chapter [The introduction]. If you need a reminder, below is the prompt that the example essay is based on.
The first sentence of each body paragraph should be a topic sentence. Its job is to:
Transitions matter because they’re part of the grading rubric (we talk about this in the [Overview of the ACT Writing section] chapter).
Like the hook (the first sentence of the essay), your topic sentence shouldn’t be more than one line long.
Be careful not to write things like “I agree with this perspective,” and don’t label the perspectives (“Perspective one,” “Perspective two,” etc.). That sounds mechanical and reminds the reader they’re grading an assignment. Instead, state your claim directly. You can reuse wording from the prompt if you want, but avoid calling attention to the prompt’s perspective labels.
Below is the introduction we have already created, plus an example topic sentence in bold.
Consider the abilities of social media. A person that has moved across the country can see a post from an old friend and maintain some connection. Reddit groups of all flavors offer a community for just about anyone looking to connect and find ideas. I am a daily user of social media. However, when left unchecked, social media has detrimental effects, especially on young people.
Social media jeopardizes the mental health of young people.
This topic sentence connects the thesis (the last sentence of the introduction) to what the next paragraph will focus on - addressing perspective one.
The next sentence is a relevance link. You learned about the relevance link once before in the chapter on [The Introduction]. Do you remember its purpose?
A relevance link is meant to make the topic relevant to the reader. You make the topic relevant by triggering memories of the reader they associate with the topics.
Let’s continue the example, looking at just the body from this point on.
Social media jeopardizes the mental health of young people. Consider the example of following a particular influencer.
Notice how this relevance link can trigger memories in the audience. That helps them connect to your point and makes your claim feel more real.
This is arguably the most important part of your essay. This is where you show the reader what your claim looks like in real life.
If you’re used to writing research papers, adding a personal narrative (a story from your life) may feel unfamiliar. But on the ACT, you can’t look up sources during the 40-minute writing period. So you need to use evidence you already have: your own experiences and observations.
Here’s why stories from your life matter:
Here’s an example of a personal narrative:
Social media jeopardizes the mental health of young people. Consider the example of following a particular influencer. People as young as 13 can make an Instagram account and follow whomever they choose. I was one who joined Instagram in middle school and became obsessed with another influencer: an older college girl named Kayla. I studied the outfits Kayla wore, copied her makeup tutorials, and cried about how my 14-year-old body didn’t look like hers. After a year of comparison, I lost my sense of identity and realized that I was a copy-cat version of someone else. It made me sick. As I took baby steps to lower and change my social media usage, unfollowing Kayla and other toxic influencers, I felt happier and less stressed.
This example may not match your experience with social media. It’s simply one story written quickly. That’s the point: with only 40 minutes, you’ll often choose the first relevant example that comes to mind and write it clearly. It doesn’t need to be eloquent or dramatic. It just needs to support your claim.
Also notice how the narrative uses names when possible. Specific details make the story feel more personal and believable. If you don’t feel comfortable using real names, you can make them up.
This is where you briefly acknowledge the other side. A thoughtful writer shows they understand that reasonable people can disagree.
At first, counterarguments can feel awkward to write. But including one is usually better than skipping it - even if it’s short. If you can’t think of one, don’t spend too long on it. You might lose points for leaving it out, but other parts of the paragraph (especially your personal narrative) matter more.
Here’s an example of a counterargument:
Social media jeopardizes the mental health of young people. Consider the example of following a particular influencer. People as young as 13 can make an Instagram account and follow whomever they choose. I was one who joined Instagram in middle school and became obsessed with another influencer: an older college girl named Kayla. I studied the outfits Kayla wore, copied her makeup tutorials, and cried about how my 14-year-old body didn’t look like a college girl’s. After a year of comparison, I lost my sense of identity and realized that I was a copy-cat version of someone else. It made me sick. As I took baby steps to lower and change my social media usage, unfollowing Kayla and other toxic influencers, I felt happier and less stressed. While some argue that social media brings young people together, my experience has taught me that it breaks people down.
Many counterarguments can be written in one or two sentences. If you struggle to come up with one, start by stating the opposite of your position.
Here’s a simple example that often works:
While many say X, my experience has taught me otherwise.
This template also helps you avoid absolutes. You don’t want to sound arrogant by implying your view is always correct.
The body paragraphs should feel more manageable now that you have a template. Only one body paragraph is modeled here, but an ideal essay has three (one addressing each perspective).