How to Write a Conclusion Paragraph

So, how to write a conclusion paragraph? Conclusions are often the most difficult part of an essay to write, and many writers feel that they have nothing left to say after having written the paper. A writer needs to keep in mind that the conclusion is often what a reader remembers best. Your conclusion should be the best part of your paper.

What is a Conclusion Paragraph?

A conclusion paragraph is the last paragraph of an essay. It summarizes the main points of the essay and restates the thesis. The purpose of a conclusion paragraph is to leave the reader with a strong and clear understanding of the main points of the essay.

A good conclusion paragraph will also briefly mention any other supporting points that were not mentioned in the body paragraphs. However, it is important to avoid simply repeating information from the body paragraphs or introducing new information in the conclusion paragraph.

Instead, the focus should be on bringing everything together and leaving the reader with a strong and clear understanding of the main points of the essay. A conclusion paragraph is like the final farewell – it needs to be strong, concise, and to the point. You’ll want to leave your reader with a sense of closure.

Here are some tips on how to write a great conclusion paragraph:

Start with a bang.

Make sure your last sentence makes a powerful impact. You want your reader to remember your paper long after they’ve finished reading it.

Keep it short and sweet.

Your conclusion should be no more than a few sentences. Any longer, and you risk losing your reader’s attention.

Restate your thesis.

Your conclusion should remind the reader of what your paper was about. This is your chance to restate your thesis more convincingly or to show how you’ve proven it.

Tie up any loose ends.

If there are any loose ends in your paper, be sure to tie them up in your conclusion. You don’t want your reader to be left with any unanswered questions.

Make a final point.

Your conclusion is your last chance to make a point in your paper. Use it to drive home the main points of your paper and leave your reader with something to think about.

Purpose of a Conclusion Paragraph

The goal of a conclusion paragraph is threefold: to restate the main point of your essay, to summarize your supporting points, and to leave your reader with a final impression. Your conclusion should tie all of the elements of your essay together and provide a final perspective on your topic.

A strong conclusion will leave your reader with a clear understanding of your central argument and its importance. In addition, it will provide a sense of closure and offer a sense of the larger implications of your argument. By crafting a thoughtful and effective conclusion, you can ensure that your reader walks away from your essay with a new understanding of your topic and its significance.

How to Write a Conclusion Paragraph

Here’s the thing about conclusion paragraphs: they’re just starting points. Maybe you’re finishing up an essay, and maybe you’re not. But either way, you need to start with a clean slate. To erase the conclusion you had in mind, and start over. The best conclusions are tissues, amphibians that live in two worlds at once.

They’re not afraid of what came before, but they’re also not satisfied with repeating it. Instead, they build on it. They start with something strong and certain (maybe even a little bit dangerous), and then they let go. A little bit. Just enough to remind the reader that there’s more out there, more to be excited about, more to explore. Finish your essay with a tissue. And then go write another one.

The Four Types of Conclusions

Conclusions are the most important part of any piece of writing. Why? Because they’re the last thing your reader will read, they usually determine whether your reader liked what they read. There are three main types of conclusions: summarizing your main points, making a recommendation, or extending an invitation.

1. Summarize your main points

Summarizing your main points is the most common type of conclusion, and it’s also the easiest to write. All you need to do is restate your thesis and main points in a new way. Making a recommendation is a bit more complicated. You need to not only restate your thesis and main points, but you also need to explain why your readers should care about your topic.

Extending an invitation is the most difficult type of conclusion to write, but it can also be the most effective. To extend an invitation, you need to make a strong case for why your readers should take action on your topic.

2. Restate your thesis

A conclusion is the last paragraph of your essay, or, if you’re writing a long essay, you might need 2 or 3 paragraphs to conclude. A conclusion typically does one of two things—or, of course, it can do both: Summarize what you’ve just been discussing in your paper.

After all, you’ve already worked hard to acquire the knowledge and return it to memory; why waste time repeating yourself? So, if your thesis was that the War of 1812 was caused by British violations of American neutrality, then your conclusion will assert that this is what you believe to be true.

Predict what will happen next. Because this is the last thing that your reader will see before putting down your paper, a good conclusion leaves them with a strong impression of what your argument is and how well you have supported it.

So if we take our above example about the War of 1812, we could end with a sentence like this: “Unless the British government changes its policies towards American neutrality, another war between the two countries seems almost inevitable.” This is an effective way to end an essay because it offers the reader food for thought: not only are you telling them.

3. Leave your reader with a final impression

A good conclusion doesn’t just restate your thesis but leaves your reader with a final impression of your argument. There are three common types of conclusions:

1. answering the question “so what?”,
2. summarizing your main points
3. making a final point. 

Answering the question “so what?” means showing your reader the significance of your argument. This can be done by explaining how your argument applies to a larger issue or by showing how your argument has changed your reader’s thinking. 

A summary conclusion simply restates your main points without adding any new information. This is fine if you feel like you’ve already made your case effectively, but make sure you’re not just repeating yourself. 

A final point conclusion makes a new point that builds on the rest of your essay. This is a great way to end on a strong note, but make sure that your new point is related to the rest of your essay and doesn’t feel like an afterthought. 

4. Include a call to action

A great conclusion leaves your reader wanting more. It’s the perfect final touch to your blog post, article, or essay. And it’s not as hard to write as you might think. There are four main types of conclusions:

1. The challenge conclusion: This is where you issue a challenge to your reader. You inspire them to take action by showing them what’s possible.
2. The what-if conclusion: This is where you paint a picture of what could be if your readers take action. You help them see the potential impact of their decisions.
3. The instruction conclusion: This is where you give your readers specific steps they can take to achieve the desired result. You tell them exactly what they need to do to get started.
4. The thankful conclusion: This is where you express gratitude to your reader for taking the time to read your piece. You let them know that you appreciate their attention and their willingness to engage with your content.

When it comes to writing conclusion paragraphs, there are four types of endings you can choose from: summarizing your main points, restating your thesis, leaving your reader with a final impression, and including a call to action.

Depending on the type of paper you’re writing, each of these four types could be effective. But in general, you’ll want to avoid simply repeating what you’ve already said in your paper. Instead, try to focus on creating a strong, concise conclusion that will leave your reader with a lasting impression.

Examples of Effective Conclusions

A good conclusion should do a few things: Restate the main point of your argument in different words Give the reader a sense of closure Offer a final thought or reflection on the topic Most effective conclusions also include a call to action, asking the reader to do something or change their perspective as a result of what they’ve read.

• For example, if you’re writing about the importance of recycling, you might conclude with a plea for readers to reduce their waste and recycle more.

Whatever approach you take, make sure that your conclusion feels like a natural progression from the rest of your essay. A sudden ending can leave the reader feeling confused or unsatisfied, so take care to wrap up your thoughts in a way that feels complete.

Tips for Writing Strong Conclusions

If you want your writing to be read, pay attention to your concluding paragraph. Here are three tips:

• Make sure your conclusion is proportionate to the rest of your piece. A good rule of thumb is that your conclusion should be about 10% of the total length of your writing. So if you’ve written a 1000-word essay, your conclusion should be around 100 words.
• Start with a strong hook. Just as you want to start your piece with a bang, you want to end it with one as well. Use a powerful quote, an intriguing question, or a surprising statistic to grab your reader’s attention and leave them wanting more.
• Sum up your main points and tie everything together. The purpose of a conclusion is to remind the reader of what they just read and drive home your main points. So make sure to briefly restate these in your conclusion before wrapping up with a strong flourish.

Examples of Effective Conclusions

Here are some examples of an effective conclusions:

Summarizing

In a summary conclusion, you would want to restate the main points of the text concisely. For example, if you were writing an essay about the importance of exercise, you could summarize by saying “Exercise is important for overall health, it reduces stress, and it boosts energy levels.

Persuasive

In a persuasive conclusion, you would want to try to persuade the reader to take some kind of action or believe a certain way based on the information that has been presented.

For example, if you were writing an essay about the importance of recycling, you could persuade the reader to recycle more by saying “If everyone in the world recycled just one plastic bottle, we could reduce our carbon footprint by millions of tons.

Reflective

A reflective conclusion would be a great way to finish up a personal essay or memoir. In this type of conclusion, you would want to reflect on what you’ve learned or how you’ve grown as a result of the experience you’ve written about. For example, if you were writing an essay about a challenging experience you faced during your childhood, you could reflect on how that experience has made you stronger and more resilient.

Call to Action

A call to action conclusion is typically used in persuasive writing. In this type of conclusion, you would want to ask the reader to do something or change their perspective as a result of what they’ve read. For example, if you were writing an essay about the importance of recycling, you could conclude with a plea for readers to reduce their waste and recycle more.

Creative

A creative conclusion can be used in any type of writing, but it’s especially effective in fiction and poetry. In this type of conclusion, you would want to leave the reader with a lasting impression by ending with a powerful quote, an intriguing question, or a surprising statistic.

Conclusion

The main points of the article are that your conclusion should be proportionate to the rest of your writing, start with a strong hook, and sum up your main points. A good rule of thumb is that your conclusion should be about 10% of the total length of your writing.

So if you’ve written a 1000-word essay, your conclusion should be around 100 words. Examples of effective conclusions include summarizing, persuasive, reflective, call to action, and creative endings. With these tips in mind, you’re sure to write conclusions that’ll leave your readers wanting more.

FAQs

What goes in a conclusion paragraph?

A conclusion paragraph is the last paragraph of your essay, where you summarize your main points and restate your thesis. A good conclusion paragraph will make your reader feel like they understand what you’re trying to say, and will leave them with a lasting impression of your essay.

Here are some tips on how to write a great conclusion paragraph:

1. Start by restating your thesis statement.
2. Summarize the main points of your essay.
3. End with a strong closing sentence that leaves the reader with something to think about.
4. Edit and proofread your essay for any mistakes.