6.4. Problem and Solution Essays
Find both halves of the task line, name two harms, and match each to a measure someone can carry out, one step at a time.
You should spend about 40 minutes on this task.
In many cities, traffic congestion is getting worse every year.
What problems does this cause, and what measures could be taken to solve them?
Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience.
Write at least 250 words.
The short version
What problems does this cause, and what measures could be taken? wants problems and measures.
You write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes.
A measure is an action someone specific can take. It must touch the problem you named.
One body paragraph of problems, one of measures, each measure matched to a problem.
What you have to do
The test shows a situation, then a task line. What problems does this cause? and What measures could be taken to solve them? are its two halves. A problem is a harm that follows from the situation. A measure is an action a named person or body can take that reduces that harm. You write at least 250 words in about 40 minutes. It is marked on whether both halves are answered, on how clearly it is organised, on vocabulary and on grammar.
Problems are not causes
A cause is why the situation exists: more people own cars. A problem is what the situation does: ambulances are delayed. The task line asks for problems. A paragraph of causes describes how the traffic got there and says nothing about the harm. The measures you then propose have nothing to fix. Test each problem with one question: does it hurt someone?
Step by step
- 1Read the question and find the task line
The task line is the words after the situation. In the task above there are two halves: what problems does this cause and what measures could be taken. Pick out both halves and the situation, traffic congestion in cities. Every problem must follow from congestion, not from cars in general.
- 2Decide what the task demands: problems and measures
Two problems, each a harm to someone, and two measures, each an action that reduces one of those harms. Pair them in the plan: delayed deliveries raise shop prices pairs with night-time delivery windows for lorries. A measure with no problem to touch, or a problem no measure touches, is a gap.
- 3Paraphrase the question in your introduction
Sentence one restates the situation: Roads in many large cities are now jammed for hours each day. Sentence two says what the essay does: This essay describes two harms this causes and two measures that could reduce them. Naming the two halves tells the examiner you have seen both.
- 4Decide what to leave out
Leave out a paragraph of causes: why the traffic exists is not asked. Leave out a slogan such as people should be more responsible, because nobody can carry it out. Leave out a third problem, and leave out a verdict on whether cars are good or bad. That is another type's shape.
- 5If you are stuck, use the fallback plan
Write four paragraphs. Introduction: situation paraphrased, then the two halves named. Body 1: two problems, each with a because and a concrete result. Body 2: two measures, one per problem, each naming who acts and what changes. Conclusion: one sentence saying the measures would reduce the problems you named.
Quiz time5 questions
Each drill gives you the task line or the sentences it needs, so nothing has to be looked up. Practise one judgement at a time.
Name the type from the task line
Ignore the topic. Read the words after the statement and choose the essay type they set.
Read thisIn many countries, the number of people living alone is rising. What problems does this cause, and what could be done to address them?
Which essay type does this task line set?
Which sentence states a measure?
Read the problem named in body 1, then choose the sentence that would answer it in body 2.
Read thisProblem named in body 1: elderly people who live alone often go a full week without speaking to anyone.
Which sentence is a measure that touches this problem?
Spot the paragraph that answers the wrong type
Each line is the first sentence of a paragraph. One paragraph answers a question the task did not ask. Choose it.
Read thisTask: Many city centres have lost their independent shops. What problems does this cause, and what measures could be taken?
Which sentence contains the error?
Pick the plan that covers both halves
Read the task, then choose the plan that names problems and matches each to a measure.
Read thisTask: Many rivers in cities are polluted by household waste. What problems does this cause, and what measures could be taken to solve them?
Which plan covers both halves of the task line?
Write the introduction only
Two sentences. Restate the situation in your own words, then name the two halves of the task. Do not start the first body paragraph.
Read thisIn many towns, young people have few places to meet in the evening. What problems does this cause, and what measures could be taken to deal with them?
Write the introduction for this task.
0 / 20 words
Set up your learning path at the top of this lesson to get band-specific feedback.
The full model
Below is one matched pair for a second problem-solution question, written the way the five steps produce it. Read the problem first, then check that the measure names who acts and what changes.
Household food waste is rising in many cities. What problems does this cause, and what measures can be taken to deal with it?
Unused food fills municipal bins and raises collection costs, because wet waste is heavy and goes to landfill. A weekly leftover collection that goes to a community fridge can cut that weight if shops and households both use it.
The measure touches the problem. “People should care more” does not.
Your turn to write1 question
Write one matched pair
One problem and one measure that touches it. Two or three sentences. Choose a different problem from the one in the example above.
Household food waste is rising in many cities. What problems does this cause, and what measures can be taken to deal with it?
0 / 25 words
Set up your learning path at the top of this lesson to get band-specific feedback.
Tips
- Give every measure an actor
Start the sentence with who does it: Councils could, Schools should, Employers might. If no actor fits, the sentence is a slogan and needs rewriting.
- Write the measures paragraph in the same order as the problems
Problem one, then problem two in body 1; measure one, then measure two in body 2. The examiner can then check each pair without searching.
Recap
Find both halves of the task line: problems, then measures. Each gets a paragraph.
A problem is a harm; a measure is an action with an actor. Pair each measure with the problem it touches.
Leave out the causes, the slogans and the third problem. Name the two halves in the introduction.
Next: essays about causes and effects.