The gist: A Paper 2 introduction names both works and states a comparative thesis; the conclusion returns to that thesis, draws the comparison together, and lands on what the comparison reveals — neither summarises.
Your reader should know from your first sentence that this is a genuine comparison — and from your last that it added up to something.
Open by naming both works and their authors, then state your comparative thesis (‘Both do X, but whereas A…, B…’). Close by confirming that thesis, pulling the comparison together, and saying what it reveals about the works or the idea. No plot summary at either end.
The frame of the essay
Intro: name both works
Titles and authors, plus the general question's idea, in the first sentence or two.
Intro: comparative thesis
One arguable claim about BOTH works — your line of argument.
Conclusion: draw together
Pull your comparative points into one overall argument (reworded, not repeated).
Conclusion: so what?
End on what the comparison reveals about the works or the theme — the payoff.
The key move: Frame the essay: intro = both works + comparative thesis; conclusion = reworded thesis + comparison drawn together + what it reveals. No summary at either end.
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Why it matters in the exam: The introduction sets up Criterion C (a focused comparative argument) and the conclusion confirms it.
What a strong frame does
- It tells your reader your essay is one comparison from start to finish.
- It gives your comparison a payoff, not just a stop.
Write an introduction AND a conclusion for a comparative essay on: ‘Compare how two works present isolation’ (thesis: both present isolation as self-chosen, but one regrets it and one defends it).
Model answer plan
See the mark-by-mark plan — for / against / judgement, with marking guidance — in study mode.
Watch out: Don't open or close with plot summary, and don't let the conclusion just repeat the introduction. The conclusion must draw the comparison together and say what it reveals — a payoff, not a rewind.