10 Insights About Preparing A Remarkable Essay Conclusion
“It is always important to know when something has reached its end.” – Paulo Coelho, Author
Think of your favourite novel or short story. Can you imagine it without a cohesive conclusion? That’s right; you can’t because the conclusion is an intrinsic part of the story. In fact, the same rule would apply to the essay paper you prepare for class.
Basically, the Aristotlean rule of a plot with a beginning, middle, and end would very much apply to your writing essays. Regardless of the essay types that exist, an effective conclusion is as vital as any other parts of your essay.
Now, you may not have a complete grasp of preparing this section of your paper. But this concern won’t come in the way of presenting an excellent essay conclusion as long as you go by some insights listed below.
- Find any themes you mentioned in the introduction
You can have a proper sense of closure by going back to the theme you opened with. Check if you can present the theme appropriately when you bring it back in conclusion.
For example, if you start by narrating an event or experience, you can end the paper by recollecting the same events as proof that your essay is effective in summing up the essay.
- Begin with a small transition
This transition can indicate to your reader that you’re concluding your essay and that they need to pay minute attention. Even though many of the essays start their last paragraphs with a transition, you don’t necessarily have to incorporate the transition if you feel like it’s clear enough that you’re concluding your essay.
Also, it’s best to stay away from overused phrases like “to summarise” or “in conclusion.”
- Use your thesis statement in the conclusion
You should mention a rephrased version of your thesis statement as you conclude your essay, even if it’s only in passing. Remember, your thesis statement is the primary idea of your essay, something you’re arguing for. If someone who goes through your conclusion still doesn’t understand what your thesis statement is all about, you need to convey the message.
Find a way to reiterate your thesis statement in an intriguing manner, using different vocabulary. Rephrasing your thesis statement by using the same words may come across as lazy to the readers.
- Include all the essential points in your summary
It isn’t unnatural for you to make the mistake of only discussing your most persuasive point or the last point you presented in the conclusion. However, this can nullify your argument as a whole. It’s better to present an overview of how your points come together to back your main argument than to give your reader an elaborate review of your strongest point.
- Highlight any broader implications
Conclusions can serve a number of purposes in an essay. An efficient conclusion can emphasize the significance of your argument, as well as the relevance of your unique results or findings. But the concluding section often goes beyond your narrowed topic and suggests how your essay has higher potential implications.
In your essay conclusion, this explanation of the broader implications should precede the transition sentences and the explanation of how the several distinct elements of your argument fall into place.
- You shouldn’t introduce any new information
Conclusions can be tricky to work on because you don’t want to simply repeat yourself, but you also shouldn’t say anything new. Read what you’ve written carefully to check that you haven’t presented a new argument, added new evidence, or provided extra information. Everything in your conclusion has to come from the details that you’ve already presented in the introduction or main body of your paper.
If you have introduced any detail you think is really crucial for your paper, go through the main paragraphs of your essay and look for somewhere to add it.
- Keep it short and sweet
There’s no rule set in stone for how long your conclusion needs to be. But for most school and college essays, it’s a feasible option to keep your conclusion should be anywhere from 5-7 sentences long. Any less, and you probably haven’t summed your points up adequately; any more, and you’re probably elaborating a bit too much.
- Ponder over the “So what?” question
One pertinent way to prepare your conclusion can be to think about if your readers have just asked you the “So what?” about your argument. Why does your written text matter? What can you present in your conclusion to help convince your readers that they should care about your argument and ideas?
Enquiring about the “so what?” question, as you prepare your essay can also help you dig deeper into the surface of your ideas.
- Go back to your initial question
Once you grab the attention of your readers for your conclusion, you should highlight how your presentation has come to a full circle by returning to the initial question or problem you set out to explore right from your introduction. This will allow you to present a coherent argument.
You can also bring the paper to a full circle using similar techniques by returning to a key phrase or quote you established early in the presentation.
- Revise and proofread your conclusion before turning in your paper
After you’re done writing the essay conclusion, keep your paper aside for at least a few hours. Then, re-read what you’ve written. Look for misspelled words, typos, incorrectly used words, and other errors. Other than that, check what you’ve written makes complete sense and properly reflects your paper.
If something doesn’t make sense or your conclusion seems incomplete, revise your conclusion so that your ideas are perfectly clear. It’s useful to read your entire paper as a whole to make sure it all comes together.
Wrapping it up,
The basic structure of your essay is much like any novel or short story you’ve read. This means it should have a beginning, middle and end. You need to put equal emphasis on the conclusion, much like all other parts of the essay. The insights shared above will help in this process.