6.5. Causes and Effects Essays
Find both halves of the task line, explain why the situation exists, then trace what follows from it, with no solution anywhere.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
In some countries, fewer young people are choosing to learn a trade such as plumbing or carpentry.
Why is this happening, and what effect does it have on society?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
The short version
Why is this happening, and what effect does it have? wants causes and effects, in that order.
You write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes.
A cause is why the situation exists. An effect is what follows from it. Neither is a fix.
A solution paragraph is off task unless the line asks for one.
What you have to do
The test shows a situation, then a task line in two halves. Why is this happening? asks for causes, the reasons the situation exists. What effect does it have? asks for effects, what follows from it for people, businesses or society. You write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. It is marked on whether both halves are answered, on how clearly it is organised, on vocabulary and on grammar. Nothing in the line asks you to fix anything.
An effect is not an opinion
An effect is something that happens as a result: plumbers charge more, because there are fewer of them. It is not what you think should happen, and it is not whether the trend is good or bad. Test each effect by asking what it follows from. If it follows from the situation, it belongs. If it follows from your own view, leave it out.
Step by step
- 1Read the question and find the task line
The task line above has two halves: why is this happening and what effect does it have on society. Pick out both, and then the situation, fewer young people learning a trade. Each cause explains that situation and each effect follows from it. On society narrows the effects: the effect on one apprentice is not enough.
- 2Decide what the task demands: causes, then effects
Two causes, each a reason you can explain with a because and an example. Two effects, each a result you can trace back to the situation. Keep them apart in the plan: schools push university is a cause; older tradespeople retire with no replacement is an effect. Write the causes paragraph first, because the effects grow out of what it describes.
- 3Paraphrase the question in your introduction
Sentence one restates the situation: Trades such as plumbing now attract far fewer school leavers than they once did. Sentence two names the two halves: This essay explains two reasons for the change and two consequences for the wider community. Using reasons and consequences shows you have read both halves.
- 4Decide what to leave out
Leave out a paragraph of solutions. Governments should fund apprenticeships answers a question the task did not ask. Leave out a verdict on whether the trend is good or bad, unless the line asks. Leave out a third cause, and leave out an effect on yourself or your family: the line said society.
- 5If you are stuck, use the fallback plan
Write four paragraphs. Introduction: situation paraphrased, then the two halves named. Body 1: two causes, each with a because and an example. Body 2: two effects, each with as a result and a concrete case. Conclusion: one sentence linking the main cause to the main effect. No measures anywhere.
Quiz time5 questions
Each drill gives you the task line or the sentences it needs, so nothing has to be looked up. Practise one judgement at a time.
Name the type from the task line
Ignore the topic. Read the words after the statement and choose the essay type they set.
Read thisIn some countries, the average age of farmers is rising every year. What are the reasons for this, and what consequences does it have?
Which essay type does this task line set?
Which sentence states an effect?
Read the situation, then choose the sentence that belongs in the effects paragraph.
Read thisSituation: fewer people in a town use the local bus service each year.
Which sentence states an effect of the situation?
Spot the paragraph that answers the wrong type
Each line is the first sentence of a paragraph. One paragraph answers a question the task did not ask. Choose it.
Read thisTask: In many countries, people are eating less fresh food than they did twenty years ago. Why is this happening, and what effects does it have?
Which sentence contains the error?
Pick the plan that covers both halves
Read the task, then choose the plan that gives causes and effects and nothing else.
Read thisTask: More young adults now live with their parents into their late twenties. Why is this happening, and what effects does it have on families?
Which plan covers both halves of the task line?
Write the introduction only
Two sentences. Restate the situation in your own words, then name the two halves of the task. Do not start the first body paragraph.
Read thisIn many cities, fewer children walk to school than a generation ago. Why is this the case, and what effect does it have?
Write the introduction for this task.
0 / 20 words
Set up your learning path at the top of this lesson to get band-specific feedback.
The full model
Below are plan notes for a second causes and effects question, written the way the five steps produce them. Read the cause first, then check that the effect follows from it and that no measure has crept in.
In some countries, young people are buying their first home later. What are the causes of this, and what effects does it have?
Cause: deposits have risen faster than early-career pay, so a first flat is postponed. Effect: more people rent into their thirties, which keeps city-centre rents high and delays starting a family in some households.
These are plan notes, not a paragraph. The effect grows out of the cause, and that link is what you expand when you write. “Governments should build more homes” is a solution, so only add it if the question asks for one.
Your turn to write1 question
Plan one cause and one effect
Notes. Use a different cause from the one in the example above. No measures unless you can honestly say the task asked.
In some countries, young people are buying their first home later. What are the causes of this, and what effects does it have?
Set up your learning path at the top of this lesson to get band-specific feedback.
Tips
- Start effect sentences with a result phrase
As a result, one consequence is, this has meant that. The phrase forces you to name something that happened, and it shows the examiner where the effects paragraph begins.
- Read the line for the word *society* or *individuals*
Some lines narrow the effects to one group. If the line says on society, an effect on one family is off target. If it says on individuals, an effect on the economy is.
Recap
Find both halves of the task line: causes first, then effects, each in its own paragraph.
A cause explains why the situation exists; an effect is what follows from it. Trace each effect back.
Leave out the solution and the verdict. Name the two halves in the introduction.
Next: essays with two separate questions in them.