Tips and Techniques on How to Write a Conclusion Paragraph of an Essay

Without a good conclusion, a well-written essay may also seem incomplete. So, it is necessary to write a comprehensive conclusion for your essay.

Writing a conclusion paragraph may seem easy to some. The basic function of a conclusion paragraph is to summarise the essay. Therefore, people usually pick and combine sentences from the whole essay to form a conclusion. However, this is not a very effective strategy.

Read this article ahead to understand the structure of a conclusion paragraph and the ways to write it. Also, check the dos and dont’s checklist at the end to evaluate your essay conclusion.

What is a Conclusion of an Essay?

A conclusion is the last paragraph of your essay or any other piece of writing. It is supposed to summarize your essay while restating your thesis. It should also convey the deeper message of the essay.

The conclusion should briefly inform the readers of all the major points discussed in the essay. It is the final impression of your essay.

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What is the Purpose of Writing Essay Conclusion?

A concluding paragraph has three main purposes, which are mentioned below:

1. The conclusion paragraph should describe the whole essay in a nutshell.
2. The thesis statement should be reiterated in the conclusion of the essay.
3. It should convey the bigger message given in the essay.

Types of Conclusions for an Essay

There are three main types of conclusions. Any of them can be opted for, depending on the type and purpose of the essay.

1. Summarization

Summarizing conclusions usually just reminds the writer of all the points discussed in the essay. They are majorly written for process essays and other kinds of descriptive essays. You will write all the steps of the process briefly again and mention the final point or the main message after it.

2. Editorialization

These types of conclusions are written in the essays, which require the writer to express their views about the topic. They are controversial or debatable topics. Editorialization can be written for argumentative essays, persuasive essays, etc.

3. Externalization

An externalized conclusion is written for an essay whose topic belongs to a greater cause. So, the conclusion reminds the reader of the broader implications. The conclusion will not add any new information, but it will just connect the essay to its original cause. Or, it will restate the bigger message in the conclusion.

Techniques to Write an Essay Conclusion

Following are some tips and techniques to write a great conclusion paragraph for your essay.

1. Write a Topic Sentence that Reiterates your Thesis

“How do you begin a conclusion?”

The first sentence of the conclusion paragraph is its topic sentence. This topic sentence should restate your stance mentioned in the thesis statement.

The thesis statement is usually written at the end of the introduction paragraph. But in the conclusion, it is rephrased and mentioned at the start of the paragraph.

2. Take the Lead from the Introductory Paragraph

The introduction serves to provide a roadmap of the essay, while the conclusion reminds the reader of all the previously discussed points. So, the introduction paragraph can give the supporting points for the conclusion.

Moreover, the introduction consists of the thesis statement, which must also be mentioned in the conclusion paragraph. Thus, the introduction paragraph can be helpful.

3. Synthesize, Don’t Copy While Summarizing

You have to summarize the whole essay in the conclusion paragraph. This does not mean that you should copy-paste sentences or expressions from the essay’s body paragraphs.

Instead, discuss those points briefly. Even the thesis statements should not be mentioned as it is.

4. Add Provocative Sentences or Quotations

You can not add any new information to the conclusion. But you can always add provoking quotations or sentences that make the conclusion more impactful.

These ideas may be picked from the essay or can be taken from an external source. However, they should be linked to the message being conveyed in the conclusion paragraph.

5. Create an Impact through your Conclusion

Your conclusion should tell the reader why the discussion about the specific topic was necessary. The message that you are conveying in the essay should impact the reader.

You should remind the importance of your ideas to your readers. To do this, you can add impactful sentences or other emotional connotations. But these should fit in the conclusion naturally.

6. A Good Closing Sentence

The conclusion paragraph should give a sense of closure. Always try to end the conclusion paragraph on a happy or hopeful note. Do not end the conclusion without clearly conveying your message or by giving some devastating conclusion.

7. Follow the Rule of Specific to General

The conclusion paragraph should follow the rule of specific to general. It should begin with the message of the thesis statement and end at the broader message being conveyed through your whole essay.

Keep in mind that the order of the conclusion is opposite to the introduction, in which the rule of general to specific is followed. This is because, after the introduction, you have to answer the questions of the reader. While after the conclusion, you should keep the reader wondering about the topic.

8. Rechecking and Revising

Read your paper with your conclusion. See if the conclusion properly reminds the reader of the whole essay. Also, reread the conclusion paragraph to check if there are any grammatical mistakes. Make the necessary revisions.

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Checklist for a Good Essay Conclusion

If you have written a good conclusion for your essay, then it should qualify the following points:

1. Summarizes the Essay

A good conclusion will convey all the points of the essay and its meaning effectively. The conclusion will simply summarize the essay.

2. Does Not Have New Information

Another major feature of a good conclusion is that it does not have any new information. Adding new points in the conclusion will confuse the reader and will kill the purpose of the conclusion.

3. Conveys the Message

Make sure that your reader understands the implications of your argument. Then, the essay creates the impact that it was required to do.

4. No Replication of Sentences

As mentioned earlier, summarizing does not mean copying. The sentences of information mentioned in the essay should not be replicated in the conclusion paragraph. Instead, try to rewrite all the points.

5. Ends on a Positive Note

A good essay or any other academic paper will always end positively. Even if it is the most horrifying issue, the conclusion paragraph should give a ray of hope.

6. Connects to the Thesis

Your thesis statement is the essence of your essay. Therefore, the conclusion should be in line with the thesis statement. If your conclusion differs from it or fails to comply with it, it is a major problem.

Mistakes to Avoid While Writing an Essay Conclusion

In order to write the best conclusion paragraph, make sure to avoid the following mistakes:

1. Using Cliched Words or Phrases

There are some widely used words or phrases that people use to start their essays. For instance, In conclusion, To Conclude, In the end, etc. Unfortunately, these phrases make the text look monotonous. It also lowers the impact of your essay.

2. Making it Painfully Short

The conclusion sums up the whole essay. If you have written a conclusion that is shorter than the body paragraphs, then you have missed some details that should be ideally included. So, don’t write a very short conclusion. Even if you are writing a 500-word essay, make sure that your conclusion is lengthy enough to effectively summarize the whole essay.

3. Adding New or Extra Information

The conclusion should never include any new information, facts, or pieces of information. Similarly, when you are summarizing the essay, don’t add extra information from the essay.

Just briefly describe all the points. All of the points have already been explained in the essay in detail. So, do not fill in your conclusion with too much information.

4. Avoid Having a Devastating End

No matter how big or worse the issue being discussed in the topic is, never end your conclusion on a devastating note.

You should point out all the problems but not in a way to torcher the reader. Thus, you should always write a concluding sentence that conveys hope or betterment.

5. Making Unnecessary Emotional Appeals

Emotional connotations are used to create an impactful conclusion, but only where they are relatable. For instance, calling out all women would be necessary for an essay based on gender disparities but not for the use of technology. So, avoid making unnecessary emotional appeals.

How to Write a Good Conclusion - Example

An example of a good conclusion for an essay based on the significance of recycling is as follows:

“Recycling is very significant to conserve the environment. It saves the environment and decreases the requirement of collecting raw materials. Furthermore, it also keeps the material that can be reused out of landfills and makes the garbage disposal process smoother. Some benefits of recycling to our environment are that it reduces the carbon footprint of humans because new materials will not be synthesized. Instead, the previous will be reused again and again. Recycling also helps to reduce the release of pollutants in the atmosphere and the environment. So, it also contributed to the decrease in the greenhouse effect. Recycling helps reduce dumping material in two ways. First, it will reduce the production wastage, and second, it will reduce the domestic wastage of used products. Recycling is a major step towards conserving the environment. All countries sure implement it to combat climate change. It can be a valuable addition to our fight against climate change.”

Examples of an Ineffective Essay Conclusion

An ineffective conclusion may look like the one mentioned below:

“Concludingly, Abraham Lincoln was the best American President. The reasons are his honesty and his bravery. All new presidents should follow his example. He was the greatest president.”

We have explained all the characteristics and examples of effective conclusions. Follow the guidelines mentioned in this blog to write such conclusions for your essays or other academic papers. If you are looking for more conclusion examples for other types of essays, check the samples below.

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