The introduction

There are a lot of things to account for in your ACT essay. You’ve probably realized this by looking at the essay grading rubric in the chapter [Overview of the ACT writing section]. So, these next few chapters will help account for all those things by giving you an outline for how to write your essay. You will be given examples along the way so you can see what a top-notch essay might look like. Let’s get started!

Your first paragraph, or introduction, should have four parts. In order, it should have a:

1. Hook
2. Relevance link
3. Optional credibility statement
4. Thesis

Let’s talk more about each one. But first, here’s an example of an essay prompt you might see on the ACT. We’ll use this prompt to write an example essay piece by piece, starting with the "hook.”

Hook

A hook is a short claim or statement that is no longer than one line. The hook is meant to introduce the topic for the reader in a way that captures their interest. It is not a place to state the claim you will be making throughout your essay. That’s the thesis, but we’ll save that for later.

Now, let’s start writing our essay; here’s an example of a good hook you could use:

Consider the consequences of the modern technology we rely on.

Notice that this hook is short, grabs the reader’s attention, and gently introduces the topic put forth in the prompt (meaning it doesn’t take the job of the thesis). The example above is not the fanciest. You may not feel that your hook is the most eloquent, but remember that it doesn’t have to be. The hook’s job is simply to grab some of the reader’s attention.

Relevance link

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. Thus, an effective relevance link sparks nostalgia and familiarity in the reader. These links tell the reader that what they are reading is relevant to them. Relevance links can make up the next one to three sentences of your introduction.

Let’s continue the example we started above:

Consider the consequences of the modern technology we rely on. A simple “Hey Google, take me home” gives me automatic instructions for how to get back to my house. The cereal I ate this morning and its ingredients went through several automated systems to end up in my bowl so all I have to do is buy it from the store.

As you read the second and third sentences, you probably had some of your own memories come to mind. Did you think of the last cereal you ate or a time you opened up navigation on your phone? Then it’s working! We want to trigger those memories for the audience with our relevance links.

Credibility statement (optional)

A credibility statement is meant to give you some honest authority on what you’re discussing. But first, let’s face some realities about this. If you’re taking the ACT essay section, you’re likely a high school student. This means you don’t have a ton of education (not yet anyway). Additionally, you most likely don’t have professional work experience to give you authority on a subject like the one in the prompt. That’s okay! The essay reader understands that. However, a little experience goes a long way. Take a look at credibility statement below in bold:

Few pause to consider the consequences of the modern technology we rely so heavily upon. A simple “Hey Google, take me home” gives me automatic instructions for how to get back to my house. The cereal I ate this morning and its ingredients went through several automated systems to end up in my bowl so all I have to do is buy it from the store. I am a daily user of these automated processes.

This credibility statement is certainly true for most. It still gives you some credibility to continue making your argument. The credibility statement is, however, not as important as the other parts of the introduction—so it is optional for you to add. If you can’t think of one quickly, don’t waste your time on it. It’s okay not to add one if it’s taking up too much of your time. You have many other things to write!

Thesis

Your thesis is the last sentence of your introduction and states your perspective on the topic given.

A couple guidelines for writing your thesis:

1. Don’t mention the prompt (saying things like “in the prompt’’ or “I agree with perspective two”). This destroys the narrative world that you’ve begun to create for your audience. You don’t want them to feel like they are at work, grading ACT essays. See the [Know your audience] chapter if you’d like a review on this idea.
2. It should be clear what side you are on, even if you aren’t referencing the perspective number in your thesis. Although the grader would not count off for doing this, most people cannot pull off a partial agreement or disagreement with a perspective. It’s simply harder to do.

Here’s an example of a good thesis:

Few pause to consider the consequences of the modern technology we rely so heavily upon. A simple “Hey Google, take me home” gives me automatic instructions for how to get back to my house. The cereal I ate this morning and its ingredients went through several automated systems to end up in my bowl so all I have to do is buy it from the store. I am a daily user of these automated processes. However, without exercising care and thought, replacing people with machines would have detrimental consequences.

This thesis makes clear that this essay will argue for perspective one. Note that “perspective one” was never mentioned. Remember, we don’t want to break the worldbuilding and make reading less enjoyable for the audience. It’s also worth mentioning, this thesis is a good one, not because it’s necessarily correct, but because it’s clear.

You now have everything you need to write an effective introduction to your ACT essay. Your well-crafted introduction will set the stage for the rest of your essay.