Most candidates have difficulty completing the IELTS Writing Task 2 essay on time. However, candidates seeking higher band scores, say, 7 and above, should plan to write a conclusion paragraph that includes not just a Restatement of the Thesis but a true concluding sentence as well.

The purpose of the conclusion sentence is to leave the reader with one more idea, to round out the discussion and bring it to a satisfying end. Often, the sentence can unify the essay by returning to an early idea, perhaps even the one in the Hook, and ending on it.

The concluding sentence should not, however, contain a main idea or, worse, a strong opinion. It is merely supposed to leave the reader with one last, light thought to consider. So, if you write a concluding sentence, make it a suggestion, a recommendation or a prediction. And keep the language light and speculative.

For example, if you had written an Opinion Essay on the subject of mandatory retirement, and you had written that you were against it because it was harmful to companies, workers, and workers' families, you would not want to conclude with yet another opinion. In other words, do not end with an even stronger opinion, such as: "The government must change its policy of mandatory retirement before more economic damage is done." That's far too strong for a conclusion. Instead, consider these kinds of concluding statements:

- Recommendation: "Because people are able to work effectively longer today, perhaps the government might reconsider its policy."

- Suggestion: "Because costs of living are going up and people need to work beyond retirement age, it would be in the interest of the economy that the government rethink its retirement policies."

- Prediction: "If the government reviewed its policies about mandatory retirement, some able-bodied workers might be able to work beyond retirement age, to the benefit of everyone."

Notice that none of the statements tells the government what to do. They just propose a reconsideration of the policy. Also, notice that the prediction statement does not say what will happen, which is a different kind of prediction, but what might or could result. It's also helpful to include words like perhaps and maybe, to reinforce the idea that statement that the statements are conditional, that is, that they merely note possibilities, rather than things that must or will occur.