As the name conveys, Cause and Effect essays are those essays which deals with why things happen (Cause) and what is the result (effects) of that? The aim of such essays is to talk about the reasons and explain the effects of an event or situation.When you are writing critically, it is essential to analyze why something is the cause. It is necessary to give reasons and explanations for any allegation you make.There are several types of causes and effects.

 

• Primary causes and effects– These are the ones that are most important.
• Contributory causes and effects– These are the ones that are less important.
• Immediate causes and effects– These are the effect or the cause directly.
• Remote causes and effects– These are the ones that are not obvious.

Writing a good essay about cause and effect is easier than other essays. It follows a logical process  and once you form the outline of the essay, it can be written in no time.

For example:

Cause – Your car is out of fuel; Effect – The car won’t start.

Cause – Cause of global warming ; Effect – The planet is warming.

However, there can be many causes and many effects of a situation and it totally depends on the topic of the essay. Depending on the topic, there are three major patterns of organizing cause and effect.

Organizing a cause and effect essay

Body 1: Causes/ Reasons

Body 2: Effects/ Results

Body 1 and Body 2 are written in separate paragraphs. An example of this pattern is “Causes of divorce” are explained in one paragraph and the effects or consequences of divorce are explained in another paragraph.

Body 1: Causes/ Reasons

Body 2: Causes/ Reasons

Body 3: Effects/ Results

Here, each paragraph is dedicated to one of the cause i.e. separate paragraphs for separate causes. And all the effects are discussed in one paragraph. Let us take an example of, “Cause of World War 1”. All the causes of World War 1 are explained in different paragraphs and the effects of World War 1 are explained in a single paragraph.

Body 1: Causes/ Reasons

Body 2: Effects/ Results

Body 3: Effects/ Results

In this pattern, all the causes are discussed in a single paragraph and all the effects are discussed in separate paragraphs i.e. each paragraph is dedicated to one of the effects. Let us take an example, “what motivates parents to purchase cell phones for their kids?”All the justifications for buying mobile phones for their kids are discussed in one single paragraph whereas the various consequences of cell phone use by children are discussed in separate paragraphs.

Body 1: 1^st Causal link

Body 2: 2^ndCausal link

Body 3: 3^rd Causal link

This pattern is different from above patterns. Here, an event causes something to occur and that situation points to another event, and it causes another event to occur and so on. This is called the Causal chain or Domino effect. Let’s take an example “Deodorants will bring an end to the world”.

1^st Causal link: Deodorants emit gases such as chlorofluorocarbon gas

2^nd Causal link Causal link: This gas depletes the ozone layer.

3^rd Causal link: The unfiltered ultraviolet rays cause overheating and melt an iceberg which causes Global warming.

4^th Causal link: The huge amount of water released from the poles raises the sea level.

5^th Causal link: The Sea will cover the land and thus this will be the end of the world.

 

 Guidelines for writing Cause and Effect Essay

• First of all the writers should figure out the cause and effect of the topic.This is the most crucial part of the essay. For finding the cause, ask yourself“How did this take place?” and for finding the effects, ask“What can be its consequences”.List out the possible causes and effects of the topic and make a note of them.
• In the introduction of a Cause and Effect essay, the writer should illustrate the subject’s background, clear the cause and why accepting its effects is crucial.
• Show clearly whether you are explaining the causes or effects or both of them. Present your main object of the essay by using words like “causes” or “effects” or “causes and effects” both.
• Try to give examples and relevant details to back up your statement. Personal evidence strengthens your essay.
• Use suitable transitional words and phrases that can be used in this pattern for better writing like “one cause is, another is, first, resulted in, due to, since, for, because, therefore, consequently, thus, one result is, another is, second”.
• Sometimes the number of causes and effects become unmanageable, so in that case the writer needs to narrow writing.
• End your essay by illustrating your analysis together.

 

Here are few examples of Cause and Effect essays:

• Deforestation
• Divorce
• Lying
• Money causes Unhappiness
• Moving to a large city
• Dress codes in school can decrease bullying
• Cause and effect of Homeless pets
• Causes of school violence
• World War 1
• Cell phones- Friend or Foe?
• Driving a car
• The effect of technology on organizations.
• Welfare programs cause crime.
• Emergency contraception causes abortion.
• Affordableassignmentsolutions for students in Australia.

Other articles under blog series of “Types of Academic Essays”

1. Essay and its forms
2. Descriptive essay
3. Definition essay
4. Cause/effect essay
5. Narrative essay
6. Process essay
7. Argumentative essay
8. Critical essay

Do not miss to check similar blog series in other topics

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