How to answer IELTS Writing Task 2 problem and solution questions
Quick answer
Answer a problem and solution question by reading exactly what it asks for, then pairing every solution with the cause or problem it fixes. A list of unrelated suggestions answers the question badly. Choose two or three points, explain each and give an example. IELTS.org marks Task 2 on Task Response, which asks for every part of the question to be answered and for ideas that are developed and supported, so depth counts for more than quantity.
The app marks a Task 2 essay on four criteria and gives an Examiner's Summary, so you can see whether each solution was developed or only listed.
iOS and Android
On this page
IELTS.org’s Academic Writing format page introduces Task 2 as a point of view, argument or problem that you need to discuss. It does not sort questions into types. “Problem and solution” is a label practice material uses for one shape a question takes: a situation is described, and you are asked what causes it or what harm it does, and what could be done. The four criteria that mark your essay are the same whatever the shape, so this page is a way of reading this wording, not an extra exam rule.
You will find how to recognise it, what Task Response asks for at bands 6 and 7, how to plan, a paragraph layout and the traps that belong to this shape. The whole test is covered in the Writing test format guide.
Key takeaways
- Read which words the question uses: causes, problems, solutions, or a mix. Answer exactly those.
- Pair every solution with a cause or problem it addresses. A list of separate suggestions is weaker.
- Two or three developed points beat five named ones.
- Be specific about who acts and how. “Something should be done” says nothing.
- The same four criteria mark every Task 2 shape.
A shape, not an IELTS category
IELTS.org says Task 2 gives you a topic, and that you must discuss the relevant issues in a clear argument supported by evidence or examples, written as connected text. It publishes no list of essay types and no figures for how often any shape appears. If a question blends shapes, follow the wording in front of you part by part.
How to recognise the shape
The question describes a situation and then asks for some mix of causes, problems and solutions:
- “What are the causes of this, and what can be done?”
- “What problems does this cause, and how can they be solved?”
- “What are the reasons for this trend? What measures could address it?”
The three words mean different things.
- Causes or reasons explain why the situation exists.
- Problems or effects describe what the situation leads to.
- Solutions or measures describe what could be done.
Misreading one for another is the quiet failure here. A candidate who is asked for causes and writes about effects has answered a different question from the one on the page.
What Task Response asks for at bands 6 and 7
This is the site’s own paraphrase of the public descriptors. You can browse them in the Writing band descriptors.
Band 6. Every part of the question receives something, though one part may get far more room than another. Your view is relevant. A conclusion can turn unclear, and some points are named without being explained.
Band 7. Every part is answered and the essay holds one position through to the end. Main points are explained and supported, not just mentioned. Sweeping claims still appear in places.
For this shape, “every part” is usually two halves: the causes or problems, and the solutions. A band 6 essay may spend three paragraphs on causes and give the solutions one line, which is the lopsided pattern. A band 7 essay gives each half a fair share and develops it. The detail across all four criteria is in how to get band 7 in IELTS Writing.
Match each solution to a problem
The key idea for this shape is the link. A problem and solution essay is not two lists. It is a chain in which each solution answers something named earlier.
Weak: “Causes: people are busy and use phones. Solutions: build parks and teach respect.” Nothing connects “busy” to “parks”.
Stronger: “People have less spare time at home, so neighbours rarely meet. A solution that matches is events held in the evening near where people live, because they remove the need to travel.”
When you plan, write the pairs: cause one and the solution that targets it, cause two and its solution. If a solution fits no cause, it is probably a general good idea that belongs elsewhere. If a cause has no solution, either drop the cause or find one that fits.
Depth over quantity
IELTS publishes no number of causes or solutions. The criterion asks for ideas that are developed and supported, and an essay with six points can only give each a clause. Two or three, each with an explanation and an example, show development. If you have a fifth idea, finish the fourth instead of adding it.
Plan it in a few minutes
IELTS.org says Task 2 should take no more than 40 minutes, so the plan must be short.
- Circle the words that tell you what to cover: causes, problems, solutions.
- Write two causes or problems, one phrase each.
- Write the solution that answers each, and name who would carry it out.
- Add one example or consequence for each pair.
- Check the match. Read each solution against its cause: does one clearly follow from the other?
The general four-paragraph shape is described in the Task 2 essay structure post. The plan above fills it for this wording.
A paragraph plan
- Introduction. The situation in your own words, and a sentence saying what the essay will cover: the main causes and the solutions that follow.
- Body paragraph one. The causes or problems, one or two, each explained, with an example.
- Body paragraph two. The solutions, each tied to a cause or problem named in paragraph one, each explained and supported.
- Conclusion. The main cause or problem and the most workable solution, in different words, with nothing new.
If the question asks for solutions only, give the second paragraph more room and use the first for the problem the solutions respond to. For a question that asks two separate questions, see two-part questions.
A worked example (invented)
The prompt, outline and paragraph below are invented for practice. They are not from a real paper, and the paragraph is not a model answer that earned a band.
Prompt: In many cities, people spend less time with their neighbours than in the past. What are the causes of this, and what can be done to encourage closer communities?
Outline
- Cause one: long journeys to work leave little time at home.
- Cause two: more of people’s social life now happens online.
- Solution one (for cause one): neighbourhood events in the evening, close to home.
- Solution two (for cause two): shared local spaces and groups that give people a reason to meet in person.
Sample paragraph on the solutions (invented):
Since many residents return home tired and late, activities that ask for a long journey are unlikely to help. Local authorities could instead support small events held in the evening within walking distance of homes, such as a shared meal in a neighbourhood hall. These would remove the effort of travelling and give neighbours a regular reason to meet. A second problem is that people already have friendships online and see little need for new ones. Community gardens or shared workshops address this by giving people something to do together, so that conversation grows from the activity and not from an obligation to socialise.
Each solution answers a named cause, says who acts, and explains how it works.
Traps specific to this shape
Answering the wrong word. Writing causes when the question asks for problems, or the reverse.
A list of solutions with no link. Ideas that could apply to any problem read as memorised.
One half only. A long first half and a single closing sentence for the second leaves part of the question unanswered.
Vague actors. “The government should do something” does not say what happens. Name the party and the action.
Solutions that do not solve. Check that each idea would actually change the cause it is paired with.
Too many points. Five thin ideas read as underdeveloped. Develop fewer.
A new problem in the conclusion. Close with what you have already argued.
How the app marks it
IELTS Mentor AI marks a Task 2 essay with an overall Writing band, a band for each of the four criteria and an Examiner’s Summary, with what worked and how to improve for each criterion. The editor is timed at 40:00 and shows a live word count against the 250 minimum. For this shape, the Task Response comments show whether each half of the question was developed.
Where this fits
This is one shape among several. If your question gives a statement to judge, see agree or disagree essays. If it asks you to weigh benefits against drawbacks, see advantages and disadvantages essays. For the scoring behind all of them, read how the IELTS Writing score is calculated.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between causes and problems in an IELTS question?
Causes explain why something happens. Problems, or effects, describe what it leads to. A question that asks for causes needs reasons behind the situation, and a question that asks for problems needs its consequences. Read which word the question uses and answer that one, since mixing them leaves part of the task answered with the wrong content.
Do I need to write about both the problem and the solution?
Yes, if the question asks for both. IELTS.org marks Task 2 on whether every part of the question is answered, and the public band descriptors treat an essay in which the second half never arrives as weaker. Check whether the wording asks for causes, problems, solutions or a combination.
How many solutions should I give?
IELTS publishes no number. Two or three well-developed ideas are usually safer than five that are only named, because the criterion asks for ideas that are developed and supported. Give each solution a reason it would work and an example of how it would happen.
Can a solution be something an individual does?
Yes. The question decides who should act. If it asks what can be done, you can name individuals, communities, employers, schools or authorities. Pick the party best placed to act on the cause you are addressing, and say how it would do so.
Is a problem and solution essay the same as a two-part question?
They overlap. IELTS.org describes Task 2 only as a point of view, argument or problem, and these shapes are labels from practice material. A problem and solution question usually asks for causes or problems and for solutions, while a two-part question asks two related questions that need not be about problems.
Practise this with instant AI feedback
Record your answer in the app and get your grammar, vocabulary, fluency and pronunciation analysed in seconds.