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Cause or effect essay - why are they so tricky?

Arguably the most difficult essay you’ll come across in your freshman English class in high school, is the Cause and Effect essay. That moment of being a bright-eyed willing learner will quickly diminish as your first draft is passed back to you with red pen marks in what seems like every breath of free space on the paper. For the one person in your class who got less than ten red marks, know that they either recycled their older sister’s paper from five years ago and threw in a few spelling mishaps not to draw attention to a perfect essay or their an alien, plain and simple. You’ll want to be sure to watch them closely but most importantly you better pay close attention to why the cause and effect essay is so difficult and how you can turn it from trick to treat.

Elements of the Cause and Effect Essay:

In bullet-point form, the basis for a cause and effect essay really doesn’t look that difficult but many struggle with the underlying complexity of what it takes to write a strong and easy to follow essay of its kind. Things to look out for:

  1. Thesis Statement
  2. Make sure you thesis statement is clear by stating the direct cause in a matter of fact way.

  3. Effects
  4. Limit the amount of effects to prevent the reader from being overwhelmed by too much information. Also, each time an effect is presented remember to connect it back to the cause.

  5. Analytical Essay
  6. Remember that this is an analytical essay that is intended to get you thinking about the topic. Your goal is to highlight the cause and thus effects of such an issue, delving deep into the heart of each effect. You’re expected to go beyond the surface and take the reader along for the ride, offering them insight into your thoughts.

  7. Conclusion

Coherently summarize the essay as a whole. This is not the area to further explore your thoughts!

Mastering these concepts isn’t easy but it is very much so possible. The idea is to effectively learn how to communicate your thoughts by following a clear and identifiable path.