Writing a cause/effect essay

The cause-and-effect essay is a form of argumentative essay that details the effect relationships between two subjects. In standard cause-and-effect essay writing and academic papers, the author shows how one person, thing, idea, or event directly influences another person, thing, idea, or event.

In a school environment, teachers assign cause-and-effect essays to teach critical thinking, logic, and persuasive writing. In the world of academic writing or a professional setting, this type of essay can take the form of a lab report abstract, a scientific case study, or a scholarly research paper. In all of these formats, an author describes a phenomenon and tries to identify its main causes.

Read the essay.

What is the (main) cause?

Read the essay.

What is the effect in Paragraph 2?

Read the essay.

What is the effect in Paragraph 3?

Read the essay.

What is the effect in Paragraph 4?

In concluding paragraph, you should summarize specific essay points and restate your thesis statement using words other than in introduction. In conclusion, you should reassert opinion regarding discussed causes and effects sequence.