CAUSE AND SOLUTION ESSAY

WRITING TASK
WHAT ARE CAUSE AND SOLUTION ESSAYS?

 In IELTS writing task 2, you may be asked to discuss the cause of a problem and then suggest some solutions to solve
it. There are a wide array of possibilities and sometimes the words “cause” and “solution” are not actually used, so it
can be a little difficult to spot these.
 Here is an example:
Some people get into debt buying things they don’t need and can’t afford. What are the reasons for this
behaviour?
What action can be taken to prevent people having this problem?

 In the first part, it does not say “what is the cause?” Instead, it says “What are the reasons…?” This is why it is
important to read carefully and to think in terms of synonyms. In the second question, it does not say “solutions,” but
instead says “What actions can… prevent…?” Again, if you read carefully you will realize this means “What are the
solutions to the problem?”
STRUCTURE FOR CAUSE AND SOLUTION ESSAYS

Thankfully, it is very easy to structure a cause and solution essay for IELTS.You simply need to write four paragraphs,
with one body paragraph about the causes and one body paragraph about the solutions:

 Introduction – introduce the topic

 Body paragraph #1 – explain the causes of the problem
 Body paragraph #2 – explain the solutions to the problem
 Conclusion – summarize briefly
This is very, very easy to do. However, today I would like to show you a little more. In fact, I am going to discuss some
complicated issues to help you produce a more advanced essay structure.
STRUCTURE Cause and solution essays
HOW MANY CAUSES AND HOW MANY SOLUTIONS?

When I talk about IELTS essay structures, I often tell people to write just one main idea per paragraph. This is
because for IELTS it is really important to give development and if you write too much then it can end up more like a
list than an essay.
However, with cause and solution essays, you can get into multiple causes and multiple solutions if you are careful.
Whilst it is fine to write one single cause and one single solution, you might find it easier to list many. However, I
would suggest that you must structure this more carefully because you need to link the causes and solutions clearly.

For each cause, you could find one direct solution and link them in the following way:
 I would recommend using a maximum of three problems and solutions for the aforementioned reason of
development. If you wrote a list of five or six, you would not realistically be able to explain them properly
EXAMPLE

To understand this better, let’s look at an example cause and solution question:
More and more wild animals are on the verge of extinction and others are on the endangered list.
What are the reasons for this?
What can be done to solve this problem?
 When I read this question, I first thought, “Wow! It’s really hard to answer it because it’s such a vast issue!” Thus, I
would want to mention many factors. Rather than listing them, I’ll boil them down to three causes and three
direct solutions:
SAMPLE BAND 9 ANSWER

It is apparent nowadays that humans have had a devastating effect on the environment, and in particular we have caused the
extinction of countless species of animals. This essay will explore the reasons for this and mention some possible solutions.
To begin with, there are various causes for the reduction in animal populations around the world. Perhaps the main cause is the
destruction of their environment. Humans have cut down rainforests and polluted the seas, which has meant that animal no
longer have their natural habitat and thus cannot survive. Beyond that, they are poached in order to satisfy the demand for fake
medicines in Asia. Every day, elephants and rhinos are killed in Africa and then sent to China. Beyond that, the growing demand
for fish has meant that vast fleets of fishing boats trawl the seas, causing the eradication of wildlife there. Many whales and
dolphins, for example, are caught up in these nets as a tragic by-product of the industry.
Fixing this problem will be difficult and for many species it is already too late. The most important factor will be the cessation
of deforestation in places like Brazil and Malaysia. Humans have to recognise the value of nature rather than focusing on
obtaining more land for farming or housing. Education needs to be drastically improved in Asia and also punishments strictly
enforced to end the sadistic trafficking of animals for these so-called medicines. Finally, ethical fishing needs to be practised,
with limits on trawl nets and ranges for fishing boats. Sadly, none of this is particularly likely due to a lack of concern amongst
most of the citizens of the world, and so of course education must be improved before it is too late.
In conclusion, there are various factors that have caused the tragic loss of biodiversity in this world, but there are some steps
that could be taken to mitigate the damage.