IELTS Writing Skills - Part 2

IELTS Writing Part 2 Strategies and Tips

Here are two typical IELTS problem solution essay questions. They consist of a statement followed by the question or instruction.

IELTS problem solution essays are the most challenging essay type for many people. The way they are worded can vary hugely which can make it difficult to understand how you should answer the question. Generally, you’ll be asked to write about both the problem, or cause, and the solution to a specific issue. Sometimes, however, you will only be required to write about possible solutions.

These are some examples of different ways in which questions can be phrased. The first half of the questions relate to the problem or cause, the second half to the solution.

It’s important that you are able to recognise the common synonyms, words and phrases used in problem solution questions. Here are the key words and their synonyms used in the questions before.

• Approaching the task:

It’s important that you are able to recognise the common synonyms, words and phrases used in problem solution questions. Here are the key words and their synonyms used in the previous questions.

• Problem – issues, resulting, situation
• Cause – reasons, why
• Solution – deal with, addressed, tackled, remedied, improved, measures taken, solved, prevent

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Essay Structure

1) Introduction - Paraphrase the question - State 1 key problem/cause and related solution 2) Main body paragraph 1 – Problem or Cause - Topic sentence – state the problem or cause - Explanation – give detail explaining the problem or cause - Example – give an example 3) Main body paragraph 2 – Solution - Topic sentence – state the solution - Explanation – give detail explaining the solution - Example – give an example 4) Conclusion - Summarise the key points

Now let’s look at a simple structure you can use to write IELTS problem solution essays. It’s not the only possible structure but it’s the one I recommend because it’s easy to learn and will enable you to quickly plan and write a high-level essay.

One Problem/Cause & Solution or Two?

Most questions will state problems, causes and solutions in the plural, that is, more than one. However, it is acceptable to write about just one.This will give you an essay of just over the minimum 250 words. To write about two problems/causes and solutions will require you to write between 350 and 400 words which are a lot to plan and write in the 40 minutes allowed.

1. Paraphrase the Question

Writing an Introduction

Good introductions to IELTS problem solution essays have a simple 2 part structure:

• Paraphrase the question
• State 1 key problem/cause and related solution/s (outline sentence)

• It should:

• Have 2-3 sentences
• Be 40-60 words long
• Take 5 minutes to write

Start your introduction by paraphrasing the question:

Result:

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2) Outline statement

Follow up:

Steps:

The two ideas in your introduction will become your two main body paragraphs.

Now we need to add an outline statement where we outline the two main points that we’ll cover in the rest of the essay, that is, the cause and the solution- Example:

• Main body paragraph 1 – Too many cars on the roads
• Main body paragraph 2 – Park-and-ride schemes

Cause – Too many cars on the roads. Why? – increasing numbers of people own cars, more convenient than buses & trains Solution – Park-and-ride schemes

Main body paragraphs in IELTS problem solution essays should contain 3 things:

The first parapraph will result in something like this:

"The number of people owning cars increases year on year, with most families nowhaving more than one car. Most people like the convenience of travelling at the time they want to rather than being restricted to public transport timetables, so they prefer to drive themselves around rather than taking the bus or train. This is despite the fact that they frequently have to sit in long traffic queues as they near the city centre. Whenever I have to attend a meeting in the city, I always drive because it means that I can leave home when I want to rather than getting stressed about getting to the station in time to catch the train"

Follow the same pattern for the next paragraphs!

Sections like this help you create order

Conclusion:

Paragraph 2:

A solution that is proving successful in many areas is park-and ride- scheemes. This is where you park your car for free in a large car park on the outskirts of the city and take a bus for the final part of your journey. The fee you have to pay for the bus trip is usually very small and this public transport system is generally very regular, running every ten minutes or so. A survey carried out in the city of Exeter showed that the rush hour congestion decreased by 10% when the council set up a park-and-ride scheme to the north of the city. There was an additional drop of another 10% in traffic volume when a second scheme began operating to the south.

To conclude, the major urban problem of traffic congestion caused by the excessive number of private cars on city roads can be partly alleviated by the introduction of park- and-ride systems on city fringes. I would certainly use one if it was introduced in my area.

Were these tips helpful?

Tips to Ace Part 2.-

6 Common Mistakes

• Confusing problem and causes questions.
• Having too many ideas.
• Not developing your ideas.
• Not developing both sides of the argument equally.
• Not linking the problems and solutions.
• Not being specific enough.

Introduction:

Note the use of synonyms to replace key words in the question statement. You don’t have to replace every key word but do so where possible whilst ensuring that your language sounds natural.

Main Body Paragraph 1 --> The topic sentence summarises the main idea of the paragraph. That’s all it needs to do so it doesn’t have to be complicated. It plays an important role in ensuring that your ideas flow logically from one to another. It does this by acting as a signpost for what is to come next, that is, what the paragraph will be about. If you maintain a clear development of ideas throughout your essay, you will get high marks for task achievement and cohesion and coherence. We’ll now take the idea for our first main body paragraph and create our topic sentence. Obviously, we’re going to write about the cause of the problem first. Main body paragraph 1 – Too many cars on the roads