Languages › English as a Second Language Writing Cause and Effect Essays for English Learners Share Flipboard Email Print Writing Cause and Effect Essays. James McQuillan / Getty Images English as a Second Language Writing Skills Pronunciation & Conversation Vocabulary Reading Comprehension Grammar Business English Resources for Teachers By Kenneth Beare English as a Second Language (ESL) Expert TESOL Diploma, Trinity College London M.A., Music Performance, Cologne University of Music B.A., Vocal Performance, Eastman School of Music Kenneth Beare is an English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher and course developer with over three decades of teaching experience. our editorial process Kenneth Beare Updated November 05, 2019 Cause and effect composition is a common type of writing in English that shows up often on important tests and is, therefore, necessary to master. Develop your cause and effect writing skills by first reviewing the structures and practices of standard essay writing and then diving into what makes a successful cause and effect essay. Cause and Effect Writing As when writing any other essay, you need to use evidence and examples as well as attention-grabbing techniques when doing cause and effect writing. The key difference between standard essays and cause and effect essays is that cause and effect composition addresses topics or problems by outlining the causes and effects, or reasons and results, of several components of a topic. Cause and effect essays are generally organized by problems, outcomes, and possible solutions. Though cause and effect writing isn't exclusively used to address problems, this type of composition often involves writing prose that proposes solutions to an issue—cause and effect writers can use the consequences of various occurrences to speculate about how to solve a dilemma. No matter what the purpose of your cause and effect essay, the first thing you need to do to start writing is brainstorm. Brainstorm Topics Step 1: Come up with ideas. Get started brainstorming topics right away—the objective of brainstorming is to generate as many ideas as possible before writing. Brainstorming helps you think creatively about a cause and effect topic in order to come up with something that you truly want to write about. Don't get caught writing about a topic that doesn't interest you because you didn't take the time to brainstorm. When brainstorming for cause and effect essays specifically, be sure to think of both reasons and results. Follow each idea from its cause to its effect to make sure that your arguments are well-founded so that you don't waste time on ideas that won't go anywhere. The following cause and effect example ideas show the results of a successful brainstorming session. Cause and Effect Examples Topic Cause Effect College Go to college to get a stable careerApply only to prestigious schoolsChoose to study a popular major for job security Graduate with debt/loansDon't get accepted into college anywhereHeavy job competition upon graduation Sports Play a sport to stay fit and healthyPrioritize sports over other extracurriculars Join a team for the comradery Sustain injuries from repeated bodily strainDifficulty getting into desired collegeTrouble maintaining relationships with friends that do not play sports Example topics with several possible causes and effects for each of them. Write an Outline Step 2: Create an outline. An outline provides a map for your writing and you should never try to write an essay without one. Some teachers even require you to write an outline before you are allowed to start an introductory or body paragraph because they improve the quality of writing so significantly. Use ideas from your brainstorming session to "jot down", or quickly write, ideas for how your whole essay might progress (these do not have to be in complete sentences). An outline makes organizing much easier but does not have to be rigid—feel free to make changes as needed. See the following cause and effect essay outline example for help. Title: How Fighting Fast Food Can Help End Obesity I. Introduction Hook: Statistic about obesityThesis statement: Obesity has become the number one threat to good health in developed countries. II. Body Paragraph 1: Availability and overeating AvailabilityFast food is everywhereImpossible to ignoreHealth ProblemsBuy too much fast food too often because it's everywhereObesity, heart problems, diabetes, etc.Plan aheadEasier to resist when you have a planMeal prep, take different routes, etc. III. Body Paragraph 2: Affordability and overspending Affordability...Overspending...Educate... IV. Body Paragraph 3: Convenience ... V. Conclusion End obesity by teaching people how dangerous fast food can be Cause and Effect Language Step 3: Choose the right language. Now you can write a great cause and effect essay using your outline. There are several language formulas that can effectively show cause and effect relationships, so take the time to choose the best ones for your piece. As always, vary your sentence structures for a smoother read and use plenty of evidence to write a convincing essay, then try some of these phrases to take your cause and effect arguments to the next level. Cause Language There are several reasons for...The main factors are...The first cause is...[Cause] leads to or might lead to [effect]This often results in... Effect Language Before [cause]...Now [effect]...One of the results/outcomes of [cause] is...Another is...A primary effect of [cause] is...[Effect] often occurs as a consequence of [cause]. Linking Language Make your cause and effect essay more coherent with linking language—or sentence connectors—that make the relationships between causes and effects crystal clear. Use the following conjunctive adverbs to smoothly transition from one idea to the next in your cause and effect writing. AlsoTooIn additionThusThereforeConsequently