To complete any IELTS essay you must end with a conclusion, even if you are running out of time always add one. This is because it completes the structure of your essay which is marked by examiners as 'coherence and cohesion', and it is not logical to finish an essay with a body paragraph full of examples and explanations.
An IELTS Writing Task 2 essay conclusion should only be two sentences long and should take a maximum of 5 minutes to write. So, what should your conclusion contain:
We will use the question below as an example to write a conclusion for:
Reread the topic sentences of your body paragraphs and then put these into a single sentence using different vocabulary or paraphrasing where possible. For example:
University graduates possess a deeper knowledge which can improve their work ethic and enable them to be more effective employees, where as those with experience only, may require additional training later in their careers.
To write a sentence like this you are probably going to have to write a complex sentence that includes at least two main clauses or parts. This can easily be done with conjunctions, such as: and, but, yet, although, however, even though and so on.
If the question asks for your opinion then you should have already included it in your introduction. In which case you must repeat this same opinion using different words and phrases, this is common in 'Opinion', and 'Discussion and Opinion' essays.
If you are not required to offer your opinion, as in some Discussion essays, then you may add one in the conclusion only, although this is optional.
For Situation: Problem and Solution essays, you will give your opinion by saying who is responsible for solving the problems rather than giving your general opinion about the topic.
For Situation: Two Part/Direct question essays, there is no need to add your opinion, you will simply summarise your topic sentences.
Here is an example of a restatement of an opinion:
I remain of the firm opinion that completing a university education is of greater importance than time spent gaining hands on experience.
Overall then, a full conclusion may look like this:
University graduates possess a deeper knowledge which can improve their work ethic and enable them to be more effective employees, where as those with experience only, may require additional training later in their careers. I remain of the firm opinion that completing a university education is of greater importance than time spent gaining hands on experience.
Hopefully, you can see that writing conclusions for your essay need not be too time consuming or difficult. In fact it should probably be the easiest part of the essay to write. As a final reminder, this is what it should include:
Finally, you will need to check your essay. Here is how to check your IELTS essay.
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