Beginners guide to writing a cause and effect essay


In a cause and effect relationship, an event which is a cause makes another event occur --- the effect.


A single cause can make more than a single event happen. However, to have some sort of effect, it is necessary that the cause occurs before the effect. And whenever a cause occurs the effect must also take place.


To understand that, I'd suggest that you pay attention to the things around you and how everything in the world is interrelated before diving into writing a cause and effect essay.


What is a cause and effect essay?


High school and college students are often asked to write a cause and effect essay and it is one of the more common types of essays.


Such essays require students to discuss why something took place and the consequences it has had. You can be asked to explain the effect or consequences of an event, decision or an action.


How to craft a cause and effect essay outline?


Before jumping straight to the writing part, it is important that you have an outline to work with. This helps you focus and stay on track.


Start with brainstorming different ideas, shortlist the ones that interest you the most and then create your outline or essay plan.


A cause and effect essay outline just like any other type of essay consists of the following elements:

The introduction serves as the main starting point of any essay. Similar to how people judge a book by its cover, your professor will decide whether or not to invest their time in reading your essay further by looking at your introduction.

The introduction should consist of a strong opening line and provide sufficient background information.

The introductory paragraph also contains the thesis statement; it is usually two sentences long and comes at the end of this paragraph.


A strong thesis statement should be clear and concise and deliver your main idea. It should let your readers know whether you're writing about the cause, or the effect or both.


Let's take a look at possible thesis statements for a cause and effect essay.


When writing about the cause of obesity in teenagers, use the following thesis statement:


"Teenagers today are severely obese due to the consumption of processed fast food."


When writing about the effects of obesity in teenagers, use the following thesis statement:


"With the increase in obesity rates, teenagers are suffering from high blood pressure, obesity and increase in cholesterol levels."


When writing about both cause and effects of obesity in teenagers, use the following thesis statement:


"Due to high consumption of processed fast food teenage obesity rates have severely increased, causing several health-related issues from high blood pressure, obesity and increase in cholesterol levels."

The body usually comprises three paragraphs (Body paragraph I, Body paragraph II, Body paragraph III.) for a cause and effect essay; each of these paragraphs should reflect the main idea of your topic.


If let's say you're writing about the causes of obesity then explain a different cause with ease paragraph. If your thesis is about the effect of obesity on teenagers, then dedicate each paragraph to an effect. After reading above details if you are thinking that I still have issues to write my essay for me free of errors, you must consult an online essay writer.


After stating your main idea back it up by providing convincing facts and evidence. Also, use transition words to maintain a logical flow of the overall essay.


Use the following methods to prioritize the main ideas:


Chronological: sort them according to the date they took place


Order of significance: sort them by the least to the most important


Categorical: separate them by different groups and categories

Leave the reader with a summary of your cause and effect points and ideas. Remind them of the connections between different ideas and how they relate with one another.


This site was made on Tilda — a website builder that helps to create a website without any code
Create a website