How do I write a good conclusion for an essay?

Answer 1

Hello so to keep things simple, I'd say the conclusion wraps up/summarizes your essay as a whole. You want to keep the conclusion rather short and sweet. It will basically reword/summarize what you said in your introduction. It will usually leave the reader satisfied or with a call to action.

Answer 2

The conclusion of an essay should: (a) tie up any loose ends, (b) summarize your discussion, and, if necessary, (c) point the way forward.

The challenge in writing a good conclusion is to not just sound like you are repeating what you have said so far. Too often student essays just fall flat here. End strong! Keep it interesting!

Here's how to do it:

1. Simplify: Make your summary especially handy to the reader. Boil it down. However complex your discussion in the body of the essay, your goal is to leave the reader with something they can hold right in the palm of their hand.
2. Bring perspective: As you summarize what you have said, approach it from a fresh angle. Say something about what you have said. For example, use a simile (a comparison using "like" or "as") to make your point again. (If your essay presents an argument about why it is counterproductive for students to use AI to do their homework, then you might conclude by saying: "Using AI to do your homework is like having someone go to the gym for you," and then reviewing the points you have made.)
3. Other tricks for keeping things interesting are: (a) revisiting the hook you used at the beginning of the essay to give your discussion a feeling of coming full circe, (b) briefly talking about what issues remain open and where the discussion can go from here, or (c) drawing a general moral or principle from the discussion.