Cause and Effect Essay The purpose is to effectively write a cause and effect essay and to use the writing process to complete it. This should be organized into five, distinct paragraphs and should be between five to eight sentences. The word count is 400 – 500 words. Examples of cause and effect essays include questions that ask you to state or investigate the effects or outline the causes of the topic. This may be, for example, a historical event, the implementation of a policy, a medical condition, or a natural disaster. These essays may be structured in one of two ways: either the causes(s) of a situation may be discussed first followed by the effect(s), or the effect(s) could come first with the discussion working back to outline the cause(s). Sometimes with cause and effect essays, you are required to give an assessment of the overall effects of an event on a community, a workplace, an individual. Cause and Effect Essay Format 1. Introduction • Background information on the situation under discussion • Description of the situation • Overview of the causes or effects to be outlined 2. Body paragraphs • Paragraph 1 1. Topic sentence outlining first cause or effect 2. Sentences giving explanations and providing evidence to support the topic sentence 3. Concluding sentence – linking to the next paragraph • Paragraph 2 (or more) 1. Topic sentence outlining second cause or effect 2. Sentences giving explanations and providing evidence to back topic sentence 3. Concluding sentence – linking to the next paragraph • Following body paragraphs 1. These follow the same structure for as many causes or effects as you need to outline 3. Conclusion • Summary of the main points of the body • Conclusion, prediction or recommendation