IELTS Task 2: Problem and solution essays
The prompt names a situation and asks what problems it causes and what solutions exist — sometimes phrased as causes and effects. The structural failure is almost always the same: solutions that do not solve the problems that were raised.
Pair them before you write
Plan in pairs. Problem one gets solution one; problem two gets solution two. Then either structure works, because the content already matches.
| Structure | Body 1 | Body 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Grouped | Both problems | Both solutions |
| Paired | Problem one and its solution | Problem two and its solution |
The paired version makes a mismatch impossible, which is why it is the safer choice under time pressure.
What a solution has to do
- Name who acts. Governments, employers, schools, individuals. "Something should be done" is not a solution.
- Say how it works — the mechanism, not just the measure.
- Address the problem you raised, not a neighbouring one.
- Stay plausible. An unworkable solution is a Task Response weakness.
Where the prompt asks for causes rather than problems, the same rule holds: the solutions must act on the causes you named. An essay blaming one thing and fixing another is internally inconsistent, and that is marked.
Problem & solution — FAQs
2 questions
Two, developed, rather than four listed. Development is what Task Response rewards.
Treat causes as the problems half and effects or remedies as the second half, following whatever the prompt actually names.
More writing question types
Sources
Written from the test board's own published material and checked on 1 October 2026.