WRITING
Conclusions
Writing the conclusion to your essay is quite similar to writing the introduction. You should summarise the main ideas in your essay and make your opinion clear.
The secret to a good conclusion is continuing to vary your English language, to use synonyms and parallel expressions, and to change parts of speech and grammar.
Ideally, you should also try to make your opinion clear (if opinion is required) without using a phrase such as “In my opinion” or “I believe”. You will have already used such a phrase in the introduction, so it is best to avoid it in the conclusion.
Have a look at the following conclusion from a model answer:
To conclude, there are upsides and downsides to growing up in a town or village compared with a larger city. The environment in a city is often more polluted and less safe for children, but a city can usually provide opportunities for learning and development that a smaller town or village cannot match.
The conclusion starts with a classic conclusion phrase, “To conclude”. You could also use:
In conclusion,
To summarise,
In summary,
Next, the conclusion summarises the two main ideas from the essay, namely:
Cities are more polluted and less safe for children
Cities provide better educational opportunities
Does the conclusion above make the writer’s opinion clear?
No, because this IELTS Writing Task 2 question is an advantages and disadvantages question, that does not ask for a personal opinion.
However, if it did require an opinion, you could write:
To conclude, there are upsides and downsides to growing up in a town or village compared with a larger city. The environment in a city is often more polluted and less safe for children, but a city can usually provide opportunities for learning and development that a smaller town or village cannot match. Overall, cities are preferable for bringing up a child because of these opportunities.
Here I used the phrase “are preferable” to show my opinion. You could also use phrases such as:
Parents should choose cities…
Cities are better because…
Children benefit more from cities…
What if I partly agree with two sides - how should my conclusion reflect this?
If you choose to partly agree with two points of view in your essay then it’s even more important that your conclusion makes your opinion clear. This means showing if you support both views equally, or one view more than the other.
Have a look at the following example. Which side does the writer support more, if any?
IELTS Question: Governments should increase funding for small towns and villages so that more young people choose to remain in them. What is your opinion?
Conclusion: To summarise, while small towns and villages should be given adequate funding to meet the needs of local residents, it makes sense for governments to focus their efforts on providing infrastructure and investments where they are most effective, which is normally in big cities.
The writer thinks it’s more important to invest in cities, therefore, he/ she disagrees more than agrees with the view presented. However, the essay obviously also talks about the importance of funding small towns and villages too.
The key phrase is “it makes sense” - this shows the writer’s opinion.
The writer also uses “while” and then presents the view that he/ she agrees less with first. The view you agree more with, always comes in the second clause.
Activity:
Write conclusions using the main ideas and opinions given.
For example:
IELTS Question: What are the advantages and disadvantages of raising children in a small town?
Opinion: N/A
Main Idea 1: Cities are more polluted and less safe for children
Main Idea 1: Cities provide better educational opportunities
Conclusion: To conclude, there are upsides and downsides to growing up in a town or village compared with a larger city. The environment in a city is often more polluted and less safe for children, but a city can usually provide opportunities for learning and development that a smaller town or village cannot match.
1. IELTS Question: Some young people believe it is best to move out of their hometowns when they become adults, while others wish to live in their hometowns their whole lives. What is your opinion?
Opinion: Best to leave hometowns.
Main Idea 1: Usually better to move for better career opportunities.
Main Idea 2: Better to broaden your mind and gain a wider experience of the world.
2. IELTS Question: Some people spend most of their lives close to where they were born. What might be the reasons for this? What are the advantages?
Opinion: N/A
Main Idea 1: People have deep connections to their hometowns.
Main Idea 2: Benefit from a support network of friends and relatives.
3. IELTS Question: The place where you grow up has a bigger influence on how your personality develops than your parents and family. To what extent do you agree?
Opinion: Partly agree with two sides, however family is the bigger influence.
Main Idea 1: The culture of our hometown affects our values and beliefs.
Main Idea 2: Parents and family have the biggest influence on the type of person we become.