IELTS Speaking Guide: Expressing Cause and Effect

 In this lesson, students practice expressing the effects of various causes, and the causes of various effects.

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Function: Expressing Cause and Effect   

Key Words:  Because/since/as

Expressing Cause and Effect: Since I won’t graduate until June, I hope to find a job in advertising sometime next summer.

Read the following causes and determine what the effects might be.

    1. Staying up all night.  Effect:  ____________________________________________________
    2. Forgot your book for class.  Effect:  ____________________________________________
    3. Ran out of gas in your car.  Effect:  _____________________________________________
    4. Your cell phone battery died.  Effect:  __________________________________________
    5. Your computer crashed.  Effect:  _______________________________________________
    6. It’s freezing cold outside.  Effect:  ______________________________________________
    7. Your flight was over-booked.   Effect:  _________________________________________
    8. You arrived late to work.  Effect:  ______________________________________________
    9. You caught the flu.  Effect:  ______________________________________________________
    10.  Your refrigerator stopped working.  Effect:  __________________________________

Finish the sentences according to the prompts given.

1. While in university, I was interested in ___________________________; therefore, I chose to study ______________________________________________________________________.

2. During my school years I never really liked _________________________, so I _______________________________________________________________________.

3. Since rainy days make me feel ____________________, I often ____________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

4. As cooking is _____________________ in our culture, we ___________________________

________________________________________________________________________.

5. I find visiting museums __________________________, so ___________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

6. Sports to me are ____________________________; therefore, ________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

7. Since my free time is _______________________, I normally ________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

8. Painting is something I ________________________________, with this in mind, _________

_______________________________________________________________________.

9. My hometown has ___________________________________, so I would recommend

_______________________________________________________________________.

10. I’ve always loved ____________________ music, so ________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________.

Read through the prompts again.  What were the questions asked?

1. ________________________________________________________________________________

2. _____________________________________________________________________________________

3. ___________________________________________________________________________________

4. ___________________________________________________________________________________

5. ____________________________________________________________________________________

6. ____________________________________________________________________________________

7. _____________________________________________________________________________________

8. _____________________________________________________________________________________

9. _____________________________________________________________________________________

10._____________________________________________________________________________________

Read through the following effects and try to determine the cause.

1. I was soaking wet when I got to work.
Cause: _____________________________________________________________

2. I changed my major from math to English.
Cause: _____________________________________________________________

3. I have to manage my finances carefully.
Cause: _____________________________________________________________

4. Traveling is a big part of my life.
Cause: _____________________________________________________________

5. I never take a taxi.

Cause: _____________________________________________________________

6. Eating vegetables with every meal is something I do every day.
Cause: _____________________________________________________________

7. I usually go to bed very early.
Cause: _____________________________________________________________

8. I have 2 cats and 3 dogs.
Cause: _____________________________________________________________

9. We often invite people over for dinner.
Cause: _____________________________________________________________

10. We rarely use the air conditioner
Cause: _____________________________________________________________