Writing
Closing the essay without repeating it, and why a missing conclusion costs more than a short one. With a practice exercise.
The IELTS Task 2 conclusion is short, and it is not optional. An essay that stops without one is treated as incomplete under Coherence and Cohesion, which is an expensive way to save two minutes.
Its job is narrow: restate your position in different words and close. It is not the place for a new argument, a new example, or a fact you forgot to include earlier.
What it does
Three requirements, and three things that lose marks.
Say again what you concluded, in words different from both your introduction and your body paragraphs. Two sentences is usually enough.
If the question had two parts, both should be reflected. A conclusion that answers half the question exposes an incomplete essay.
In conclusion, to conclude, or on balance. One phrase, at the start. The examiner should never have to wonder whether the essay finished.
A new argument in the last paragraph has no support and weakens the essay. If it matters, it belonged in a body paragraph.
Copying your introduction is obvious and adds nothing to Lexical Resource. Say the same thing differently.
Leave three minutes. A missing conclusion costs more than one extra body sentence gains.
Method
Six steps, most of which happen before you get there.
If you plan properly, the conclusion is decided in the first five minutes. You are writing towards it, not discovering it.
In conclusion, or to conclude. Simple and unambiguous. Save your vocabulary range for the sentence that follows.
You are not listing your paragraphs again. State the position the essay has argued, in one or two sentences.
If you were asked for causes and solutions, both belong here in compressed form.
Similar to the introduction. Longer conclusions start repeating body paragraphs and add nothing.
No rhetorical question, no call to action, no reflection on the modern world. Finish the sentence and put your pen down.
Practice
For each question, choose the better option.
Task: Some people believe that governments should invest more in public transport than in new roads. Discuss both views and give your own opinion.
The essay argued: both approaches have merit, but public transport delivers more benefit per pound in dense cities, and road building tends to generate the traffic it was built to relieve.
1Which is the better conclusion?
B. It reflects both views, states a clear position, and uses different wording from the essay. C avoids committing, D describes the essay instead of concluding it, and A is a bare assertion.
2What should you never put in a conclusion?
A new argument. Anything introduced in the final paragraph has no supporting evidence, and it suggests the essay was not planned.
3What happens if you leave out the conclusion entirely?
You lose marks for Coherence and Cohesion. An essay without a conclusion is treated as incomplete, which is a costly way to save time.
4How long should the conclusion be?
About forty words. Roughly the same as the introduction. Longer conclusions start repeating the body and add nothing.
5Which opening phrase is best?
In conclusion. Clear and formal. Last but not least signals another item in a list, not a conclusion, and the other two are informal.
That is a planning problem rather than a writing problem, and it costs more marks than any single sentence in the body could earn.
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Recognising a good conclusion is easier than producing one with four minutes left on the clock.
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Yes. An essay without one is treated as incomplete under Coherence and Cohesion, so leaving it out costs more than the time it saves.
About forty words, or two sentences. Roughly the same length as the introduction.
No. A new argument in the final paragraph has no support and suggests the essay was not planned. Anything that matters belongs in a body paragraph.
Not word for word. Say the same position in different language, which is exactly what Lexical Resource is assessing.
In conclusion or to conclude. Avoid last but not least, which signals another item in a list rather than the end of the essay.
Full membership
A conclusion is easy to check against a rule. Whether the four criteria across the whole essay add up to the band you need is a different question.
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