IELTS Problem and Solution Essay (Causes and Solutions) with Band 8 Sample

Problem/solution questions ask you to analyse an issue and suggest what can be done. Common wordings:

What are the causes of this problem? What measures could be taken to solve it?
What problems does this cause? How can they be solved?

Read carefully: causes and problems (effects) are different. Writing about effects when the question asks for causes is a common and costly mistake.

The key technique: link solutions to causes

The strongest essays don't list random solutions. They answer each cause with a matching solution. This makes your essay logical and coherent.

Cause	Matching solution
Too many private cars	Better, cheaper public transport
City planning around offices in one centre	Flexible working hours, remote work

The question

Traffic congestion is a growing problem in many cities. What are the causes of this problem, and what measures could be taken to solve it?

Band 8 sample answer

Many large cities now suffer from chronic traffic jams that waste time, pollute the air and damage economic productivity. This essay will examine the main reasons for this problem and suggest practical measures to reduce it.

The most significant cause is the rising number of private cars. As incomes increase, especially in developing economies, car ownership becomes a symbol of status as well as a convenience, and roads designed decades ago cannot cope with the volume. A second cause is the concentration of jobs in city centres: when hundreds of thousands of employees travel to the same district at the same hours, congestion is almost inevitable, regardless of how wide the roads are.

Each of these causes suggests a solution. To reduce car dependency, governments should invest in fast, reliable and affordable public transport. Cities such as Seoul and Madrid have shown that when metro and bus networks are efficient, many commuters willingly leave their cars at home. Charging drivers to enter the centre at peak times, as London and Stockholm have done, can further encourage this shift. To address the concentration of commuting, employers could adopt flexible start times and allow staff to work from home on some days, which would spread journeys more evenly across the day.

In conclusion, traffic congestion results mainly from growing car ownership and the concentration of work in city centres. Improving public transport, introducing congestion charges and encouraging flexible working would together make a considerable difference.

(264 words)

Useful language

Causes: The primary cause is…, This is largely due to…, stems from, is driven by.
Effects: This leads to…, As a result…, has a detrimental effect on…
Solutions: One effective measure would be…, Governments should…, This could be tackled by…, A practical solution is…

Developing a solution

A solution is only convincing if you explain how it works and, ideally, show that it has worked somewhere. Compare:

Weak: The government should improve public transport.
Strong: Governments should invest in fast, affordable public transport; when Madrid expanded its metro network, many commuters switched from cars to trains.

The strong version is specific (fast, affordable), explains the mechanism (people switch from cars) and gives evidence.

Practice question

In many countries, young people are spending less time reading books. What are the causes of this, and what can be done to encourage reading?

Before writing, make a two-column table of causes and matching solutions, as shown above.

Common mistakes

Solutions that don't match the causes.
Unrealistic solutions ("ban all cars") without discussion.
Missing one part of a two-part question.