The conclusion

By the time you get to your conclusion, you should have written an introduction and two body paragraphs. The conclusion is a bit easier and a bit more flexible than those other paragraphs. In your conclusion, you have three things to do:

• Let the reader know you are ending
• Recap: Tell the reader what you have said
• Answer: Tell the reader what your answer to the question is.

The recap and answer can go in either order. In other words, you can answer before you recap if you prefer.

Let the reader know you are ending

Letting the reader know you are ending is easy. You just need to start your conclusion with 'In conclusion,' or 'To conclude,'. Don't forget the comma!

Recap

To recap, you need to repeat what your main points were. These should be the same points you wrote about in your outline. They should also match what your topic sentences say.

Answer

To answer the question, all you need to do is tell the reader what your answer to the question is. This should match what you've written in your thesis statement.

Examples

To conclude, taking homework away from students makes them less stressed and frees up time for more useful activities. As a result, I believe that it would be better for students to be free from homework.

In this example, it is clear that I have done all three of the jobs I need to do. I've started with 'To conclude,' to let the reader know I am ending. I've then highlighted what my main points were and given my answer.

In conclusion, while I appreciate the cultural benefits of international travel, I believe that the environmental costs are too high. As a result, in my view, it is better to take a staycation than travel abroad.

This example follows a similar pattern to the one above. In both of these examples, I've used 'As a result,' to help logically connect my reasons to my answer. You can also see that I have used a 'while' sentence to add some complex grammar to my conclusion. You don't need to do this, but if you are confident with your grammar, it's a reliable way to score some extra points for grammar.

In conclusion, financially encouraging parents to stay at home is beneficial long term. First, because it helps children grow up well, and second, because it is a good financial investment in the future.

This example is quite different to the first two. I have put my answer first and then followed up with my conclusion. However, it still does all three jobs. Sometimes you will find one way of putting the answer together easier. Either way is fine as long as you do all of the jobs you need to.

Exercise

Congratulations, you've almost finished your first essay. Today we are going to wrap up by writing the conclusion. For this, you are going to need to:

• Tell the reader you are ending with 'To conclude,' or 'In conclusion,'
• Answer the question.
• Recap your answer.

You can recap first and then answer if that is easier for you.

For the conclusion, you are going to want to go back and take a look at what you've already written. The answer should match your thesis statement. For the recap, you want to make reference to the points you made in your topic sentences.

Just to remind you, the question for this essay is:

Celebrities can often be found sharing their views on political issues that have nothing to do with their profession.
Is this a positive or a negative development?

Don't forget to post your conclusion below. 👌🏻