How to Write a Cause and Effect Essay Step by Step

Published by gudwriter on

Everything in the world is connected. There are causes and effects in everything that happens in life. For instance, ice cream makes children happy, and the sun scorches the ground. Fire burns papers while racing cars consume a lot of fuel.

Elevate Your Writing with Our Free Writing Tools!

Did you know that we provide a free essay and speech generator, plagiarism checker, summarizer, paraphraser, and other writing tools for free?

Access Free Writing Tools

So, every student must pay attention to how different situations are interconnected. Writing a cause and effect essay has a lot to do with the student’s understanding of how things work. Finding an online research writer specializing in your discipline will guarantee you an exceptional cause and effect essay that will guarantee you good grades. Ensure you provide all the necessary information when you seek help and to get to understand how the paper was crafted you can also request form an outline.

What is a Cause and Effect Essay?

A cause and effect essay is an academic paper whereby certain events or situations take place and influence actions or events in another way. Every action affects the overall equilibrium and forces an opposite reaction. This academic essay tries to explain the interrelationship between different situations or events that happened.Everything in existence has a cause and effect there maybe positive effects or negative effects.

The paper looks at situations and then their causes and effects. For instance, in global warming, you may look at the causes, including the ozone layer depletion and desertification. Or you might end up talking about the effects of global warming, which may include rising sea levels and change in seasons.

In the case of good governance, the courses could be patriotism and the rule of law, while the effects could include democracy, freedom, and prosperity.

What is the Purpose of a Cause and Effect Essay?

Cause and effect essays are commonly assigned in the classroom to develop students’ analytical and argumentative writing skills. When written for school or work, this kind of essay can resemble an abstract from a lab report, a case study, or a research article. These structures include an author describing a phenomenon and attempting to determine its root reasons. Additionally, the essays serve as a valuable resource for bolstering arguments and conveying concepts clearly and concisely.

Types of Cause and Effect Essays

There is no universal template for writing a cause and effect essay. Different types exist that emphasize certain facets of causality, and these can be distinguished from one another. Here, we will learn about the many varieties of cause and effect essays and discuss what makes each form of paper unique.

  • One Cause and Multiple Effects

An essay of this type is meant to demonstrate the ripple effects of a particular problem, choice, or event. You will need to demonstrate your in-depth understanding and analytical prowess once more. You do not have to argue or try to convince the reader of anything. Understanding the historical context of the issue or incident is crucial for this type of essay. Knowing the cause will make describing the effects much more straightforward in your writing.

  • Multiple Causes and One Effect

A cause and effect essay aims to discover and analyze the causes of a problem or incident. Essays of this type attempt to explain why certain things happen, or problems persist. The author examines the background and context and explains the chain of events that led to the outcome. The purpose is to provide an in-depth analysis of the causes of the phenomenon under scrutiny.

  • Chain Causes and Effects

In chain cause and effect essays, causes and consequences are traced in chronological order, with the goal of achieving a particular result. These writings seek to provide a thorough overview of the subsequent events and activities while illuminating their cause-and-effect connections. This essay format frequently illuminates complicated social movements, historical occurrences, and technological advancements. This is the most exciting type of cause and effect essay to write, but it can be the most challenging.

Preparing to Write a Good Cause and Effect Essay 

Before you take up your pen to craft your essay, take your time to understand what exactly you want. Preparation may include brainstorming on topics and the points you need to support the cause and effect propositions. You will also need to develop an outline before conducting the research and then writing your outline. When these are ready, your essay will flow seamlessly.

1. Make a list of cause and effect essay topics

Sometimes your lecturer might provide a topic for you. But in most cases, teachers will give you the freedom to choose your own. Picking the perfect essay topic can be an uphill task. Sometimes you might have a burning idea on your mind, although this rarely happens.

If you don’t have one already, then you should first make a list of probable topics. In this instance, you need to write what comes on your mind. Then later, you will easily choose the item that best suits your essay research. Here are a few examples of cause and effect essays and topics that you may consider:

1. Environmental Sciences and Causes of Climate Change

2. How to gain popularity from one YouTube video.

3. Cause and effect of uber, especially on other taxi agencies

4. How racism starts and spreads.

5. Causes and aftermath of divorce.

6. Essay Sample on Causes and Effects of Stress on Students

7. How alcohol consumption damages the nervous system.

8. The irreversibility of World War II

9. Free Cause and Effect Essay on Smoking

10. How to survive 24 hours without a smartphone.

11. Pros and cons of graduating in computer science

12. Impacts of virtual reality in personality development

2. Decide on the topic

After listing down all the possible topics, you can write about; it is time to settle on one. You need to find a topic you are conversant with.

At least, you should know much about the topics that you write about. When you write about a completely novel idea, it might give you a hard time coming up with the points. So, find an exciting topic for you, especially one that you know much about.

It does not necessarily mean that you should look for topics that are exiting. At least, consider your lecturer’s instructions and your ideas too.

Or else you can look for a completely new idea that will demand in-depth investigation and research into the topic. In this case, you will be writing about the subject and learning much from the process.

3. Cause and effect

After picking your topic, you need to determine the angle that you will take. For instance, if you decided to write about African American social freedoms, you should choose whether you want to write about the causes of racism or the impact of discrimination. Sometimes, your professor might require you to cover both angles.

It’s up to you to decide on whether to write about the effects of the causes. But, because this can be a challenging task, you might want to brainstorm. For instance, you could make a list of all the effects of racism in the US. Then follow it up with a list of reasons why racism is rampant in the country. From this point on, you will quickly tell the angle that is good enough to write about.

4. Research on the topic

By now, you already have the topic and the angle. It’s time to fill up your knowledge with enough content and material. You need to find credible sources on the topic you have chosen. Look for experts in the discipline. Avoid unverifiable sources, including personal blogs and social media.

The success of your answer will depend on the quality of research you do. You should write it like an authoritative academic paper that can be used in serious decision-making. When researching the topic, make sure to note down other questions and points that arise and need to be discussed within that topic.

5. Come up with the thesis

Before you start writing, you need to understand your point of argument. That this is statement is the topic of your work. It should answer questions such as “why is this topic important?” Ideally, it should be the first sentence of your introduction paragraph. The statement could read:

“Racism in the US has forced many African American youths to be discriminated in job openings. When parents cannot educate their kids with quality education, they end up unemployed, in poverty, and delinquency.”

Avoid getting too personal, but instead, show the significance of your topic and summarize your entire essay in that fast eye-capturing statement. This statement should grab your reader’s mind to see the importance of what you’re writing about. In short, it’s like a springboard that shows the way to your research findings. When your audience reads the verses, they should know what to expect in the essay.

The thesis statement acts as the heart of your paper. If coming up with a good thesis statement is cumbersome, you should first consider the standard structure. Such a statement should be not only concise but also precise. You need to condense all the results and causes into a single sentence and then put it in an eye-capturing style.

Writing the Cause and Effect Essay

The actual writing process starts with a plan. As a rule in writing academic papers, always begin with an outline. This is a mini-plan to give you insights about your cause and effect essay structure.

1. Cause and effect essay outline

So, you first need to write the subtopics that you will need throughout the essay. Of course, this largely depends on the instructions of your professor. But for a standard paper, you should have about three paragraphs. Make sure every point or idea goes to its section.

Start with an introduction that has the topic sentence and then have the ideas illustrated in distinctive paragraphs. Then, close the essay with a powerful conclusion that summarizes your work and reasserts the importance of your topic.

Cause and effect essay outline example

Topic: Cause and effect essay on childhood obesity outline

Introduction

Thesis: Childhood obesity is caused by poor diet, lack of exercise, family factors, psychological factors, and socioeconomic factors.

Body

Paragraph 1:

A child may gain weight as a result of consuming foods high in calories frequently.

  • High-calorie foods include vending-machine snacks, baked goods, and fast foods.
  • Other examples are sugary drinks, desserts, and candy.

Paragraph 2:

Children who do not undertake regular physical exercise can easily gain weight.

  • This is because they do not burn calories at a fast rate. 
  • Spending too much time in such sedentary activities as playing video games or watching TV exacerbates the problem.
  • TV programs also often include commercials for unhealthy food products.

Paragraph 3:

A child can easily put on more weight if they come from a family of overweight or obese people. 

  • Such families encourage the consumption of high-calorie foods.
  • They make these foods readily available.
  • They also do not encourage physical activity.

Paragraph 4:

A child can experience weight gain due to psychological factors.

  • These factors include family, parental, and personal stress.
  • Some children binge eat as a response to challenges or to put up with emotions or get rid of boredom.
  • Their parents may exhibit similar characteristics.

Paragraph 5:

Socioeconomic factors might contribute to poor eating habits and lack of physical activity.

  • People in deprived communities have inadequate resources and cannot easily access high-end food markets.
  • Consequently, they might opt to purchase convenience yet unhealthy foods that last longer.
  • They could lack access to a secure fitness facility.

Conclusion

  • Childhood obesity is a dangerous condition prevalent in the United States.
  • It affects children from both affluent and underprivileged families.
  • It results from poor eating habits, lack of physical activity, family factors, psychological factors, and socioeconomic variables.
  • It should be properly addressed because it significantly contributes to adulthood obesity.

2. The title of the essay

Most of your readers will decide whether to go ahead into the article, depending on your title. Therefore, you need to give time for brainstorming on the best title. Basically, and sure it is eye-catching but at the same time summative.

There’s a massive difference between your thesis statement and the title of your essay. That title is short and concise, while the thesis statement can be longer to summarize the article. In the case of social activism, you may decide to use the following title:

“Racial Discrimination Renders 17% African American Youth Jobless.”

3. The introduction paragraph

This is where you write your thesis and introduce the essay. Although you may have heard people claim you shouldn’t judge a book by its cover, unfortunately, they do! Most professors prefer essays and papers that have powerful opening sentences. So, your introduction needs to be strong enough.

So you need to start with the hook. The hook should be a mind provoking idea that makes the reader want to answer a couple of questions. They use the introduction paragraph to show a few background data to your target audience — then, state the significance of your research.

Onwards, you win the reader’s mind, and; the teacher is likely to give you ticks of merit for this!

How to start a cause and effect essay

An “introduction” is the first part of a cause and effect essay. Ensure your introduction gives readers enough information to understand the context of your topic and article. It is also important to wrap everything up with a strong thesis statement that leaves the reader wanting more.

Once you have captured your audience’s attention, it is time to provide background information on the topic. This aids the reader in grasping the significance of the topic at hand.

 One of the best ways to make your thesis stand out is to employ language that accurately conveys your thoughts. Your thesis statement can be based on one or more of the underlying cause-and-effect relationships you intend to investigate in your paper.

4. Writing the cause and effect essay paragraph

After the introduction part, you will need to support your claims using ideas and statistics. The essay body paragraphs are the main meat of the article. Support the cause and effect ideas in every paragraph.

And, make sure that every idea is in its paragraph. Also, include all the essential nuances and illustrations. Write the paragraph sentences depending on their significance and chronology. The beginning of each body paragraph should be the idea sentence.

Then the other supporting points should come in any of the following order:

Significance: Start with the least to the greatest.

Chronologically: Organize according to the time when every event took place.

Categorically: Organize into sections and categories.

5. The antithesis paragraph

For objectivity’s sake, you may want to explore the other side of the argument. Here, you state ideas that oppose your thesis. For instance, if you are discussing global warming, you may want to try out studies showing climate change is a hoax. The antithesis indicates that you’ve considered all aspects of your research and that you are objective and credible.

6. The conclusion paragraph

By the time you are writing your cause and effect conclusion, you’ve already presented your case. All you need to do is summarize your ideas and give room for future research on the topic. In this paragraph, you need to restate your thesis statement and not add any more ideas. If you had an antithesis paragraph in your essay, this is where you give your stand.

How to write a conclusion for a cause and effect essay

A conclusion paragraph appears at the end of a cause and effect essay. To make an impact on the reader, you must write a compelling conclusion for your cause and effect essay. The conclusion should include a memorable remark, a summary of the key ideas, a restatement of the thesis, and a last insight or suggestion.

These tips will help you write a cause and effect essay that has a strong impact and leaves the reader with a lasting impression. What effects may it expect? Correctly doing this can amaze your professor and result in a higher grade for your work.

Now, Write the Actual Cause and Effect Essay

After you have come up with your outline and done enough research, it’s time to write your first draft. It will be easy because you already have all the materials and a well-organized cause and effect essay structure to follow. All you need is fill the meat to the skeleton, and your article will be ready!

But, after you have written your first draft, go back and edit it thoroughly. This will help you to spot grammatical and logical issues that may need to be tuned.

Tips for Writing a Good Cause and Effect Essay

1. Remember to stick to your purpose and topic.

Knowing what you are planning to accomplish with your essay will go a long way. This will guide you throughout your essay. This is also what will help you identify the interests and needs of the readers.

2. Limit your essay to causes and effects that are not only related but also timely

Going out of context while writing a course and effect essay will throw you off. Including too many points that are not even related will deviate you from the objective of the topic and essay. Stick to related causes and effects and make it possible for the reader to point them out within a short time.

3. Reinforce your essay with statistics anecdotes and other forms of supportive evidence

Explaining how different phenomena relate, especially the complex ones, is not an easy job. However, you can help the reader understand better by using statistics and evidence to support your claims.

4. Remember to stick to the professor’s instructions

There are many correct ways of writing cause and effect essays. However, failure to follow your professor’s instructions will deny you the grades you deserve. Professors often try to provide their students with clear guidelines on how the students can achieve the purpose of the essays. As simple as the essay may appear to be, stay on the safe side by following all the instructions.

5. Develop a persuasive thesis statement that clearly illustrates everything you’re discussing

Remember that the thesis statement will summarize the main point of your essay and convince the reader that it is worth paying attention to.

6. Bring a mind-capturing introduction to keep the readers on your essay.

7. Use connective phrases and conjunctions to boost the coherence and cohesion of your article.

8. Ensure every supportive point is in its paragraph.

Appropriate transitional phrases are the glue that holds your items together, and conjunctions must be used effectively.

Students who do not know how to write cause and effect essay, always have a hard time crafting a quality paper. But if you follow our structure, it will be simple. You need to research the topic you choose. Then find enough points to support your thesis statement. Make sure that you are insane and have a seamless flow and that it ends with a powerful conclusion. As long as you follow the professor’s instructions, you will be set for success!

Of course, you can write an academic assignment in several ways. But, you have to admit that school life can be a little challenging. Now and then, you need a helping hand. You need a person who can guide you through balancing academics and co-curricular activities. And, sometimes, the pressure of attaining a good grade is too much to bear. You want free time, but at the same time, you want to write quality A-grade papers.

If you ever feel that your academic life is overwhelming and demanding, you can always find an expert to help you. We would recommend considering our exceptional quality writers. We are going to get your high-quality first-class essay regardless of the tightness of your deadline!

Gudwriter Custom Papers

Special offer! Get 20% discount on your first order. Promo code: SAVE20