Essay genres 1: Problem & Solution, Cause & Effect
Introduction
During your degree at the University of Manchester, you are likely to encounter a variety of assignments. Discussing and writing about problems, and finding solutions are common, and are skills you will use in the workplace. Determining the cause of an issue, and the effects it has are also very valuable skills.
This lesson focuses on Problem & Solution, and Cause & Effect essay writing. You will analyse the two sample essays you were asked to read before this lesson. You need to open the essays or have a printed copy of them now to do the tasks. This class will give you a structure and language to help you to write essays of these two genres during this course and beyond.
Learning outcomes
By the end of this lesson you will be better able to:
* Key tasks: 2, 3, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17
Each task with a star * indicates that this is a key task and must be completed
Consolidation: Discussion Board and Reflective Journal
Working by yourself
Pre-reading
You were asked to read TWO essays before this class; one Problem-Solution essay and one Cause-Effect essay. Check your answers to the 'Before reading' exercise in the Pre-reading tasks now.
Task 1
Before writing
Why could analysing Problem-Solution essays be useful for you in the future?
* Task 2
Before writing
Problem-solution essays often follow the structure SPSE. What does SPSE mean?
Check your understanding
* Task 3
Before writing
Which part of SPSE would you put in the introduction?
"The ____________ is usually in the introduction. It is the topic of the essay and should be a paraphrase of the essay question."
Which part of SPSE might be put in the conclusion?
"The ____________ may be included as part of the conclusion (or before the conclusion if the essay is long). It is an important part of critical thinking, which is expected in university-level academic writing (and speaking). "
Check your understanding
Block or Chain structures
In addition to the SPSE structure, essays can be written in block structures or chain structures.
For the block structure, all of the problems are listed first, and all of the solutions are listed afterwards.
Introduction (including 'situation')
Problem 1
Problem 2
Transition sentence / paragraph
Solution 1
Solution 2
Conclusion (including evaluation)
For the chain structure, each problem is followed immediately by the solution to that problem.
Introduction (including 'situation')
Problem 1 & Solution to Problem 1
Problem 2 & Solution to Problem 2
Problem 3 & Solution to Problem 3
Conclusion (including evaluation)
Smith, S. (2013) Problem-solution essays Available at: https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/essays/problemsolution/ (Accessed 24th March 2020)
The examples displayed in Figures 1 and 2 above are based on a short essay. A longer essay would probably have the evaluation section separate from the conclusion.
Task 4
Before writing
Which structure do you usually use when you write Problem-Solution essays?
* Task 5
Before writing
Look at Essay 1 Problem & Solution. Does the essay follow a block structure or a chain structure?
Check your understanding
* Task 6
Before writing
What are the SPSEs in Essay 1?
Check your understanding
* Task 7
Before writing
Find examples in Essay 1 of words and phrases used to discuss problems and solutions.
Problems Solutions
Check your understanding
* Task 8
Go to 'My Group Discussions' to access the discussion entitled "Essay Genres 1 : Problem-solution"
Write ONE paragraph describing one of the problems below, then write ONE paragraph about ONE possible solution. Try to use some of the phrases and structures from this section.
  1. Controlling infections
  2. Designing a low-energy home
  3. Teaching your subject to a beginner
  4. Alternatively, write about problems and solutions in your subject.
Go to >> My Group Discussions
* Task 9
After writing
Ask another student to peer-review your writing on the discussion board to check that you wrote about problems and solutions effectively, and included language from Problem-Solution Essay 1.
You should peer-review another student's writing on the discussion board when they are checking your work.
Go to >> My Group Discussions
Essay 2 - Cause & Effect
The next essay type we will examine is cause-effect.
You should have read Essay 2 before this class.
A cause-effect essay is when you explain how certain events have led to or resulted from other events. Usually you are explaining why something happened. Sometimes the whole essay will discuss cause and effect, though sometimes this may be only part of the whole essay. It is also possible, especially for short exam essays, that only the causes or the effects, not both, are discussed. See the examples below.
Cause-effect essays can follow a block structure or a chain structure, as we saw in the problem-solution essays.
Smith, S. (2019) Cause and effect essays, Available at: https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/essays/cande/ Accessed: 10th March 2020
EXAMPLE: a) = 2
a) Direct cause 1. a connection between two things; one changes as the other does
b) Contributing cause 2. happening or done without other factors/people
c) Correlation 3. to be one of the causes of something
d) Coincidence 4. two things happening at the same time by chance
Moore, J. (2017) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice, Oxford, OUP.
Task 10
Before writing
Match the 'cause' terms to their definitions
Check your understanding
* Task 11
Before writing
Identify the cause (C) and the effect (E) in each sentence.
EXAMPLE: The programme (C) led to greater levels of awareness (E) regarding the benefits of consuming fruit and vegetables.
  1. Expertise (___) is a product of years of experience within a particular domain. (___)
  2. A number of factors (___) contributed to the development and growth of Silicon Valley (___)
  3. Several new policies (___) resulted from the report. (___)
  4. For developing nations, education (___) is frequently seen as a condition of economic development (___)
Moore, J. (2017) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice, Oxford, OUP
Check your understanding
* Task 12
Before writing
Does Essay 2, Cause & Effect, follow a block structure or a chain structure?
Check your understanding
* Task 13
Before writing
Highlight the causes
* Task 14
Before writing
Underline the effects.
Check your understanding
* Task 15
Before writing
What examples of words/phrases can you find in Essay 2 to talk about causes and effects?
Causes Effects
Check your understanding
* Task 16
Before writing
In your reflective journal under the heading Cause-Effect writing:
Write ONE paragraph about a cause and ONE paragraph about its effects for the situations below using the phrases from today's class.
  1. Human activity - loss of wildlife
  2. Advances in medicine - increased life expectancy
  3. Alternatively, write about causes and effects of situations in your field.
Moore, J. (2017) Oxford Academic Vocabulary Practice, Oxford, OUP
Go to >> My Reflective Journal
* Task 17
Aftere writing
Reflect on the Cause-Effect writing by yourself.
Write in your journal under the heading Cause-Effect writing: Self-evaluation
  1. What is the cause?
  2. What is the effect?
  3. Which language from the Cause-Effect essay did you use?
  4. Did you write TWO paragraphs?
  5. Did you proofread to check spelling, grammar punctuation, linking words?
STUDY SKILLS
Use a concordancer like SKELL to look at words in context.
  1. Use the link https://skell.sketchengine.eu/#home?lang=en or type SKELL in a search engine
  2. Type the word you want to see in example sentences
  3. Look at what is before and after your key word (grammar)
  4. Look at vocabulary e.g. nouns in the sentences to check the meaning is what you want
Cause https://skell.sketchengine.eu/#result?lang=en&query=cause&f=concordance
Effect https://skell.sketchengine.eu/#result?f=concordance&lang=en&query=effect
End of section