Your conclusion is what you leave your marker with – this is their last impression before they grade your essay. This gives you the opportunity to demonstrate your ability to create a sustained response and reiterate your supporting arguments for your thesis.
Ideally, an essay conclusion should be three sentences long. You should aim to:
- Restate thesis with different wording to what you have said before, however, it should have the same meaning.
- Recap of your statements in your body paragraphs, linking them to your thesis, and doing this in one sentence.
- Final thoughts statement. This is your final chance to wow the marker, tell them what studying the module, text or question has taught you – this doesn’t have to be in first person, but demonstrate how this has prompted personal “growth.”
Remember that your conclusion is supposed to be persuasive, just as the rest of your essay. This means that you should not leave the audience with any lingering thoughts or doubts. Don’t be vague or ambiguous – be specific and to the point.
“Don’t be vague or ambiguous – be specific and to the point.”
Another aspect of your conclusion, which is important to know is that your writing should be clear and concise. Just because you know a word that no one else will know, doesn’t mean you should use it. Often students who use language beyond the grasp lose the audience and make themselves sound less sophisticated because of it.
“Just because you know a word that no one else will know, doesn’t mean you should use it.”
There you have it, your conclusion is your final chance to sway your audience. It should be specific and to the point as well as avoid distracting words. Restate your points which support your thesis and you have the perfect formula to a band 6 thesis.
Return to: