Conclusion

Writing a conclusion may seem intimidating, but it really does not need to be. All of the hard work has already been done by this point. With that being said however, before you even start writing your final essay, you need to have a good idea of what your conclusion will be. This will go at the end of your plan.

Just to be clear, here is a list of what conclusions are NOT. They are NOT:

1. Simply a summary or just a regurgitation of the main argument;

2. A place to put forward new ideas or arguments (this should have all been done in the main body of the essay).

3. A bland, one sentence answer of the main question that the essay answers (“In conclusion, for the reasons stated above, the Human Rights Act has failed.”

4. A place to be apologetic for your assertions are arguments (“this is just my opinion…there are many more out there” etc. Come on! You’ve just spent hours becoming an expert on this subject area, give yourself more credit than that).

A good conclusion, on the other hand (see what I did there with that transition?), will not only link the central argument back to the question or essay topic, but makes it clear that different arguments and schools of thought have been considered in the main body of text. In doing so, it may even stipulate how the arguments put forth may have wider implications in the relevant area of law, or suggest a possible reinterpretation or reform to an existing area of law that may invoke further discussion (for the record, this is a really powerful way to end a discursive essay). Essentially, a good conclusion closes the discussion without closing it off. You want to invite your readers to think more deeply about the issues discussed, whilst also understanding where you stand on the issues.

Here is a general framework for how you may want to go about crafting your conclusion:

1. Put your subheading for the section as Conclusion. This avoids you falling into the trap of parroting such tired old tropes as “in conclusion” or “in summary.”

2. Link back to the beginning of your discussion in a constructive way. This can be done by quoting a significant authority or article that is pertinent to your earlier discussion, or by making a bold statement that relates to your main argument (e.g. “Part 36 of the CPR is a cumbersome, problematic mechanism for something that purports to be simple.”)

3. Redefine one of the key components of your argument. You may want to refer back to your introduction, and reword a key component in a manner that takes into account arguments that you have explored which differ to your own (e.g. “despite the common consensus concerning….which asserts that it is….it continues to be a source of frustration and uncertainty for the courts etc.)

4. Using a quote to end your essay is not a taboo practice, but it is generally discouraged. This is because the quote often hangs there in isolation with little to no further stipulation as to why it is important. If you are going to use a quote in your conclusion, make sure you link it back to the main issue at hand, and by extension your main argument.