Short answer: a Task 2 conclusion restates your position in new words and adds a short final thought — a recommendation or prediction. Keep it to one or two sentences (35–45 words) and introduce no new ideas. It must mirror your introduction.
✍️ Open Typehush and practise full essays end-to-end →Sentence 1 — Restate your position. Summarise the answer you argued, using different words from your introduction. This is not the place to hedge: if you agreed in the introduction, agree here.
Sentence 2 (optional) — Final thought. Add a brief recommendation, prediction, or implication that follows naturally from your argument. This gives the essay a sense of closure without opening a new topic.
That's it. The conclusion is the shortest paragraph in the essay and the easiest to get right — as long as you resist the urge to add a new argument.
Use one, not several. Examiners see "In conclusion" thousands of times, and that's fine — it does its job. What matters is what follows it: a genuine summary of your position, not a generic sentence that could end any essay.
Position argued: children benefit more from starting school a little later.
Conclusion: "In conclusion, although early schooling has some advantages, the evidence suggests that children learn more effectively when formal education begins once they are developmentally ready. Governments should therefore prioritise readiness over a fixed early starting age."
It restates the position in fresh words and ends with a recommendation — no new argument, no new example.
Three things. Introducing a new idea — the conclusion summarises; a fresh argument there signals weak planning and hurts cohesion. Contradicting your introduction — if your opinion shifts between the two, Task Response drops directly. And copying your thesis word-for-word — restate it in different language to show range. A good test: read only your introduction and conclusion together. They should clearly agree, in different words.
One more subtle trap: don't weaken your position with a last-minute qualifier. Endings like "but of course, it depends on the situation" or "however, both sides have good points" undo the clear stance you spent the whole essay building, and examiners read that as a candidate who couldn't commit. If your view is genuinely balanced, that's fine — but say so decisively ("on balance, the benefits are greater"), not apologetically. Decisiveness in the final sentence is part of what separates a Band 7 Task Response from a Band 6 one.
Many candidates run out of time and either skip the conclusion or scribble a rushed one — both cost marks, because an essay that stops without concluding reads as unfinished. On the computer-delivered test this comes down to typing speed: if you're still typing body paragraph two when the clock hits 38 minutes, there's no time to conclude well. Practising full, timed, typed essays trains you to reach the conclusion with two or three minutes to spare, so you always land the ending cleanly.
Match your closing to the essay you actually wrote. After an opinion essay: "In conclusion, the advantages of … clearly outweigh the drawbacks, and …" After a discussion essay: "In conclusion, while both positions have merit, I believe … is the more convincing view because …" After a problem–solution essay: "To sum up, the main causes of … are …, and the most effective response would be …" After an advantages–disadvantages essay: "Overall, although … brings certain benefits, its disadvantages are more significant." Each of these restates a position and closes the loop without adding new material. The template is deliberately simple — the marks come from summarising your specific argument accurately, not from a clever final flourish. Keep it plain, keep it consistent with your introduction, and you will never lose marks on the conclusion.
Type all 156 Cambridge Band 6–8 model essays with live word count →One or two sentences, about 35–45 words. It is the shortest paragraph in the essay.
No. The conclusion only summarises your position and may add a final thought. A new argument there weakens your coherence score.
Yes. It is a clear, accepted signal. What matters is that a genuine summary of your own position follows it.
Always write at least a one-sentence conclusion. An essay with no conclusion reads as unfinished, which can lower your Task Response and Coherence scores.
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