What does a conclusion have to do?
A reader who reaches the end of an argument has just been asked to follow a line of reasoning. If it stops abruptly, or limps in with “In conclusion, there are many reasons”, the argument feels unfinished. The conclusion brings the argument to a unified end. The word unified is the key: the conclusion must feel as if every earlier part was heading there.
The course framework lists what a conclusion may do. It may:
- present or restate the thesis;
- explain the significance of the argument within a broader context;
- make connections (to other issues, to the reader’s own experience, to the introduction);
- call the audience to act, or suggest a change in behaviour or attitude;
- propose a solution;
- leave the audience with a compelling image;
- explain implications;
- summarise the argument;
- connect back to the introduction.
None of these is compulsory, and strong writers combine two or three. What matters is that the choice fits the rhetorical situation: who is reading, what the writer wants from them and what the moment demands.
The so-what test
A useful mental check is the so-what test. After the last sentence, would a thoughtful reader ask, “So what?” If the conclusion only repeats what the body already proved, the answer is yes: the essay has said what it thinks but not why it matters. A good conclusion answers the question in advance. It may say what follows if the claim is true, what should change, or what we can now see that we could not see before.
| Question the reader is asking | Conclusion strategy that answers it |
|---|---|
| “Why does this matter beyond the example?” | Significance in a broader context |
| “What should I do now?” | Call to act, change in attitude, solution |
| “What follows if this is right?” | Implications |
| “How does this relate to where we started?” | Return to the introduction |
| “What will I remember?” | A compelling image |
| “Can you pull it together?” | Summary of the line of reasoning, in new words |
Weak and strong conclusions side by side
Imagine an essay arguing that schools should move the first bell later (the running example from Topic 4.1).
Weak (Marlbridge example):
In conclusion, there are many reasons why school should start later. As I have said above, teenagers are tired, and schools should change. Thank you for reading.
Strong (Marlbridge example):
The bus driver who switches on her headlights at 6:40 is not the real problem; the timetable she serves is. A later bell will cost districts some inconvenience and some money, and it will return to students the hour of sleep that biology has been asking for. If a school’s job is to prepare students to learn, then it should schedule learning for the hours when learning is possible.
| Feature | Weak | Strong |
|---|---|---|
| Unity | A tacked-on phrase, “In conclusion” | Returns to the opening image of the bus driver, so the essay feels whole |
| New thinking | Repeats “there are many reasons” | Reframes the cause: the timetable, not the student |
| Significance | None | Links the claim to the purpose of schooling |
| Weighing the opposition | Ignored | A brief concession of cost, which makes the ending credible |
| Closing note | “Thank you for reading” | A final claim with force |
The strong version does not repeat the thesis word for word, yet the thesis is plainly present. It also avoids introducing a brand-new proof.
Common conclusion shapes
Return to the introduction. The conclusion revisits an image, question or scenario from the opening and shows it in a new light. This is effective when the introduction used an anecdote or scenario.
Widening the lens. The writer moves from the specific case to a larger principle. Be careful: a leap to “humanity” or “society as a whole” without a link is empty.
Narrowing to action. The writer ends on a clear proposal: who should do what next. This suits arguments of policy.
Looking forward. The writer considers implications, what will be true if the claim is accepted, or what questions remain.
Closing image. A short, vivid image that crystallises the argument, used sparingly and only when it is earned by the body.
Worked example 1: writing a conclusion that fits its purpose
Task. The body of an argument has made this case (Marlbridge example): a town should convert a disused railway line into a walking and cycling path. The three body paragraphs argued that the path would (1) reduce short car journeys, (2) bring custom to local shops and (3) give people without cars a safe route to the town centre. The introduction began with a scene of an empty platform with weeds growing between the rails.
Step 1: Identify the purpose and the audience. The purpose is to persuade the town council to approve funding, so a call to act is appropriate. The audience wants to know why the decision matters for the town as a whole.
Step 2: Choose strategies. A return to the introduction (the empty platform) unifies the essay. Significance (what the town becomes) shows the so-what. A call to act names the decision.
Step 3: Draft.
The platform at Millbrook has been empty for fifty years, and the council can decide this month to leave it that way or to let the town walk across it. A path would not only keep cars off the high street; it would give a resident without a car an hour’s safe passage into town and give the shops on the way a stream of new customers. A town that can turn a dead line into a living route has shown it can think about its future. The council should approve the funding.
Step 4: Check against the so-what test.
- Unity: the platform from the introduction returns, transformed.
- Significance: the path becomes a sign of what kind of town this is.
- Call to act: “approve the funding” is specific.
- Not new proof: the claims about shops and cars were already argued in the body; the conclusion only draws them together.
Worked example 2: describing the function of a published conclusion
Abraham Lincoln ended his Gettysburg Address in 1863 as follows:
…that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain—that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom—and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Step 1: Name the strategies. The sentence calls the audience to act (“we here highly resolve”), proposes an aim (a new birth of freedom) and ends with a compelling image of a government that endures (“shall not perish from the earth”). It also widens the lens from a battlefield to the survival of a form of government.
Step 2: Describe the effects.
- Unity: the sentence gathers up what the speech has said about the dead and the nation and turns it into one resolution.
- Call to act: the first-person plural “we” makes the audience share the task rather than merely listen.
- Rhythm and parallelism: the three “that” clauses and the triple phrase “of the people, by the people, for the people” give the end a rising, memorable cadence, so the audience leaves with a phrase they can repeat.
Step 3: Write the analysis sentence. Lincoln ends with a single resolution in three parts so that the audience, instead of simply mourning the dead, is invited to take on the unfinished work, and the memorable triple phrase fixes that purpose in their minds.
Common misconceptions
- “A conclusion must start with ‘In conclusion’.” It need not. Signposts like this often sit in place of an actual ending. A conclusion can be recognised without being labelled.
- “The best conclusion repeats the thesis exactly.” Exact repetition adds nothing. Restating in fresh words, and extending, is stronger.
- “A conclusion must widen to all of humanity.” Wide claims need support. “Since the dawn of time, people have…” is empty at the end just as at the beginning.
- “A conclusion is a summary.” Summary may be part of it. Alone, it only repeats.
- “A quotation at the end is a safe finish.” Only if it adds meaning. Many closing quotations simply decorate.
- “The call to action is always required.” Not every argument is about action; interpretation arguments can end on implications.
- “New evidence adds punch.” It often confuses. If new evidence is needed, it belongs in a body paragraph.
Where this leads
Introductions and conclusions frame the essay; Topic 4.3 shows how the thesis in the introduction can also preview the line of reasoning that the body then follows. Go back to Topic 4.1 if you want the matching ideas for openings. To check your understanding, try the practice questions, skim the revision notes, and use the checklist.
Quick questions
Should I restate my thesis in the conclusion?
You may, and it can help unify the essay, but do it in new words and add something: the significance, the consequence or the call that follows from the claim. A conclusion that only repeats the thesis wastes its last chance to persuade.
Is a call to action required?
No. A call to action suits an argument whose purpose is to move people to do something. For an argument about interpretation, the best ending may explain what the claim reveals or what it changes about how we should see the subject.
Can I add a new piece of evidence at the end?
It is risky. A new line of proof belongs in the body, where it can be explained. A conclusion may point to implications or consequences, but should not leave an unexamined claim dangling.