Why Does the Conclusion Matter?
- You’ve spent 9 minutes analysing authorial choices and connecting them to a global issue.
- Don’t let all that effort fizzle out with a weak ending. Your conclusion is your last chance to impress. Here's why it matters:
- It pulls your whole argument together and reinforces your focus.
- It shows you understand the broader implications of the global issue.
- It leaves the examiner with a strong final impression.
- It affects your mark for structure, clarity, and development.
Step-by-Step Guide to Writing a Strong IO Conclusion
Step 1: Recap how each text explores the global issue (2–3 sentences per text)
- Focus on your most insightful points. Avoid listing.
- Show what the author ultimately says about the issue.
Example
- 1984 presents a terrifying vision of state control, where Orwell uses surveillance, propaganda, and psychological manipulation to show how authoritarian regimes erase personal freedom. Through Winston’s slow loss of identity and eventual betrayal of Julia, Orwell warns how totalitarian power breaks the human spirit from within.
- The Handmaid’s Tale explores similar themes through theocratic control. Atwood uses Offred’s internal resistance and memory as tools of survival, showing how even under extreme oppression, individuality can persist — though not always prevail.
Step 2: Add a brief comparison
- If relevant, explain one meaningful similarity or difference in how the texts approach the issue.
- Keep it short and specific.
Example
While both texts portray systemic control, Orwell focuses on complete ideological domination, whereas Atwood allows room for emotional resistance and ambiguity, especially through Offred’s narrative voice.
Step 3: Reflect on the global issue
- Offer a final thought on why this issue matters beyond the texts.
- You might mention its ongoing relevance or why writers keep returning to it.
Example
Power structures that suppress individuality remain highly relevant today, from digital surveillance to laws controlling bodily autonomy. These texts remind us that control doesn't always come with violence, it can creep in quietly through systems that seem justified.
Now Let's Compare
Example
- Bad Conclusion
- In conclusion, both texts explore the global issue. They use techniques and show different points of view. The authors want us to think about how people are affected by the issue.
Note
What’s wrong with it:
- Vague and repetitive
- No specific insights
- Doesn’t leave a strong impression
Example
- Good conclusion
- In conclusion, both Never Let Me Go and The Handmaid’s Tale explore how institutional control can strip individuals of identity and autonomy in the name of progress. Ishiguro presents a quiet, internalised loss of self through Kathy’s passive acceptance of her fate, while Atwood offers a more overt resistance in Offred’s defiance against Gilead’s oppressive regime. Although Kathy and Offred respond differently, both novels highlight the dehumanising effects of systems that treat people as means to an end. Together, they suggest that when societies justify exploitation through science or religion, individual dignity becomes the first casualty.
Note
Why it works:
- Recaps the key insight from each text
- Compares their perspectives
- Offers a clear final message about the global issue
Tip
- Your conclusion should feel earned.
- It’s not a summary, it’s the moment you step back and say: here’s what all of this analysis really shows.
- Aim for clarity, insight, and confidence.
