How to Write a Strong Conclusion for Your Essay (2023)

Last updated: November 2019

Ever wondered how to conclude an essay?

For some students, it’s far from the most challenging part of essay writing. They find it more challenging tochoose a good topicfor an essay,state a thesis, or write a clearessay outline. But our reader Emily has knocked spots off them all when asked to share tips on how to write a conclusion for your essay to impress teachers and help you get an A!

Don’t worry, Emily, you are not alone.

A concluding sentence of your essay isn’t less but sometimes even more challenging to write than its introduction. Our writers know it firsthand, so they give consent graciously to share the ultimate guide on conclusion definition, conclusion paragraph outline, conclusion examples, and expert tips on how to how to write a conclusion for a research paper.

So, keep on reading to master the art of writing essay conclusions once and for all.

What is an Essay Conclusion?

Conclusion definition is simple:

It’s the last paragraph of your essay or any other college pager, summarizing its thesis and arguments. It helps readers see why your essay should matter to them.

Why you need to know how to end an essay:

A conclusion provides closure and drives the main points of your essay one last time. It’s the chance to impress and give readers an understanding of why your paper matters. In other words, your essay conclusion should answer the question, “So what?”

• Give the audience something to think about after they finish reading your essay.
• A conclusion should give completeness to your paper. Ending it on a positive note would be a good practice.

It’snotabout introducing new ideasbutsumming up your writing. The goal is to restate the thesis, summarize the essay’s body, and leave readers with a final impression.

Key aspects to remember:

1. A strong essay conclusion restates,notrewrites your thesis from the introduction.
2. A strong essay conclusion consists of three sentencesminimum.
3. It concludes thoughts,notpresents new ideas.

Example source: Purdue OWL

So, here’s how to write a conclusion for your essay.

Conclusion Paragraph Outline

The number of sentences in your conclusion will depend on how many paragraphs (statements) you have in the essay.

Conclusion paragraph outline:

1) A conclusion starter:

• It’s the sentence restaining a thesis of your essay. So, if you wonder how to start a conclusion, rephrase your thesis statement and write it first.

2) A summary of the main parts of an essay:

• Here you’ll have 2-3 sentences wrapping up the arguments of your essay. Explain how they fit together.

3) A concluding sentence:

• It’s a final sentence of your essay, providing a sense of closure and connecting readers back to the introduction.

Here goes a standard structure with conclusion examples for you to understand how to conclude an essay:

Sentence #1:restate the thesis by making the same point with other words (paraphrase).

~ Example:

• Thesis: “Dogs are better pets than cats.”
• Paraphrased: “Dogs make the best pets in the world.”

Sentence #2-4:review your arguments; summarize them by paraphrasing how you proved the thesis.

~ Example:

• “Dogs are cleaner, better at showing affection, and ultimately easier to train.”

Sentence #5:connect back to theessay hookand relate your closing statement to the opening one; transit to human nature to impress a reader and give them food for thought.

~ Example:

• “Change your life for the better – go get a dog.”

Finally, combine all sentences to the improved and expanded essay conclusion. Based on the above examples, it might look as follows:

• “There is no doubt that dogs make the best pets in the world. They provide a cleaner environment for your home, are not afraid to show their feelings, and can be trained to do a variety of tricks and jobs. Every second that goes by, you are missing out on happiness. Get out of your chair and make a positive difference in your life – go get a dog!”

Also, you will need atransition wordto make readers understand you are going to conclude an essay. The most common are“In conclusion..,”“To sum up,”and“As previously stated…,”butdon’t use them!(If you don’t want to drive your teacher nuts, of course.)

Try“So…”instead. Or,visit the web pageof the University of Richmond’s Writing Center to find more transitional words for a concluding sentence of your essay.

Bang!

You’ve been hit by the structure of essay conclusions.

And now:

Top Strategies to Use for Writing Essay Conclusions

Here are the most effective strategies to use when writing a conclusion sentence of your college paper.

Echo

Paraphrase the essay introduction to bring a full-circle to readers. Ending an essay with the same scenario might help to prove your point and create a better understanding.

Example (source):

Introduction:

• “From the parking lot, I could see the towers of the castle of the Magic Kingdom standing stately against the blue sky. To the right, the tall peak of The Matterhorn rose even higher. From the left, I could hear the jungle sounds of Adventureland. As I entered the gate, Main Street stretched before me with its quaint shops evoking an old-fashioned small town so charming it could never have existed. I was entranced. Disneyland may have been built for children, but it brings out the child in adults.”

Echo-conclusion:

• “I thought I would spend a few hours at Disneyland, but here I was at 1:00 A.M., closing time, leaving the front gates with the now dark towers of the Magic Kingdom behind me. I could see tired children, toddling along and struggling to keep their eyes open as best they could. Others slept in their parents’ arms as we waited for the parking lot tram that would take us to our cars. My forty-year-old feet ached, and I felt a bit sad to think that in a couple of days I would be leaving California, my vacation over, to go back to my desk. But then I smiled to think that for at least a day I felt ten years old again.”

Prediction

Try looking to the future for emphasizing the importance of your essay and give readers food for thought. “When” and “if” are power words to support your points in this strategy for essay conclusions.

Example:

• “Physical punishment can be a useful method of discipline. However it should be the last choice for parents. If we want to build a world with less violence we must begin at home, and we must teach our children to be responsible.”

Step-up

You might want to amplify the main point of an essay or put it in a different perspective for setting a larger context. That would help readers gain a new vision on the topic and bring ideas altogether to create a new but related meaning.

Examples (source):

• “Finally, I feel that we cannot generalize about children or adults being better learners. It depends on the situation and the motivation of the person, and the level of enthusiasm he or she has for learning.”
• “Society would be healthier if more people took part in sports of all kinds. We should continue to try to prevent accidents and injuries. However, we should also ensure that sports are challenging, exciting, and, above all, fun.”

How to Conclude an Essay So It Wouldn’t Fail

With all of the above, you feel like a guru who writes coolpersuasive essaysandnarratives, don’t you? The structure and strategies are clear, and nothing can stop you on the way toward high grades for college papers. Go for it!

But first, a warning:

When writing a strong essay conclusion, be sure to avoid these teeny-tiny pitfalls able to sink your paper despite it waslegen… wait for it…dary!

1. Don’twrite any new information. Your essay conclusion is about summarizing the thesis and statements.
2. Don’tshare personal thoughts unless you write a first-person opinion piece.
3. Don’trestate each and all the details. You have body paragraphs for that.
4. Don’tjust restate the thesis if you can provide some further – not new! – sophistication to original ideas.
5. Don’twrite lousy words in the conclusion, but use concise language instead.

Long Story Short…

Your essay needs a conclusion to drive the main points and give an understanding of why it matters. Writing a strong concluding sentence might be challenging, but a clear structure, together with several strategies to operate, provide you a room to work.

To end an essay like a boss, consider its type and audience. A conclusion is your last chance to impress readers and give them something to think about, so do your best to summarize statements and answer a “So what?” question the audience might have after reading your paper.

So, now you’ve got the answer on how to write a conclusion. Ready to conclude an essay like a boss? If still in doubt, ask our writers for essay help. 😉