To write a good cause and effect essay, one needs to be aware of all the relevant issues about the topic at hand. One needs to remember that writing such an essay is not about merely asking a ‘why’ question and answering it. It is a detailed discussion into the causes of a specific event or feature and a further discussion on the results or effects of the same. When you were in Grade V, you would remember that your teacher kept encouraging you to ask as many questions as possible. This was done in order to ensure that by asking many questions, you got to know more and more about something. If a child kept asking how an elephant could keep track of the rest of its herd by just the sense of smell, it was because the child could not comprehend that this was actually possible.

To understand how a cause and effect essay can be written, it is necessary to use an illustration. The topic that I have chosen is “Man - Animal conflict in developing countries with special reference to elephants”. Before going into the details of the essay as such, it is necessary to list out the various points or sub headings that need to be kept in mind in an essay like this:

*  Introduction

*  Details of elephant habitats in developing countries

*  Description and location of study area

*  Causes of man - animal conflict, with specific reference to the study area

*  Other associated environmental concerns in the area

*  Implications for the study of elephant movement in the study area

*  Resulting factors that impact the developmental process

*  Assessment of activities undertaken hitherto to combat the problem

*  Evaluation and recommendations that could lead to a partial or complete solution

*  Monitoring of activities undertaken, feedback and further implementation

The above example illustrates the various points that need to be covered while doing a cause and effect essay. As mentioned earlier, all the details of the essay need to be put forward as clearly as possible. It is also important to present as much statistical information as possible to substantiate any statements that are made in the course of the essay. For instance, in the illustration that is mentioned here, you need to give the statistics of the various kinds of conflicts that have occurred between elephants and humans in the area. Details also have to be given on the kind of damage that has taken place and a value placed on the damage in order to be able to give workable solutions to combat the issue. Writing a cause and effect essay is not the same as writing a critical essay, since we are not examining a statement as such. This is a more detailed study into a particular problem and is not something that can be looked at with cursory interest.

You could write a cause and effect essay on just about any topic. If you are looking at social issues like abortion or philosophical or religious issues you could come up with an award winning essay, if you follow the suggestions given in the example given above.

Tags: assessment, essay, evaluation, introduction, monitoring, statistical information