📚 Detailed Explanation of Cause and Effect in Informational Texts

In Year 6 English, understanding the concept of cause and effect is very important, especially when you read informational texts. Cause and effect means recognising why something happens (the cause) and what happened because of it (the effect). This helps you understand the information better and makes reading easier and more interesting.

🧐 What is Cause and Effect?

  • Cause: This is the reason something happens. It answers the question, “Why did this happen?”
  • Effect: This is what happens as a result of the cause. It answers the question, “What happened because of it?”

For example:

  • Cause: It rained all night.
  • Effect: The football match was cancelled.

In an informational text, you might read about facts, events, or processes. Knowing the cause and effect helps you organise the information clearly and understand how different ideas connect.

🔑 Why is Cause and Effect Important in Informational Texts?

The National Curriculum for Key Stage 2 highlights the need to develop reading comprehension skills, including understanding relationships between ideas. When you can match causes and effects, you can:

  • Understand why things happen in history, science, or geography texts.
  • Follow explanations in instructions or reports.
  • Answer questions about what might happen next or why something is important.

🌟 Examples of Cause and Effect in Informational Texts

  1. In a science text about plants:
    • Cause: Plants do not get enough sunlight.
    • Effect: The plant stops growing properly.
  2. In a history text about the Romans:
    • Cause: The Romans built roads across Britain.
    • Effect: Trading and travel became faster and easier.

🔍 How to Spot Cause and Effect in Texts

Look for signal words that show cause and effect like:

  • Because
  • So
  • Therefore
  • As a result
  • Due to

These words help you find the cause and effect quickly and match them together when reading.

📝 Study Tip for Year 6 Students

When you read, try to write down or highlight the causes and effects you find. This can help you remember key information and improve your understanding for tests or writing your own explanations.

By practising cause and effect in informational texts, you will become a stronger reader who can easily understand and explain the ideas you read, just like Year 6 students should according to the National Curriculum.

📝 20 Examination-Style Questions on Cause and Effect in Informational Texts with Answers

Here are 20 examination-style questions designed for Year 6 students learning how to match causes and effects in informational texts. These questions follow the Key Stage 2 English curriculum and will help you practise understanding cause and effect relationships clearly.

❓ Questions

  1. What is the effect of heavy rain on plants as described in the text?
  2. Why did the river flood according to the informational passage?
  3. What caused the school to cancel the outdoor activities?
  4. How did the invention of the printing press affect the spread of information?
  5. Why did the local government build more bike lanes?
  6. What happened to the animals when the forest was cut down?
  7. What is the cause of air pollution mentioned in the article?
  8. What effect did the drought have on the farmer’s crops?
  9. Why did the population of the town increase?
  10. What caused the water to become dirty in the river?
  11. What effect does recycling have on the environment?
  12. Why was the city’s traffic problem worse last year?
  13. What caused the internet connection to slow down in the information piece?
  14. How did the new law change people’s behaviour about littering?
  15. What was the effect of the volcano eruption on the nearby villages?
  16. Why did the school start a healthy eating programme?
  17. What caused the fish population to decrease in the lake?
  18. What effect did the strong wind have on the houses?
  19. Why did the animal rescue centre get more donations this year?
  20. What was the effect of planting more trees in the park?

✅ Answers

  1. The plants grew more healthily because they received enough water.
  2. The river flooded because of continuous heavy rain.
  3. The school cancelled outdoor activities due to unsafe wet weather conditions.
  4. The printing press allowed books and news to be shared more quickly and widely.
  5. To make cycling safer and encourage more people to use bikes instead of cars.
  6. Many animals lost their homes and food sources because the forest was destroyed.
  7. Air pollution was caused by smoke from factories and cars.
  8. The drought caused the crops to dry up and yield less food.
  9. More people moved to the town because there were new jobs and better facilities.
  10. Pollution from nearby farms and factories made the river water dirty.
  11. Recycling reduces waste and helps keep the environment clean.
  12. Traffic worsened because more cars were on the road and roadworks slowed traffic.
  13. The internet slowed down due to too many users online at the same time.
  14. The new law made people throw away less litter, keeping streets cleaner.
  15. Villages near the volcano were damaged, and many people had to leave their homes.
  16. The school wanted to improve students’ health by encouraging better food choices.
  17. Pollution and overfishing caused fewer fish to live in the lake.
  18. Strong wind knocked down trees and damaged roofs of houses.
  19. More people learnt about the animals and wanted to help, so donations increased.
  20. Planting more trees made the park greener and improved air quality.

These questions and answers can help you practise spotting cause-and-effect in informational texts, an important skill for understanding how events and information connect in reading and writing.