How to write a good essay conclusion?

The GP Essay – Writing the conclusion

Ah, the conclusion—the grand finale, the icing on the cake, the cherry on top, the practically-so-easy-to-write-even-my-sixty-seven-year-old-English-educated-grandmother-could-write-it-with-one-eye-closed. Of course, all of this is assuming you had followed my previous advice on how to write your introduction and body. Nonetheless, the conclusion is very easy because you only need to do the following things:

1. Reiterate your stand
2. Summarise your main points/reasons
3. Provide an opinion, suggestion or future prediction

Let me illustrate using an example:

Education should only be concerned with what is useful in life. Discuss. (2013)

 Stand: Education should not just prepare individuals for what is practical in life.

Reasons supporting the statement:

1. Subjects like philosophy, theology, trigonometry and other seemingly pointless disciplines have little practical use in our daily lives and are therefore a waste of time and resources

Reasons against the statement:

1. Times change and hence one cannot predict what will be useful in life today or in future. Education should therefore be concerned with developing people’s mental and physical prowess to handle life’s situations no matter what era.
2. Education should empower and inspire individuals to dream big and contribute or transform their society (unesco.org)
3. Education is a fundamental tool in meritocracy and hence its content and delivery should meet the needs of that particular meritocratic system.

Writing the conclusion

In conclusion, education should not just prepare individuals for what is practical in daily life (reiterate stand). Education plays a multifaceted role in society, such as to develop people’s mental and physical capabilities in preparation for future adversaries, to inspire and empower youth or disadvantaged individuals, and as a fundamental tool in the meritocratic system (reasons). In my opinion, people should not condemn education solely on the relevancy of its content. One must never forget that education is a process. While going through the system, we are often unaware of its effects; however the end product is that we come out as individuals ready to face the big world. Thus, never take for granted one’s education because there will come a day when one will finally appreciate having sat through countless hours of boring subjects. Cheers to you in advance, trigonometry (opinion).

Finally, there are a few transition signal words that are good to begin your conclusion, such as finally, in conclusion, in summary, to sum up, all in all, above all and overall.

So there you have it, a complete guide to writing a GP essay. As I have said before, writing a GP essay is a difficult task but always remember the three Ps: Prepare your content knowledge, Plan your essay and Practice writing; and you should become more comfortable with essay writing. Good luck!

References

1. http://www.unesco.org/new/en/social-and-human-sciences/themes/fight-against-discrimination/role-of-education/