Skip to content
Oak National Academy
Oak National Academy
Teachers
Pupils
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 5

Planning and writing the conclusion of an essay

I can write the conclusion of an essay, including a range of linguistic features.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
icon-background-square
New
New
Year 5

Planning and writing the conclusion of an essay

I can write the conclusion of an essay, including a range of linguistic features.

Download all resources
arrow-right
Share activities with pupils
arrow-right
warning

These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.

Switch to our new teaching resources now - designed by teachers and leading subject experts, and tested in classrooms.
View new resources
arrow-right

Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. In our essay, the conclusion reflects the essay title, bringing the information from previous paragraphs together.
  2. The conclusion explains how reducing deforestation will help reduce the impacts of climate change.
  3. We will include subject-specific vocabulary and a range of linguistic features.
  4. Because the conclusion looks at possible future actions and outcomes, we will often use modal verbs.
  5. Modal verbs are auxiliary ('helping') verbs that are paired with a main verb.

Keywords

  • Conclusion - the closing paragraph of a non-fiction text

  • Subject-specific vocabulary - vocabulary that relates to a particular subject

  • Modal verbs - a type of auxiliary verb that expresses the degree of possibility, intent, ability or necessity of a clause

  • Linguistic features - the language structures that are used within a text

Common misconception

Pupils may not understand that a modal verb 'helps' another verb.

Draw attention to the fact that a modal verb comes before a main verb to modify it, e.g. 'will show', 'might help', 'should do' or 'would lead'.


To help you plan your year 5 english lesson on: Planning and writing the conclusion of an essay, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...

A slide is left intentionally lined for you to complete shared writing with your class. Depending on the outcomes of previous writing, you may wish to adapt the linguistic features focused on in this lesson.
speech-bubble
Teacher tip
copyright

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2025), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

Skip lesson video

Loading...

Starter quiz

Download starter quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
Which logical step of our essay has not yet been written?
Deforestation is affecting the Amazon a great deal.
Deforestation in the Amazon is driven by agriculture and logging.
Deforestation contributes to climate change.
Correct answer: Reducing deforestation will help us to reduce the impacts of climate change.
Q2.
Put the questions answered in each paragraph of our essay in the correct order.
1 - What is deforestation, how does it happen and how does it affect the Amazon?
2 - Why has deforestation happened in the Amazon rainforest?
3 - How does deforestation drive climate change?
4 - How would reducing deforestation help reduce the impacts of climate change?
Q3.
Why was it so important for us to establish that deforestation is linked to climate change?
because this is a serious issue everyone should know about
Correct answer: because it helps us explain that reducing deforestation would help the climate
because the essay is all about climate change
Q4.
Which of the following are impacts of climate change?
Correct answer: more extreme weather
Correct answer: forced migration of people
Correct answer: sea level rise
deforestation
Q5.
Match the subject-specific vocabulary to its meaning.
Correct Answer:atmosphere,the layer of gases that surrounds Earth
tick

the layer of gases that surrounds Earth

Correct Answer:greenhouse gases,gases that trap heat, warming the earth
tick

gases that trap heat, warming the earth

Correct Answer:carbon dioxide,one particular greenhouse gas
tick

one particular greenhouse gas

Correct Answer:emissions,gases given out by human activities
tick

gases given out by human activities

Q6.
Which linguistic feature is used here? 'When trees are burned, carbon dioxide is released.'
Correct answer: adverbial complex sentence
relative complex sentence
non-finite (-ing) complex sentence
compound sentence

Exit quiz

Download exit quiz

6 Questions

Q1.
What is the purpose of the conclusion of our essay?
to give reasons why climate change is bad
to give reasons why deforestation is bad
Correct answer: to explain how reducing deforestation could lessen the impact of climate change
Q2.
Which type of fronted adverbial is used here? 'Governments in the Amazon have lots to do. However, we can also help.'
formal fronted adverbial ('and')
Correct answer: formal fronted adverbial ('but')
fronted adverbial of cause
fronted adverbial of time
Q3.
Which of the below might be considered subject-specific vocabulary in our essay?
Correct answer: sea-level rise
Correct answer: atmosphere
increase
Correct answer: greenhouse effect
Q4.
Which word in this sentence is the modal verb? 'Our government must take responsibility too and agree to plant more trees.'
Correct answer: must
take
agree
plant
Q5.
Which of these are commonly used as modal verbs?
Correct answer: should
Correct answer: must
help
Correct answer: could
Correct answer: would
Q6.
Why were modal verbs useful in our conclusion?
Correct answer: because we were talking about future possibilities
because we weren't sure what we were talking about
Correct answer: because we were talking about things that are both certain and possible
because we wanted to show the reader we weren't confident