Along with the introduction, the conclusion frames your essay to give it a sense of being a whole. It’s also your last opportunity to convince the reader of your argument, so it’s vital to make it count.
Despite this, some don’t give the conclusion the attention it requires. This inevitably means missing out on marks that could affect your overall grade.
It’s therefore worth taking time to ensure the conclusion to your essay is up to scratch. For example, have you done the following?
1. Synthesise Your Argument, Rather than Summarising
Closure is important, so it’s not enough to simply summarise your argument in the conclusion. Do briefly restate your point to remind the reader what you’ve said, but make sure you emphasise how each part of the argument supports your overall conclusion.
2. ‘So What?’
Of the many strategies available for writing a conclusion, among the most useful is asking yourself ‘so what?’ (or getting a friend to ask for you). The idea here is to make sure your conclusion holds up to a ‘so what?’ question by focusing on what your essay contributes to the subject area.
If, for example, your conclusion is that ‘advertising positively affects purchase decisions’, the answer to ‘so what?’ could be that companies can use this insight to guide marketing campaigns.
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3. Refer Back to the Introduction
Another good approach is to refer back to your introduction. As well as providing a neat sense of completion, this reminds the reader why you chose the essay question in the first place, ensuring the relevance of your concluding statement is immediately obvious.
4. Looking Forward…
In some subjects, it’s customary to include a set of recommendations along with the conclusion. However, even if you haven’t been asked to do this, thinking about the implications of your research can help when writing a conclusion.
This might simply be a case of reflecting on how your understanding of the subject has changed while researching your essay, but you could also consider whether your work opens new avenues of research or has any potential applications.
5. End on a Snappy Line
This isn’t essential, but since you want to leave a good impression on your reader, it never hurts to end on a memorable sentence. Something short and snappy is probably best, though a quotation or a question can also work in some situations.