Expressing Cause and Effect — English Bac PC

Dans le programme du Bac PC

English is a nationally examined subject in the Bac Sciences Physiques (PC) stream, with a coefficient of 2 — the lowest weighting in the stream, level with Philosophy and well behind Mathematics and Physics-Chemistry (coefficient 7). The paper still tests reading comprehension, language and guided writing, and because differences between candidates are narrow, a few extra marks in English move the overall average as much as a mark in a science subject.

À l'épreuve

The national English paper has three parts: Reading Comprehension (a text plus questions), Language (grammar and vocabulary in context), and Writing (a guided paragraph or short essay of about 180 words). PC candidates should protect a fixed slot for the Language section, where accuracy earns quick, reliable marks even when revision time goes mostly to the sciences.

Objectifs d'apprentissage

Build this into a clear paragraph plan for the Bac PC English essay (coefficient 2)
Express a cause with because, since, as, due to, owing to, because of
Express a consequence with as a result, therefore, consequently, so, thus
Use cause / consequence verbs: lead to, result in, bring about, cause, be responsible for, stem from
Build a paragraph that clearly links a cause to its consequence in an argumentative essay

Notions clés

Connectors recap (revised from Linking Words)

Cause: because / since / as (+ clause), due to / owing to / because of (+ noun phrase). Consequence: therefore, thus, consequently, as a result, so.

Cause and consequence verbs

cause, lead to, result in, bring about, give rise to (to produce); stem from, be due to, result from, be caused by (to come from). E.g. “Overusing social media can lead to anxiety.” / “The rise in unemployment stems from a lack of investment.”

Building a cause–consequence paragraph

Typical structure: state the phenomenon → give its cause(s) (cause verbs / connectors) → draw its consequence(s) (consequence verbs / connectors) → optionally, a solution.

Erreurs fréquentes

Using a cause verb with a consequence verb's structure: “Pollution is stemmed from cars” is wrong — stem from is never passive; use “Pollution stems from cars” or “Pollution is caused by cars”.

Confusing cause and effect with result in / result from: result in introduces the consequence (X results in Y = X leads to Y), result from introduces the cause (Y results from X = Y comes from X) — opposite meanings despite the similarity.

Repeating because throughout a paragraph: varying with due to, since, as, or a verb like cause / stem from improves the written-work mark.

Exemple corrigé

Énoncé

Link these two ideas with a cause / consequence verb or connector, varying the wording: “Young people spend too much time on social media.” / “They can suffer from anxiety and poor concentration.”

Correction

Identify the direction of the relation. Excessive social-media use is the cause; anxiety and poor concentration are the consequence.

Choose a consequence verb. lead to fits perfectly to introduce a negative effect: “leads to”.

Assemble the sentence. “Spending too much time on social media can lead to anxiety and poor concentration among young people.”

Variant with the cause first. “Anxiety and poor concentration among young people often stem from spending too much time on social media.”

Le cours, puis l'entraînement.

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3 exercices pour t'entraîner

Exercice 1

Easy

Complete with because or due to: “The exam was postponed ___ a technical problem.”

Voir la correction

due to — followed by a noun phrase (a technical problem), not a clause.

Exercice 2

Medium

Rephrase with a consequence verb: “There was heavy rain. As a result, the match was cancelled.”

Voir la correction

“The heavy rain led to the cancellation of the match.” (or “resulted in the match being cancelled”) — lead to / result in replace as a result by folding cause and consequence into one sentence.

Exercice 3

Hard

Correct the meaning error: “Unemployment results in a lack of investment in the region.” (unemployment is presented as the CAUSE of the lack of investment, the opposite of what is meant: the lack of investment causes the unemployment)

Voir la correction

Reverse the direction with results from (comes from) rather than results in (leads to): “Unemployment results from a lack of investment in the region.” — or reword with the subject swapped: “A lack of investment results in unemployment in the region.”

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Questions fréquentes

result in and result from — how do I stop confusing them?

Remember that the subject of result IN is the CAUSE (X results in Y = X produces Y), while the subject of result FROM is the CONSEQUENCE (Y results from X = Y comes from X). A hint: “in” points forward (to the effect), “from” points back (to the origin).

How do I enrich a paragraph to avoid repeating because / therefore?

Alternate connectors (since, as, due to / thus, consequently, as a result) and verbs (lead to, stem from, bring about, be responsible for) depending on where the cause and consequence fall in the sentence.

Can I give several causes for one consequence in an essay?

Yes, and it is valued: “Youth unemployment stems from several factors, such as a lack of investment, an inadequate education system and a fast-changing job market.” shows a richer analysis than a single cause.

How should a PC candidate revise English at coefficient 2?

Efficiently, not heavily. Keep one clear rule and two example sentences per grammar point, one word list per theme, and a reusable essay skeleton (introduction, two body paragraphs, balanced conclusion). Thirty focused minutes a week is enough to lift the English mark, and that mark counts in the average exactly like a mark in a science subject.

How does this skill affect the Bac PC Writing mark?

Organisation and connective range are explicit scoring criteria. A paragraph that states an idea, links it clearly to a cause or a consequence, and closes it earns marks that a list of unconnected sentences does not.