Problem & Solution Essays: Structure (British Council Academic IELTS: Writing): Study Material

Problem & solution essays: structure

Introductions

Rephrasing the question

• In your introduction, you only need two or three sentences to tell the examiner what to expect

• Your first sentence should take the essay question and rewrite it using your own words

• Change the vocabulary (synonyms) and the grammar (e.g., change active to passive)

• Do not copy the question exactly - the examiner will ignore those words, and they will not count toward your total word count

Example of a good introduction

• Task question:

  • Air pollution is an increasingly serious problem in many parts of the world

• Paraphrase:

  • In many societies, air quality has deteriorated to alarming levels, posing a significant threat to public health and the environment

Expressing opinions

• Your second sentence – your thesis statement – is the most important sentence

• It should clearly state specific reasons for the problem and give your solutions

• Briefly state your main points so the examiner knows exactly what your body paragraphs will include

Example of expressing an opinion

• Task question:

  • Air pollution is an increasingly serious problem in many parts of the world

• A possible opinion:

  • This essay will argue that the primary causes of this phenomenon are industrial expansion and vehicular emissions, and propose that government regulation and green technology are the most effective solutions

Body paragraphs

• Organise your paragraphs logically to get a higher score

• A simple way to do this is to put your causes in the first body paragraph and the solutions in the second

• Structure your paragraphs with the PEEL method to make sure your ideas are fully developed

  • P (Point): A clear topic sentence (e.g. “The two main causes of this issue are...”)

  • E (Evidence/Explanation): Explain why or how this cause leads to the problem

  • E (Example): Provide a specific real-world instance or study

  • L (Link): Connect it back to the essay question

• The first sentence – the topic sentence – of each paragraph acts as a signpost covering the content

• Check that your solutions match your causes

• For example, if you say the cause is "vehicle emissions," your solution paragraph could mention "green technology"

• If the solutions do not address the causes you mention, you lose marks for Task Response

Conclusions

What must be in a conclusion

• Start with a simple formal linker (either “In conclusion,” or “To conclude,”) to signal the end of the essay

• Restate the causes and solutions by summarising your two main body paragraphs in one sentence

• Try to use different synonyms from your introduction

• You could also add a final prediction (or warning) by ending with a statement about what will happen if the solutions are implemented (or not)

• Avoid informal phrases such as “In a nutshell”

• Do not add new ideas in your conclusion – stick to the points you made in your body paragraphs or you will lose marks for Coherence and Cohesion