School Portaal

How to compose a strong conclusion paragraph for an essay

A conclusion paragraph is one of the most important parts of any essay. It provides the reader with the final thoughts and feelings on your work. It can greatly improve your impact or ruin a well-written essay. The closing paragraph is your chance, as the writer, to make a lasting impression on your audience.

The opening and closing paragraphs are often the most challenging to write, especially for new writers. Choosing a topic can be easy compared to finding the perfect way to introduce it and to tie all your ideas together. Different types of essays require different types of closing paragraphs.

The Reporting or Informative Essay

The focus of these essays is obviously to provide the reader with information on the subject. They are full of facts and ideas that support the topic of the essay. There is no persuasion involved or any need to convince a reader of anything. They are fact based over opinion based. These papers include scientific research papers, many “news” or “newspaper” style articles, informative essays, and just about anything else where there is no opposite viewpoint. Because in these essays you are not necessarily trying to convince your readers of anything there is no need to fill your closing paragraph with strong opinions or convincing information. This is a time to summarize and reflect on what you have written to your readers. There should be a closing sentence which is representative of your topic sentence, but not a mirror of it followed by closing thoughts or ideas. Try to give a quick summary of what you wanted your audience to take from your essay. This is your only chance to really include an opinion, though be careful if you do decide to do this as it can easily negatively affect your essay. It should go over the key points you mentioned in the essay, and provide a sense of closure to your work.

The Persuasive or Argument Essay

In persuasive or argumentative essays on the other hand you are trying to convince your reader of an idea. The thesis reflects an opinion and the supporting facts back up that opinion. The essay’s purpose is to sway the view of the reader. Because of this the closing paragraph’s structure varies slightly. There still should be a closing sentence that is reminiscent of the topic sentence that encompasses your main idea and the supporting information. This sentence is followed by your final chance to bring the essay together and voice your opinion on the matter. Closure in an argumentative or persuasive essay is key to driving your point home and leaving with a “bang” so to speak, so choose your words wisely. Try to make an impact and bring closure to your thoughts in this part of the essay. Avoid introducing new information here as it can confuse the reader.

No matter the topic of your essay nor the type of essay you are writing a strong closing paragraph is key to your cause. Remember to try to keep it short and try to leave your audience thinking about what you have introduced. The paragraph is your last chance to leave a strong impression, so make sure you give it your all!