How to Write the Cause and Effect Essay

This video discusses how to write the cause and effect essay. In a cause and effect essay, you have to show how a person, thing, idea or event directly influences another person, thing, idea or event.

WHAT happened? - EFFECT
WHY did it happen? - CAUSE

A cause and effect essay will move either from causes to effect or from effects to cause. Although an essay may provide a detailed analysis of a single cause and a single effect, most cause and effect essays are developed by focusing either on several causes of one effect or on several effects of one cause.
Cause and effect is a form of argumentative writing that is useful for writing:
• A lab report,
• A scientific case – study,
• A scholarly research – paper.

Follow these steps to write your cause and effect essay.

STEP 1: Forming your thesis:

a) Choose a topic (What happened or Why did it happen?)

For example: Effects of Teenager Drug Abuse

Audience and purpose: This essay is for a general audience. The purpose is to teach critical thinking, and persuasive writing.

b) Focus your topic: Risks of Experimenting with Drugs

c) Collect relevant information either through brainstorming and/or research based on the following headings.

Topic: Risks of Experimenting with drugs
Effect 1: Drug use is negatively correlated with academic
performance.
Effect 2: Drug use can lead to addiction and serious emotional
Problems.
Effect 3: Drug use can ruin one’s physical and spiritual health and
even cause death.

d) Frame the topic as a question: What are the risks of teenagers experimenting with drugs?

e) Answer your question. The answer is your thesis.
There is cause for concern because drug experimentation in teenagers can lead not only to immediate failure in school, but also to addiction which can ruin one’s emotional, physical and spiritual health, and even cause death.

Evaluate your thesis:

What key words or phrases describe your topic area?
Have you placed those key words into your thesis?

Your thesis should fulfill the following characteristics.
1. It states your purpose for writing this essay.
2. It is a clear statement about your topic, and it breaks the topic into points.
3. It lists those specific points in the order in which you will discuss them.
4. It comes somewhere in the introductory paragraph (usually at the end).

STEP 2: Outline your essay
Ensure that you have divided your cause and effect essay into at least THREE major areas. Each major area must correspond to a paragraph that elaborates the cause or the effect.

Introduction: Begin with a hook, followed by background information and end with a thesis.
First supporting paragraph: Create a topic sentence using the first key word or phrase. Support your main idea with evidence. Use a transitional sentence to link paragraphs.
Second supporting paragraph: Create a topic sentence using the second key word. Provide evidence, and major and minor supporting sentences.
Third supporting paragraph: Create a topic sentence using the third key word or phrase. Provide evidence to support your third main point.
Concluding paragraph: Restate your thesis and your belief. Sum up your main points.

STEP 3: Write a draft –
You should have at least five paragraphs.

STEP 4: Revising / Editing:
Ask Yourself?
• Have I convincingly argued my point?
• Have I provided clear examples to illustrate my thesis?
• Have I used transitions to keep body paragraphs anchored to my thesis?
• Is my grammar accurate?
• Have I ensured that my spelling is correct?