Writing Task 2: How to answer Problem/Solution style questions

We look how to answer problem / solution style questions for IELTS writing task 2. We use recent "Problem and Solutions" IELTS task 2 questions seen in the IELTS exam by our online students.

In this tutorial we will:

• write a model answer to a recent task 2 exam question
• structure the essay clearly into two complementary parts as well as show you how to link those parts.

The prewriting phase – analyse the question

Not all problem solution essays ask you to write about the problems, but the reasons behind the problems.  Compare the below questions:

Some companies claim that new employees who recently graduated from college or university lack the interpersonal skills needed to work effectively with their colleagues. What problems does this create? What solutions can help address this problem?

and

Some companies claim that new employees who recently graduated from college or university lack the interpersonal skills needed to work effectively with their colleagues. What could be the reasons for this? What solutions can help address this problem?

In the second example, if you talk just about the problems but not the reasons for those problems, this will reduce your Task Response score. We are going to look at the second task.  

Underline the key words: companies, recently graduated, interpersonal skills, colleagues

Brainstorming

What are some interpersonal skills needed at work?

Listening

Respect

Motivation

Teamwork

Empathy

Leadership

Communication

Main ideas and support

Why might recent grads be lacking these? 

Examples: Teamwork – recent graduates may be unaccustomed to working in teams because much of their university work was individual.  

Motivation – university provides flexibility, variety and the ability to pursue one’s interests. In contrast, much of entry level work may be mundane, causing low motivation.  

Communication- fresh graduates may have no professional work experience and may not be able to communicate with people of different ages, rank, or may not know what appropriate professional behavior is.  

Respect – some young people may have the arrogance of youth so they might not show proper respect to colleagues. 

We can’t use all of these ideas, so we have to pick the strongest two.

Of the four we brainstormed, which TWO are most problematic when dealing with colleagues? This is important because the question asks about interpersonal skills, not just soft skills that employees need. 

I have decided to focus on communication and teamwork.

But we also need to come up with solutions for these problems.   

Main ideas

How can companies solve these issues of communication and teamwork?

Communication – new graduates can be assigned mentors who guide them through the first year with a focus on helping the young people gain communication skills.

Teamwork – employers can give new hires opportunities to work on teams in low-risk positions.

Support

 The biggest problem in problem/ solution essays is that students neglect to support their solutions. The result is a paragraph that reads like a list.

The “solution” for your solutions paragraph is to ask yourself 2 questions: Why? How? WHY is this a solution?   HOW is it a solution? Whatever the answer is should go in your support.  

Problem: Communication

Solution: Workplace mentors

Why? With mentors, new graduates would have a safe space to discuss any uncertainties or missteps and then get appropriate advice from someone with more professional experience.  

Problem: Teamwork

Solution: team-based assignments at university

How? Universities need to provide more opportunity to students for teamwork in their studies and less individual work.

Introduction

So, now that we have our ideas, we can write our introduction. A good introduction for a problem and solution essay should include a rephrasing of the prompt.  

Many college and university graduates complete their studies armed with knowledge, energy and a thirst to begin their career. However, there are those who say that these new professionals are weak in interpersonal skills, creating issues in the workplace.  

This should be followed by a statement like, “While there are numerous reasons behind this issue, solutions to combat these problems exist.”  

Body

Don’t forget the importance of a clear topic sentence. 

Problems 

The reasons behind graduates’ lack of interpersonal skills can be found in the flaws in the education system.  

Solutions

Despite the problems created by poor interpersonal skills, employers can help alleviate this situation by implementing a number of measures.  

Coherence and Cohesion

Don’t forget to use words like such, this, these to create cohesion instead of front-position linkers (words like firstly, furthermore, moreover).  

The reasons behind graduates’ lack of interpersonal skills can be found in the flaws in the education system. While many workplaces value teamwork, this is clearly missing from many university programs. Instead, these programs focus on individual assignments and tests, resulting in students who enter the workforce lacking such skills.   

Grammatical Range and Accuracy

As always, the ability to use a number of advanced grammatical structures correctly will help your GRA score.  

Reduced relative clauses

Instead, these programs focus on individual assignments and tests, resulting in students who enter the workforce lacking such skills.  

Resulting in= which results in

However, there are those who say that these new professionals are weak in interpersonal skills, creating issues in the workplace.  

Creating= which creates

Let’s look at body paragraph one, completed:

The reasons behind graduates’ lack of interpersonal skills can be found predominantly in the flaws in the education system. While most workplaces value teamwork, this is clearly missing from many university programs.  Instead, these programs often focus on individual assignments and tests, resulting in students who enter the workforce lacking such skills. In fact, a recent article on university education in the UK cited that 90% of all coursework at universities is individual, underlining how little exposure students get to participate in group projects and as a result, develop teamwork skills. Another area where recent graduates frequently lack is in communication. The reason behind this is twofold. Firstly, most students have little opportunity to have gain professional experience while at university, often resulting in new professionals who have little understanding of the nuances of professional communication. Secondly, simply by virtue of age, some recent graduates may display a degree of immaturity that carries over to their interactions in the workplace.  

Lexical Resource

Qualifiers

You want to avoid writing in absolute terms. One way to avoid this is by using qualifiers. These are words that soften statements so that they appear as claims and not as if you are stating proven facts. They can be found in bold below.

The reasons behind graduates’ lack of interpersonal skills can be found predominantly in the flaws in the education system. While most workplaces value teamwork, this is clearly missing from many university programs. Instead, these programs often focus on individual assignments and tests, resulting in students who enter the workforce lacking such skills. In fact, a recent article on university education in the UK cited that 90% of all coursework at universities is individual, underlining how little exposure students get to participate in group projects and as a result, develop teamwork skills. Another area where recent graduates frequently lack is in communication. The reason behind this is twofold. Firstly, most students have little opportunity to have gain professional experience while at university, often resulting in new professionals who have little understanding of the nuances of professional communication. Secondly, simply by virtue of age, some recent graduates may display a degree of immaturity that carries over to their interactions in the workplace.  

Without the words in bold, the paragraph reads much more absolute and too direct. 

If you need expert feedback, take a look at our IELTS Online course to help you improve!

Audio Tutorial

|Direct Download Here | Stitcher | iTunes | Spotify | Soundcloud | Transcript |