• provides your last chance to persuade your readers to your perspective
• explains why the thesis was important
• provide a sense of closure
• convey a sense of the possibilities or provide a direction
• leaves the reader with a sense of completeness and, depending on the topic of the essay, a desire to find out more

Resources to help develop effective Concluding Paragraphs

• Writing a Good Conclusion Paragraph.  Time 4 Writing.com (2017)
• Ending the Essay: Conclusions. Harvard College Writing Center (1998)
• Basic Essay Structure: Introductory and Concluding Paragraphs  Rochester Institute of Technology. SEA - Supporting English Acquisition
• The Concluding Paragraph University of California. Santa Barbara. Writing Program
• Writing Effective Conclusions  University of Richmond. Writing Center