Styles of Writing – Specific:
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CAUSE AND EFFECT:
Essay questions often ask for interpretations or explanations of phenomena, e.g.
- What are the main causes of…
- How can…be explained…?
- Outline the principal reasons for…
Typical essay questions:
- Analyse the causes…
- Suggest reasons for…
- Show why…
- Examine the effects of…
Example 1
An essay dealing with the changing family structure in Europe would not stop with generalisations or statistical support. It may also try to explain or interpret the changes discussed.
- Cause: people marrying later
- Result: decrease in average family size
= The average family size is decreasing, in part, because (or since) people are marrying later.
Alternatively:
= Many people are choosing to marry later. For this reason (or therefore, consequently, as a result) the average family size is decreasing.
The linking words, as a consequence, etc. signal the result.
It is a good idea to group results, for instance, the economic causes of a situation. A question such as "Describe the causes of A. Illustrate your answer with specific examples" could be structured like this:
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Introduction to causes of A
ß -- Down arrow Cause 1 + example Effects 1 Cause 2 with example Effects 2 Cause 3 + examples Effects 3, etc ß -- Down arrow Conclusion |
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