Knowing how to write an essay includes writing a reasonable conclusion. How to write a conclusion for an easy should be automatic. After completing your essay, you need to sum up all the ideas in a few words. I mean, it is only befitting for any sane writer to put their thoughts together to help the reader remember what it is they were reading. With that said, you may have to ask yourself a few questions that will help you come up with a perfect college essay conclusion. Take a look at these pointers that will help you come closer to writing a seamless conclusion every time you write an essay.
What is an Essay Conclusion?
An essay conclusion is the last bit of your paper and it is essential for collecting your thoughts in one place. The conclusion of an essay should be short, say one paragraph or two at most. These rules may be stricter, when it comes to five-paragraph essay writing. You are required to highlight the main points, take your stand, then give your solutions. It should address the critical questions that the paper was meant to answer. Keep in mind that this is not the time to introduce new ideas.
How to Write a Conclusion
How to write an essay conclusion should be easy, considering that you only have to follow three simple steps, which are:
- Restate your thesis statement – It is critical to remind your reader what the paper is about. However, you do not have to write the entire thesis. Just pick the area that highlights your stand on the issue you are addressing in the paper and use it in the conclusion.
- Point out the most crucial points – Depending on how long your essay is, you can select the most critical aspects of the paper and put them in the conclusion. Write in summary form. Otherwise, you risk being redundant. Not every point should be included in the conclusion words, so pick what is necessary.
- Address the question – Once these are in place, use a query to stir up your reader’s thoughts. Was the paper helpful? What does the reader think of the current situation that’s being tackled in the article? What other solutions would they recommend to solve the problem? Do not attempt to answer the question. It is up to the reader to fill in the blanks in this section.
Do not beat yourself if you do not learn how to write a conclusion for an essay the first time. It takes time and repetition to master this art.
Types of Essay Conclusions
Each type of essay needs a conclusion that fits its style. Considering that there are several writing styles, it means that writing a conclusion for an essay should be tailored for each kind, to make it useful. The importance of the conclusion is the same. However, the mode of writing differs slightly. Here are guidelines to help you know how to start a conclusion in an essay.
- Argumentative Essay Conclusion
- Persuasive Essay Conclusion
- Narrative Conclusion
This kind of essay addresses two sides of an argument, which should be elaborated. Each side needs to have supporting points to make the piece compelling. Once your text is complete, pick the highlights from each corner then merge them into two sentences or more. Begin with the side that has the most supporting points, then finish up with the one with the least points. The aim here is to let the reader choose for themselves what is best. So, for example, if your essay is about ebooks and traditional ones, this is how the argumentative essay conclusion can be.
“E-books are easily accessible, environmentally friendly, and much cheaper. Real textbooks, on the other hand, are more interesting to read, and they help the reader to concentrate more.”
A persuasive essay is meant to make your reader resonate with your line of thought, and possibly buy the idea that you are selling. So, first, you need to restate your thesis statement, then write the most convincing points from each paragraph or chapter. Finally, give a call to action. If you are writing an essay on the legalization of medical marijuana, your persuasive essay conclusion should be something like this.
“Marijuana should be legalized so that it can be used to treat diseases. It has been tested and proven to be effective for relieving pain. Take action today and join millions of citizens who are for this idea by signing this petition, and help to change the medical world today.”
Narrative essays are mostly about stories or personal experiences. As such, you only have to highlight your most memorable encounters, whether it was a trip, dream, or a meal that you enjoyed. In the case of a nightmare, this is how to start a conclusion.
“I had never been so scared all my life. Being on the FBI’s wanted list is not something that I thought would happen to me, not even in a dream. So, you can envision the joy I felt once I woke up and found myself in bed, with my cat purring a few feet from my head.”
There are several types of essays. As such, you need to find the right way on how to write a conclusion for an essay for each model. The aim here is to stay relevant, and at the same time helping your audience to keep in touch with the essay contents one more time. Remember not to give opinions here, not unless you write an opinion essay. The trick is to use transition words if you want a seamless job. These help to join different ideas without strain. Some of these words include:
- In summary
- Finally
- In conclusion
- To sum it up
- To conclude
- Thus
- Therefore
- Ultimately
- In short
- All together
- In brief
You can always find more of these words that you prefer on the internet. In case you still do not understand how to conclude an essay, below is an example that should sum up this entire piece.
Final Thoughts
A conclusion paragraph helps to sum up all the ideas in a few sentences. Draft a befitting conclusion for each kind of paper you write. Resound your main points and ask a question to keep your reader thinking. Do not add new ideas to the summary, but restate what you have written. More so, avoid using unnecessary words. Instead, use conclusion transitions to link the concepts effortlessly. It takes time to know how to conclude an essay, so be ready to write plenty of these before mastering the idea.