CONCLUSIONS:

Writing introductions and conclusions

The first and last paragraphs in your essay are important because often these are the sections (together with the bibliography) your tutor will read first.  

A clear introduction invites the reader to read on, and the conclusion sums up the main points.  Remember the reader!

Writing conclusions

A concluding paragraph should:

1. summarise the main arguments and themes
2. state your general conclusions
3. make it clear why those conclusions are significant
4. refer back to the essay question, and directly address it or "answer" it
5. make recommendations, or suggest a way forward.

(Length: about one-tenth of the essay)

• Remember the conclusion should NOT contain any new material.

Task:  For the following essay titles think how successfully the concluding paragraphs, taken from undergraduate essays, address the title and meet the five criteria

(Click text to see relevant paragraph)

1. "Why have women traditionally been 'hidden from history'?"
   
   
2. "Is power without responsibility" an adequate description of the position of the press and broadcasting in contemporary British politics?
   
   
3. Evaluate the problems that governments of developing countries face when trying to slow down the process of urbanisation.
   
   
4. Should tobacco advertising be banned? Discuss the arguments for and against this proposal.
   
   
5. "What evidence is there for changing living standards in the inter-war years? How are these changes to be explained?"
   
   
6. Examine the social and economic consequences of a rapidly growing elderly population and a falling birth rate.
   
   
7. Are there any circumstances in which unemployment can be considered a good thing?