Writing tips
How to write a conclusion for an essay.
By the EssayMate team · Updated November 4, 2026
The conclusion is the last thing the reader, and the marker, remembers. Its job is not to repeat the essay but to show what it adds up to: the answer to the question, and why that answer matters.
Most good conclusions make the same four moves. Here they are, with an example and the mistakes that cost marks.
The four moves of a conclusion
- Restate the thesis in new words. Show how the essay has proved it, rather than copying the introduction.
- Draw the main points together. Connect them to each other, not just list them: how do they add up?
- Answer "so what?" Explain why the conclusion matters: an implication, a recommendation, or what it means for the wider topic.
- End with a strong final sentence. Look forward, echo the opening image, or state the consequence plainly.
Example
Restricting phones during lessons is one of the few school policies that improves learning at almost no cost. The evidence is consistent across settings: students remember less when they use phones in class, distraction spreads to the students around them, and school-wide restrictions are followed by better results. Concerns about safety and digital learning are real, but they are answered by collecting phones at the door and using supervised school devices, not by leaving every student a source of constant interruption. Because the students who struggle most gain most from the change, the question for schools is not whether they can afford to restrict phones, but whether they can afford not to.
Sentence one restates the thesis; the next two draw the points and the counterargument together; the last answers "so what?" with a clear implication.
Conclusions for different essays
| Essay | What the conclusion should emphasise |
|---|---|
| Argumentative | Why your position holds even after the counterargument, and what should happen next |
| Expository | How the parts fit together, and why the topic matters |
| Compare and contrast | What the comparison reveals that neither subject shows alone |
| Research paper | The answer to the research question, limitations, and further research |
| Narrative / personal | What the experience means to you now |
Example: a research paper conclusion
The studies reviewed here agree that device use in class reduces learning: laboratory experiments, course-level comparisons and school-wide policy changes all point in the same direction, and the cost extends to students who are not themselves using devices. The evidence is weaker on two questions. Most studies measure short-term recall rather than deeper understanding, and few follow students for more than a single course. Future research should test whether restrictions change long-term learning, and how effects differ for students with additional needs, before schools treat the question as settled.
Research conclusions answer the question, state the limits of the evidence, and say what research should come next.
Five ways to write the last sentence
| Technique | Example |
|---|---|
| State the consequence | Without that change, the gap between the strongest and weakest students will keep widening. |
| Look forward | The next question is not whether to restrict phones, but how to do it fairly. |
| Echo the opening | The phones are still in students' pockets; the difference is that the lesson now has their attention. |
| Make a recommendation | Schools should start with a single term and measure the results for themselves. |
| Widen the frame | In a world built to interrupt, protecting attention may be the most valuable thing a school does. |
Mistakes to avoid
- Introducing new evidence or arguments. If it matters, it belongs in the body.
- Copying the introduction or summarising each paragraph in turn.
- Weakening the argument with apologies: "this is just my opinion".
- Over-claiming: concluding more than the evidence supports.
- Ending on a cliché: "only time will tell", "at the end of the day".
"In conclusion" is acceptable but flat. Often the conclusion reads better without any opening transition, because its first sentence already sounds final.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a conclusion be?
About 10% of the essay: one paragraph of four to six sentences for most essays, a little longer in research papers.
Can I add a quotation in the conclusion?
Occasionally, if it sharpens your final point. Don't use one to introduce new evidence.
Should the conclusion repeat the thesis exactly?
No. Restate it in new words, ideally stronger for having been proved.
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