1. ‘In Mrs Tilscher’s Class’
Critical Essay
- conclusion

3. Remember, you should never add anything new in the conclusion.
The conclusion should sum up what you have written and prove that you have answered the question.
Quotes relating to new points should not be used in the conclusion.
Restate your personal opinion (demonstrating your engagement with the poem).

4. All the conclusion needs is three or four strong sentences which do not need to follow any set formula. Simply review the main points and go back to your introduction/the essay question – have you answered it?
It should be more than one sentence.

5. S.T.O.P.
S – summary
T – task
O – opinion
P – positive

6. Conclusion for an essay on a poem
‘In Mrs Tilscher’s class is a thought- provoking poem which shows the confusion and unpleasantness of what it is like to enter adulthood. This is achieved through the poet’s skilful use of techniques, such as tone. Duffy uses these techniques to contrast the innocent child-like attitude of the speaker at the start with a more confused and uncomfortable awareness at the end. I think this is a realistic impression of what growing up is like and one I could relate to, especially the mix of fear and excitement described in the last stanza.

7. Look at the following examples and identify what suggestions you would make to help the writers improve their conclusions.

8. Example 1
In conclusion, I didn’t like this story very much because I thought it was boring. And not very believable. In this essay I have shown how Poe creates tension in the story by skilfully using many different techniques, such as setting, imagery and structure.

9. Example 2
In conclusion, Edgar Allan Poe successfully uses a variety of techniques to help build a really tense atmosphere in this short story. His use of narrator who is mad is very imaginative and makes the story more terrifying, as the reader is not sure what he might do next. I really enjoyed the story for this reason, and thought that other techniques, such as imagery and setting, also helped to create fear.

10. Example 3
In conclusion, this essay has been about Gothic fiction and the different kind of characteristics you might expect to find in stories that belong to this genre. I have shown how Edgar used many different techniques to make the story Gothic. I think that the most tense moment in the story is before the narrator kills the old man and I liked the way Poe uses time to create tension in this story.

11. Do Start with the words “In conclusion…” or “To conclude..”
Refer back to the words of the question
Sum up the main points of the essay and your feelings about the text
Try and end with a quote from your text which sums up what you have discussed or your feelings about the text

12. Do end with a bang not a whimper.

13. Don’t End with a detailed point or example
Be negative about the text. Whether you enjoyed reading the text or not, your text was chosen because of its literary merit, you should appreciate this.

14. Don’t bring in something new that you haven’t already mentioned.