14. Essay Conclusions
Some of the following should be in your conclusion, but you probably won’t need all of them:
- Return to your thesis (your aim for the essay which you gave in the introduction – See Introductions)
- Summary of the main points
- Deductions / Recommendations / Solutions based on the body of the essay
- Your opinion on what has been discussed
- Limitations of the essay
- Implications or predictions (for the future or the wider world)
- Any future research that seems to be needed
Tips for Writing Effective Conclusions
- Use the right grammatical tenses. for example "This essay has aimed to show that...", "The first section presented the arguments of Smith...").
- Don’t bring in any new information – all the information and analysis should be in the body of the essay not in the conclusion.
- Summarise the essay by pulling together your thesis and the points you made to argue for it to show how it all fits together.
- Don’t wait until the conclusion before giving your thesis statement – put it in the introduction. That way, the readers (and you) know the focus of the essay from the start.
- Don’t make the conclusion too personal or emotional. Its tone should match the body of the essay, which means it should be academic in style (no rhetoric or calls to action).
Click to download our HowTo Guide on Conclusions.
