An enduring issue essay outline follows a fixed five-part shape: an introduction with a claim, three body sections, each a body paragraph built around one source, and a conclusion that connects the issue to the present day. This structure comes from the Enduring Issues Essay, Part III of the New York State Global History and Geography II Regents exam, where a clear outline decides how well a first draft holds together under a timed test. Below is a fill-in-the-blank template, a worked example, and the mistakes that quietly cost students points on this and other enduring issues tasks. For the complete step-by-step guide to writing this task itself, see our enduring issues essay guide.
What an Enduring Issue Essay Outline Needs to Cover
Every enduring issue essay outline needs to account for the same five moving parts, regardless of which topic a student picks:
- An introduction with a claim naming the topic and its significance
- Body section 1: your first source plus outside info
- Body section 2: your second source plus outside info
- Body section 3: your third source plus outside info
- A conclusion linking the topic to the present day
The Enduring Issues Essay is Part III of the Global History and Geography II Regents exam, scored on a rubric that rewards analysis over summary. Before outlining, students choose one topic from the document set, such as power and authority, human rights, or nationalism. According to the state’s own guidance, an enduring issue is a challenge or problem that a society has faced and debated across multiple time periods, see the official Enduring Issues Chart. An outline built around that definition keeps every section tied to the same thread instead of drifting into three unrelated document summaries.
The Enduring Issue Essay Outline Template
This Enduring Issues Essay outline template ties directly to the rubric. Copy the table into a notes app or the margin of the exam booklet before reading the documents or drafting. Fill each cell in one or two sentences, not full sections, and note which of the three documents each row uses. The outline exists to organize the argument, not to write it twice.
| Section | What to Write |
|---|---|
| Introduction | Name the topic, define it in one sentence, and end with a claim stating why it matters and how it has persisted. |
| Body section 1 | Topic sentence naming your first source, a specific detail from it, one piece of outside information, and a sentence tying it back to your claim. |
| Body section 2 | Same structure using your second source, chosen to show a different time period or angle on the same topic. |
| Body section 3 | Same structure using your third source, ideally the most recent or most dramatic example of the topic. |
| Conclusion | Restate your claim in new words, summarize how the three documents proved it, and connect the topic to a present-day example. |
The conclusion row follows the same techniques used in any Enduring Issues Essay conclusion. See our essay conclusion guide for phrasing options beyond the exam-specific present-day connection.
How to Outline Your Thesis and Introduction
A thesis formula that fits every enduring issue
A thesis for the Enduring Issues Essay has two jobs: name the topic and argue that it is significant and enduring. A reliable formula is to state the issue, then list the three time periods or documents that will prove it, in the order the body sections will use them.
Model thesis: “The enduring issue of human rights violations has remained significant across centuries, as freedoms were denied during the Age of Imperialism, the Holocaust, and the Cambodian genocide under the Khmer Rouge.”
Keep the introduction to four or five sentences: a hook or context sentence, a one-sentence definition of the issue, and the claim. Longer introductions eat into the time available for the three body sections, where most of the score comes from. For general guidance on building the sentence itself, see our thesis statement guide.
How to Outline Each Body Section
Each body section in the outline should budget space for four distinct jobs, starting with a topic sentence. Treating them as four separate outline lines, rather than one vague note to “cover the material,” is what keeps the draft from turning into summary.
| Section Part | What It Does |
|---|---|
| Topic sentence | Names the material and previews how it connects to the topic. |
| Source evidence | Specific, relevant details such as a quote, statistic, or event from the source, cited as (Doc 1), (Doc 2), or (Doc 3). |
| Outside information (O.I.) | A fact from outside the source set, such as a date, a name, or a related event the student already knows. |
| Analysis | Explains why the evidence matters and links it back to the claim, rather than restating it. |
Outside information is the part outlines skip most often, and it is graded separately from document use. Jot the O.I. fact into the outline before drafting so it is not invented under time pressure, and keep it relevant to the issue rather than a random detail.
Worked Example: Outlining a Body Section
Here is a completed outline line for a body section on the enduring issue of power and authority, using the Roman Republic as the material, annotated by function.
Topic sentence: The Roman Republic shows how concentrated power destabilizes a system built on shared authority.
Source evidence: Julius Caesar crossed the Rubicon in defiance of the Senate, seizing power the Republic’s constitution denied him (Doc 1).
Outside information: Caesar’s assassination in 44 BCE by senators fearing a monarchy shows how far the Republic’s institutions would go to resist one-man rule.
Analysis: Both events prove the claim that power, once concentrated, threatens the systems meant to restrain it, a pattern the next two body sections would trace into later centuries.
Notice that the analysis sentence does not repeat the evidence. It explains what the evidence proves and points toward the next section, which is what separates an outline that leads to analysis from one that leads to summary.
Common Enduring Issue Essay Outline Mistakes
Most low scores on enduring issues essays trace back to the outline stage, not the drafting stage. These are the mistakes graders see most often.
| Mistake | Why It Costs Points |
|---|---|
| Summarizing instead of analyzing | Restating what a document says without explaining why it matters earns no analysis credit on the rubric. |
| Skipping outside information | O.I. is scored as its own rubric line. An outline without a planned O.I. fact per section loses that credit by default. |
| A claim with no stated significance | Naming a topic without saying why it matters or how it endured leaves the claim descriptive rather than argumentative. |
| Reusing one document twice | Each of the three body sections must draw on a different document. Doubling up forfeits a full section of possible credit. |
| A conclusion that just restates the intro | Conclusions that skip the present-day connection miss the final rubric point for extending the issue beyond the documents. |
FAQ
How long should an outline be for this essay?
Five to eight lines is enough: one line for the claim and one or two lines per body section noting the source, the O.I. fact, and the analysis angle. A longer outline starts eating into drafting time.
Can I reuse the same outline for a different enduring issue?
The five-part shape, intro, three body sections, and conclusion, stays the same for any of the enduring issues the exam tests. Only the claim, documents, and O.I. facts change, which is why it helps to memorize the template rather than the content.
What is the difference between a source citation and outside info?
A source citation, written as (Doc 1), (Doc 2), or (Doc 3), points to evidence inside the given source set. Outside information is a fact the student supplies from prior knowledge, such as a date or related event, and it is graded on a separate rubric line.
Do I need a hook in my introduction?
A hook is optional and should never take more than one sentence. Graders are looking for the topic definition and claim, not a creative opener, so an outline that spends its introduction line on the claim is a safer use of time. This document-based structure carries over to the documented essay format used in other history and social studies classes. For outline templates for other essay types, visit our essay outline guide hub.
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Terry is a Chicago-based writer and editor who creates practical, student-friendly guides on essay writing, research, and citation styles (APA, MLA, and Chicago). He’s spent 15+ years editing educational content and building clear examples that help readers apply rules without guessing. When he’s not revising drafts, he’s usually turning messy notes into clean outlines and hunting down the one detail everyone skips.