IELTS WRITING TASK

2
PROBLEM-SOLUTION ESSAY
 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?



 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.





 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 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
• Summarize the key points

Your task. 40 minutes

One problem faced by almost every large city

is traffic congestion.

What do you think the causes are?

What solutions can you suggest?

First, generate ideas, e.g.

Cause:
-…
-…
- ….
Solutions:
- ….
-…
- ….

Suggested Answer