how to write a conclusion for discursive essay

McCombes, S. (2021, December 06). How to Conclude an Essay | Interactive Example. Scribbr. Retrieved February 27, 2023, from https://www.scribbr.com/academic-essay/conclusion/

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How to Write a Strong Conclusion Paragraph in an Argumentative Essay

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“What do I say that hasn’t been said already,” you wonder.

Don’t take writing conclusions lightly because it is the finishing touch that packages your essay correctly, letting the reader know that you have given the essay the closure it deserves.

Regardless of how strong the arguments raised are, if your conclusion is weak, your essay will be rendered incomplete.

How to Draft a Good Conclusion for an Argumentative Essay and Get it Noticed

So you have stated your thesis, presented background information, introduced evidence, stated your point of view, and refuted objections within the argumentative essay. Now, it is time to conclude. Read on as we tell you the dos and don’ts of writing conclusion paragraphs.

How to Write an Impactful Conclusion Paragraph that Leaves a Positive Impression

A conclusion paragraph is like the final farewell - it must be impactful and effective. The way you choose to conclude your essay can make or break the impression you leave on the instructor.

So, here’s a look at five tips to help you write a firm conclusion for an argumentative essay.

Read What is Written

Whether or not the essay is written at a stretch, once you are done with the introduction and body paragraphs, it is essential to give a thorough reading. This is when you can assess whether you have left any key points or examples out and make amends.

Once that is done, read it once again – this is the first step in planning the concluding paragraph. Going over the rest of the essay, you can note the main points and ensure you reinstate them in conclusion. Not just that, this exercise also provides you don’t repeat any statements as is.

Re-emphasize Your Viewpoint

What were the most substantial arguments you made in the paper?

Begin the conclusion by reminding the reader of your viewpoint by reinstating the most logical arguments you made in the essay. Use this space to tie loose ends and summarize the main points. The conclusion needs to act as a reminder, stating why your viewpoint matters.

Remember this is your last chance to convince the reader about your chosen argument. That said, don’t get down to summarizing the entire essay. What is essential is readdressing your point of view in the most convincing manner.

Discuss Possible Implications

So you have reminded the reader of your argument or the stand you are taking in the essay. Why not push them to think about it?

It’s a good idea to discuss possible implications in the conclusion paragraph of an argumentative essay. What does that include? You can discuss hypothetical situations (along with examples) that can arise if the reader goes with your point of view. Alternatively, you can also get them to ponder the ramifications of going with the opposing point of view.

Either way, the idea is to get them to consider your main argument and derive logical sense from it.

Appeal to Emotions

Remember the goal of the concluding paragraph must be to leave the reader with a memorable final impression; the most effective way to do that is to appeal to their emotions .

Whether urging action, attracting empathy, or rousing anger – the idea is to get the reader to agree with your point of view. While the stance needs to be put forth logically, you can certainly make emotional appeals in the last paragraph to get them to agree. In short, you must appeal to the reader’s head and heart, especially when writing an argumentative essay.

End with a Question

Some questions are not meant to be answered - they are just used for emphasis and to leave the reader with something to think about.

So yes, you can consider ending with a question and asking a rhetorical question in the conclusion paragraph. This keeps the reader engaged till the last sentence and enhances the recall value of your essay.

Just make sure your questions are relevant to the main point of the argumentative essay and ensure they are crafted to strengthen your argument or point of view.

Are You Making These Mistakes While Writing a Conclusion Paragraph

Now that you know what you should include in a conclusion paragraph of an argumentative essay, it’s almost important to take note of what you should not have and avoid it at all costs.

Here are six common mistakes students make while writing a conclusion paragraph.

Present New Information

By the time you conclude, you should have said it all. If you haven’t, revisit the essay and identify gaps because the concluding paragraph is not the place to introduce new arguments, facts, or information.

Doing this weakens the paper and reflects your poor planning. So, don’t confuse the reader and only focus on presenting already mentioned arguments and data in a new way rather than adding more layers to the paper.

Repeat the Thesis Statement

Imagine reading the thesis statement in the introduction and having to read it all over again in the conclusion paragraph. You don’t want your instructor thinking, “Didn’t I just read this statement?”.

Repeating the thesis statement is a complete no-no. It would be best if you rewrote it while tying together the main arguments raised but doing a copy-paste job without adding any value will do nothing to the conclusion.

If anything, you should take your thesis statement to the next level and substantiate it so the reader can make the connection and be convinced about your writing.

Check this video by Jill Jackson on how you can restate your thesis statement in the conclusion

Be Apologetic

Regardless of how unsure you are of your writing skills or your stance, don’t ever make the mistake of showing it in your essay. The last thing you want to do is let all that effort go to waste by apologizing in the last paragraph.

Avoid phrases like “I am not sure but…”, “This is just my opinion..” or “I might be wrong..” and the likes because it makes you seem apologetic and underconfident - and that’s certainly not the indication you want to give.

You need to be confident about your point of view and own up to it. It’s the instructor’s job to assess how you have articulated and justified your stance.

As they say, “Self-confidence carries conviction; it makes other people believe in us.” So, go for it - write with utmost conviction!

Start with Overused Phrases

If you are wondering, “How should I start the conclusion paragraph?”, know that you certainly should not begin with “Finally..”, “Lastly..”, “As stated earlier..”, “In a nutshell…” and similar overused phrases.

Yes, transitions are essential. The correct transition words make the essay more cohesive and help the reader go from one paragraph to another quickly while retaining the connection between them.

However, when starting the conclusion paragraph, the reader knows it is the conclusion; you don’t need to spell it out. Hence, it would be best to use transition words that make the flow seem organic and smooth.

Here’s a video by Liz enlisting some transition words or linkers you can use to begin the concluding paragraph

End with a Quote

Integrating quotes in the introduction or body paragraphs is a great way to hook readers or emphasize a point but ending the essay with a quote is not a good idea.

Why, you ask? That’s because the conclusion needs to be about summing up and using your voice to strengthen your voice. This is not the place to insert an expert’s quote and wash your hands of it.

You want readers to leave thinking about the points and arguments you raised, not what some leader or author had to say about the same topic.

Do a Hurried Job

The conclusion paragraph is the last step in the writing process, but it often gets sidelined. This is especially true when you write your essay at the very last minute.

You are highly mistaken if you don’t give enough time and thought to write a conclusion because you see it as an insignificant aspect of your essay.

The conclusion is as essential as the introduction (if not more) because it is your golden opportunity to concisely reinstate the main points and thesis statement and package it with closure.

Like it or not – your essay is likely to be remembered by the most recent thing the reader has read, which happens to be the concluding paragraph. This means you cannot get lazy while writing this section and let all your efforts waste.

If you’re still unsure about getting the conclusion of your argumentative essay right, why not get some help from the experts? Yes, we at Writers Per Hour are a professional essay writing service. Our team of experts specializes in delivering original, well-written essays, including argumentative, narrative, persuasive and more.

From writing captivating introductions to exciting conclusions, we will take care of it all. So, the next time you are stuck writing an essay, contact us, and let us help you ace it!

Useful Links

1. How To Write an Introduction for an Argumentative Essay

2. What are Good Argumentative Essay Topics: 5 Tips to Make the Right Choice

Last edit at Dec 23 2022

Stefani Holloway

Stefani is a professional writer and blogger at Writers Per Hour . She primarily contributes articles about careers, leadership, business, and writing. Her educational background in family science and journalism has given her a broad base from which to approach many topics. She especially enjoys preparing resumes for individuals who are changing careers.

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So much is at stake in writing a conclusion. This is, after all, your last chance to persuade your readers to your point of view, to impress yourself upon them as a writer and thinker. And the impression you create in your conclusion will shape the impression that stays with your readers after they've finished the essay.

The end of an essay should therefore convey a sense of completeness and closure as well as a sense of the lingering possibilities of the topic, its larger meaning, its implications: the final paragraph should close the discussion without closing it off.

To establish a sense of closure, you might do one or more of the following:

To close the discussion without closing it off, you might do one or more of the following:

Finally, some advice on how not to end an essay:

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26 Planning a Discursive Essay

Discursive essay – description.

A discursive essay is a form of critical essay that attempts to provide the reader with a balanced argument on a topic, supported by evidence. It requires critical thinking, as well as sound and valid arguments (see Chapter 25) that acknowledge and analyse arguments both for and against any given topic, plus discursive essay writing appeals to reason, not emotions or opinions. While it may draw some tentative conclusions, based on evidence, the main aim of a discursive essay is to inform the reader of the key arguments and allow them to arrive at their own conclusion.

The writer needs to research the topic thoroughly to present more than one perspective and should check their own biases and assumptions through critical reflection (see Chapter 30).

Unlike persuasive writing, the writer does not need to have knowledge of the audience, though should write using academic tone and language (see Chapter 20).

Choose Your Topic Carefully

A basic guide to choosing an assignment topic is available in Chapter 23, however choosing a topic for a discursive essay means considering more than one perspective. Not only do you need to find information about the topic via academic sources, you need to be able to construct a worthwhile discussion, moving from idea to idea. Therefore, more forward planning is required. The following are decisions that need to be considered when choosing a discursive essay topic:

It is only through complete forward planning about the shape and content of your essay that you may be able to choose the topic that best suits your interests, academic ability and time management. Consider how you will approach the overall project, not only the next step.

Research Your Topic

When completing a library search for online peer reviewed journal articles, do not forget to use Boolean Operators to refine or narrow your search field. Standard Boolean Operators are (capitalized) AND, OR and NOT. While using OR will expand your search, AND and NOT will reduce the scope of your search. For example, if I want information on ageism and care giving, but I only want it to relate to the elderly, I might use the following to search a database: ageism AND care NOT children. Remember to keep track of your search strings (like the one just used) and then you’ll know what worked and what didn’t as you come and go from your academic research.

The UQ Library provides an excellent step-by-step guide to searching databases:

Searching in databases – Library – University of Queensland (uq.edu.au)

Did you know that you can also link the UQ Library to Google Scholar? This link tells you how:

Google Scholar – Library – University of Queensland (uq.edu.au)

Write the Thesis Statement

The concept of a thesis statement was introduced in Chapter 21. The information below relates specifically to a discursive essay thesis statement.

As noted in the introduction to this chapter, the discursive essay should not take a stance and therefore the thesis statement must also impartially indicate more than one perspective. The goal is to present both sides of an argument equally and allow the reader to make an informed and well-reasoned choice after providing supporting evidence for each side of the argument.

Sample thesis statements: Solar energy is a cost -effective solution to burning fossil fuels for electricity , however lower income families cannot afford the installation costs .

Some studies indicate that teacher comments written in red may have no effect on students’ emotions , however other studies suggest that seeing red ink on papers could cause some students unnecessary stress. [1]

According to social justice principles, education should be available to all , yet historically, the intellectually and physically impaired may have been exempt from participation due to their supposed inability to learn. [2]

This is where your pros and cons list comes into play. For each pro, or positive statement you make, about your topic, create an equivalent con, or negative statement and this will enable you to arrive at two opposing assertions – the claim and counter claim.

While there may be multiple arguments or perspectives related to your essay topic, it is important that you match each claim with a counter-claim. This applies to the thesis statement and each supporting argument within the body paragraphs of the essay.

It is not just a matter of agreeing or disagreeing. A neutral tone is crucial. Do not include positive or negative leading statements, such as “It is undeniable that…” or “One should not accept the view that…”. You are NOT attempting to persuade the reader to choose one viewpoint over another.

Leading statements / language will be discussed further, in class, within term three of the Academic English course.

Thesis Structure:

Claims and Counter Claims

NOTE: Please do not confuse the words ‘claim’ and ‘counter-claim’ with moral or value judgements about right/wrong, good/bad, successful/unsuccessful, or the like. The term ‘claim’ simply refers to the first position or argument you put forward (whether for or against), and ‘counter-claim’ is the alternate position or argument.

In a discursive essay the goal is to present both sides equally and then draw some tentative conclusions based on the evidence presented.

Use previous chapters to explore your chosen topic through concept mapping (Chapter 18) and essay outlining (Chapter 19), with one variance; you must include your proposed claims and counter claims in your proposed paragraph structures. What follows is a generic model for a discursive essay. The following Chapter 27 will examine this in further details.

Sample Discursive Essay Outline

The paragraphs are continuous; the dot-points are only meant to indicate content.

Introduction

Body Paragraphs X 3 (Elaboration and evidence will be more than one sentence, though the topic, claim and counter claim should be succinct)

Mirror the introduction. The essay outline should have stated the plan for the essay – “This essay will discuss…”, therefore the conclusion should identify that this has been fulfilled, “This essay has discussed…”, plus summarise the controlling ideas and key arguments. ONLY draw tentative conclusions BOTH for and against, allowing the reader to make up their own mind about the topic. Also remember to re-state the thesis in the conclusion. If it is part of the marking criteria, you should also include a recommendation or prediction about the future use or cost/benefit of the chosen topic/concept.

A word of warning, many students fall into the generic realm of stating that there should be further research on their topic or in the field of study. This is a gross statement of the obvious as all academia is ongoing. Try to be more practical with your recommendations and also think about who would instigate them and where the funding might come from.

This chapter gives an overview of what a discursive essay is and a few things to consider when choosing your topic. It also provides a generic outline for a discursive essay structure. The following chapter examines the structure in further detail.

researched, reliable, written by academics and published by reputable publishers; often, but not always peer reviewed

assertion, maintain as fact

The term ‘claim’ simply refers to the first position or argument you put forward (whether for or against), and ‘counter-claim’ is the alternate position or argument.

Academic Writing Skills by Patricia Williamson is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , except where otherwise noted.

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Expository essay: Cruelty towards animals essay
Discursive Essay [Topics, Examples, Ideas]
How to Write a Discursive Essay: Tips to Succeed & Examples
How To Write A Discursive Text
Essay Structure & Writing
How To Write A Band 6 Discursive Essay

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COMMENTS

What Makes An Effective Discursive Essay Conclusion
It is very difficult to write a brilliant conclusion to a discursive essay if you have not done the right thing in the paragraphs beforehand.
Discursive Essay Plan
A poor conclusion will simply restate or summarise points made earlier or be a few sentences stuck on at the end. Examples of Openings to Discursive Writing.
How To Write A Good Discursive Essay?
After you've said everything you wanted to say in the introduction and body paragraphs of your discursive essay, all that is left to do is write
How to Write a Discursive Essay: Tips to Succeed & Examples
Conclusion · In the last section, you should summarize your article including the main points, specified in the body paragraphs. · You may also
How to Write a Discursive Essay: Awesome Guide and Template
For the final part of every discursive essay, it's necessary to write a conclusion. Just like the discursive essay introduction
How to Write a Conclusion for an Argumentative Essay
The middle sentences of an argumentative conclusion should include the most convincing and rational points of your argument. The reader will remember your
How to Conclude an Essay
The conclusion might include minor pieces of new information—for example, a sentence or two discussing broader implications, or a quotation that
How to Write a Strong Conclusion Paragraph in an Argumentative
Begin the conclusion by reminding the reader of your viewpoint by reinstating the most logical arguments you made in the essay. Use this space
Ending the Essay: Conclusions
Ending the Essay: Conclusions · Conclude by linking the last paragraph to the first, perhaps by reiterating a word or phrase you used at the beginning. · Conclude
Planning a Discursive Essay
While it may draw some tentative conclusions, based on evidence, the main aim of a discursive essay is to inform the reader of the key arguments and allow