How to Plan & Write

IELTS Problem Solution Essays

IELTS problem solution essays are the most challenging essay type for many
people. The way they are worded can vary hugely which can make it difficult
to understand how you should answer the question.

Generally, you’ll be asked to write about both the problem, or cause, and the
solution to a specific issue. Sometimes, however, you will only be required to
write about possible solutions.

The 3 essay types:

• Problem and solution

• Cause and solution

• Just the solution

Hence, it’s essential that you analyse the question carefully, which I’ll show
you how to do in this lesson. I’m also going to demonstrate step-by-step how
to plan and write IELTS problem solution essays.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

• Identifying IELTS problem solution essays

• 6 Common mistakes

• Essay structure

• How to plan

• How to write an introduction

• How to write main body paragraphs

• How to write a conclusion

Once you understand the process, practice on past questions. Take your time
at first and gradually speed up until you can plan and write an essay of at
least 250 words in the 40 minutes allowed in the exam.

The Question
Here are two typical IELTS problem solution essay questions. They consist of
a statement followed by the question or instruction.

1. One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?

2. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the number of endangered

species has increased significantly and we have witnessed more mass
extinctions in this period than in any other period of time.

State some reasons for this and provide possible solutions.

These are some examples of different ways in which questions can be
phrased. The first half of the questions relate to the problem or cause, the
second half to the solution.

What issues does this cause and how can they be addressed?

What are some resulting social problems and how can we deal with
them?

What problems arise from this and how can they be tackled?

Why is this? How might it be remedied?

What are the reasons for this, and how can the situation be improved?

Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this
problem?
And here are a few questions where you only have to write about the solution.

How can this situation be improved?

What solutions can you suggest to deal with this problem?

How can this problem be solved?

What measures could be taken to prevent this?

It’s important that you are able to recognise the common synonyms, words
and phrases used in problem solution questions. Here are the key words and
their synonyms used in the questions above.

• Problem – issues, resulting, situation

• Cause – reasons, why

• Solution – deal with, addressed, tackled, remedied, improved,

measures taken, solved, prevent

Before we move on to some common mistakes, I want to quickly explain the

difference between a problem and a cause. Read the following examples.

Problem – I've missed the last bus home after visiting my friend for the
evening.

Cause – I misread the timetable and thought the bus left at 22.45 when it
actually left at 22.35.

The ‘cause’ is the reason for the ‘problem’. We’ll be looking at question
analysis in more detail in a minute.

6 Common Mistakes
These six errors are common in IELTS problem solution essays.

• Confusing problem and causes questions.

 • Having too many ideas.

• Not developing your ideas.

• Not developing both sides of the argument equally.

• Not linking the problems and solutions.

• Not being specific enough.

It is common for an essay to consist of a list of problems and solutions without

any of them being expanded on or linked to each other. Sometimes, a student
will focus on just the problem or only the solution which leads to an
unbalanced essay. Both these issues will result in a low score for task
achievement.

You must choose just one or two problems and pick solutions directly linked to
them. Explain them and give examples.

Another serious error is to write generally about the topic. You need to be very
specific with your ideas. Analysing the question properly is essential to
avoiding this mistake. I’ll show you how to do this.

Essay Structure
Now let’s look at a simple structure you can use to write IELTS problem
solution essays. It’s not the only possible structure but it’s the one I
recommend because it’s easy to learn and will enable you to quickly plan and
write a high-level essay.

1) Introduction

• Paraphrase the question

• State 1 key problem/cause and related solution
2) Main body paragraph 1 – Problem or Cause

• Topic sentence – state the problem or cause

• Explanation – give detail explaining the problem or cause
• Example – give an example

3) Main body paragraph 2 – Solution

• Topic sentence – state the solution

• Explanation – give detail explaining the solution
• Example – give an example

4) Conclusion

• Summarise the key points

This structure will give us a well-balanced essay with 4 paragraphs.

One Problem/Cause & Solution or Two?

Most questions will state problems, causes and solutions in the plural, that is,
more than one. However, it is acceptable to write about just one.

This will give you an essay of just over the minimum 250 words. To write
about two problems/causes and solutions will require you to write between
350 and 400 words which are a lot to plan and write in the 40 minutes
allowed.

It is better to fully develop one problem/cause and solution than ending up

with one idea missing an explanation or an example because you run out of
time.

The step-by-step essay structure I’m going to show you includes one problem
and solution but you can write about two if you feel able to or more
comfortable doing so.
 How To Plan IELTS Problem Solution Essays
Here’s the question we’re going to be answering in our model essay followed
by the 3 steps of the planning process.

One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?

• Analyse the question

• Generate ideas

• Identify vocabulary

# 1 Analyse the question

This is an essential step in the planning process and will ensure that you
answer the question fully. It’s quick and easy to do. You just need to identify 3
different types of words:

1. Topic words

2. Other keywords

3. Instruction words

Topics words are the ones that identify the general subject of the
question and will be found in the statement part of the question.
One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

So, this question is about ‘traffic congestion’.

Many people will do this first step of the process and then write about the topic
in general. This is a serious mistake and leads to low marks for task
achievement.
What we need to do now that we know the general topic, is to understand
exactly what aspect of traffic congestion we're being asked to write about.

The other keywords in the question tell you the specific topic you must write
about.

One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

By highlighting these words, it’s easy to see that you are being asked to write
about the problem of traffic congestion in large cities. Your essay must only
include ideas relevant to these ideas.

The instruction words are the question itself. These tell you the type of
IELTS problem solution essay you must write. This is a ‘causes and solutions’
question.

What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?

# 2 Generate ideas
The next task is to generate some ideas to write about.

We’re going to use the ‘friends technique’. This is the method I prefer as it
allows you to take a step back from the stress of the exam situation and think
more calmly.

Here’s how it works. Imagine that you are chatting with a friend over a cup of
coffee and they ask you this question. What are the first thoughts to come into
your head? Plan your essay around these ideas.

Doing this will help you to come up with simple answers in everyday language
rather than straining your brain to think of amazing ideas using high-level
language, which isn’t necessary.

You might want to try this yourself before reading on for my ideas.
Here are my ideas:

Cause:

• Too many cars on the roads – increasing numbers of people own cars,
more convenient than buses & trains

• Inadequate public transport – crowded, old & dirty

• Poor road layout

• Rush hour traffic – most people travel to & from work at the same times
each day

Solution:

• Car sharing, park-and-ride scheme, congestion charge

• Improve public transport – more frequent and better quality

• Improve infrastructure – bus lanes, cycle lanes will make it safer for
people to cycle

• Flexible working hours

For each cause you think of, immediately write down a possible solution. This
you will ensure that the problems and solutions you think of are linked.

You don’t need to spend long on this as you only need one or two ideas.

I’ve got more far more ideas here than I need as I spent more time thinking
about it that I would in the real exam. I’m going to pick just one cause to
develop in the essay and one or two solutions.

My advice on making your selection is to choose ideas you can quickly think
of an example to illustrate.

Here are my choices:

Cause – Too many cars on the roads. Why? – increasing numbers of people
own cars, more convenient than buses & trains

Solution – Park-and-ride schemes

We’re almost ready to start writing our IELTS problem solution essay but
first, we have one more task to do.

# 3 Vocabulary
During the planning stage, quickly jot down some vocabulary that comes to
mind as you decide which cause and solution you are going to write about,
especially synonyms of key words. This will save you having to stop and think
of the right language while you’re writing. For example:

• traffic jam

• heavy traffic

• queue

• vehicles

• commute

• rush hour

• private transport

• infrastructure

With that done, we can focus on the first paragraph of the essay – the
introduction.
 How To Write an Introduction
Good introductions to IELTS problem solution essays have a simple 2 part
structure:

• Paraphrase the question

• State 1 key problem/cause and related solution/s (outline

sentence)

It should:

• Have 2-3 sentences

• Be 40-60 words long

• Take 5 minutes to write

1) Paraphrase the question

Start your introduction by paraphrasing the question.

Question: One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you
suggest?
Paraphrased question:

One of the most serious issues facing the majority of large urban areas
is traffic jams.
Note my use of synonyms to replace key words in the question statement.
You don’t have to replace every key word but do so where possible whilst
ensuring that your language sounds natural.
2) Outline statement
Now we need to add an outline statement where we outline the two main
points that we’ll cover in the rest of the essay, that is, the cause and the
solution I chose earlier. Here they are again.

Cause – Too many cars on the roads. Why? – increasing numbers of people
own cars, more convenient than buses & trains

Solution – Park-and-ride schemes

And, this is one way to develop them into an outline sentence.

Outline statement:

The main reason for this is that there are too many private cars on the
roads these days and a viable solution is to introduce more park-and-
ride schemes.
So, let’s bring the two elements of our introduction together.

Introduction

This introduction achieves three important functions:

• It shows the examiner that you understand the question.

• It acts as a guide to the examiner as to what your essay is about.

• It also helps to keep you focused and on track as you write.

The two ideas in your introduction will become your two main body
paragraphs.

Main body paragraph 1 – Too many cars on the roads

Main body paragraph 2 – Park-and-ride schemes

How To Write Main Body Paragraphs

Main body paragraphs in IELTS problem solution essays should contain 3
things:

• Topic sentence – outline the main idea

• Explanation – explain it and give more detail

• Example – give an example

Main Body Paragraph 1

The topic sentence summarises the main idea of the paragraph. That’s all it
needs to do so it doesn’t have to be complicated.

It plays an important role in ensuring that your ideas flow logically from one to
another. It does this by acting as a signpost for what is to come next, that is,
what the paragraph will be about.

If you maintain a clear development of ideas throughout your essay, you will
get high marks for task achievement and cohesion and coherence.

We’ll now take the idea for our first main body paragraph and create our topic
sentence.

Obviously, we’re going to write about the cause of the problem first.

Main body paragraph 1 – Too many cars on the roads

Topic sentence:
The number of people owning cars increases year on year, with most
families now having more than one car.

Next, we must write an explanation sentence that develops the idea.

Explanation sentence:

Most people like the convenience of travelling at the time they want to
rather than being restricted to public transport timetables, so they prefer
to drive themselves around rather than taking the bus or train. This is
despite the fact that they frequently have to sit in long traffic queues as
they near the city centre.

Finally, we add an example to support our main point. If you can’t think of a
real example, it’s fine to make one up, as long as it’s believable. The examiner
isn’t going to check your facts. Alternative, you could add another piece of
information to support your idea.

Example sentence:

Whenever I have to attend a meeting in the city, I always drive because it

means that I can leave home when I want to rather than getting stressed
about getting to the station in time to catch the train.

That’s the 3 parts of our first main body paragraph complete. Here’s the
finished paragraph.
We now follow the same process for our second main body paragraph.

Main Body Paragraph 2

Main idea 2 – Park-and-ride schemes

First, we write the topic sentence to summarise the main idea.

Topic sentence:

A solution that is proving successful in many areas is park-and-ride

schemes.
Now for the explanation sentence where we expand on this idea.

Explanation sentence:

This is where you park your car for free in a large car park on the
outskirts of the city and take a bus for the final part of your journey. The
fee you have to pay for the bus trip is usually very small and this public
transport system is generally very regular, running every ten minutes or
so.
Finally, an example to support this point.

Example sentence:

A survey carried out in the city of Exeter showed that the rush hour
congestion decreased by 10% when the council set up a park-and-ride
scheme to the north of the city. There was an additional drop of another
10% in traffic volume when a second scheme began operating to the
south.
That’s the 3 parts of our second main body paragraph complete. Here’s the
finished paragraph.

Now we need a conclusion and our IELTS problem solution essay is done.

How To Write a Conclusion

The conclusion is a summary of the main points in your essay and can
generally be done in a single sentence. It should never introduce new
ideas.
If you're below the minimum 250 words after you’ve written your
conclusion, you can add a prediction or recommendation statement.

The conclusion is the easiest sentence in the essay to write but one of
the most important.
A good conclusion will:

• Neatly end the essay

• Link all your ideas together

• Sum up your argument or opinion

 • Answer the question

If you achieve this, you’ll improve your score for both task achievement and
cohesion and coherence which together make up 50% of the overall marks.
Without a conclusion, you’ll score below band 6 for task achievement.

You can start almost any final paragraph of an IELTS problem solution essay
with the words:

• In conclusion

or

• To conclude

Now all you need to do is briefly summarise the main ideas into one sentence.

Here’s a top tip. Go back and read the introduction to the essay because this
is also a summary of the essay. It outlines what you are going to write about.

To create a good conclusion, you simply have to paraphrase the introduction.

Introduction:

Here is the same information formed into a conclusion. I’ve also added a
personal statement at the end to link back to one of my example sentences.
You don’t have to do this but in this case, I think that it rounds the essay off
better.
That’s it. We’ve completed our essay. Here it is with the 4 paragraphs put
together.

Question:

One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?
Finished IELTS problem solution essay.