Lesson 2: Organizing Cause/Effect Essay

Now that we discussed the basic characteristics of cause and effect essays, we can move on to the next step; how to create an outline for your paper. Creating an outline is a very important part of essay writing. Many students skip this step because creating a cause and effect paper outline takes time. On the other hand, you will save time during the writing process, because you will already have a developed plan to follow. With a good outline you will never miss out on important details and your essay will be logical and well organised. 

There are two types of structures you can use to organize your essay, one is the block structure and the other is the chain structure. Let’s look at both in detail.

With block organization, you will first discuss all of the causes together in one or more paragraphs. The exact number of paragraphs will depending on the number of causes you have. Next, you’ll do the same thing only with all the effects. 

Here is an example of an outline for an essay written in block structure on the causes and effects of bullying:

1. Introduction (with an engaging hook)
   • Bullying is a pressing issue in the modern world. According to the National Center for Educational Statistics, more than one out of five students report being bullied.
2. Main Body
   • Cause #1: Bullies’ behavior is often explained by their desire to get noticed
   • Cause #2: Problems at home can provoke bullying
   • Transition: Bullying is a global issue that has a number of short and long-term effects on society
   • Effect #1: Bullying can result in poor mental health
   • Effect #2: Bullying lowers students’ self-esteem, which can turn them into insecure adults
3. Conclusion : Bullying is a big issue in the modern world that needs to be addressed properly to ensure a friendly and positive environment for everyone.

After the introductory paragraph, introduce and give an explanation on the causes in the first and second body paragraphs. After that comes the transition paragraph where you list two causes of bullying and transition to your conclusion.  

In block structure, a transition paragraph often separates one main section from another main section. The purpose is to conclude one section and introduce the next one. Writing a transitional paragraph is optional, but it might be helpful when you are writing a long and complex essay. 

The other organizational pattern you can use when writing about causes and effects is chain organization. The name itself implies that each cause is followed immediately by an effect. In this way, causes and effects are linked to each other in a chain. One event causes a second event, which in turn causes a third event, which in turn causes a fourth event, and so on. Each effect becomes the next cause, linking each together and forming a chain. 

Here is a sample outline for the Chain structure:

1. Introduction

• Bullying can turn victims into bullies.

2. Main Body

• Cause & Effect #1: Some of the main causes of bullying are problems at home -> One of the long-term effects of bullying is self-destructive behaviour
• Cause and Effect #2: Self-destructive behaviour often turns victims of bullying into bullies themselves -> Bullying can develop psychological post-trauma disorders
• Cause and Effect #3: Psychological post-trauma disorders often cause problems in victims’ own families -> This results in unfriendly home environments for children and may trigger another level of bullying

3. Conclusion

• The causes and effects of bullying are so closely related that they can create a vicious circle of trauma that results in even more bullying. This is why handling the issue can be especially difficult.

In each paragraph, you’ll see a structure that includes both a cause and its related effect.  You will also notice how each effect leads to the next paragraph’s cause ensuring that there is a logical structure to your essay. This continues until you have addressed every cause and effect and are ready to write your conclusion.