The primary purpose of this study was to investigate the efficacy of formulaic writing such as the five-paragraph theme (FPT) or essay for the purpose of earning high scores on high-stakes writing assessments. This qualitative descriptive study analyzed more than 1000 essays from Delaware Grade 8 and 10 writers, written for a statewide direct-writing assessment. The essays were analyzed for two features: the organization scheme that writers selected and the essays' levels of development. The study found that while more students chose to write FPTs, writers were just as likely to earn high scores using some other, non-formulaic organization scheme. Level of development was a good predictor of earned scores, with writers who chose more varied strategies to elaborate ideas receiving higher scores. The following are appended: (1) Writing Prompts; and (2) Delaware Student Testing Program--General Writing Rubric. (Contains 1 note, 3 tables, and 6 figures.)