Conclusions can sometimes be a bit tricky to write, and for some students the conclusion is the most dreaded part of essay writing. But they are worth investing time in, as they can have a significant influence on the reader’s experience of your paper. It is the last thing they read and what they will remember the best.
A good conclusion should do the following:
End the essay in a rounded way and give the reader a feeling of closure.
Link all your ideas together and sum up your arguments or opinions.
Answer your thesis question.
You can think of conclusions as the opposite of an introduction: Introductions start broadly, introducing the topic in general terms before it is narrowed down to a thesis statement that is presented at the end of the paragraph. In a conclusion, you turn this funnelling process upside down: you start with the specific (your thesis statement), then paraphrase and synthesise the main ideas from your text before you end up with general reflections about the topic you have been writing about.
Introductions and conclusions function together as the frame around the argument of your essay. It might be a good idea to write both the introduction and the conclusion to your text at the end of the writing process, and to write them at the same time. Then you can be certain that the two paragraphs mirror each other and that they are both clearly relevant to the main body of your text.
Summary vs conclusion
One important thing to keep in mind is the difference between a summary and a conclusion. In the past, you may have been told that your conclusion should include your thesis statement and a summary of your main points. It is useful to go through some of your arguments from the text in the conclusion, but if you really want the reader to remember your text and reflect upon your findings, you should go beyond simply repeating what you have already said. A summary will not leave your reader with anything other than a refreshed memory of what they have previously read.
Instead, your aim should be to offer the reader something new to think about or at least a new way of thinking about what you have said in your paper. So instead of merely summarising your text, you should try to combine your ideas and create new reflections for the reader. However, you should never include totally new ideas in your conclusion. Everything you write about in your final paragraph should be related to the content of the main body of your text.
Example
Conclusions vary depending on the topic, the writer, and the genre. Here, we are going to look at a conclusion taken from a research paper about the importance of improving educational opportunities in developing countries. In the main body, the writer has been discussing the benefits of universal education – for the individual and for society in general. The first sentence in bold is a reiteration of the thesis statement from the introduction: "How can improved educational opportunities benefit developing countries?"
We can clearly see the benefits of improved educational opportunities for people in developing countries.
Here, we see that the sentence is clearly related to the thesis statement, but it is not a word for word repetition of it. The sentence also points back to the discussion in the body of the text: "We can clearly see..."
The next few lines in the conclusion is a presentation of the most important points that have been discussed in the main body of the text. But instead of listing them one by one, they have been synthesised and combined into one reflection.
For the individual, an education can be a matter of life and death and a ticket out of poverty. However, improved educational opportunities also have far-reaching consequences beyond the individual. In countries where the government has a strong emphasis on universal education, we see an improvement in health, reduction in child births, and a better standard of living. More people will be able to work, which again results in higher income for the state and more room for social development. The benefits are especially clear in countries where girls are given a chance to go to school, ...
The writer goes on to put the discussion into a larger context. He gives the reader a few things to think about, for example the link between gender equality and social development and the possible benefits for the entire world. He ends the text with a quote, which can help leave the reader with a long-lasting impression.
... and the link between gender equality and improved living conditions is a topic that also should be further explored. With the enormous benefits that universal education has for the individual countries, we could only imagine the ripple effects it would have on the world as a whole. Perhaps we should remind ourselves of former South African President Nelson Mandela's words: “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world."
Conclusion in full
We can clearly see the benefits of improved educational opportunities for people in developing countries. For the individual, an education can be a matter of life and death and a ticket out of poverty. However, improved educational opportunities also also have far-reaching consequences beyond the individual. In countries where the government has a strong emphasis on universal education, we see an improvement in health, reduction in child births, and a better standard of living. More people will be able to work, which again results in higher income for the state and more room for social development. The benefits are especially clear in countries where girls are given a chance to go to school, and the link between gender equality and improved living conditions is a topic that also should be further explored. With the enormous benefits that universal education has for the individual countries, we could only imagine the ripple effects it would have on he world as a whole. Perhaps we should remind ourselves of former South African President Nelson Mandela's words: “Education is the most powerful weapon we can use to change the world."
A few things to remember about writing a conclusion:
Never introduce new facts and information that has not been discussed in the main body of the text.
It depends on the type of essay you are writing, but conclusions do not have to be very long. In short essays, 3-4 lines is likely to be enough. In longer texts, like a research paper, you should probably add a bit more substance to make sure that you leave the reader with a clear picture of what you have found out (as seen in the example above).
Avoid writing conclusions about the topic in general. Your conclusion should relate directly to the question you have been discussing and sum up the specific ideas in the main body of your essay.
Introductions and conclusions are part of a common framework and should mirror each other. You could pick up some of the wording from the introduction and use it in the conclusion. If you start the introduction with a quote, it could be a good idea to end the conclusion with another quote.