Types of IELTS Solution Essay

There are three kinds of IELTS solution essays.

Solution Essay

IELTS will give you a problem that exists in the world today and then ask you what solutions you can offer.
There are various different wording for this. Below are three examples:
• What solutions can you offer?

• What measures can you suggest to tackle this problem?

• How can this be resolved?
Cause Solution Essay
For this essay, you will be presented with a topic, such as increasing urban populations. You will then see
two questions which ask you to give the causes of the problem and solutions to the problem. Instructions can
often be paraphrased. Below are two examples:
• What are the reasons for this? What solutions can you suggest?

• Why is this happening? What can be done to tackle it?

Problem Solution Essay
This is less common and is often confused for the Cause Solution Essay so watch out and pay attention to the
word. You will be presented with an issue, such as more people moving to urban areas for work. You will
then see two questions. Below is an example of how those questions can be worded:
• What problems does this cause?

• What answer can you suggest to deal with it?

IELTS Solution Essay Tips
1. Identify the type of solution essay you have.
2. Spend time analysing the topic given. Most people rush to form their ideas and don’t prepare
supporting points. This is a mistake. Planning is crucial. You are being marked on your ideas and
how they are explained and illustrated so spend a few minutes making sure you’ve got it all planned.
3. Once your ideas are formed, think about how to organize them into paragraphs and how to organise
supporting points within the paragraph. Many people think that only paragraphing is marked for
organisation, but the order of supporting points is also marked. Your aim is for coherence.
4. Think about language. How will you paraphrase words for the topic and what words will you use to
express solutions and causes (if required)? Poor paraphrasing (risky paraphrasing) is one reason
people fail to get band 7 in their Vocabulary for writing task 2.
5. Always have an introduction, body paragraphs, and conclusion. Never miss the conclusion, and
always make sure you have time to write it.
6. Pay attention to the content and length of paragraphs in the model essay below. Even for people
aiming for band 9, they are still safe to use.

The writing techniques for problem-solution

Problem-solution text is a popular form of writing. Here, writers first describe or discuss a problem, convince the reader
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to care about it and finally, suggest solutions. A good problem-solution text suggests one or some well-explained
solution(s) to solve the problem. In this type of writing, the focus is equally on both the problem and the solution.

Now, look at the following structure that will help you to write a well-constructed problem-solution text.
The structure of a problem-solution text:

a. Introduction
· Paraphrase the given problem
· Write one key cause and related solution
b. Main body Paragraph 1- Cause (you can write different causes using
different paragraphs)
· Topic sentence- state the causes
· Explain the causes of the problem
· Give an example
c. Main body paragraph 2- Solution (Again, you can write different solutionsusing
different paragraphs)
· Topic sentence- state the solutions
· Explain the solutions in relation to the problem
· Give an example
d. Conclusion
· Summarise the key points

For better understanding let’s write a problem-solution essay following this

4 steps structure.
Suppose, our question is ‘Students are losing interest in attending school.’-
what do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?
Before writing the essay, let’s follow these three steps to plan your essay:
a) Analyse the question: This is an important step in the planning the writing.
Here, we need to read the question carefully and identify the topic words,
other keywords and finally the instruction words in the question to be focusedon what
the question asks us to write.
The topic words are what the question is about. We will find it in the statementpart of
the question. In this question, Students are losing interest in attending
school. what do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?
the topic words are ‘losing interest’ because the question is about this topic.
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Then, the other keywords in the question are students and attending school
and we must write about them in the essay. Next, if we analyse the instruction
words we will find out that we have to write the causes and solutions of the
problem, that is, ‘why students are losing interest in attending school’. So,
analysing all these three things will help our essay to be relevant and linked
to the question.

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b) Generate ideas: Now, we have to generate some ideas to write our essay. One
way we can do this is by simply asking ourselves the causes of the problem
that instantly comes to mind. And write down all the possible solutions to the
causes. For example, if we think about the causes and the solutions to the
problem, ‘Why students are losing interest in attending school’ they may be -

Brainstorming

Causes of losing
Solution
interest
Lowest teacher- Increasing student’s participation in the classroom
student ratio activities by using pair/group works

Arranging co-curricular activities like games, drawing,

Long hour classes
recitation etc.

Fear of failure Motivating students to accept failure in a positive way

We’re almost ready to start writing our problem-solution essay but first, we
have one more task to do and that is-
c) Identify vocabulary: Now, let’s quickly jot down some vocabulary that
comes to our mind as we have already found the causes, and their solutions
we will write about. This strategy will save us from having to stop and think
of the appropriate language while we write. For example:
For this particular problem-solving essay some vocabularies are:
· Lack of motivation
· Unsuccessful
· Attractive activities
· Participation
· Attention

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Now, it is time to write the first paragraph, which is the ‘Introduction’ of
the essay!
The introduction:
First, let’s paraphrase the question within 2-3 sentences and then, state one
key cause and related solution. The first paragraph may look as follows:
‘One of the problems facing our school is that students are losing interest in
attending school. The main reason for this is the lowest teacher-student ratio. In
a class, on average, there are 60-80 students. So, it’s not possible for a teacher
to give attention and listen to all of their problems in the class and a possible
solution is to engage students in the classroom activities by using pair/group
works.’
Now, it’s time to write the ‘Main body paragraph 1- Cause’. Don’t worry,
it will be a very easy task for you as you have already identified the causes. So, let’s
start writing!
First, you have to start with a topic sentence. The topic sentence summarises
the main idea of the paragraph. It acts like a signpost for what is to come next,
that is, what the paragraph will be about. We will start with the cause of the
problem first.
Topic sentence- One of the main causes of losing interest in attending school
is the lowest teacher-student ratio.
Now, we must write an explanation sentence that develops the idea.
The explanation sentence may be ‘Bangladesh is a populous country and we
get a reflection of it in our classroom. In a classroom, there are 60-80 students onaverage.
For a teacher, it is almost impossible to listen to everyone’s problems.Besides,
it is known that every student is unique, and so are their problems. As aresult,
students become frustrated and do not get the motivation to attend school
regularly.
Finally, let’s add an example to support our cause. An example may be-
‘We have a large class of 70. Every day, I come to school earlier to sit on the
front bench because, from the back, I cannot listen to my teachers clearly. When
I sit in the back, sometimes I request teachers to be a little louder and sometimes

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my teacher comes close to me to help me with understanding. But, we are 70 and
one teacher cannot help everyone with their diverse problems. It’s a huge
problem that needs to be solved.
So, we have completed writing all the three parts of our first main body
paragraph. Now, let’s have a look at the finished paragraph!
One of the problems facing our school is that students are losing interest in
attending school. The main reason for this is the lowest teacher-student ratio. In
a class, on average, there are 60-80 students. So, it’s not possible for a teacher
to give attention and listen to all of their problems in the class and a possible
solution is to engage students in the classroom activities by using pair/group
works. Bangladesh is a populous country and we get a reflection of it in our
classroom. In a classroom, there are 60-80 students on average. For a teacher,
it is almost impossible to listen to everyone’s problems. Besides, it is known
that every student is unique, and so are their problems. As a result, students
become frustrated and do not get the motivation to attend school regularly. We
have a large class of 70. Every day, I come to school earlier to sit on the front
bench because, from the back, I cannot listen to my teachers clearly. When I sit
in the back, sometimes I request teachers to be a little louder and sometimes
my teacher comes close to me to help me with understanding. But, we are 70 and
one teacher cannot help everyone with their diverse problems. It’s a huge
problem that needs to be solved.
Now, it’s your turn to write the main body paragraph 2- solution following
the same process. First, write the topic sentence to summarise the main idea
of the paragraph.
Your topic sentence (The solution)
Now, add sentences to explain your idea
Next, add an example to support your idea
Finally, add the 3 parts and you will get your finished second main body paragraph. Now,
write your finished paragraph

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 English
We are at the end of our problem-solution essay. It’s time to conclude our essay
with a conclusion. The conclusion is the summary of the main points in our
essay. We can never introduce any new ideas here.
So, start writing the conclusion!
You may start with a phrase like ‘in conclusion’ or ‘to conclude’ or in your own
way. Then, summarise the main ideas into one sentence.
Your answer

That’s it. We have completed our essay.

Now, put together all four paragraphs and share the essay with the class.

( Reference: NCTB_2024)

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 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?

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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.

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 • 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

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 • 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

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 • 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.

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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

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 • 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.

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 # 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

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 • 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:

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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

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 • 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
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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

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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(Source: https://www.ieltsjacky.com/ielts-problem-solution-essays.html)

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IELTS Solution Essay Model Answer
Many offenders commit more crimes after serving their first punishment. Why is this happening,
and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?

A large number of criminals who serve their first prison sentence, leave prison only to reoffend. This
is mainly because of the lack of rehabilitation and difficulty finding regular employment once
released. Several solutions should be implemented to deal with criminals who re-offend.

Firstly, the reason most first-time offenders commit crimes again, once they have been released from
prison, is due to the lack of rehabilitation whilst in prison. In other words, offenders are not given a
chance to retrain and learn new skills for their future or develop a deeper understanding of correct
moral behavior and instead mix with other criminals, which only strengthens their criminal intentions.
Secondly, repeat offending is also owing to the difficulty in finding employment after being released.
As a result, many of them struggle financially which leads them back to crime, regardless of the
consequences.

There are two effective solutions to the problem of repeat offenders. One way to tackle this is to
ensure that all criminals entering prison are given the chance to retrain with useful skills which will
hopefully ensure them a job after they have served their sentence. By doing this, it will help them
reintegrate back into society and give them some means of supporting themselves financially.
Another method of dealing with criminals who reoffend is to have more supervision and checks in
place when they are back in society. This solution would hopefully prevent them from taking any
chances and deter them from reoffending because they are being so closely watched.

In conclusion, regardless of the reasons for reoffending, having skills training and education in
prison as well as closer observation of newly released offenders can be effective in preventing
criminals from committing crimes again.

( IELTS LIZ)

Young people are leaving their homes in the rural areas to go and work in the cities. Why do they
do so? What are the consequences? How to solve the problem?

Nowadays many youngsters are migrating from their rural homes to study and work in cities. This
essay shall look into the causes and effects of this phenomenon and also suggest some measures to
ameliorate the situation.

To begin with, the major reason of such practice is ascribed to splendid educational resources and
plentiful employment opportunities in urban areas. In other words, studying and working in cities
with better facilities. offers young people a chance to escape from the fate of their parents who rely
solely on painstaking labour. For instance, diligent students from poverty-stricken areas can acquire
exceedingly good academic scores, which pave way for their future success. As for work, young
people are exposed to various career opportunities, which are not there in the villages.

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The movement of youngsters to cities in turn creates many problems in cities. First of all, there is a
lot of pressure on the resources such as land, water and infrastructure like public transport, health
care and law and order etc. This also leads to encroachment of pavements and creation of slums.
Moreover, there is increase the demand and consumption of water, which poses serious health
hazards. Health hazards resulting from urbanization are also connected to air pollution.
There are many negative effects on the rural areas. Firstly, the deprivation of rural labor force by
people swarming into urban areas further extends the gap between the city and the country.
Agriculture, which has been the backbone of economy, is taking a back seat. Elderly people are left
alone in the villages, which is adding to their loneliness. On top of that, the governments are also
diverting all the funds on the betterment of cities, whereas rural areas are ignored.
The solutions are not simple, but many steps can be taken by the governments to alleviate the
problem. Rural areas should be developed so that young people do not wish to migrate. For example,
if internet facilities are well developed, then young people working in the IT sector may do
telecommuting and not choose to move to cities. Rural-urban linkage should be developed so that
people who work in cities come back home in the evenings. Self-employment should be encouraged
among the youth of rural areas, so that they can earn a luxurious lifestyle in the villages.
To sum up, urbanization is an irreversible tendency, which is offering the youth to enjoy various
job opportunities and educational resources to have a better future. This is causing many negative
effects in cities and villages. However, some steps can be taken to lessen to mitigate the problems,

( Makkar IELTS)

Plan followed
Intro:
Para 1: Reasons
Para 2: negative effects on cities
Para 3: negative effects on villages
Para 4: solutions
Conclusion

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