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
 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
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

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
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’.

Theother 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.

There are several different ways to think up ideas.
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.
 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.
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:

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.
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.
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.
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.
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.