Writing Essays and Assignments

Finally, we've reached the end, the conclusion... the second hardest part of any essay.

You might be feeling pretty good about everything you've written so far, but that tricky conclusion can ruin everything and send you right back to writer's block.

One of the most common student questions is "how do I write a conclusion without just repeating what I've already written?" Fear of repeating points is often the reason students suddenly start writing about something completely different in their conclusions, entirely confusing the reader! Where did that come from...?

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A conclusion summarises your main ideas - so there will be an element of repetition, and it's best not to be afraid of this. Think again of a good lesson or presentation. At the end, there will be a quick summary of what you've covered during the session, just to remind you and similar to the introduction, but it will probably now include a few notes on how you learnt or discussed the topics. That's what you're looking to do for an essay conclusion - summarise your arguments and bring everything together...

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How to write the conclusion

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• To start with, go back to the original question in your plan and answer it. If you've followed your plan (and your arguments throughout the essay have been strong enough), then the answer should still be exactly the same as your tentative answer in the plan. (If it's not, you may need to redraft...)
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  Example: "In conclusion, the evidence in this essay has shown that Hamlet is arguably not mad, but just pretending to be in order to hide his anger and grief and disguise his attempts at revenge." 
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  It is a good idea to clearly mark your conclusion with a standard phrase such as "in conclusion", "to sum up", "to conclude", etc. This is particularly the case when writing exam essays or coursework assignments, as you will often be allocated specific marks for your conclusion; it is therefore very helpful if the examiner or moderator can clearly see that you have started your conclusion.
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• Now you need to sum up how you came to that conclusion, constantly linking your points back to the question. Go back to your introduction, where you listed the arguments you were going to use, and list them again, but this time with qualifying statements, possibly recognising any counter-arguments as well. I've used bold text just for the example below so that you can see my original three points:
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  Example: "This has been shown through examining Hamlet's interaction with his father's ghost, which might have been taken as a delusion were it not for the fact it was a shared experience with other members of the castle. It can also be concluded that Hamlet is not mad from his ability to clearly express his thoughts and feelings and, despite often doing this in soliloquies, he does not show himself to be erratic or disengaged from the process as other 'mad' characters have appeared in Shakespeare's plays, such as Ophelia. Finally, the fact that Hamlet clearly expresses his intention to pretend to be mad is a good indicator that he probably isn't, although the decision could lead him to madness later as a self-fulfilling prophecy..."
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• You can also use the conclusion to suggest other questions which might arise from the essay or might need further research, if it's relevant. This can help to finish off your conclusion, or point out your arguments, although strong, are still not definitive.
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  Example: "Ultimately, it could be argued that whether or not Hamlet is mad really comes down to how he is portrayed by the actor or perceived by the audience, but the evidence from Shakespeare's text, as evaluated in this essay, would suggest that Hamlet is not mad."

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Unless you're specifically asked to argue 'For AND Against' a question, it's a good idea to practice writing one-sided conclusions. Lots of students worry that they need to sit on the fence when it comes to a conclusion - "you could argue this, but you could also argue that, and I'm not sure I can state which one's better as they both make great points..." Don't be afraid to be brave and pick one side of an argument - as long as it is answering the question correctly, your arguments throughout your essay are strong, and they're backed up with evidence, it shouldn't be wrong to make that final decision. You can (and should) always acknowledge counter-arguments, but they will hopefully not be as strong as your chosen side.

Also, don't be afraid to come to the opposite conclusion to that implied in the question. For instance: "'The government should stop trying to control our lives.' Discuss." A lot of students would be tempted to instantly agree with the question's conclusion ("yes they should") because the wording seems to point in that direction, but if you can easily prove the statement wrong ("no, they shouldn't!") then do! 

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My example conclusion on Hamlet above is now about 200 words long which, for an essay of 1,500 words, is pretty good. You should be aiming for your conclusion to be between 12-15% of you overall essay length, so a 1,500 word essay might use approximately 180 - 225 words for that final paragraph.

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So, to sum up:

• Make your conclusion clear to the reader.
• Restate your original answer.
• Restate your original points, but this time with summarised qualifying statements.
• Always link back to the essay question to finish.

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As with every other section in this course, don't forget to check with your subject teachers in case there are any specific elements you need to add to their subject's conclusions.

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Quick Activity

As with the example introductions, you should now take a look at some sample conclusions on this worksheet, using the same essay question as before, and again give your feedback on what is good or bad about them. This is an essential activity, so you can upload your answers belowif you wish.