Common Mistakes When Restating the Argument: Changing the Argument and Repeating Words

When writing a conclusion paragraph, your first job is to restate your argument. Your restatement should:

  • Summarize your thesis statement and topic sentences
  • Avoid changing your argument
  • Avoid using the same word or phrase more than a couple of times
Argument

Thesis: States should raise the legal driving age from 16 to 21.

  • Younger drivers are more easily distracted and prone to accidents.
  • The extra five years will give beginning drivers more time for supervised instruction.
  • Raising the legal driving age would not interfere with teens’ ability to get around.
Strong Restatement

It’s time for the driving age to increase. Driving is a privilege, not a necessity, and compared to 16-year-olds, 21-year-olds will be more responsible and more prepared on the road.

These sentences summarize the essay’s thesis statement and topic sentences.
Weak: Changes the Argument

The legal driving age should increase from 16 to 21. At the same time, though, some high schoolers rely on their cars to get to school, and these students will have a hard time attending classes if they can’t drive.

These sentences start by restating the essay’s thesis but then change to a different idea. Suggesting that some teens need to be able to drive goes against the argument in the third topic sentence.
Weak: Repetitive Language Within Restatement

The driving age should increase from 16 to 21. 16-year-olds don’t need to drive, and if the driving age increases, new drivers would be more responsible and have more time to practice driving.

These sentences summarize the argument. However, different forms of the word “drive,” like “driving” and “drivers” appear five times, making the sentences feel repetitive.