Problem Solution Essays

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 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 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 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 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 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.
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 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.