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HANDOUT 11

IELTS WRITING TASK 2

PROBLEM SOLUTION ESSAYS

1. Exam information:

Some task 2 questions describe a problem and ask you to suggest or evaluate possible solutions. These
questions require a different approach from argument and opinion questions.

2. Look at the paragraph below, suggesting a solution to the problem of over-crowding on public
transport during rush hour.

1. Which words are used to avoid repeating “problem” and “solution”?

2. Look at the underlined language and explain why it is needed.

One possible answer to the issue of over-crowding on buses and trains would be to introduce a range of
ticket prices, with the highest being for peak hour travel. If this was done, it might encourage people
whose journeys were not essential to travel at other times. A drawback of such a policy would be that
people who had to travel during peak hours for work would suffer the most. It is very probable that this
would lead to significant opposition to such a proposal.
3. Work with a partner taking turns. Student A should suggest a solution to the problem below. Student
B should form an opposing argument.
Example: Problem 0: Over-crowding on public transport during peak hours.
Student A: One suggestion of how to improve this negative situation is to offer cheap fares at off-peak
times to discourage non-essential travel in rush hour.
Student B: The drawback of this idea is that it forces working people to pay the highest fares.
Problem1: Road accidents
Problem 2: Insufficient car parking in city centres
Problem 3: Erosion of historical buildings as a result of tourism
Problem 4: Car drivers breaking the speed limit
Problem 5: your own idea.
TIP: in order to think of possible solutions, it sometimes helps to consider what would happen if no
action was taken. For example:
No investment in public transport may lead to more people using their own cars and hence create more
congestion.
4. Look at the useful language box, the rewrite the sentences underneath replacing the words in
italics with language from the box.

TIP: In academic writing, opinions or predictions are not usually expressed as absolute statements. Words
like all, every, and always are often avoided.

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Useful language: Avoiding absolute statements

Expressing probability
This solution would certainly have a positive effect
probably
Such a policy may possibly make the situation worse.
could
might
It seems highly possible that the problem will get worse.
(un(likely
Avoiding “all” or “every” Avoiding “always”
certain + noun sometimes
the majority of often
a minority of occasionally
a large number of at certain times
many + countable noun
a few
much + uncountable noun
a little

Exam information
Problem and solution
questions need:
1. Words and phrases to
offer solutions and
hypothesize.
2. Words and phrases to
show you are suggesting
ideas rather than
expressing absolute
certainly (see Useful
language: Avoiding
absolute statements.)
0. It is true that poor road conditions are the only
explanation for road accidents.
It seems unlikely that poor road conditions are the only
explanation for road accidents.
1. All road accidents cause fatal injuries.
2. Everyone believes that drivers always drive too fast.
3. Higher fines for speeding will reduce the number of
accidents.
4. Having speed cameras on all streets is the best solution to
the problem of speeding.
5. It is a fact that every accident involves drivers who have
consumed alcohol.

5. Choose three of the problems from exercise 4 and write a paragraph for each suggesting a solution and
evaluating the advantages or disadvantages of the solution. Use the words and phrases and grammatical
structures presented in this lesson where appropriate.

Further Practice

6. Use the paragraph plan to write a complete answer to the question below.

In some countries privately owned transport systems have a poor safety record. Yet it is the government
who have ultimate responsibility for public safety.

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How can governments ensure that private transport companies do not neglect safety regulations?

THE PARAGRAPH PLAN OF A PROBLEM AND SOLUTION ESSAY

1. INTRODUCTION
Introduce the background to the topic. Identify and fully describe the problem, and its
implications. You may also choose to give your own view. Explain the focus of your
essay.
2. BODY PARAGRAPH 1
Describe your first solution and discuss the advantages and/or disadvantages of it
3. BODY PARAGRAPH 2
Describe your second solution and discuss the advantages and/or disadvantages of it.
4. (BODY PARAGRAPH 3)
Describe your third solution if necessary.
5. CONCLUSION
Summarize the solutions and make a recommendation about which solution you feel is the
best.

Use this mind map to help you.

1. Explain problem 3. Solution 2:

inspections & fines
Private transport vs

Public safety

2.Solution 1: Govt. laws 4.Solution3: don’t allow private ownership

YOUR NOTES:

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STUDY SKILLS:

Editing your writing

In writing task 2 you have about 40 minutes to write 250 words. Leave at least 2 minutes at the end to
check your work.

Match the grammar mistakes to the example and then correct the mistakes.

Grammar mistakes Example

1. Subject-verb agreement A. Playing computer games a common pastime for
2. Punctuation young people is fast becoming a major cause of
3. Plurals poor social skills.
4. Articles B. Tourism is a much needed source of income in
5. Repetition developing country.
6. Use of “that” clause C. It is undeniable that the young children are easily
7. Word order attracted by advertising campaigns.
8. Word form D. This suggests to have a fast and efficient train
9. Verb pattern system will encourage the general public to using
private transport less.
E. Older people are more reluctant to travel long-
distances because older people are less prepared to
take risks.
F. Relaxing visa regulations would be fairer for
overseas students, particularly as their tuition fees
is normally much higher than those for home
students.
G. On the another hand, other groups argue that it is
the responsible of governments to maintain roads
H. These two charts are clear examples that different
climate conditions in European countries.
I. In other words, their daily lives elements of
traditional culture also include such as language,
food and fashion.

SAMPLE 1:

Today’s low-cost airlines are able to offer fast and cheap travel. However, some people believe this is at
a cost to the planet.

Suggest ways that governments and individuals could tackle the environmental impact of low-cost flights.

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MODEL ANSWER:

In recent times, travelling by plane has become more affordable as airline prices have dropped
dramatically. The issue is that these cheap air fares do not reflect the environmental cost of air travel:
planes burn fossil fuels at a higher rate than any other form of transport. Governments and individuals
need to take action to reduce the harm that low-cost airlines cause. This essay will offer some suggestions
of how they could achieve this.

To avoid the situation becoming any worse, governments could restrict licenses for any further low-cost
routes and place a minimum price limit that would take into account the environmental damage caused.
Furthermore, if they considered placing a tax on all low-cost airlines, it might discourage them from
developing this market. Whilst these measures could be effective, they would probably be highly
unpopular with the majority of travelers, so democratic governments might be wary of implementing such
measures.

Although governments have a role to play, it is ultimately consumers who need to be persuaded to choose
more sustainable forms of transport over air travel, even if the flight is inexpensive. It may be effective to
educate people that although the cost of a flight is cheap, the environmental cost is high. I believe
advertising campaigns could work to discourage people from taking unnecessary flights despite low ticket
prices.

To sum up, low-cost airlines offer air travel at low prices which do not reflect the environmental damage
caused. In spite of the legislative measures that governments could take to reduce this trade, it is my
belief that the best answer would be to raise people’s awareness if the environmental damage caused by
air travel and to persuade them to only use it when necessary.

( 294 words)

*** Comments:

The introduction begins with a paraphrase of the question topic that uses a gerund subject (‘…travelling
by plane…”_. The essay directly addresses the two aspects of the question by presenting 2 ideas: the role
of government and the role of individuals. These ideas are developed by considering the results of the
proposed solutions. A good range of language and grammar is used including modal verbs to avoid
absolute statements (“…if they considered…it might….”. “…they would probably be….”,”…it may be
effective to ………”)

SAMPLE 2:

Nowadays, city-dwellers are more and more concerned about traffic accidents when this
problem is increasingly serious in big cities.

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What are the main causes of this problem? Suggest some solutions.

MODEL ANSWER:
In today’s society, living in big cities is not always a desire among people due to alarming
dangers here. One of the most severe problems is traffic accidents, which has caused an anxiety
in our society. This writing would examine the main causes of this matter and suggest some
solutions.
There are two main causes of traffic accidents in big cities. Firstly, there are more and more
vehicles on road, whereas the road system has not been upgraded to serve such a large population
in cities. It has been reported recently that in developing countries, the infrastructure is of low
quality with narrow and rough roads, even worse, some are collapsed with holes. This is the
reason why in bad weather conditions, traffic accidents tend to occur, leaving damages for the
victims. Another reason for this issue is the drivers’ irresponsibility when they break the traffic
rules. In fact, many drink-drivers have not been found and fined until they suffer an accident.
Some drivers overspeed in crowded areas, causing crashes or collisions.
To tackle this problem, it is high time timely actions were taken to help minimize the number of
traffic accidents in big cities. Firstly, the Governments need to reduce the number of private
vehicles by encouraging people to use public transport such as bus, metro, or train. It is also
suggested that this number could be limited with high taxes on private cars and automobiles as
well as on the energy. In this way, people would shift to the use of public transport to save their
budget. More importantly, those who break the traffic rules must be strictly punished; for
instance, confiscating the vehicles and driving license for months or asking them to pay a big
fine. Besides, the campaign of propagandizing should be advertised on mass media, namely TV,
radio, newspapers, and the internet so that people are more aware of their safety when driving.
In conclusion, for the sake of our safe life, it is urgent that instant measures should be taken to
improve the current situation in which the Government should take the main responsibility.

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