You have made your introduction and your main point clearer. You’ve done a lot of research and proofreading to back up all of your points. You’re slowly getting to the end of your essay when you stop in your tracks because, yes, it’s time to write the conclusion.

Many people hate writing the end of an essay more than anything else. Putting all the points you’ve looked at into a neat little package is a lot harder than it sounds. How can you make a good last impression and stress how important your findings are?

It doesn’t have to feel like climbing Everest to learn how to write a conclusion for an essay. It is possible to tie everything together and think about what your argument means in a bigger picture. All you need is the right plan. What do you want people to take away from your writing? You might want to end your discussion with a quote that adds depth. Or, you might want to put your argument in a different, maybe bigger, setting.

According to the assignment writing experts the last sentence of a good conclusion paragraph should show the reader that you’ve shown what you set out to show.

How to write a strong ending

Start writing your conclusion by restating your thesis. This will help you end your essay on a thought-provoking note. Since the thesis is the main point of your essay, it’s a good idea to remind the reader what your paper is about.

After you’ve restated your thesis (in a way that is paraphrased and gives a new understanding), it’s time to go over your supporting points again. Find all of the “main points” in each of your supporting paragraphs or individual arguments in the essay. Then, find a way to bring these ideas together in a way that shows how important they are.

Depending on how long your essay is, it should be pretty obvious how to write a good conclusion. You don’t want to just summarise what you wrote. Instead, the conclusion should give a sense of closure while also pointing out the topic’s bigger meaning and other possibilities.

What should be in your conclusion?

Now that you know what makes a good conclusion, you can focus on the finer points. What else should the conclusion have besides restating your thesis and summarising your points?

Here are some smart ways to end your essay that will make your reader think:

Just ask, “So what?”

A teacher probably told you at some point that the end of an essay should answer the questions “So what?” or “Why does it matter?” This is a good piece of advice. Asking yourself this question at the beginning and throughout the process of writing your thesis can help you stay focused on the purpose of the essay. Then, when you come to the end, you won’t be at a loss for what to say.

Give some background.

If you found a great quote while doing research but didn’t have room for it in the essay, the conclusion is a great place for it. Put your thesis or final thoughts in a different light by using a quote from one of your primary or secondary sources. This can give your whole argument more detail and depth.

For instance, if you wrote an essay about “Catcher in the Rye” by J.D. Salinger, you could use a quote from the book or from a critic or scholar who adds to your main point. If your thesis is about how Salinger wanted to keep childhood innocent, having a biographer say something about how Salinger felt about his own childhood might help readers understand him better. If you decide to add this kind of information to your conclusion paragraph, make sure it adds to the points you’ve already made and doesn’t take away from them. After all, you want to be the last one to say something.

Think about the clincher.

Your last sentence, or “clincher,” comes at the end of the essay. When you think about how to write a good ending, you should focus on the clincher. What can you say to make the reader think about the subject in a different way? This last sentence should help readers feel like the story is over. It should also end on a good note, so that the people who read your paper will be glad they did and feel like they learned something.

What shouldn’t be in your conclusion?

When you write your conclusion paragraph, there are a few things you should try very hard not to do. These things will only make your argument weaker and point out the obvious.

Here are some bad endings to think about:

Avoid phrases like “in short,” “in conclusion,” and “to sum up.” The end of the essay is clear to the reader, so they don’t need a sign.

Don’t just restate what’s already been said. In a short essay, you don’t have to go over all of your supporting points again. Your readers will know if you just copied and pasted from somewhere else.

Don’t bring up new ideas or pieces of evidence. This will only make your points less clear and weaken your arguments. If you want to include a really important point you made in your conclusion, move it to one of your supporting paragraphs.

Your introduction is like a bridge that takes readers from their own lives into the “space” of your argument or analysis. Your conclusion should help readers get back to their own lives.

By following this helpful guide, you can be sure you know how to write a good conclusion that gives readers a solution, a call to action, or a powerful insight for further study.