PROBLEM AND SOLUTIONS ESSAY

1. MỘT SỐ ĐỀ MẪU DẠNG ESSAY NÀY

#1. Overpopulation of urban areas has led to numerous problems. Identify some of the problems and
suggest ways that governments and individuals can tackle these problems.

#2. In the developed world, average life expectancy is increasing. What problems will this cause for
individuals and society? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing
populations.

Đề 1:
Problems:
1. High competition in job market => higher unemployment rates => higher crime rates
2. Housing shortage => higher homeless rates
3. More people => More waste + use more resources => Environmental pollution
4. Burden on social services (overcrowded hospitals)
Solutions:
1. Encourage foreign companies to invest in Vietnam + tax incentives for local companies to
expand => more jobs
More police patrols on the street + advanced CCTV system => lower crime rates
2. Build affordable housing complexes
3. Build advanced waste treatment facilities + encourage people to recycle
Develop and encourage the use of renewable energy (vehicles, electricity)
4. Expand the capacity of facilities to cater for rising population (short-term solution) + develop
facilities in the countryside and in smaller towns so that the number of migrants to big cities will
be lower. (long-term solution)

#3. The Internet has transformed the way information is shared and consumed, but it has also created
problems that did not exist before. What are the most serious problems associated with the Internet
and what solutions can you suggest?

#4. Nowadays many people have access to computers on a wide basis and a large number of children
play computer games. What are the negative impacts of playing computer games and what can be done
to minimize the bad effects?

#5. Many small, local shops are closing as they are unable to compete with large supermarkets in the
area. How does this effect local communities? How could this situation be improved?

#6. More and more wild animals are on the verge of extinction and others are on the endangered list.
What are the reasons for this? What can be done to solve this problem?

#7. One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion. What do you think the causes
are? What solutions can you suggest?

2. MỘT SỐ CÁCH ĐẶT CÂU HỎI

  CAUSES
 What are the causes of this?
 What are some reasons behind this trend?
 Why is this happening?
 What do you think the causes are?
 What are the reasons for this?
 PROBLEMS
 What are the problems to this?
 What problems arise from this situation?
 Identify the problems caused by this situation
 What problems does this cause?
 What are the negative impacts of this?
 Discuss the effects of this trend
 SOLUTIONS
 What solutions can you suggest to deal with this situation?
 How can this be remedied?
 What can be done to improve/solve this situation?
 What measures can be taken to prevent this?
 Suggest some solutions to address this problem.

3. NHỮNG CÁCH CHỈ NGUYÊN NHÂN

- Cause (v,n)
VD: Overpopulation caused global warming because the more people there are, the more
resources they will use.
VD2: The cause of global warming is overpopulation, which is because the more people there
are, the more resources they will use.
- Result in: mang đến kết quả là…
VD: The fire resulted in damage to their property
- Lead to: dẫn đến
VD: Reducing speed limits should lead to fewer deaths on the roads
- Create: tạo ra
VD: The new development will create hundreds of jobs in the area
- Bring about: dẫn đến
VD: He brought about his company’s collapse by his reckless spending
- Give rise to: dẫn đến
VD: International support has given rise to a new optimism in the company
- Be responsible for: dẫn đến
VD: A surge in the birth rates was responsible for the notable population growth in China, not
immigration.
- Be a result of: là kết quả của
VD: The increase in crime rates in the country can be a result of poverty
- Result from: là kết quả của
VD: Air pollution may result from exhaust gas emission in big cities
- Arise from: là kết quả của
VD: Many problems can arise from an economic recession
- Stem from: bắt nguồn từ
VD: Apple’s popularity among users of smartphone stem from the company’s unwavering
innovation.
- The root/source of the problem is…: cội nguồn sâu xa của vấn đề là
 VD: The root of the problem is lack of innovative ideas
- … is one of the factors that lead to…: là một trong những yếu tố dẫn đến
VD: Exhaust gas emission is one of the factors that lead to global warming
- …plays a (key) role in…: có vai trò quyết định trong…
VD: The change in policy plays a role in mitigating the effects of industrial activities on the
environment
- …is the reason for…: là nguyên nhân của
VD: Innovation is the reason for Apple’s success
- Due to/owing to/because of: bởi vì
VD: Owing to/Because of/Due to the changes in policy, now poaching is banned in Vietnam
- … as a result of…: là kết quả của
VD: Accident frequency at intersections in Hanoi is getting higher as a result of higher traffic
volume.
- Consequently/As a consequent,…: Kết quả là…
- As a result,…: Kết quả là

4. NHỮNG TỪ CHỈ VẤN ĐỀ

Issue Critical, major, pressing, urgent

Challenge Great, real, major

Problem Pressing, main, urgent, critical

 To tackle: giải quyết (tackle a problem/tackle an issue)

 To address: giải quyết (address a problem/address an issue)
 To handle: giải quyết (handle a problem)
 To ease: giảm nhẹ (ease a problem/ease the effects of…)
 To mitigate: giảm nhẹ (mitigate the effects of…)
 To alleviate: giảm nhẹ (alleviate the effects of…)
 To reduce: giảm (reduce the effects of…)
 To combat: đấu tranh giải quyết (combat an issue/combat a problem/combat a challenge)
 To face: đối diện (face an issue/a problem/a challenge)
 To encounter: đối diện (encounter an issue/a problem/a challenge)
VD: The Vietnamese government face a serious challenge regarding national food security
because of the COVI-19 pandemic.
VD2: The Vietnamese government encounter a serious challenge regarding national food
security because of the COVI-19 pandemic.
 To pose: tạo ra vấn đề
VD: The COVID-19 pandemic has posed a serious challenge to national food security in
Vietnam.
 To present: tạo ra vấn đề
VD: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a pressing problem to national food security in
Vietnam.

5. NHỮNG TỪ CHỈ HẬU QUẢ

 Consequence: hậu quả

  Repercussion: hậu quả (luôn mang nghĩa xấu)
 Effect: hiệu ứng
 Result: kết quả
 Outcome: kết quả
 Impact: ảnh hưởng
 Influence: ảnh hưởng

6. Những từ chỉ giải pháp

A Practical (thực tiễn), simple SOLUTION TO…

(đơn giản), feasible (thực hiện
được), plausible (thực hiện
được), viable (thực hiện
được),good, great, ideal (lí
tưởng), optimal (lí tưởng nhất),
possible (thực hiện được)…

 One possible solution/remedy - to solve/combat/tackle/address/overcome - this

issue/problem is…
 Another way to solve this problem is…
 Steps/measures: các biện pháp could be taken to overcome/combat/… this issue.
 …should/could - attempt to/seek to/try to
 tackle the problem by
 mitigate the effects of the problem by
 lessen/reduce the impacts of the problem by

CHỦ ĐỀ BIG CITIES

- Global warming: nóng lên toàn cầu
- Environmental destruction: sự phá hủy môi trường
- Environmental concern: sự quan ngại về môi trường
- Alternative energy: năng lượng thay thế (renewable energy)
- Sustainable development: phát triển bền vững
- Residential waste: rác thải dân cư
- Industrial waste: rác thải công nghiệp
- Environmentally-friendly policy: chính sách thân thiện môi trường
- Factory waste: rác thải nhà máy
- Food shortage: thiếu hụt về thực phẩm
- Vicious cycle: vòng lặp (là một vấn đề rất khó giải quyết triệt để)
- Double-edged sword: con dao hai lưỡi
- International crisis: khủng hoảng quốc tế
- On a global scale: tầm cỡ toàn cầu
- Immigration: nhập cư/Emigration: di cư (quốc tế)
- Migration: di cư (trong nước)
- Resource depletion: sự cạn kiệt về tài nguyên
- Deplete (v) làm cạn kiệt
- Renewable energy: năng lượng tái tạo
- Natural resources: tài nguyên thiên nhiên
- A non-renewable resource: tài nguyên không tái tạo = finite resource
- Landfill: bãi rác
- Foster/facilitate (v) tạo điều kiện cho sự phát triển của…
VD: We need to facilitate the education of children in remote areas by building schools there.
- Chain stores: chuỗi cửa hàng (VD: KFC)
- Tourist attraction: điểm thu hút khách du lịch
- Place of interest: điểm thu hút khách du lịch = landmark
- Cost of living: chi phí trang trải cuộc sống
- The very high volume of traffic occurs at rush hours: một khối lượng xe tham gia giao thông rất
là đông xảy ra trong giờ cao điểm
- Follow=abide by=obey=adhere to = comply with (the law): tuân thủ luật pháp
- Urban: thành thị ><rural: nông thôn
- Advanced education system: hệ thống giáo dục tiên tiến
- Optimal healthcare: chăm sóc sức khỏe lý tưởng
- A variety of entertainment facilities: rất nhiều lựa chọn về cơ sở giải trí
- There are a multitude of advantages that comes with living in a big city (= a variety of)
- City dwellers = urban citizens = metropolitan residents=city inhabitants: những người sống ở
thành phố
- Traffic bottleneck: điểm kẹt giao thông
- Amenities: tiện nghi (những facility mang tính tiện nghi)
- Infrastructure: cơ sở vật chất
- Conurbations: vùng đô thị
- Urban sprawl: đô thị hóa không kiểm soát
- Tax incentives: sự động viên, khích lệ về mặt thuế
- Metropolis: thành thị (city)
- Skyscraper: nhà trọc chời
- Provide a wide array of entertainment options=hold a multitude of opportunities for
entertainment: nhiều và đa dạng
- Degradation of air quality: sự giảm chất lượng không khí
- Degrade (v) giảm chất lượng
- Respiratory disease: bệnh về hô hấp
- To be bombarded with too much information: bị làm phiền bởi quá nhiều thông tin
- Social anarchy: sự vô kỷ luật, hỗn loạn về xã hội
- To be confronted with various problems: phải đối diện với nhiều vấn đề
- High population density: mật độ dân số cao

ESSAY QUESTION 1. More and more people are migrating to cities in search of a better life, but city
life can be extremely difficult. Explain some of the difficulties of living in a city. How can
governments make urban life better for everyone?
ESSAY QUESTION 2. People living in large cities face a number of problems in their daily lives. What
are the main problems in cities and how can these problems be tackled?

ESSAY QUESTION 3. People living in big cities face several problems. What are these problems?
Should governments encourage people to move to smaller towns?

 Introduction question 3:
At present, the majority of the world population is living in urban areas and urban conurbations
are expanding at a notable rate. Although cities can be a land of numerous opportunities, they
can also be hosts of various social problems. Urban dwellers are actually facing a multitude of
difficulties, such as crime and environmental pollution among others. From my perspective,
governments should utilize counter-urbanization as a measure to tackle these challenges. This
essay will examine some of the problems in detail and suggest possible steps governments can
take to encourage people to move to smaller towns.