The TOEFL Independent Essay: Steps to Writing Conclusions

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The TOEFL Independent Essay Steps to Writing
Conclusions

• Wendy M. Gough
• St. Mary College/Nunoike Gaigo Senmon Gakko

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The conclusion is the final paragraph of your
essay. It summarizes the ideas you presented in
the introduction and developmental paragraphs and
tells the reader that you are finished presenting
your ideas about the topic.
A good conclusion strengthens your essay but it
is less important than the developmental
paragraphs so you should spend more time focusing
on the body of the essay than the conclusion.
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A good concluding paragraph includes the following

• A restatement of the controlling idea or thesis

• A restatement of the topic sentences from
• the developmental paragraphs

• Your opinion, a prediction, or a solution to
• the problem

• A statement that sums up your essay

Restatement write the idea or sentence again
using different words
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Lets look at a conclusion from Cambridge
Preparation for the TOEFL Test (4th ed) for an
essay on the following topic
The importance of diligence
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Topic and controlling idea
Students have good reasons for being diligent.
Students must complete a large number of homework
assignments and study for many exams. It is very
important that a student develop the
characteristic of diligence if he or she wishes
to succeed at studying (406).
Development detail
Writers opinion
This paragraph restates the topic and controlling
idea as well as the writers opinion. But, it
could be better.
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Lets look at another example of the same
conclusion
In conclusion, students have good reasons for
being diligent. They must complete a large number
of homework assignments and study for many exams.
Thus, it is of utmost importance that students
develop this characteristic if they wish to
succeed in their studies.
This concluding paragraph gives the same
information but it is more interesting because it
uses transitions and pronoun referents to tell
the reader it is the end of the essay and avoid
repetition.
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In conclusion, students have good reasons for
being diligent.
The transition signal, in conclusion, tells the
reader this paragraph is ending the essay rather
than adding one more development paragraph.
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They must complete a large number of homework
assignments and study for many exams.
The pronoun referent they helps the writer avoid
using the word students again.
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Thus, it is of utmost importance that students
develop this characteristic if they wish to
succeed in their studies.
The writer tells us her ending/opinion using the
signal word thus.
She uses utmost importance, which is more
interesting and academic than very important.
She also avoids repeating herself and keeps the
sentence concise by using this characteristic
instead of the characteristic of diligence.
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References
Gear, Jolene, Gear, Robert. Cambridge
Preparation for the TOEFL Test. 4th ed. New
York, USA Cambridge University Press, 2006.