Academics · Study Skills

Write the thesis once.
Then the essay follows it.

Most essays that wander were never outlined. Write the thesis, give each reason its own body paragraph with evidence, answer the strongest objection and decide what the conclusion adds. The builder budgets your word count across the paragraphs and flags what a teacher would mark before you write a sentence of the draft.

Outline an essayWhat you get
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Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Or get it in the Study skills kit, $29 for 21 items.

Your outlines

The worked example is made up: a 900-word argument on school start times, nearly ready, and a 500-word analysis of “The Raven” with a thesis that needs work. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Study Skills$5

What you finish with
A record per essay: prompt, kind, word target, opening, thesis, body paragraphs (topic sentence, evidence, explanation), counterargument, conclusion and six checks. Counts body paragraphs, paragraphs with evidence and thesis words and budgets words per paragraph; flags thin structure, missing evidence, a weak or overlong thesis and an argument with no counterargument.
Who it is for
Middle school, high school and early college students writing argument, informative, literary analysis or comparison essays.
Format
Browser outline with a saved record per essay. Prints one outline, every outline in a table or a blank sheet; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
$5 one-time, yours on every device you sign in on; the tool opens once you are signed in with it. Included with the Caveat Academy pass and Whole-school licenses. Also in the Study skills kit ($29) and the Academics Suite pass ($149), and 1 more bundle. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Study Skills space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Paste the prompt and choose the kind of essay.
  2. Write a thesis with your answer and its reasons.
  3. Give each reason a body paragraph with evidence.
  4. Name the strongest objection and answer it.
  5. Use the word budget while drafting.

Outline an essay

The shape of an essay

One essay, three jobsIntroductionOpen with a fact, sceneor problem.End with the thesis:your answer and itsreasons.BodyOne reason perparagraph, in thethesis’s order.Topic sentence,evidence, then why itproves the point.ConclusionSay what the readershould take away.Say why it mattersbeyond this essay, notthe thesis again.One essay, three jobsIntroductionOpen with a fact, scene or problem.End with the thesis: your answer and itsreasons.BodyOne reason per paragraph, in the thesis’sorder.Topic sentence, evidence, then why it provesthe point.ConclusionSay what the reader should take away.Say why it matters beyond this essay, notthe thesis again.
The thesis is the outline in one sentence: each reason it names becomes a body paragraph.

A thesis that works

A working thesis answers the prompt, takes a position someone could dispute and names the reasons the body will develop. “Poe uses repetition” is a topic; “Poe’s refrain turns a question into a sentence of despair” is a thesis.

The word budget

The builder splits the target evenly across the introduction, each body paragraph and the conclusion. In practice introductions and conclusions run a little shorter, so body paragraphs can take the difference.

Sources

  1. Graff, G., and Birkenstein, C. (2021). They Say / I Say (5th ed.). W. W. Norton.
  2. Purdue Online Writing Lab. Developing an outline and Tips and examples for writing thesis statements (owl.purdue.edu).
  3. National Governors Association and CCSSO (2010). Common Core State Standards for English Language Arts, Writing standards 1 and 2.
  4. Graham, S., and Perin, D. (2007). Writing Next: Effective Strategies to Improve Writing of Adolescents. Alliance for Excellent Education.

The worked examples are made up. Your teacher’s prompt and rubric come first. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.