King’s College London Pre-Sessional Programme
Writing Essay Conclusions
What would you expect the conclusion to an academic essay to include?
An essay conclusion is the final paragraph. It refers back to the title, thesis statement,
and the main points addressed in the essay, and presents the reader with a summary of
the whole essay.
It may include reference to the main results or findings, and to any limitations.
The conclusion may also look forward by offering predictions, recommendations for
further research, or ideas about the topic for the reader to think about.
You are going to look at extracts from an essay on the subject of intelligence. Before you
begin, discuss what is meant by intelligence, for example:
 What different types of intelligence are there?
 Can intelligence be measured?
 Are there any types of intelligence unique to humans?
TASK 1: Linking a conclusion to other parts of the essay
1. The conclusion needs to have a clear connection with the title, the introduction, the
thesis statement, and the body of the essay.
Look at the essay title below and choose the three items it asks you to write about in the
body of the essay.
In the modern world, it is not just essential to demonstrate general intelligence, but also
to possess social and emotional intelligence. Discuss the relevance of the different types
of intelligence to the field of medicine.
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The connection between intelligence and experience
The relative importance of each type of intelligence
The history of theories of intelligence
The different types of intelligence
Source: de Chazal, E. and McCarter, S. (2012) Oxford EAP. A Course in English for Academic Purposes. Oxford:
OUP.
2. The introduction to an essay includes a thesis statement and essay outline. These give
information about the topic and focus of the essay, and shows how the essay is
organised.
Read the introduction to the essay title above and identify the thesis statement/outline.
Then, match the three items you chose in 1 to the parts of the thesis statement.
As competition in the workplace increases, with larger numbers of people chasing fewer
jobs, applicants are being assessed not only for their general intelligence, but also their
social and emotional intelligence. Social intelligence can be defined as that area of
intelligence that deals with social skills, and is necessary for medical professionals to
work effectively with other people. Emotional intelligence is the individual’s ability to
deal with their own and other people’s emotions – for example, being able to show and
recognize empathy. This may also include intrapersonal intelligence, which concerns
self-understanding and self-awareness. These types of intelligence are now considered
very important for people working in a medical environment. This essay discusses the two
types of intelligence, evaluates their relative importance, and examines the relevance of
each in the field of medicine.
3. How does the thesis statement:
a) show the order of discussion in the body of the essay
b) give an indication of the contents and order of the conclusion?
4. Based on the introduction above, predict what you would expect each of the three
parts of the main body to include by writing suitable topic sentences for each paragraph.
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5. Read the features of a conclusion below. Not all of them appear in the conclusion of all
essays. Select FOUR features that might appear in the conclusion to the essay title in 1.
 a reference to the title and the introduction, including the thesis statement
 a reference to the main points in the body of the essay, as expressed by the topic
sentences
 a summary of the key points of the essay
 new information about the key points covered in the body of the essay
 suggestions, comments or recommendations for the future
 a reference to research carried out
 a reference to findings or results
 a statement of any limitations (i.e. the focus) of the discussion in the essay
 a statement of purpose
TASK 2: Identifying features of a conclusion
1. Match each element (a-e) to the relevant sections of the conclusion below.
a) a statement of limitations
b) a summary and reference to the title / thesis statement
c) a reference to findings
d) recommendations for the future
e) a reference to research carried out
1
The discussion has shown that social and emotional, including intrapersonal,
intelligence have a crucial part to play in the medical environment. 2We have considered
the role of research on both sides, 3but it has not been possible to cover all the latest
research. 4What is clear, however, is that the three types of intelligence can improve jobseekers’ chances in the job market. 5Training in these types of intelligence should be
offered not just on medical courses, but even as early as secondary school, with greater
allocation of educational investment.
2. Now look at the title, outline notes, and conclusion to a different essay. Identify the
features (a-d) in the conclusion. Then write notes relating to each feature in the table
below.
a
b
Reference to the title / thesis
statement
Statement of limitations
c
Reference to research
d
Recommendations
Title: Trace the development of artificial intelligence (AI) over the last few decades.
3. Based on your notes on the wording in the table above, try to think of at least one
different phrase for each feature. Rewrite the conclusion using these phrases.
TASK 3: Critical thinking – evaluating a conclusion
1. Read the title and outline notes to the following essay. Then read the conclusion and
put sentences a-d in the correct order.
Title: The way that university students are accessing, acquiring and using knowledge is
changing rapidly. Outline the main reasons for this.
(Note the use of repetition and synonyms (e.g. reasons, factor, reason, justification) in
the outline above to ensure cohesion and coherence).
2. Use the criteria below to evaluate the conclusion above. Make sure you can justify your
answers.
Relevance
Does the conclusion match the title, thesis statement, and body
plan?
Completeness
Does the conclusion:
 refer to the thesis statement
 summarise the main ideas
 state any limitations
 refer to research
 make recommendations?
Clarity
Is all this information clear to the reader?
TASK 4: Ensuring coherence between the parts of an essay
1. Read the essay title below. In the extracts from the essay, select the best alternative
from the words in italics to make the structure of the essay as coherent as possible.
Title: Many gifted children do not achieve their full potential as they progress through
school. Examine the causes of this.
2. The conclusion above starts with the phrase As we have seen. Think of three
alternative ways of introducing a conclusion.
TASK 5: Writing a coherent conclusion
1. Write a conclusion for the essay title and plan below. Add a recommendation for the
future of your own. Write approximately 100 words.
Title: In recent years, greater emphasis has been placed on learning work skills at
university rather than pursuing intellectual development for its own sake. Outline the
reasons behind this trend.
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2. Use the criteria in Task 3.2 to evaluate your partner’s conclusion.
3. Here is a sample answer. Evaluate it according to the criteria in Task 3.2.
As has been shown, there are a number of important reasons why universities
are now placing greater emphasis on learning work skills rather than education
for its own sake. It has only been possible to explore this issue within a European
context rather than globally. Statistics show that there is an increase in the
number of students studying business and acquiring MBAs. More research needs
to be carried out on the implications of this trend for university education in
Europe and the rest of the world, especially as regards the types of courses that
universities are currently offering and will offer in the future.