Teachers across the country consider the best methods to teach writing in the middle school and high school. They aspire for students to produce writing aimed at real audiences and purposes, writing that follows the author's thinking and leads readers to discoveries about the topic. Many teachers believe that a formula in writing could offer students enough scaffolding to move them closer to a passing or proficient grade on high-stakes, mandated state examinations. Fortunately, data are emerging that might shed some light on the degree to which formulaic structure may or may not improve students' writing. In this article, the author presents a study that offers some insights into how five-paragraph themes and other-than-formulaic writing methods serve students on state-mandated, high school graduation exit examinations. The study, conducted by Bonnie R. Albertson of the University of Delaware, analyzed over one thousand essays written by eighth- and tenth-grade students in response to Delaware's state direct-writing assessment.