How to Write an Introduction and Conclusion (AQA GCSE English Literature): Revision Note
Exam code: 8702
Your introduction and conclusion are the frame of your essay. A strong introduction sets out your argument in a few sentences, and a strong conclusion shows where that argument has led. Together, they show the examiner that you have answered the question from start to finish, which is exactly what you need for the highest marks in AQA GCSE English Literature.
This page shows you how to write an essay introduction built around a thesis statement, how to write a conclusion that develops it, and how the two link together, with worked examples from Macbeth, An Inspector Calls and A Christmas Carol.
What is a thesis statement in English Literature?
A thesis statement is a short answer to the essay question that sets out your argument (the overall view you will prove in your essay). It is usually one sentence long, and it goes in your introduction.
A thesis is different from repeating the question. Repeating the question tells the examiner what you have been asked; a thesis tells them what you think. Here are both for this question:
Question: Starting with this speech, explore how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as an ambitious character.
Repeating the question | Thesis statement |
|---|---|
Shakespeare presents Macbeth as an ambitious character in this speech and in the play as a whole. | Macbeth is clearly ambitious, but Shakespeare suggests that ambition alone is not enough to make him act: it takes Lady Macbeth’s pressure to turn his ambition into murder. |
Only the thesis gives a judgement on the question “how far…?”. It also gives the essay a direction, because each paragraph can now test one part of that view.
Your thesis covers the whole essay. Each main paragraph then opens with a topic sentence that covers one part of it.
The strongest thesis statements are built around a big idea (a concept such as power, guilt or responsibility that runs through the whole text), so they let you write about the whole text, not just one scene.
How to write an essay introduction for English Literature
Your introduction is built around your thesis statement. Here is how to write it in four steps:
Find the focus of the question: pick out the key words, and check whether it asks “how” or “how far”
Write your thesis statement: give your overall answer to the question in one sentence, using its key words
Signpost your main ideas: briefly name the two or three ideas your paragraphs will use to prove your thesis
Name the writer’s purpose: say briefly why the writer presents the character or theme this way
Here are the four steps for this question:
Question: How does Priestley present Sheila as a character who learns important lessons about herself and society?
Step | An Inspector Calls |
|---|---|
1. Focus | Key words: “Sheila”, “learns important lessons”, “herself and society” |
2. Thesis statement | Priestley presents Sheila as the character who learns the most from the Inspector’s visit. |
3. Main ideas | She moves from a spoilt, self-centred young woman to someone who accepts her guilt, and finally to someone who challenges her parents’ refusal to change. |
4. Writer’s purpose | Through Sheila, Priestley suggests that the younger generation can build a fairer, more responsible society. |
Put steps 2 to 4 together and you have a three-sentence introduction:
Priestley presents Sheila as the character who learns the most from the Inspector’s visit. She moves from a spoilt, self-centred young woman to someone who accepts her guilt, and finally to someone who challenges her parents’ refusal to change. Through Sheila, Priestley suggests that the younger generation can build a fairer, more responsible society. |
How long should an introduction be?
Two to four sentences (one short paragraph) is enough. The three-sentence introduction above is a good model to follow. A long introduction uses up time you need for analysis, so set up your argument and move on.
What should you leave out of your introduction?
Leave out anything that delays your argument:
Plot summary: the examiner knows the story
Background facts: include context only if it shapes your answer, for example Priestley writing in 1945 about the kind of society he wanted Britain to become
Quotations: save your evidence for your main paragraphs, where you have room to analyse it
A list of techniques: name methods when you analyse them, not in advance
A pre-learned opening: stock phrases such as “the eponymous hero” rarely fit the question, so learn each text’s big ideas instead and build a fresh thesis in the exam
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Spend the first few minutes of each essay planning, before you write a word of your introduction. Jot down a one-sentence answer to the question, then list three ideas that support it, each with a moment or quotation from the text. That gives you your thesis and main ideas, so all your introduction needs is the writer’s purpose.
For example, if you decide that Macbeth’s ambition is “strong, but not enough on its own”, your three ideas might be his hesitation before the murder, Lady Macbeth’s pressure and the emptiness he feels once he is king. Your thesis is ready, and your plan gives you a clear order for your paragraphs.
How to write a conclusion for an English Literature essay
A conclusion brings your argument together. It should show where your thesis has led, not simply repeat it. Here is how to write one in three steps:
Answer the question again, using its key words and what your essay has shown
Draw your ideas together: sum up in a sentence how your paragraphs support your thesis
Zoom out to the big idea: say what the text suggests more widely about people or society
Keep your conclusion focused. It is not the place for a new point or a new quotation: everything in it should come from the argument you have already made.
You can see a full conclusion, alongside a weak version, in the examples further down this page.
Do you need an introduction and conclusion?
Yes, you should include both. No marks are given for an introduction or conclusion on their own, but examiners describe starting with a thesis as “the most effective way to begin”. They also reward essays that draw the argument together at the end, because this shows a sustained focus on the question. The exception is the short unseen poetry comparison question, which only assesses how the poets use methods, so you can go straight into your answer.
How long should a conclusion be?
Aim for two to four sentences, like your introduction. If you are running out of time, write one sentence that answers the question: a brief final judgement is far better than no ending at all.
How should your introduction and conclusion link together?
Your introduction and conclusion work as a pair. The introduction states your argument, your main paragraphs develop it, and your conclusion shows where it has led. This is called a line of argument (one clear view that runs through the whole essay).
Think of it like a journey. Your introduction says where you are heading, and your conclusion shows that you have arrived, and what you have found out on the way.
The table below uses Macbeth as an example. It shows how one line of argument runs from the introduction, through each main paragraph, to the conclusion.
Question: Starting with this speech, explore how far Shakespeare presents Macbeth as an ambitious character.
Part of the essay | What it does | An example using Macbeth |
|---|---|---|
Introduction | States the thesis | Macbeth is clearly ambitious, but Shakespeare suggests that ambition alone is not enough to make him act. |
Paragraph 1 | Tests the first idea | Macbeth admits that only “Vaulting ambition” drives him, and he decides not to kill Duncan. |
Paragraph 2 | Tests the second idea | His ambition only turns into action when Lady Macbeth questions his courage, so it needs her pressure to drive him to murder. |
Paragraph 3 | Tests the third idea | Once he is king, his ambition brings fear instead of satisfaction. |
Conclusion | Shows where the thesis has led | Macbeth’s ambition is real but hollow: it needs Lady Macbeth’s pressure to become action, and once fulfilled it leaves him fearful and alone. Through Macbeth, Shakespeare warns that ambition destroys anyone who lets it overrule their conscience. |
The conclusion does not copy the introduction. It answers the same question, but with the deeper understanding the essay has built.
What do strong introductions and conclusions look like?
The table below shows three introductions for this A Christmas Carol question. Each version answers the question more directly and sets up a clearer argument.
Question: Starting with this extract, explore how Dickens presents the lessons Scrooge learns about life in A Christmas Carol.
Version | Introduction: A Christmas Carol |
|---|---|
Weak | A Christmas Carol is a novella by Charles Dickens, published in 1843. It is about a man called Scrooge who is visited by three ghosts. In this essay, I am going to write about the lessons Scrooge learns. |
Better | Dickens presents Scrooge learning lots of lessons from the ghosts who visit him. He learns that he should be nicer to other people and less mean with his money, and by the end of the novella he changes. |
Strong | Dickens presents the lessons Scrooge learns as a journey from isolation to connection. The Spirits show him what his greed has cost himself and others, and the vision of his own lonely death finally convinces him to change. Through Scrooge, Dickens suggests that wealth only has value when it is used to help others. |
The weak version gives background and announces the topic without answering the question. The better version answers the question and names some of the lessons, but it describes what happens instead of making a judgement, and it never says why Dickens presents Scrooge’s change. The strong version makes a judgement and sets out the stages of the argument.
The next table shows two conclusions for the An Inspector Calls question from earlier on this page.
Question: How does Priestley present Sheila as a character who learns important lessons about herself and society?
Version | Conclusion: An Inspector Calls |
|---|---|
Weak | In conclusion, Sheila learns lots of important lessons about herself and society, and she changes a lot during the play. |
Strong | Priestley presents Sheila as the character who changes the most, moving from thoughtless privilege to genuine responsibility. Unlike her parents, she refuses to forget what the Inspector has shown her once the danger seems to have passed. Through Sheila, Priestley suggests that real change means accepting responsibility for others, and that the hope for a fairer society lies with the younger generation. |
The strong version returns to the thesis, shows how Sheila’s change develops and zooms out to Priestley’s message.
Introductions and conclusions in your AQA English Literature exam
AQA assesses your argument through AO1, which asks you to “maintain a critical style and develop an informed personal response”. A clear introduction and conclusion help you show the “well-structured argument” that top-level answers need.
This table shows how to approach each part of your two exam papers:
Paper | Question | Introduction | Conclusion |
|---|---|---|---|
Paper 1 | Give a thesis about the whole play. You do not have to start with the extract | Make a final judgement on the play as a whole | |
Paper 1 | Give a thesis about the whole novel. You do not have to start with the extract | Make a final judgement on the novel as a whole | |
Paper 2 | Choose your question, then build your thesis from its key words | Return to your thesis and zoom out to the writer’s message | |
Paper 2 | Draw the two poems together in a final comparison | ||
Paper 2 | First question (one poem, 24 marks): sum up what the poem is about in one sentence. Comparison question (8 marks): go straight to the main similarity or difference; you do not need an introduction | First question: zoom out to what the poet is saying overall. Comparison question: you do not need a conclusion |
Examiner Tips and Tricks
Examiners decide your AO1 mark at the end of your essay, so your conclusion is the last thing they read before they judge your argument. Before you write it, reread your introduction. Then answer the question again, showing how far your thinking has developed.
For example, if your introduction argues that Scrooge’s lessons take him “from isolation to connection”, your conclusion might show that Dickens uses this journey to argue that no one is beyond redemption. The examiner can follow your argument from your first sentence to your last, which is the sustained focus on the question that top-level answers show.
Sources
Stanley Wells and Gary Taylor (eds), 2005, The Oxford Shakespeare: The Complete Works (Second Edition), Oxford University Press
AQA. GCSE English Literature (8702) Specification. AQA.
AQA. GCSE English Literature (8702) Paper 1 Mark Scheme, June 2025. AQA.
AQA. GCSE English Literature (8702) Paper 1 Reports on the Examination, June 2023 and June 2024. AQA.
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