How To Write A Cause And Effect Essay

Suppose you are to write on the higher consumption of fast food among teenagers. To write an essay on the same, what will you do? It is best if you first state the reasons for the same and then explain their outcomes. When you are doing so, you are writing a cause-and-effect essay.

Therefore, a cause-and-effect essay is a style that discusses what leads to what. This type of content is organized around the purpose of uncovering and discussing events that result in specific outcomes. While writing, you have to be careful with your research work. You need to ensure that you have all the specific causes and their respective occurrence. Having the reason is an added bonus.

All of these at once may seem overwhelming, but it is not as difficult as it seems when you we have this blog at your aid! Keep reading to get a more vivid idea of cause-and-effect essays.

Allessaywriter.com provides step-by-step instructions on how to structure and organize your cause and effect essay effectively. From choosing a compelling topic to developing a coherent thesis statement and presenting supporting evidence, our expert tips and strategies will help you craft a persuasive and insightful essay that leaves a lasting impression on your readers.

Cause and Effect Essay in Details

Cause and effect essay is very different from other types of expository essays.

If you consider the example mentioned in the very beginning, you will notice that you have to explain the reasons for the overconsumption of fast food among teenagers, like, easy access to this type of food. Later, you must explain the details of what will be the effect. In this case, it would be an increasing number of obese kids, etc.

1. The Purpose of Cause-and-Effect Essay

A cause-and-effect essay is a type of expository essay, and its main aim is to educate the readers. Here you are not allowed to use either the tone of argument or persuasion. Then what is your role? In this type of essay, you have to play the role of an informed tutor. Readers need information to think critically. Your sole responsibility is to reach the information to the readers. Your duty does not end there. You also have to help the readers derive a conclusion from the essay.

This type of writing is highly prioritized in all schools, colleges, and universities. Teachers assign this to enhance critical thinking and reasoning skills among the students. Additionally, to explain causes and effects, research is the most important component. Thus, while working on this, students learn to do composite research as well.

2. The Structure of Cause-and-Effect Essay

A cause-and-effect essay is structured similarly to other types of essays. It begins with an introduction paragraph, ends with a conclusion, and contains more than one body paragraph in between.

Depending on how much information you need to portray and whether your essay must stick to a word count or page limit, each segment can be as short as one paragraph or as long as several paragraphs.

The body paragraphs of your essay can be organized in a variety of ways. You can first cover each cause section by section. Then you can go over each effect. Alternatively, you might discuss each cause-and-effect pair separately in its own section.

Now let’s dig into the three sections of any cause-and-effect essay.

A) Introduction

The introduction paragraph is like any other type of essay. It serves as a place for you to introduce your subject. The introduction, in particular, is perfect for defining the tone of a cause-and-effect essay. You cannot just randomly start talking about the causes and the effects. This way, the readers will hardly comprehend. It is always better to start with some background information and then move on to the central idea. Try using some hook points or an interesting fact. These help in gaining better audience attention.

Topic – Growing Poverty Poverty is defined as not having enough money to meet even the most basic of living standards. This includes housing, healthcare, and education. Poverty can thus be defined as a scarcity of resources or, more broadly, as impediments to meeting basic human needs. The Poverty Line is the minimum money required to buy a basic service. Poverty can be calculated by the number of persons living below this line. Below-Poverty-Line (BPL) censuses are used by state governments to gather and measure statistics. The methods for assessing poverty vary per country. But the core principle remains the same. The poverty line stays unchanged: the amount of consumption required to maintain the national minimum quality of life.

 

2. Body

The body of this type of essay can be written in two ways. One is the block structure. In this, you first discuss all the causes and then move on to explain the effects. The other is a point-by-point structure. In this, at one instant, you discuss one cause and its effect and then move on to the other.

Topic – Growing Poverty Poverty is caused by a number of things. Population increase, unemployment, illiteracy, and a lack of sufficient education and skills are the key factors. Furthermore, people are unable to support themselves since they are unable to obtain jobs. As a result, people are unable to get basic necessities such as drinking water, sanitation, and healthcare. As a result, they cannot feed their families or children. Poverty can be caused by various factors, such as war, natural disasters, and political instability. Take World War II, for example, where many nations suffered from poverty for a prolonged period of time. This made it challenging for them to regain their previous status. Natural calamities can also have catastrophic effects on specific areas, leading to hunger and poverty.

C. Conclusion

Some people believe that conclusions should be avoided since they appear tacked on. Make your conclusion count by asking fresh questions or looking ahead to the future of your topic. What thoughts do you expect to emerge from your essay? This is the best point to end your cause-and-effect essay.

Topic – Growing Poverty Poverty is a serious societal issue, but there are ways we can all contribute to reducing it. During your free time, you could donate used clothing to those in need, support a child's education, or teach disadvantaged students. It's important to remember that there are people who are still going to bed hungry, so think twice before throwing away any food.

In the case of a cause-and-effect essay, there are a few factors that help in framing the best structure for the essay. These factors are the –

• The number of causes you will include
• The number of effects that you will include
• The probable essay length (if already mentioned)
• How closely are the causes and the effects related?

Suppose your essay focuses on multiple causes and a single impact. In this case, it will be better to first discuss all the causes and then explain the shared impact. Now suppose the causes and the impacts are isolated, then it will be wiser to take the point-by-point approach. In this case, you have to tie the entire discussion to the conclusion of the essay.  

How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay?

• Things to Keep in Mind While Writing

1. Take time to do the initial research and know the topic well. Hurrying at this stage can lead to a lot of reworks later. Be careful that you are not choosing the obvious causes and ignoring the less explored ones.
2. Just because something occurs before something else, it does not mean there is a cause-and-effect relationship. Suppose you are eating chocolate after your exam. This does not imply that you are eating chocolates because your exam went well.
3. Arrange the causes in chronological sequencing. This is, of course, for all the definite causes. When you describe the occurrences in perfect order, you help your reader grasp the causes and effects better.
4. There can be both an immediate cause and a remote cause for an effect. In such cases, it is important for you to explain both the causes.

• Steps to Write Cause and Effect Essay

Let's look into the minute details for a better understanding.

1. Start by Brainstorming

Finding the right topic for the essay is one of the most important steps in the entire process. When you think about ideas, make sure to jot down any insights you have. At this stage, students often come up with doubts as well. If that is the case with you as well, note them down as well.

2. Analyze the Notes You Made

Clear all your doubts regarding the data you have collected, and work on the outline. This outline will work as the guideline that you must follow as you write. Therefore, try to make it as perfect as possible. A loophole in the outline can lead to gaps in your essays as well. List every section as a header in the outline. Below these headers, jot down the areas you want to cover in that particular section in a bulleted list.

3. Understand the Audience

Before you start writing, first analyze the audience you are writing for. Understanding their expectations is a deal breaker. Also, understanding what will be most relatable for them is very helpful. Knowing all these and then writing the essay will make the content absolutely perfect.

4. Start Writing the Essay

The first step in doing that is constructing your thesis statement. Since the thesis statement gives your reader the first glimpse of your essay, it needs to be concise & specific. The thesis statement must go in the introduction of your essay. This helps the reader form an idea of what to expect from the essay. The consecutive body paragraphs should support the thesis statement. Thus, they should be written accordingly.

5. Keep a Check on the Tone

The tone usually depends on the type of the essay. For the cause and effect kind of essay, it should be straighter cut. No personal opinion is either required or appreciated in this type of essay.

6. Reference the Content

If the reference style is already mentioned, follow the same. If not mentioned, it will be wise to ask it prior. Every type of referencing style has a set of rules. It is important for you to follow them.

7. Polish and Prune the Writing

Once all this is done, take some rest, preferably almost twenty-four hours. Then sit to edit the content. Check for all the probable errors and correct them. Before you compile the final draft of the assignment, it is important to edit it thoroughly. In case it is required, go for several rounds of proofreading. Give it your best to make the writing absolutely error-free.

Besides proofreading, ask yourself the following questions to crosscheck the essay's efficiency –

• Is the relation between the cause and the effect clear?
• Are the causes and effects arranged in a proper logical order?
• Does the essay portray the message clearly?
• Does the reader have enough scope for drawing conclusions and thinking further about the topic?

When you have answers to these questions, it will be easier for you to guarantee the efficiency of the essay.

How to Choose the Topic?

Keep the following points in mind to ensure you make the right choice.

• You may have some topics in your mind. Keep a note of them. Keep studying about each of the topics. See if you can differentiate the causes and the effects for each of these topics. Make sure to do some study prior to choosing the topic.
• You also need to consider whether the topic is interesting enough for you. This is because there is a lot of research work involved in it. Doing research out of interest is never worth it. Therefore, the topic must be interesting to you.
• Always narrow down the scope of your topic. This will help you establish the cause-effect relationship by spotting the exact scenario. Also, with a single angle to discuss, you will have the chance to give a proper explanation and provide details.

Yes, all of these can be a bit confusing in the beginning. However, these are necessary rules to follow. To make it easier for you, here are a set of topics for a cause-effect essay.

We also Suggest that you read 

55 Topics for Cause Effect Essay

1. The effects of climate change on coastal communities.

2. The effects of cybersecurity breach on personal privacy and data protection.

3. Social media's impact on mental health and well-being in the digital age.
4. The origins and consequences of AI bias and discrimination in automated decision-making.
5. What would happen if the internet suddenly vanished?
6. My parents' influence on my growth and development
7. Explaining how weather variations influence the clothes we wear.
8. What would happen if everyone stopped caring about their personal hygiene?
9. What are the most significant effects of poverty on people, and why
10. How cell phone use affects young children at a young age
11. Why do most children enjoy all of Disney's films and cartoons?
12. The consequences of failing to create work habits and the discipline to get up early
13. How modern technology impairs our communication abilities and distances us
14. Why are breakups so painful, and how do they impact our lives?
15. The impact of pandemic fatigue on mental health in post-pandemic societies.
16. The impact of online education on classroom learning
17. The root causes and consequences of cybersecurity attacks on critical infrastructure
18. Misinformation and disinformation in public health campaigns: causes and consequences.
19. The impact of AI on job displacement and employment opportunities.
20. Social isolation and mental health
21. The origins and impacts of plastic waste on oceans and marine life.
22. The connection between mental health stigma and access to mental health care.
23. Screen time's impact on physical and mental health in children and adolescents.
24. Why does cyber bullying occur, and what are the implications for its victims?
25. Many students work and study at the same time; find out how this impacts them!
26. Why are traditional moral principles becoming deplorable in modern society?
27. Reasons why an increasing number of people suffer from social anxiety
28. What were the reasons for WWII? What happened to the world after
29. What exactly is pessimism, and how does it affect people's lives?
30. What difficulties do people experience when they relocate to another country?
31. How college influences and shapes people's personalities
32. How physical health influences people's mental health
33. Why is higher education becoming more expensive, and what are the consequences?
34. Environmental injustice and health disparities: causes and consequences.
35. Prescription drug prices and healthcare access and affordability.
36. The impacts of deforestation on climate change and biodiversity loss.
37. The causes and consequences of food allergies and intolerances in modern diets.
38. The relationship between social media and body image issues.
39. What are the financial consequences of white privilege?
40. What effects does poverty have on children?
41. The effects of television shows on their audiences' behavior.
42. Learning local languages has an impact on a person's appreciation for different cultures.
43. The impact of Africa's assimilation policy on Francophone countries.
44. The effects of colonization in Africa and the influence of culture.
45. University has an impact on both skill and character.
46. In what ways does religion have an impact on society?
47. What are the consequences of immigration on the host country?
48. What impact does ageism have on work opportunities?
49. What effect does LGBTQ+ representation in television and film have?
50. What impact does gerrymandering have on voting?
51. What are the political ramifications of school shootings?
52. What effect do school uniforms have on students?
53. What are the consequences of excessive student debt?
54. What are the consequences of body shaming?
55. What were the long-term consequences of the AIDS epidemic on society?