Short on time? This page is the recap. For explanations and worked examples, use the full study guide.
Recap
- A conclusion brings the argument to a unified end.
- It may present the thesis, explain significance, make connections, call the audience to act, suggest a change in behaviour or attitude, propose a solution, leave a compelling image, explain implications, summarise or connect to the introduction.
- A conclusion is judged by its effect on the audience in this situation.
- Reading tasks ask what a conclusion does; writing tasks ask you to produce one that fits the purpose.
Key relationships
| If the purpose is… | A strong conclusion might… |
|---|---|
| To persuade a decision-maker | Name the decision, the consequence and the next step |
| To change an attitude | Reframe the subject and leave an image that lingers |
| To interpret something | Show what the interpretation reveals or changes |
| To reflect on an experience | Return to the opening scene with new understanding |
| To inform and persuade a general audience | Widen to a related concern, but only with a clear link |
| Test | Question to ask |
|---|---|
| So-what | Does the last paragraph add meaning, or only repeat? |
| Unity | Does it feel connected to where the essay began? |
| Proportion | Is it short enough to land, long enough to matter? |
| Fit | Does it suit this audience and purpose? |
Assumptions and conventions
- In a timed essay a conclusion is often two to four sentences.
- Restating the thesis is fine if the wording is fresh and something is added.
- Do not write “In conclusion” as a substitute for a real ending.
- Do not apologise or hedge in the last sentence (“I may be wrong, but…”).
Mistakes to avoid
- Repeating the introduction word for word.
- Writing a list of what you have said (“First… second… third…”).
- Introducing new proof that is never explained.
- Grand generalisations such as “since the dawn of time”.
- A call to action that does not follow from the argument.
- Ending with a quotation you do not discuss.
- Naming the strategy without its effect when analysing someone else’s conclusion.
Worked mini-example
Prompt: an essay has argued that a town should keep a swimming pool open. The introduction began with a child learning to float.
Weak ending: “In conclusion, the pool is important and should stay open.”
Stronger ending: “The child who learned to float in that pool is now a lifeguard there. A town that closes the pool closes the place where one generation teaches the next, and the council should keep it open.”
The stronger ending returns to the opening image, adds significance (a place where generations meet) and ends on a call to act.
On the exam
In a reading question, name the strategy of a conclusion and state its effect on the audience. In an argument essay, spend your last minutes on two or three sentences that add significance, not on a summary.
Quick self-check
- Give two things a conclusion can do besides summarise. (For example: explain significance, call to act, propose a solution, leave an image, connect to the introduction.)
- What is wrong with ending an essay “In conclusion, there are many reasons why this is true”? (It repeats, adds nothing and fails the so-what test.)
- A speech’s last sentence is a resolution beginning “we here highly resolve”. Name the strategy and its effect. (Call to act; it makes the audience share responsibility.)
Next: practice questions.