Take a Look at Our Guide on How to Write a Conclusion for an Essay
What Is a Conclusion in an Essay?
The conclusion is the final part of an essay, the main function of which is to restate the main argument. Psychologists say that what was said at the end of a conversation is best remembered. This is doubly true for academic papers: usually the teacher carefully reads only the introduction and conclusion.
Therefore, it is so important to know how to write a conclusion for an essay. We are here to tell you how to do it right.
Tips on How to Write an Essay Conclusion
Most academic writing assignments – with the exception of the solution of problems involving a numerical answer – end with a conclusion. The conclusion to an essay is essentially similar to a conclusion in other papers, such as in coursework and research papers.
- The final conclusion in the essay should be based on the facts and arguments set forth in the main part of the paper, as well as the positions of scientists, and the consideration of experimental results. The final part of the essay should be consistent with the elements of expert opinions given in the text.
- The conclusion in the essay should not contain fundamentally new facts – only generalizations of information provided earlier.
- The style of the conclusion should correspond to the style of the paper as a whole. If the paper is written in a dry scientific style, you should not add stylistic devices to the conclusion, otherwise it will look like an inorganic continuation that was artificially attached. Similarly, if a publicistic style was taken as a basis, the conclusion should not be significantly more strict.
- Do not use phrases such as “in my humble opinion,” “although I am not an expert,” and the like. They look like excuses and insecurities.
- The main thing is for the reader to understand that the essay is complete, and a logical conclusion is present; there should be no feeling that the author became distracted while writing, or that the paper is unfinished.
Types of Conclusions in an Essay
There are several approaches to completing an essay:
- Using a rhetorical question. If the essay was written in the form of questions and answers, you can complete it with a rhetorical question, forcing the readers to think about what they read and formulate a conclusion for themselves.
Example:
A rhetorical question does not imply a concrete answer. For example, “How much longer will our people suffer blatant injustice?” does not imply an answer in the style of saying, “three years and two months,” but hints that it is time to change something.
- Summarizing the author’s position. This is the classic way to complete the text. It is enough to simply summarize what follows from the previous information.
Example:
This type of conclusion can be begun with the words “So,” “Thus,” “Having analyzed … you can conclude ….”
- Call to action.
Example:
For essays, this is not very typical, but some social topics can be solved with the help of this type of conclusion. Examples: “Let’s start with ourselves and stop smoking tomorrow.” “Take the phone and just call the closest person – the world will be a little bit better.”
- Using quotes. It is much easier to put a quotation in the epigraph, but sometimes it is relevant in the conclusion.
Example:
“As we see, even today Shakespeare’s words remain true: ‘All the world’s a stage, and all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances; And one man in his time plays many parts.’”
- Using ring composition. The conclusion should overlap with the introduction. The simplest option: in the introduction, the question is posed, and in the conclusion, the answer is given to it.
Example:
“Now we can confidently answer that …”
Methods on How to Write a Conclusion for an Argumentative Essay
The method for writing the conclusion should be chosen long before the essay is completed – preferably even before starting work on the text. Examples of methods:
- In the process of writing the main part of the essay, jot down ideas for the ending. Putting forward and justifying a new thesis, jot it down on a separate sheet – then by the end of the work on the main part, you will have a form for the conclusion.
- Imagine that the readers ask the question: “So what?” Explain to them, with the help of a conclusion, why the whole text was read to them, and that they should bear it for themselves.
- Try to bring the reader to a higher level of awareness of your work. Do not just mechanically repeat what was said earlier, but make him or her want to answer, argue, or share a personal experience.
Formatting an Essay Conclusion
One aspect of successfully writing a conclusion to an essay is the format. Making a conclusion in an essay is extremely simple:
– No title is required (such as “conclusion,” “summary,” or something similar). You do not even need to start the conclusion on a new page. It is enough to complete the thought (constituting the last part of the main text of the paper) and smoothly proceed to the formulation of the conclusions.
– The conclusion begins with a new paragraph without special separators (no need to scratch it out or use other means).
– The conclusion should be commensurate with the essay itself. If the essay takes three pages, it is inappropriate to withdraw half of them for a conclusion. According to the general principle, the conclusion should be 5-10% of the whole essay; accordingly, in a three-page essay, it should be about a third of a page.
– The font parameters are not changed during the transition to writing a conclusion: if the entire text is written in size 14 Times New Roman, the conclusion is also written in this font.
How to Write a Conclusion for SAT Essays
How to start a conclusion in an essay? If you do not have time, one sentence is enough. The main thing is to finish the thought and put an end to the essay (the conclusion should give the text a sense of completion). This is sufficient if the examiner decides what grade you deserve without even reading the conclusion.
However, if you have more time at your disposal, it will be great to add a few final touches to the conclusion. No, you do not need to write a long paragraph. Moreover, if you still have so much time, it is better to make the main part engaging.
Ideally, the conclusion should consist of several sentences. We offer you a simple “recipe” that will help you to complete the essay perfectly.
- First sentence: describe the topic again.
- Second sentence: rephrase the main idea of the essay.
- Third sentence: add the “grand finale.”
Repeating individual thoughts from the main text is not necessary, but not forbidden. There is no need to invent anything extraordinary. Such a conclusion can hardly be called informative, interesting, or original. Just the opposite. The main thing that we have achieved is the desired result, which is summing up the essay in several sentences. Your task is to write a distinct ending. The fact is that you should not spend a lot of time on the conclusion; it is better to devote a few more minutes to the main text. Instead of worrying about the final part, think about how to improve the essay as a whole.
Important note
It is important to remember: this article presents a simplified approach. By itself, it does not guarantee an excellent result. If you do not follow this scheme, but instead fill your essay with deep thoughts and color it with an exquisite style, most likely you will still get a high score. In other words, if you write well, do not suddenly change your style. You should not think that examiners prefer the scheme described by us. However, if you find it difficult to write a convincing and clear conclusion, our “recipe” will help you.
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