Last updated: November 2019
How to conclude an essay:
- Restate the thesis by making the same point with other words (paraphrase).
- Review your supporting ideas.
- For that, summarize all arguments by paraphrasing how you proved the thesis.
- Connect back to the essay hook and relate your closing statement to the opening one.
- Combine all the above to improved and expanded conclusion.
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:
- A strong essay conclusion restates,notrewrites your thesis from the introduction.
- A strong essay conclusion consists of three sentencesminimum.
- 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!
- Don’twrite any new information. Your essay conclusion is about summarizing the thesis and statements.
- Don’tshare personal thoughts unless you write a first-person opinion piece.
- Don’trestate each and all the details. You have body paragraphs for that.
- Don’tjust restate the thesis if you can provide some further – not new! – sophistication to original ideas.
- 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. 😉
FAQs
How do you write a powerful conclusion in an essay? ›
A conclusion should always:
Highlight the key argument presented in the essay. Summarise the answer to the essay question, as signalled in the introduction. Refer back to the essay question to show that it has been answered. Reinforce the main theme of the essay, which has been established in the introduction.
- End the essay on a positive note.
- Communicate the importance of your ideas and the subject matter.
- Provide the reader with a sense of closure.
- Reiterate and summarize your main points.
- Rephrase and then restate your thesis statement.
- all things considered.
- clearly.
- given these points.
- I feel we have no choice but to conclude.
- in conclusion.
- in drawing to a close.
- in general.
- in light of this information.
- after all.
- as a result.
- briefly.
- by and large.
- consequently.
- finally.
- hence.
- in any case.
A strong conclusion aims to: Tie together the essay's main points. Show why your argument matters. Leave the reader with a strong impression.
How do you write a smart conclusion? ›- Summarise the thesis. A useful conclusion reminds the reader of the topic and the aim of your article. ...
- Repeat your supporting arguments. ...
- Connect your introductory and concluding paragraphs. ...
- Provide some useful observations. ...
- Give the readers some points to think about.
A conclusion does not introduce new ideas; instead, it should clarify the intent and importance of the paper. It can also suggest possible future research on the topic.
How do you end a conclusion paragraph? ›- Conclude by linking the last paragraph to the first, perhaps by reiterating a word or phrase you used at the beginning.
- Conclude with a sentence composed mainly of one-syllable words.
- Reinforce your thesis statement in your opening sentence. ...
- Restate your supporting points. ...
- Note your final thoughts. ...
- Connect your opening and closing statements. ...
- Encourage action or thought. ...
- End on a positive note. ...
- Proofread your work carefully.
Example Sentences
The evidence does not support the report's conclusions. The evidence points to the inescapable conclusion that she was negligent. The logical conclusion is that she was negligent.
What are the 3 types of conclusions? ›
In particular, embedded, retrospective, reflective, and projective forms are four main types of conclusions suitable for different academic papers.
What are the 3 steps to drawing a conclusion? ›Steps in Drawing Conclusions
Review all the information stated about the person, setting, or event. Next, look for any facts or details that are not stated, but inferred. Analyze the information and decide on the next logical step or assumption. The reader comes up with a conclusion based on the situation.
- Restate your research topic. ...
- Restate the thesis. ...
- Summarize the main points of your research. ...
- Connect the significance or results of the main points. ...
- Conclude your thoughts.
...
How to Write a Memorable Conclusion: 5 Techniques of Famous...
- The Bonus Tip. ...
- The Quote. ...
- The Zoom-In. ...
- The Full Circle Story. ...
- The Urgent Call to Action.
The conclusion paragraph should restate your thesis, summarize the key supporting ideas you discussed throughout the work, and offer your final impression on the central idea. This final summation should also contain the moral of your story or a revelation of a deeper truth.
Can a conclusion be 3 sentences? ›A strong essay conclusion restates, not rewrites your thesis from the introduction. A strong essay conclusion consists of three sentences minimum. It concludes thoughts, not presents new ideas.