The introduction

There are a lot of moving parts in an ACT essay. You can see that in the essay grading rubric in the chapter [Overview of the ACT writing section]. In the next few chapters, you’ll learn a simple outline you can use to cover those requirements consistently. You’ll also see examples along the way so you can picture what a high-scoring essay looks like.

Your first paragraph (your introduction) should have four parts. In order, it should have a:

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

Let’s walk through each part. First, here’s an example of an essay prompt you might see on the ACT. We’ll use this prompt to build an example essay piece by piece, starting with the hook.

Hook

A hook is a short claim or statement that’s no longer than one line. Its job is to introduce the topic in a way that catches the reader’s interest.

The hook is not where you state the main argument you’ll defend throughout the essay. That’s the thesis, which comes later.

Here’s an example of a strong hook you could use:

Consider the abilities of social media.

This hook is short, it draws attention, and it introduces the topic from the prompt without doing the thesis’s job.

Your hook doesn’t need to be fancy or especially eloquent. It just needs to pull the reader into the topic.

Relevance link

A relevance link makes the topic feel personal and familiar to the reader. You do this by describing situations the reader can easily recognize, which often triggers memories and associations.

Relevance links usually make up the next one to three sentences of your introduction.

Here’s how you might continue the example:

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.

Those sentences work because they’re easy to picture. Many readers will immediately think of their own experiences scrolling Instagram, checking posts from friends, or looking something up on Reddit.

Credibility statement (optional)

A credibility statement gives you a small, honest reason the reader should take you seriously on this topic.

If you’re taking the ACT writing section, you’re likely a high school student. That means you probably don’t have advanced education or professional experience related to the prompt. That’s normal, and the essay reader understands it.

Still, even a simple statement of personal experience can help. Here’s an example (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.

This kind of credibility statement is common and believable, and it gives you a reasonable foundation for your argument.

That said, this part is optional. If you can’t think of a credibility statement quickly, skip it. Don’t spend valuable time forcing one - you have the rest of the essay to write.

Thesis

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

A couple guidelines for writing your thesis:

1. Don’t mention the prompt (for example, “in the prompt” or “I agree with perspective two”). That breaks the narrative you’ve started and reminds the reader they’re grading ACT essays. See the [Know your audience] chapter if you want a review of this idea.
2. Make your position clear, even if you don’t reference a perspective number. Although the grader won’t necessarily count off for partial agreement, most writers find it harder to argue a “sort of” position clearly under time pressure.

Here’s an example of a strong thesis:

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.

This thesis makes it clear which side the essay will argue, without ever saying “perspective one.” That keeps the introduction feeling like real writing, not a response to a test prompt.

This thesis is effective not because it’s “correct,” but because it’s specific and clear.

You now have everything you need to write an effective ACT essay introduction. A clear introduction sets up the rest of your essay by establishing the topic, connecting it to the reader, and stating your position.