An Extensive Guide on How to Start a Conclusion

Your essay becomes a success, when you leave your readers with a sense of contentment. Readers enjoy an essay where the conclusion begins on a strong note and leaves them with a positive perspective. Students often don’t realize the significance of writing conclusion effectively and they often end their essays abruptly and thus fail to make a strong impression on the professors and readers. Although, if you have somewhat understood how to write an essay, then it will be easier for you to accomplish your goal of giving your readers a sense of satisfaction. But for those who want to learn how to start a conclusion to leave a lasting effect on the audience, then continue reading further.

In case you are unsure of how to start a conclusion, then you can easily seek guidance from the expert writers of penmypaper.

How to Start a Conclusion

In conclusion, the closing paragraph of an essay ties the pieces together into a single, connected, and coherent whole. The central idea of writing a great conclusion is not to support a bad essay but to leave the readers with an emotion or feeling.

The conclusion must end on a meaningful note and should be able to engage the emotions of the readers. The conclusion should give the audience a sense of closure and leave them with something to contemplate about. Crafting an impactful and inciteful essay conclusion can be a bit tricky but understanding what elements to include and eliminate will help you write a stellar conclusion worthy of securing a maximum score.

When you are thinking about how to start a conclusion, go back to the essay introduction, revise the thesis statement you have written, and then rewrite the conclusion. Do not use the same words instead rephrase them.

For instance, your thesis statement says, “ This paper argues that the all the college students must be exempted from paying their college tuition fees as it will allow more students to pursue their education thus increasing the population literacy and it will also reduce student loans and enable lower-income students to have an equal opportunity to learn.”

In your conclusion, you can reiterate this thesis statement, “To provide equal learning opportunities, to create a more literate population, and get rid of student debt are the main reasons why tuition fees in colleges must be made free for all.”

Purpose of a Conclusion

The objective of writing an effective conclusion is to summarize the main idea or theme of your paper, reiterate the thesis and imprint a strong impression on the audience.

What a strong conclusion serve is that:

• It strikingly expresses the main points of the essay
• It gives the final idea drawn from the subject-matter
• It shows the significance of the argument(s)
• It leaves the readers with a forceful impression

How to Start a Conclusion- The Process

1. Revisit the introduction and body paragraphs

Coming to write the conclusion, go back and read the essay introduction and essay body paragraphs to have a final thought of the entire paper. It will help you develop a sense of what your argument’s main ideas are and thus you will be able to summarize them in the conclusion paragraph.

Conclusion brushes up on the thesis, so go through it and then restate it.  

Make sure you don’t use the same words instead rephrase the thesis in a way that will deliver a far more profound understanding.

2. Go over the main points of your paper

Do not introduce any new information rather state the key points that you have used to support your argument.

Provide a brief review of the pivotal points you discussed in the body.  

Keep in mind that you are not required to summarize each paragraph. Avoid making unnecessary repetitions. Instead, try to correlate with the central theme of your paper.

A proper conclusion will put together your whole essay and make it a coherent whole.

3. Broader Implications

To encapsulate, you are to give a brief indication of why your arguments matter considering the implications. For instance:

• It can add to the knowledge and contribute a new understanding of the topic.
• It raises new questions for future study.
• It leads to practical suggestions or predictions.
• It may be applicable to various other contexts.
• It can be connected to a broader debate.

As per PenMyPaper, whatever your essay is about, the conclusion should aim to highlight the importance of your argument, whether that’s within your academic subject or in the broader context.

4. Adhering to the essay outline, write the conclusion

Briefly highlight the key points.

Don’t ramble and keep the conclusion paragraph short and simple.

Reinforce your essay’s argument giving the readers a recount of what you were discussing or arguing for.

End with a compelling, decisive sentence, leaving the readers with a strong impression of interest in your essay.

We suggest checking out a few college essay examples to gain a better understanding of how conclusions are written.

Essay Conclusion- Types of Ending

The idea behind ending a conclusion is to give the readers a sense of closure and to convey a sense of completeness. It’s quite a task to end your conclusion on an impactful and thought-provoking note as this is your last opportunity to impress the audience as a thinker and writer. After all, you have to instill an everlasting impression in the minds of the readers. Listed below are types of ending you may want to convey to close the discussion.

• Evoke emotion
• An image at a glance
• A call to action
• A warning
• A bit of irony
• An appeal
• Prediction of what would/could happen
• Comparing the topic to something universal
• A compelling note

End with a flourish.

The final sentence of the conclusion should be compact, to the point, poignant and impactful. Although how you end your essay will certainly depend on the type of your essay, the point of your essay, and how you write it. It goes without saying, this is easier said than done. But there is one common factor that we want to integrate into the last sentence and that is a thought-provoking ending.

While we discuss how to end a conclusion, it is important to keep in mind to use transition words in your conclusion properly. You will need transition words to connect your sentences, and paragraphs so that your ideas flow seamlessly from one sentence to another. If you are wondering what transition words for essays are and how to integrate them then simply tell PenMyPaper to ‘write me an essay’ and they will be there to guide you. Moreover, if you are stuck with any part of your essay or don’t have an idea of how to write an essay body or introduction, then we can assist you well.

Approach for Essay Conclusion

Irrespective of what type of essay you have to compose, be it a simple descriptive essay or an argumentative essay, the conclusion for every essay should be impactful. The only dissimilarity is the style and approach you take while writing different types of essays. 

Narrative Essay Approach

• Follow the narrative essay outlines and conclude your story by summing up the main points of your theme.
• Insert some final comments, and delve into what it has made you realize or what the story implies.
• Craft an impactful and satisfying end to the essay, as an abrupt and lame ending, can ruin the whole effect of the essay.
• Incorporate an epilogue or a takeaway in the ending.
• Leave your readers with some thoughts in their minds.

Descriptive Essay Approach

• Retell the main theme of your topic.
• A description essay conclusion should highlight the purpose of the topic.
• Let the audience visualize the whole picture at a glance.
• The conclusion should signify the importance of the description you have portrayed in your essay.
• To provide an everlasting effect, insert a clincher statement. The clincher statement implies the final sentence that reinstates the purpose and objective of your paper and leaves the audience with an intriguing question, thought or quote.

Compare and Contrast Essay Approach

• Start with the reiteration of the thesis in a compare and contrast essay conclusion.
• Use appropriate evidence to back up your analytical comparisons.
• Leave the audience with a final thought- insert a quote, or rhetorical question.
• In the end, express your opinions and thoughts on the subjects discussed.

Argumentative Essay Approach

• Include sentences that are logical rather than descriptive or narrative.
• Provide a stronger argument of contention.
• There is no place for description in the conclusion.
• Keep a place for your counterarguments as it’s a must.

Expository Essay Approach

• Ingeminate the thesis statement.
• Give a synopsis of the whole concept of your essay.
• For expository essays, the evidence speaks for itself, hence each one should be logical.
• End the expository essay with your opinions on that topic.

If you are tired of figuring out how to start your conclusion, you can rely on the experts of PenMyPaper to get the job done. If you need further assistance any other essay types such as synthesis essay, reflective essay, leadership essay, etc., let us know, and we will take on the whole task and craft an immaculate paper for you.

Avoid some Pitfalls

Now, let us discuss some of the common mistakes that students often make and give you some tips on how you can avoid them.

1. Don’t introduce any new facts, evidence, or information.

2. Never introduce the thesis in the conclusion.

3. Avoid using concluding phrases like:

“In conclusion…”

“To sum up…”

As these are the most commonly used ending phrases, they will only weaken the efficacy of your essay and your reliability.

4. Write authoritatively

Don’t undermine your standpoints and avoid using excusatory phrases that sound confusing and unsure.

For example, it would rather be wrong and uncertain if you write, “According to the majority of people, Mahatma Gandhi seems to be the greatest leader in the history of the world.”

Instead, you should write, “By all counts and proven results, there is no doubt that Mahatma Gandhi is considered to be the greatest leader of all times.”

5. Forge a connection between the points and a wider context, that can be within the scope of your paper or the current scenario as a whole.

6. Refrain from making any emotional or sentimental appeals.

Key Aspects to Include in a Conclusion

1. Conclusion should give your essay a cohesive end so that the readers can take away the significance and idea of your paper.

2. In the conclusion you have to encapsulate what you said in your thesis statement.

• It suggests to your readers that you have accomplished what you have undertaken to achieve.

3. Don’t just repeat your thesis because it would be redundant.

• Restate the thesis statement with a new and more profound understanding.

4. The supporting phrases should sum up what you have already said in the body of your essay.

5. Your conclusion is not the place for fresh ideas.

6. The conclusion should summarize the main points of each body paragraph.

• Bring everything together and signify the key points.

7. The final sentence should provide a sense of completion for the readers.

8. The concluding sentence of the conclusion is your “clincher” which is a determining factor; where you express your final thoughts on the issue.

• Demonstrate why your ideas are important.
• Encourage your audience to consider the topic in a new light.
• Wrap things up on a positive note.

9. The last sentence of your essay should leave your readers happy and satisfied having read it.

10. Make sure your format your essay appropriately according to the format be it APA essay format or MLA or Chicago format.

Essay Conclusion Example

A good conclusion can help you wrap up a mediocre essay efficiently. Take a look at this example of an essay conclusion on the subject of recycling and its importance.  

Synopsis of Arguments (restates the thesis and reviews the main points): Recycling is a necessary and environmentally friendly procedure that benefits the ecosystem and community. It saves resources, reduces the number of raw materials we need to collect, and keeps usable products out of dumps. Recycling minimizes the carbon footprint by prolonging the life of materials and allowing them to be reused before they are discarded. Recycling can reduce the number of wastes and other hazardous compounds discharged into the air as a result of processing, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. 

Importance and call to action (emphasizes the significance of the argument and calls upon the readers to practice it): The environment will be greener and more sustainable if less waste is burned up, buried underground, or tossed in the ocean. Recycling is simply one component of a larger effort to prevent environmental issues, but it is a critical component that can make a significant difference.

Need Further Assistance?

Hopefully, this article will help you craft an impactful conclusion for your essay. However, if you still need a helping hand, please feel free to get in touch with PenMyPaper. PenMyPaper has a team of adept and highly qualified academic writers who will provide you with impeccable essays and dissertation paper help as per your requirements. Just say write my essay for me, and you wouldn’t have to worry about your essay assignments anymore.