To what extent was the leadership of the Irish Republican Brotherhood the cause for the Easter Rising in 1916

First of all identify who we are referring to when talking about the leadership of the Irish Republican brotherhood, specfically mentioning members such as Pearse, Plunkett and MacDonagh as they played important roles in the rising. Explain what their role was in the lead up to the breakout,particularly how they were behind the organisation and recruitment of the rising. However do mention that they were acting as a secret group within the IRB and not all members had a direct role in the planning of rising. Once this has been explored move on to say that whilst their role was important, this is not the only factor that lead to the rising. Focusing only on the factor listed in the question will not allow you to attain full marks in this question. Other factors should include the breakout of World War One, the growing interest in Irish culture and new nationalism, the individual work of Padraig Pearse and James Connelly, the influence of Carson and the UVF as well as the growing issues with the Home Rule Bill/Irish politics.
Whilst content will be very important in answering this essay, listing off dates and names will not give you full marks. Examiners are looking for you to use this information, to explain and debate the question. A good essay will also have a clear introduction, body and conclusion. The introduction should refer directly to the question, give a brief explanation of their importance as well as address at least one other factor to counter. The examiner should have a clear idea of how the question will be answered by the time they finish the introduction without you going into too many details. In the body of the essay you should be able to easily link back each of you points back to the initial question, thorough engagement with the proposition will be important in attaining high marks. If you are struggling to keep on track, try to keep the PEE guidelines in mind; Point Explanation Evidence. The conclusion should be similar in length to the introduction, ad it should give a final answer to the question, with a brief explanation should given with a summary of what you wrote in the body of the text. No new points should be explored in the conclusion.