Last chapter, you learned how to write P1 and P2 — the hook and the problem paragraph that opens your column and ends with your stand.
Your reader knows what you think.
Now they're asking one question.
"Why?"
That's what P3, P4, P5, and P6 are for.
P3 — your first reason. P4 — the evidence that proves P3. P5 — your second reason. P6 — the evidence that proves P5.
Four short paragraphs. Each one doing one job. Each one one to two sentences.
This chapter teaches you exactly how to write all four — step by step.
P3 is the reason. P4 is the proof for that reason. They go together — but they live in separate paragraphs. Same with P5 and P6. Real columnists write short. One idea. One or two sentences. Then stop. A new paragraph for a new idea. If you put your reason and your evidence in the same paragraph, you get one long, crowded paragraph that's hard to follow. If you separate them, each idea gets room — and the reader can follow your thinking one step at a time.
"Students who skip lunch because the canteen has no food left cannot focus during afternoon classes."
"In a survey of 20 Grade 5 students, 14 said they felt sluggish during their first afternoon subject on days when they couldn't buy food from the canteen."
Before writing P3 through P6, go back to your outline from Chapter 4. Find these four lines: P3 — Reason 1, P4 — Evidence for Reason 1, P5 — Reason 2, and P6 — Evidence for Reason 2. Everything you need is already there. Your job now is to turn each outline note into one or two clear, specific sentences. You're not inventing anything new — you're expanding what you already planned.
A reason is strong when it answers the question "why does this matter?" in a way that is direct, specific, and connected to your stand. A reason is weak when it is vague, obvious, or just restates the problem.
"The canteen situation is bad for students." — That just repeats the problem. It doesn't give the reader a new reason to believe the stand.
"Students who skip lunch because the canteen has no food left cannot focus during afternoon classes." — A specific consequence the reader can believe.
Here is the step-by-step method.
Result: "Students who skip lunch because the canteen has no food left cannot focus during afternoon classes." One sentence. The problem connected directly to the consequence. That's P3.
P3 is not the place to explain everything. It is the place to state your reason clearly. If you find yourself writing three or four sentences in P3, you're probably mixing in evidence. Stop — the evidence goes in P4.
"Students who skip lunch because the canteen has no food left cannot focus during afternoon classes."
"Students who skip lunch cannot focus in afternoon classes. I know this because I counted 14 out of 20 Grade 5 students who said they felt sluggish. This has been happening for weeks..."
That's P3, P4, and a complaint all in one paragraph. Split them up. P3 must also connect directly to your stand — does P3 give a reason why your stand is correct? If a detail doesn't support the stand, like "the canteen was built in 2010," it's irrelevant. Leave it out.
Result: "In a survey of 20 Grade 5 students, 14 said they felt sluggish during their first afternoon subject on days when they couldn't buy food from the canteen." Specific number. Specific group. Specific situation. That's P4.
P5 is your second reason. It must approach the problem from a direction P3 did not cover. This is the most common mistake in P3–P6 — students write P5 as a restatement of P3, the same reason said in different words.
Before writing P5, ask: "Does this give the reader a reason they don't have yet?"
Result: "Students who cannot bring food from home have no backup option when the canteen sells out — they either buy from the nearby store at a higher price or go without eating." That's P5. One sentence. A new angle.
P6 works exactly the same way as P4. Go back to your outline note. Find the most specific, verifiable detail that proves P5. Write it in one or two sentences.
"Three Grade 5 students told me they went without lunch last week because they don't bring baon and can't afford the P35 meal at the store near the gate." Specific group. Specific number. Specific price. Specific consequence. That's P6.
Apply what you learned. Work through the activities below step by step.
| What to Check | Done ✅ | Try Again 🔄 |
|---|---|---|
| P3 is one or two sentences — reason only, no evidence mixed in | ☐ | ☐ |
| P4 has a specific number, real observation, or named person | ☐ | ☐ |
| P4 has no vague words like "many," "often," or "a lot" | ☐ | ☐ |
| P5 is a different angle from P3 — not the same reason restated | ☐ | ☐ |
| P6 has a specific number, real observation, or named person | ☐ | ☐ |
Answers will differ for each student. Use the rubric above or ask your teacher for help.
Each paragraph below has a problem. Pick the option that correctly identifies and fixes it.