Cause and effect essay

Have you ever described a reason and the result of something? Yes? Well, it means that you've written a part of a cause and effect essay. The truth is that some academic cause and effect essays consist of paragraphs related to that issue, the others include causes&effects only. Let us tell you more about the second type in this article.

What is cause and effect essay?

All cause and effect essays are well-known as the common type of academic writing in high school and college. Generally, we call them “cause and effect” essays just because they should explain the factors and consequences of processes, facts, events in details. The main goal of the above-mentioned essays is to show the reader the logical correlation between a reason (cause) and a result (effect).

What it should consist of?

In other words, the structure of a cause and effect essay is the following. An introduction, the main body, and a conclusion are the core elements. However, there are two types of the main body of the cause&effect essay. The first is called block structure. When you write an essay with the block structure, you should first list all the causes, then all the effects. (Cause 1, cause 2, effect 1, effect 2). Chain structure is the second type of the essay. Here you might create your essay presenting every cause and its effect together. (Cause 1, Effect of the Cause 1, Cause 2, Effect of the Cause 2).

Special words to use in the essay

Different types of essay require its own special language to use, particularly terms and phrases. Talking about cause and effect essays, it is necessary to mention transition signals which represent a direct correlation between the reason and the result. Remember that it is obligatory to include some of them because of its influence on the final score. So what are the most famous transition signals?


- (A) is because of (B)

- The first cause of (B) is (A)

- As a consequence of (A), (B)

- As a result of (A), (B)

- The next reason is (A)

- (B) is a result / effect of (A)


- (A) has an effect on (B)

- Therefore/Thus/Consequently, (B)

- The first effect of (A) is (B)

- (A) is the reason for (B)

- (A) is one of the causes of (B)

- (A) affects (B)

Let us show you some examples of how to create a brilliant parallel between a cause and an effect. Cause: As a consequence of air pollution, the average life expectancy has decreased since 2015 by 9% in Japan. Effect: Air pollution adversely affects the average life expectancy since 2015 in Japan.

Some useful tips when writing a cause and effect essay

1. You should not add a lot of information not directly related to your reasons and results. It is better to add more causes and effects to make your essay longer. However, the main body of the essay should contain no more than 5 paragraphs.

2. It is important to choose relevant causes, which are connected to the topic of your essay. For example, if you are writing an essay about health, you'd better mention the causes of schizophrenia rather than causes of bad time-management.

3. Try to find strong pieces of evidence to support your ideas of why mentioned effect logically followed by a mentioned cause. So, add at least two shreds of evidence to prove your reader, you understand what you are writing about.

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