How to Write an Argumentative Essay Conclusion

The conclusion for an argumentative essay is your last chance to make an impression on your reader – that’s why it’s quite important. Make it weak, and your readers will forget all the good stuff in the body paragraphs and only remember the weak ending. You can’t afford to fail your conclusion, and yet it’s so easy to fail it. One of the reasons why students often write low-level conclusions is because there is a certain amount of wrong ideas about the role and purpose of the conclusion chapter that circulate in student circles. One of the most dangerous ones is that you simply have to restate what you have already stated in the introduction and body paragraphs, and you will be done. It couldn’t be further from the truth. While the introduction paves the way for your findings and the body paragraphs describe your train of thought, the conclusion serves as the climax. Here, you build on what you have already said, emphasize your point, and map areas for future research. From a certain point of view, the conclusion chapter might seem to be the most important part of your paper. Such thinking wouldn’t be correct, however. All the chapters in your paper are equally important and serve the same purpose. So, how does one approach writing the conclusion? First of all, by having a clear understanding of what the conclusion chapter is designed to achieve. The goals and functions of the conclusion chapter A conclusion performs multiple functions: Creates the last impression of your paper in your readers Wraps up what you have already stated Proves that you have accomplished the set of tasks you have set in the beginning Gives readers a closure on the topic Explains how exactly you went about supporting your thesis statement Encourages scientific discussion on related topics Maps areas for future research At that note that the conclusion chapter should not introduce any new information. You should reiterate what was said in the introduction in light of the information provided in the body paragraphs. The conclusion should have a reverted structure as compared with the introduction: while the introduction goes from general to specific, the conclusion follows the opposite order. How to write the conclusion chapter? Generally speaking, you have the freedom of choosing how to approach your conclusion. It should fulfill its functions, but how you go about it is not that important. There are some strategies that you could use to simplify the process: Explain the significance of your research. There is a copywriting technique where writers ask and try to answer the dreaded question: so what? So what that you have performed this research? Who should care and why do you think it makes any contribution into the body of knowledge? If you manage to give answers to these questions in a few sentences, you have a perfect conclusion ready for use. Revisit the introduction. Try using the same structures or approaches to organizing information as you did in the introduction. It will add consistency and close the full cycle of your paper. As it has already been said, the concepts described in the introduction should be revisited in view of the research you have done, not just reiterated. Unite the points raised in body paragraphs. Readers sometimes need more explaining than you would expect. Even if you provided extensive explanation for every point, it will not hurt you to restate the connection in the conclusion. In fact, introducing the connection between the points in the conclusion chapter is one of the best practices. In doing so, make sure you are not making any unexpected turns, as it will qualify as new information, which, as you know, should not be present in the conclusion. Include another attention hook or a thought or discussion provoking element. It will cheer your readers up and leave them wondering if there’s something else to be said about the subject matter. Propose how your research could be continued. There are multiple adjacent fields to yours where your findings could be used (provided you did a good job of researching). Propose other themes that could be explored in the future. Make a hint at a more general issue. Hinting at matters that encompass your research is a good way to support its significance as a part of a major scientific endeavor. Mistakes to avoid when working on an argumentative essay conclusion Don’t restate the obvious. The narrative of your paper should be clear enough to make your readers understand intuitively where the main part ends and the conclusion begins. That’s why you shouldn’t be using phrases such as â€Å"to conclude† or â€Å"in conclusion†. They sound artificial even in formal writing. Instead, make sure your readers understand the transition between chapters. Making doubtful statements and leaving your readers without a closure. You can hint at a more significant research possibility, but leaving readers with doubts and questions is a bad practice. So in provoking further discussion be careful – don’t go overboard. Changing the style as compared with your entire paper. The conclusion chapter is hardy the right place to change your approach and start using a different style. Your entire paper should aim for consistency in all respects, including style. Argumentative paper writing has quite a few conventions to follow, and not following them might get you in trouble. Including elements that should be in the main part. You have had your chance to present evidence – now is the time to analyze them. Besides, any evidence provided in the conclusion will qualify as new information, which you shouldn’t provide at the end of your paper. Writing conclusion for argumentative essay might seem to be a rather complicated thing, but in truth you will develop this skill with time. It will come naturally to you. If you haven’t yet had enough practice, however, these recommendations should help you write a decent conclusion that will be worthy of your paper.