The concluding paragraph should accomplish several important goals. 

  • Synthesize and reinforce the main arguments or key points made throughout the essay
  • Show why the analysis or argument matters – its larger implications and significance
  • Leave the reader with a strong final impression

Here is an example:

Essay conclusion example

Childhood obesity rates have tripled over the past three decades, catalyzed by a combination of poor diet, sedentary lifestyles, and other environmental factors. Reversing this alarming trend requires a multi-pronged approach targeting individual behavior change and broader societal interventions. From promoting nutrition education and active living to regulating junk food marketing practices, comprehensive solutions are needed to improve children’s health outcomes. By instilling healthy habits early, we can ensure the next generation leads longer, fuller lives free from obesity’s adverse effects.

In this example:

  • The first sentence restates the likely thesis or main argument of the essay around the alarming rise in childhood obesity rates and the causes behind it.
  • The next two sentences summarize the likely main points or proposed solutions examined in the essay’s body paragraphs.
  • The final sentence drives home the larger significance and urgency around addressing childhood obesity – allowing future generations to avoid the impacts on quality of life.

Now, let us look at the steps for writing an effective conclusion for your essay or paper.

Step 1: Return to your thesis

The opening of your concluding paragraph should signal to the reader that you are wrapping up the essay by revisiting the main argument or central claim. Instead of simply restating the thesis statement verbatim from the introduction, you want to rephrase and reframe the main argument to reflect how it was expanded upon and supported throughout the body of the essay.

  • Thesis: Childhood obesity is a growing epidemic that requires comprehensive solutions targeting nutrition education, physical activity, and environmental factors.

Example: Returning to the thesis

The alarming rise in childhood obesity rates over the past three decades, spurred by a combination of poor dietary habits, sedentary lifestyles, and societal influences on eating and exercise behaviors, has profound impacts on children’s immediate and long-term health outcomes. This multi-faceted issue demands a similarly wide-ranging approach…

Step 2: Review your main points

After restating your main thesis or argument, you should remind the reader of the key points you used to support and back up that main idea throughout the essay. However, instead of simply listing each point out one by one, try to discuss the main points in a combined way that shows how they are all logically connected and related to each other. 

The goal is to integrate the important supporting points so the reader can clearly see how they all fit together to prove your overall argument. This allows you to tie everything into one cohesive package for the reader by the end of the conclusion.

Example: Reviewing the main points

In examining the obesity epidemic’s causes, three central factors were analyzed: the prevalence of high-calorie, nutrient-poor diets full of processed foods, increasingly sedentary lifestyles driven by technological changes, and genetic predispositions that make some individuals more susceptible. These dietary, physical activity and biological components are inextricably linked – unhealthy eating habits and inactive behaviors can activate genetic risks. Addressing any one factor in isolation proves insufficient; a comprehensive approach targeting all pieces of this tangled web is essential.

Step 3: Show why it matters

Zoom out to highlight the broader implications and significance of your analysis. Consider how your argument contributes a new perspective, raises unresolved questions for future study, offers practical applications, connects to wider contexts, or relates to an overarching debate. 

Regardless of the specific topic, the conclusion should emphasize why your reasoning and findings truly matter – whether within your academic field or to the world at large. Aim to leave the reader with a clear, impactful final statement that underscores the lasting relevance and importance of your key takeaways.

Example: Showing why it matters

Childhood obesity has wide-ranging impacts beyond just physical health consequences. Its effects span from education challenges and economic costs to equity issues disproportionately impacting low-income communities. Implementing the proposed comprehensive diet, exercise, and nutrition education solutions is crucial for safeguarding the future well-being and potential of today’s youth. Prioritizing this issue involves cultivating a thriving next generation of healthy, productive citizens.

What shouldn’t go in the conclusion?

Here are some common mistakes to avoid when writing a conclusion:

Don’t include new evidence

The conclusion should not introduce any new examples, quotes, data, or pieces of evidence that were not already analyzed in the body paragraphs. The conclusion’s purpose is to summarize and synthesize the main points already made, not to present new supporting information.

Don’t use “concluding phrases”

Phrases like “in conclusion,” “to summarize,” or “in summary” can be redundant and undermine the flow of your concluding paragraph. The reader should be able to infer what you are concluding based on the recap of the thesis and main points.

Don’t undermine your argument

The conclusion should maintain conviction and confidence in the stance you argued throughout the essay. It should not introduce new doubts, caveats, or hedging language that might weaken or contradict your overarching argument and analysis.

More examples of essay conclusions

Here are examples of effective essay conclusions for different types of essays:

Argumentative essay conclusion example

Though the debate around university admissions criteria being too heavily weighted toward standardized test scores will rage on, it is clear that an overemphasis on tests like the SAT/ACT is unfairly disadvantaging talented students from under resourced school districts. A more holistic application review prioritizing factors like classroom performance, extracurriculars, and life experience would open doors for many qualified applicants currently being shut out. In an era of increased equity consciousness, our institutions of higher learning must lead the way by ensuring their admissions processes evaluate each prospective student as a complete individual.

Expository essay conclusion example

From the advent of radio broadcasting to the modern internet era, the evolution of mass communication technologies has dramatically reshaped how information spreads through society. What began as a one-to-many dissemination process is now an interconnected web of many-to-many information exchange. This democratization carries profound implications for everything from journalism standards to political discourse norms. As communications platforms grow more participatory and real-time by the day, all citizens must take responsibility for being consumers of credible content.

Literary analysis essay conclusion example

Ultimately, through its troubled characters battling their inner demons on a harrowing sea voyage, Moby Dick is an enduring exploration of the dichotomies of human nature – darkness and light, hubris and humility, vengeance and forgiveness. Melville’s masterwork is both a unique adventure story and a resonant moral allegory speaking timeless truths. His exquisite craft as a tragedian using symbolism, biblical allusion, and metaphysical themes elevates a whaling narrative into literary philosophy on obsession’s void. Ahab’s fateful encounter with the great white whale is less about man conquering nature and more about our war against the defiant, self-destructive impulses within the human heart.