GCE O Level English Guide: 3 Practical Steps To Write The Resolution/ Conclusion

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Most students do not pay much heed to the resolution or the concluding paragraph in O level English paper.

I find this rather odd as it is the last point you will make before it is graded so naturally, it is bound to have the greatest impact.

My students pay the utmost caution when writing their introductions. 

I mean, I can see them literally sweating when it comes to writing that very first line or the hook in the O level English paper. 

Of course, writing that first line means that you will make a big impact.

First impressions, first lines, the hook or the general truth in that opening line are all very important when you state your first thought.

What about the Conclusion?

Conclusions are equally important in O level English but by the time students finish with their PEELs (point, evidence, explanation, link back), they feel they have not got much else to contribute.

Now, this is really sad.

Do you know why?

When you cut out the conclusion or reduce it to a mere sentence or two, you are undermining yourself. 

You are effectively reducing your chances of getting a really high grade for O level English.

I am going to explain 3 features for writing a really effective conclusion and this will take you through any type of composition topic in O level English.

o level english

Feature #1 – O Level English Conclusion

The first feature when you start the concluding paragraph is to write a really good summation of whatever you have been stating or arguing about. 

I do not mean the entire summation but the highlight of your essay. 

What was the main thrust? What was the point you were trying to make? 

Summarise this in about 2 sentences. That is all it takes and make sure that you are concise.

Summarising should not involve lifting from the essay, but it should be a more philosophical way of saying that you want your point of view to be taken seriously. 

The summation will also be a way of reiterating your points and it will have that extra bit of impact.

Feature #2– O Level English Conclusion

The second feature is to reveal your opinion. This is where you can empathize and reveal your innermost sentiments. 

The opinion should be based on the evidence you had written and this is the part where you can have more liberty in mentioning whether you think this will really be useful or be an advantage etc.

Not having an opinion at the end is tantamount to having a ‘bald’ ending. 

The reader will be wondering what your view of the entire essay will be. 

No doubt, you would have mentioned a bit of it in the ‘explanation’ part but mentioning your opinion based directly on the focus of the question makes it more dynamic. 

It also reveals your strength as an articulate writer.

There are a few ways of revealing your opinion. I will mention only 2 because it will be easier for you to adapt to it. 

The first is to try to project your view based on the most important evidence. This will make it easier to write. Highlight the impact and share your view on why and what the impact will be consequently. 

Make sure that you maintain control of the essay when you reveal your opinion and do not write about unrelated ideas. Make sure that it stays relevant to the main points mentioned. Your tone should be confident and persuasive. And always make sure that your opinions are logical.

Feature #3– O Level English Conclusion

The last part is the link back. Go back to the question and state what you had felt from the start. 

If it is about the value of education, state that education is the value you give to yourself.

Your link back sentence should be poignant and graceful. 

This is your final comment, so make it stand out. 

Do not be brash or state something which is too startling. Do not start a new point. 

Just write a link back and finish the loop. 

The last sentence of the conclusion should completely close the loose ends and it should reveal a compactly written essay.

Once you have completed all three features, you would have written not only an articulate conclusion but one which remains in the mind of the reader. 

After all, that is the real purpose of writing a conclusion, isn’t it? 

A good conclusion should remain in the mind of the reader long after he has finished reading it.


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