Online Pre-sessional Programme

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11. Introductions & Conclusions

What are we studying and why?

Every story has a beginning, a middle and an end. Academic essays are also divided
into three parts: an introduction, a main body and a conclusion. Today’s lesson will help
you structure your writing by looking at ways to begin an essay (the introduction) and
how to end it (the conclusion). Introductions and conclusions both contain several
‘sections’ and use specific phrases and vocabulary. The purpose of the main body is to
present arguments which support your thesis. This three-part structure is very common
in academic writing. Using it in your essays helps your reader navigate the arguments
and ideas you present and evaluate whether they are convincing.

Your study tasks:

Work through the tasks below, and make sure you login to DUO and find lesson ‘11.
Introductions & Conclusions’ where you will find important tasks and resources that form part
of the lesson below. You need to complete all of this before your online class.

Lesson aims:
 To become familiar with the basic elements of introductions and conclusions, and
their functions.
 To become familiar with some useful language for introductions and conclusions.
 To practise constructing introductions and conclusions.

Task 1: Thinking about the structure of an essay.

 Match the features from the box below (a-n) to the three parts of an essay in the
first box.

One answer is given (be careful: some features apply to more than one essay part).

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Essay Part Feature (a-n)

The Introduction (a) the first part of an essay

The Main Body

The Conclusion

(a) the first part of an essay (b) the final part of an essay
(c) the largest part of an essay (d) gives the thesis statement
(e) restates the thesis statement (f) gives the general background context
(g) ‘wraps up’ (ends) an essay (h) should be around 10% of the total word
(i) may be easier to write last count
(k) tells the reader the line of argument (j) is written in paragraphs
(m) establishes the writer’s authority (l) is the last chance to persuade the reader
(n) contains the main arguments to support your
thesis

Task 2: Completing the matching quiz on DUO.

 Now complete the matching quiz on DUO to test your answers.

Introductions

Task 3: Predicting the sequence of sections in an Introduction.

There are generally FIVE sections to an Introduction (not in this order though!):

Definitions - Signposting - General Opening - Thesis statement - Problem/Debate

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 What is the sequence (order) of the sections? Make a prediction and write your ideas
below. The first one is done for you.

1) General opening
2)
3)
4)
5)

Task 4: Identifying the sections of an Introduction.

 Read the following introduction to an essay on ‘Big Brands’.

Identify the five sections. Where does each section begin and end? Use the line numbers to
help you.

“To what extent can Big Brands be called evil?”

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There has been much discussion of whether ‘big brands’ make people’s lives better
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or worse. In this essay, big brands will refer to multinational enterprises, which can
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be defined as “an enterprise with activities in two or more countries with an ability to
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influence others” (Frampson, 2006). These enterprises are often household names
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such as Coca-Cola, Nike or McDonalds. Madeley (1999) shows that more than 50
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per cent of the biggest global brands in terms of revenue are from the US, which
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means that American products are used by consumers all over the world. In the last
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twenty years big brands have become a byword for globalization, bringing mass
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produced products to all corners of the globe. It is now possible to buy a Big Mac in
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Beijing or drink a Starbucks Latte in Riyadh.
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1
The debate on the impact of the spread of big brands has been far from temperate
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with some groups characterizing big brands as ‘evil’ and claiming that globalization
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is leading to the destruction of local cultures, the stealth ‘Americanization’ of the
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world and the exploitation of the poor. There have been numerous campaigns
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against big brands such as McDonalds and even violent clashes such as ‘the battle
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3 in Seattle’ where anti-globalisation groups have protested against the spread of the
1 big brands. However, this essay will attempt to demonstrate that it is unfair to
4 characterize big brands as evil as they bring many advantages to the countries in
1 which they trade, especially developing countries, although some of their practices
5 are certainly dubious. In order to demonstrate this it will be shown that accusations
1 made against big brands regarding firstly, the exploitation of workers and secondly,
6 the ‘homogenization’ of culture are not necessarily valid. At the same time, some of
1 the benefits brought by ‘big brands’ will also be discussed.
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1
8
1
9
2
0
2
1
2
2
2
3
2
4

You can check your predictions at the end of this document

Task 5: Thinking about the purpose of Introduction Sections.

 Consider the following questions about the ‘Big Brands’ introduction that you have
just seen.

 Note your answers in the boxes below.

1. How does the writer begin the general opening section? Why?

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2. Why does the writer give a definition next? Is it always necessary to do this?

3. What kind of information is given next? Why is this information needed now, in the
introduction?

4. What information is given in line 18? Why does the writer tell us this? What phrase is
used?

5. What information is given in the final section? Why is it useful for the reader?

Task 6: Connecting with classmates on Teams to share your answers from Task 5.

 Before your online class, discuss your answers with your classmates on Teams. If
there are any areas of confusion, first read the information in Task 7 below and try to help
each other.

You can then post any remaining questions for your teacher to Teams.

Task 7: Reading about the General Structure of an Introduction.

 Read carefully below more detailed information about the five sections of an
Introduction:

The General Structure of an Introduction

1. Introduce the topic with a general statement about the topic.

X has long been the subject of debate…

There is controversy over the extent to which X is considered an important factor in X…
Since X, Y has been the source of much debate…
There has been much discussion on the issue of whether…

2. If it is necessary or helpful, define any key terms, labels, people or events. This
may involve giving brief background on a person or situation.

X can be defined as…

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X is generally regarded as…

For the purposes of this essay, X will be defined as…

3. Focus on the problem or the controversy which the essay will address. Prove to
the reader that there is a real question to be answered here.

Although some researchers have argued X, others take a different view…

It is generally believed that… however X argues that this is not the case….

4. State your thesis or the main argument of the essay. What is your essay trying
to prove? This is the most important part of the introduction.

This essay will attempt to show / demonstrate…

This essay will argue / demonstrate that…
In this essay it will be argued that…
It will be suggested that...

5. Signpost. This means you need to outline how you will argue your thesis. Think
about how each section of the essay contributes to the thesis.

This essay will first… …discuss the question of…

…consider the issue of…
This paper will first… …examine the problem of…
…state how…
…analyse why…
…define
Second… …it will examine…
Third… …this paper will turn to…
Next… …this essay will consider…
Finally… will explore…

Task 8: Analysing the structure of an Introduction.

 Read the following two introductions and identify the sections.

 1. Are there any sections missing?

2. Why do you think the authors have chosen not to include them?

Your answers:

Introduction 1
‘Who benefits from globalisation?’

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There is no doubt that globalisation has fundamentally and irreversibly changed the
economic and cultural landscape of the world. The extent to which these changes are
viewed in a positive or negative light, however, depends almost entirely on the standpoint
of the observer. This essay will argue that the benefits of globalisation accrue almost
entirely to the wealthy and powerful, whether they be nations, companies or individuals,
while the poor and powerless gain little or nothing.

Introduction 2

‘To what extent is there a universal, cross-cultural definition of marriage?’

Even though every society has different cultures and customs, almost all societies have a
system of marriage. Marriage is defined as ‘the relationship between two people who are
husband and wife’ (Macmillan English Dictionary, 2007). This definition will be same as
the general ‘image’ of marriage, especially for people who are from developed countries.
Therefore, this definition would work as ‘universal’ in many modern Western societies.
However, it does not work in universal cross-cultural terms because, in different societies
and cultures, there are many numerous types of marriage which are not accounted for in
this definition.

Nonetheless, this essay will attempt to argue that although different cultures, customs,
rules and ethics make it difficult to define marriage in universal cross-cultural terms, it is
possible to offer a general definition. To a certain extent, a universal definition of marriage
might reasonably be stated as a legal system which makes new kin groups and sanctions
procreation. In order to demonstrate this, first, this essay will demonstrate that despite the
complexities, marriage can be universally defined as creating new kinship and
households. This will be shown through an analysis of marriage practises across cultures.
Second, it will show how marriage can be universally defined as means to allow and
legitimize child-bearing and again, this will be demonstrated through a detailed evaluation
and discussion of a range of practises.

You can check your answers to Task 8 at the end of this document.

Conclusions

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Task 9: Analysing the structure of a Conclusion.

Generally, conclusions also have a certain number of ‘sections’. Let us look into those.

 Read the following conclusion and think about these questions (you can also make
some notes on the text):

 1. How many ‘sections’ of the conclusion can you identify?

2. What is the purpose of each section?

1 In conclusion, this essay has attempted to demonstrate that although big brands have
2 been guilty of some dubious business practices it is unfair to characterize their
behaviour 3 as evil. Indeed, their status has meant that it has been possible to exert
control over the
4 behaviour of big brands and, to some extent, curb their worst excesses. Evidence
5 suggests that it is actually small, local manufacturers who engage in some of the worst
6 exploitation. It is also true that the danger of the emergence of a ‘homogenous’ global
7 culture is to some extent over–stated. In recent years the phenomenon of ‘glocalization’
8 has shown that cultures tend to absorb and adapt to the presence of big brands rather
9 than becoming consumed or defined by them. Big brands are not seeking to change
10 culture rather to sell products, an aim which can hardly be defined as ‘evil’. Big brands
11 will continue to be a part of business for the foreseeable future, and although they will
12 always require close monitoring it seems that the world has little to fear from their
13 presence.

Task 10: Analysing a Conclusion in depth.

 Consider the following three questions about the conclusion you have just read.

 Write your answers in the boxes.

1. What information is given to begin the conclusion? Why does the writer include this
information?

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2. What information is given in lines 3-10? Why does the writer include this?

3. How does the writer end their conclusion? Why do they do this?

Task 11: Connecting with classmates on Teams to share your answers from Task 10.

 Before your online class, discuss your answers with your classmates on Teams.
If there are any areas of confusion, first read the information in Task 12 below and try to help
each other. You can then post any remaining questions for your teacher to Teams.

Task 12: Reading about the General Structure of a Conclusion.

 Read carefully below more detailed information about the sections of a Conclusion:

The General Structure of a Conclusion

1. Restate the thesis / aim of the essay:

To conclude,…
In conclusion,…
In sum,

2. Summarise main points of argumentation:

Therefore, said
On this basis, can clearly accepted
Thus, may generally be concluded
From the data above, it should perhaps suggested that…
From the information given, could shown
From the results presented here, seen
From the analysis undertaken here, demonstrated
argued

3. An ‘Opening Up’ section(s). Here you draw attention to the wider relevance or

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implications of the arguments in the essay. It is the ‘so what?’ of your essay.

There are several ways to ‘open up’ an essay, for example:

 Challenging the reader: asking the reader to relate the information to their own lives,
beliefs, etc.

poses
This raises the question of whether…
difficult
uncomfortable
challenging

This leads to the conclusion that…

 Predicting (looking to the future): encouraging the reader to see your argument(s)
from a wider, perhaps more global, perspective.

predicted
It can be foreseen that…
expected

 Raising a question: encouraging a new perspective or creating new meaning from the
topic of discussion.

It is unclear whether…
remains uncertain how…
when…
(etc.)
The question of remains unanswered.

Task 13: Analysing Conclusions.

 Read the following two conclusions and identify the ‘sections’.

 Note down your answers to these two questions:

1. Are there any ‘sections’ missing?

Your answer:

2. Why do you think the writer has chosen not to include them?

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Your answer:

Conclusion 1

In conclusion, it is clear that globalisation is a complex process which will undoubtedly

impact upon us all in the coming decades. While it would be comforting to imagine, as a
result, a future world free of conflict and poverty, it seems likely that for the majority, in
both rich and poor nations, the reality will be less than positive.

Conclusion 2

In conclusion, this essay has demonstrated that the low-cost airlines companies have a
significant positive influence in terms of economic development. However, it is clear that
low cost airlines, like traditional airlines, do present an environmental problem. Whether
budget airlines will continue to grow and be able to charge low costs in the current
economic climate is an issue that is open to question.

You can check your answers to Task 13 at the end of this document.

Task 14: Applying an understanding of Introductions and Conclusions in your writing.

 Read the following main body of an essay about budget airlines and write down
some notes about:
1. What is the topic/debate?
2. What are the main arguments presented?
3. How will these influence the thesis statement and signposting in your introduction?

Your notes:

Task 15: Writing an Introduction and a Conclusion to an essay.

 Write the introduction and conclusion to this essay using the ideas you have studied
in this lesson. Try to include some of the useful language that has been highlighted in this
lesson.

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Are Budget Airlines a Good Thing?

__________________________________________________________________________
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One of the key advantages of low-cost airlines is that they bring revenue to a wider variety of
airports. Although the traditional airlines fly to large cities and major airports like London
Heathrow, Rome Fiumicino, Glasgow and Frankfurt, the low-cost airlines concentrate on
airports some distance from the city-centre such as London Stansted, Rome Ciampino,
Prestwick and Hahn (Doganis, 2001). Flying to smaller airports is one of the instruments
these airlines use to reduce the cost. Low-cost airlines stimulate demand and increase the
number of passengers which means more business for these airports and which has a direct
economic impact on airports, affecting airport revenues as well as employment and terminal
investment
For example, since EasyJet started operating passenger numbers at Luton Airport have
increased from 1 million to 65 million passengers over the last 8 years (Kelhoe, 2003). Also,
Frankfurt-Hahn (2003), demonstrates that the number of employees at Luton airport has
increased from 1819 to 2500 employees over 4 years. Additionally, according to Mason
(2000), passengers of low-cost airlines spend more money in airports than other passengers.
Kelhoe (2003), claimed that in 1999 low fare passengers spend 10% more at airports than
passengers of traditional airlines. It could be suggested that one of the possible reasons for
this is that there are limited services on planes of budget airlines. Therefore, budget airlines
have a positive economic impact on smaller airports and their environs.
In addition, the low-cost airlines have an impact on the world economy. In other words,
because low-cost fares enable people to travel more, tourism has been developing. It is clear
that the development of tourism can cause the increase of the local income in the form of
wages, salaries, profits and rent (Fletcher, 1999). Tourists spend their money on a wide
variety of goods and services such as accommodation, entertainment, food, transport,
communication and other travellers’ needs. For example, when Ryanair started to fly to
Frankfurt – Hahn the number of foreign visitors increased to 15% (Horsch, 2003). Therefore,
the development of tourism can expand a labour market and benefit economies and
businesses.
However, as low-cost airlines are primarily concerned with cost, there are some issues with
safety. Some passengers fear that low cost fares result in lower quality planes (Morison and
Winston, 1995). However, this is a misplaced fear, as low-cost airlines actually use better
quality air planes than traditional airlines. For example, traditional airlines usually use aircraft
which are 7 or 10 years old; however, low cost airlines use the latest technology of the airline
industry. Therefore, it is clear that passenger should not be worried about their safety in the
planes of low-cost airlines.
Graham (1995), demonstrates that transport creates noise and atmospheric pollution and
has a negative impact on the environment. This is despite the fact that the negative effect of
air transport is in fact less than that of road traffic at around 15 % of all CO2 emissions. Since
the increase in the number of budget airlines, air transport has become an increasingly
popular method of transportation (Hale and Dorr, 2005), thus increasing the amount of
pollution in the atmosphere.
Low-cost airlines argue that they understand the seriousness of environmental problems and
that they are more environmentally friendly than the traditional airlines as their aircrafts are
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usually fully booked, whereas traditional companies often fly half-empty craft over great
distances (Graham, 1998). Additionally, the use of secondary airports by Budget airlines also
has a benefit for environment. In small airports, low-cost airlines spend less time fin holding
patterns and in taxiing to and from the runway (Doganis, 2001). Therefore, although budget
airlines contribute to pollution, they are less guilty than the traditional airlines.
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Task 16: Uploading your essay to DUO.

 Now upload your completed essay to DUO.

Review:
What you’ve learned this lesson
 The typical structure of an argumentative academic essay contains a beginning
(introduction), a middle (body) and an end (conclusion).
 The introduction has five possible ‘sections’ which each have a specific purpose.
Not every section is always included.
 The conclusion has three possible ‘sections’. The final section includes different
ways to ‘open up’.
 A thesis is stated in the introduction and re-stated in the conclusion. The job of the
body paragraphs is to make arguments persuading the reader that the thesis is
justified or at least worthy of being considered.
 Signposting in the introduction helps your reader predict and navigate your essay.
Successful signposting gives readers confidence in an essay, because the
paragraph contents confirm the expectations set out in the introduction’s
signposting.

Things you should have done this lesson

 Completed the matching quiz on DUO.
 Worked through all the tasks and written down your answers for them. 
 Connected with classmates on Teams for Tasks 6 and 11.
 Written an introduction and a conclusion for the ‘Budget Airlines’ essay.
 Uploaded the completed essay to DUO in Task 16.
 Posted any questions or areas of confusion on Teams so your teacher can clarify

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them for everyone. 

Preparation for your online class time:

Your Online Class time for this session will be at 11:00 (UK Summer Time).

Before your class…

1. Ensure you have uploaded your ‘Budget Airlines’ essay to DUO.
2. Remind yourself of the possible sections of an Introduction and a Conclusion.
3. Note down any additional questions you may have about the material in this lesson.

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Answers:

Task 4 1. General Opening (lines 1-2)

2. Definitions (lines 2-5)
3. Problem/Debate (lines 5-17)
4. Thesis statement (lines 18-21)
5. Signposting (lines 21-24)

Task 8
The writer has not chosen to give any definitions – this shows that they
Introduction 1 believe the key terms like ‘globalisation’, ‘economic landscape’ are
generally understood.

Also, there is no separate signposting section here – a closer look at the

thesis statement shows how the essay is structured by: (1) firstly looking
at globalisation and how it benefits the wealthy, looking at (2) nations, (3)
companies and (4) individuals, in that order. The writer will then go on to
look at globalisation and its (5) effect on the poor and powerless.

An experienced reader would understand this, however it is often helpful

to signpost your essay structure after the thesis statement.

Introduction 2 There is a long definition which mixes into discussing the problem /
debate. The lines:
However, it does not work in universal cross-cultural terms because, in
different societies and cultures, there are many numerous types of
marriage which are not accounted for in this definition
Could be called definition but it also starts to identify the problem /
debate concerning the difficulty of cross-cultural definitions of marriage.

Task 13
In conclusion, it is clear that globalisation is a complex process which
Conclusion 1 will undoubtedly impact upon us all in the coming decades.
= Restate the thesis

= There is no ‘summarising ’ section – this would usually be

expected

While it would be comforting to imagine, as a result, a future world free

of conflict and poverty, it seems likely that for the majority, in both rich
and poor nations, the reality will be less than positive.
= Opening up: Prediction

Conclusion 2 In conclusion, this essay has demonstrated that the low-cost airlines
companies have a significant positive influence in terms of economic
development.
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= Restate the thesis

However, it is clear that low cost airlines, like traditional airlines, do

present an environmental problem.
= Brief ‘summarising’ section – more development of the main
arguments would usually be expected, depending on the length of
the essay

Whether budget airlines will continue to grow and be able to charge low
costs in the current economic climate is an issue that is open to
question.
= Opening up: Raising a question

END

Please make sure you tick the ‘Mark Reviewed’ box at the end of lesson ‘11. Introductions &
Conclusions’ on DUO to confirm you have finished the lesson. This will help us monitor your
attendance.

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