The Five Patterns of Development (Overview only)
Reading
Notes
4 of 16
2
⏱ 4 min
What to do
Answer both parts of the analysis question. Give one pattern name for each situation. Write in My notes.
Concept: A pattern of development is a recurring way of organising ideas so readers can follow your logic. Academic writing uses these patterns to structure paragraphs and whole essays.
Mechanism: You choose a pattern based on your purpose—explaining causes, comparing alternatives, illustrating with examples, arguing a position, or describing a process. The pattern determines the order and type of evidence you present.
- Cause & Effect: explaining why something happens or what results from it.
- Comparison: examining similarities and differences.
- Exemplification: supporting a claim with selected examples.
- Argument: taking a position and supporting it with reasons and evidence.
- Descriptive: presenting a clear, organised picture of a subject.
Worked example: To argue that "peer review improves research quality," you might use Exemplification (cited studies) and Cause & Effect (external scrutiny → better methodology).
Check your work
Check your notes:
- You name a pattern for explaining why a lab protocol failed.
- You name a pattern for comparing two methods.
- Each choice matches the purpose in that situation.