1. Essay Conclusions
The Perfect Ending

2. A Handy Mnemonic
Title Author Sum up your main points Killer Closing Statement Remember, by the end of the essay you must fully have answered the TASK you were set.

3. T & A – Title and Author
The simplest way of doing these two is to put them into a simple sentence with reference to the task eg: “In conclusion, John Steinbeck’s ‘Of Mice and Men’ is a novel which shows the importance of having a dream.”

4. S – Sum Up Your Main Points
When summing up your main points try to be as concise as possible. You do not need to write lots of detail about each of your main paragraphs, but should mention the topics/people you have discussed. For example: “In the novel we see the theme of loneliness throughout and it is embodied by most of the main characters including Candy, Crooks, Curley’s Wife and George.” At this point of your essay you don not need to say more than that, as your main body should already contain the extended details of your argument.

5. K – Killer Closing Statement
The essay marking criteria includes Evaluation, which means you need to comment on “what has been enjoyed/gained from the text”. In order to do this you can support your argument with your own ideas in a closing statement in your conclusion.

6. Closing Statements Your closing statement should include ideas about:
Why you enjoyed the text.
Why you think it is important/what you have learned.
Always be positive!! If you are saying throughout that techniques are effective etc. then it contradicts your argument to say at the end that you thought the text was rubbish!!!

7. Example 1
I felt that ‘Of Mice and Men’ was a novel which helped me to understand the harsh realities for farm workers in the US during the depression. The novel’s themes of isolation and loneliness are as relevant today as they were when the novel was written, meaning that the text has lost none of its ability to shock the reader.

8. Example 2
I enjoyed reading the novel as it made me realise that people across all countries and times want similar things. The themes of dreams and of friendship still affect people to this day, and the novel is as applicable to life in the twenty first century as it was when it was written.

9. Full Conclusion
In conclusion, John Steinbeck’s ‘Of mice and men is a novel which shows the importance of having a dream. In the novel we see the theme of dreams throughout and it is embodied by many of the main characters including George, Lennie, Curley’s Wife and Candy. I enjoyed reading the novel as it made me realise that people across all countries and times want similar things. The themes of dreams and of friendship still affect people to this day, and the novel is as applicable to life in the twenty first century as it was when it was written.