MUF0012: How to Write the Problem of SPSE

How to Write the ‘Problem’ Section of the Research Report

● This section is placed after the Situation section.
● The intention of this section is to explain the different consequences or problems caused by
the issue.
● The Problem section should have at least two TEEEL paragraphs.
● Read and discuss the example Problem paragraphs, then use the sentence starters to
formulate your draft.

Topic: Youth Binge Drinking in Australia

Question: What are the problems associated with binge drinking in Australian youth and how
effective are solutions in reducing the amount of binge drinking among young people?

Problem (What information is necessary for the Problem section?)

1. Write a topic sentence that defines the problem.
2. Explain what the problem/s is/are.
3. Provide evidence that shows that the problem exists
4. Explain the examples and show why the problem is significant
5. Linking Sentence

Firstly, binge drinking has been argued to cause damage to the developing adolescent brain.
The adolescent brain is not fully developed and an excess of alcohol can have an adverse
effect on its growth and function. For instance, Davies (2018) states that binge drinking may
cause long lasting effects on the brain which may go into adulthood. This is because drinking
excessive amounts of alcohol when young can damage the brain and cause permanent
changes to DNA . Furthermore, drinking can also affect memory and IQ (Thomas, 2014).
Multiple studies have shown that consuming alcohol whilst the brain is still growing can
affect the neural connections that are forming (Gladwell, 2014; Lin, 2015) and hence will
negatively impact on their ability to recall and may even cause short-term and long-term
memory loss. Thus, young people who binge drink the alcohol place their future at risk due
to restricting the development of their brains during adolescence.

Binge drinking causes young people to engage in risky behaviour. Risk-taking behaviours
increases in adolescence and the possibility of injury increases even more when alcohol is
also involved. Alcohol consumption in young adults can cause physical injury, risky sexual
behaviour, adverse behavioural patterns and academic failure. Youths are also more likely to
get involved in a fight when they drink (‘Alcohol Think again’, 2014. Casper, 2012). Thus, as
youth are exposed to alcohol they engage in behaviours which are dangerous.
MUF0012: How to Write the Problem of SPSE

TASK 1

Find 2 examples of the following from the first paragraph:

1. Synthesis

2. Reporting verbs

3. Linking words

4. Words which show additional

information

5. Hedging words

TASK 2: Identify three problems with the second body paragraph

1. ____________________________________

2. ____________________________________

3. ____________________________________
MUF0012: How to Write the Problem of SPSE