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Learn how to write a problem solution essay

July 17, 2023

The most important thing about the problem solution essay is the structure, which, as you may have already noticed, is reflected in its name. In other words, what makes an essay a «problem solution» is the particular structure in which the first paragraph tells about a certain problem and the next suggests a possible solution. It may sound easy at the very beginning, yet it is very important to follow the strict instructions as there is always a risk of creating something different from what you needed in the first place instead of the problem solution essay.

What is a problem solution essay?

We have already discussed that the most important thing about the problem solution essay format is the strict structure, which is highly not recommended to break. For this reason, the first and probably the most important of all the writing tips you will ever get is making the plan. We might all remember how in primary school we were taught to write the plans for our compositions to make sure our thoughts will be delivered accurately by our writing. We all probably hated it because we should not see the point of it. Now we are likely to use this technique on very rare occasions, mostly when we are about to create a really big piece of writing. However, even though the problem solution essay does not have to be a long one, making a plan for your writing will turn out to be incredibly useful. 

Firstly, you will spare a lot of your time by making it easier to stay clear with the structure, which is incredibly important here. Every aspect of the problem that you write about in the first part has to have a reflection in the second part of the essay, where you describe the possible solutions.

How to choose a topic for the problem solution essay?

As you might have already understood, the point of problem solution writing is to solve problems or, at least, to suggest possible ways out. This means that the problem solution topic should also be specifically formulated. This can be some certain social or political, geographical or, even, biological trend, some news from the world of science, the choice is yours. But there is one thing you have to remember: no matter what you are writing about, the title should be the essence of your writing. In other words, it has to completely reflect the plot of your essay.

Free Examples:

• Example 1. Imagine you are writing about global warming, your title could be: «The global warming. Ways to solve the problem.» or «How to stop global warming? The most unexpected possible solutions.». 
• Example 2. If you are writing about the usage of electric vehicles and the issue of world pollution, your topic can sound like: «How to stop damaging the atmosphere with fumes? The benefits of using the electrical vehicles.» or «Is there no more need to pollute the Earth with fumes from petrol? What makes electric vehicles so unique?»

Last but not least. We often get to explain why can this kind of essay contains only one problem, yet several solutions. It can be explained by the word limit. As we said, your essay should not be a long one. If you feel like you cannot avoid mentioning more than one issue, you can try to create a complex problem.

5 Main steps to write a problem solution essay

As long as you have already made up the topic, here is the list of the next 5 steps toward writing a good problem solution essay:

1. Specify the aspect of the problem, as your problem solution paper does not need to be long, whereas some problems can be huge and will take several pages just to be described;
2. The description of the problem at the beginning has to be rather short, yet contain the explanation of why you think it is necessary to discuss this issue, what makes this an important thing to solve; convince the reader that spending 20 minutes reading your essay is going to be a useful thing to do;
3. After you have already formed the first part of the problem, it is time to concentrate on the «solutions» part. Here, it is also important to be specific. The best way to write this part of the essay is to strictly answer the part about the problem so that there would be a strong correlation between the problem and solution. However, if you feel like you want to talk about more than one possible solution, make sure you plan it right from the very beginning.
4. There are two possible ways to suggest several solutions.  First way: you can make the ground for two or more ways out of the problem in the first part. Yet it will be a lot easier to follow another strategy, where the second idea comes out as a result of the disadvantages of the first suggested solution. 
5. Finally, you need to conclude your essay. You can write a brief summary of your solution ideas and describe your future plans regarding solving the mentioned problem. Besides, you can ask your audience to join you and fight the problem together.

Describe the problem.

As we have already discussed in the previous paragraph, the description of the problem is vital. The interest of the reader depends on this aspect.

This is why it is a good idea to use persuasive vocabulary and phrases like: highly important, deadly serious, terrible consequences, etc. These tactics are especially important to be used in the introduction, but it can also be integrated into the entire essay.

Convince the reader that the problem needs solving.

Now, look at your essay once more. This was the biggest part. What we need to do now is to add some touch-ups to the already existing structure. Once more, pay attention to the way you described the problem at the beginning. You must use special adjectives to convince the reader of the high importance of this matter you are writing about. 

Explain your solution

If we go back to the example of global warming, we can start this kind of essay like this: «The issue of global has already caused severe damage to our planet. Today, it is incredibly important to develop the strategy to stop it…».

Argue your solution

Take another look at the way you described the solution. Make sure you make its relevance crystal clear to the readers, no matter who they are. This means that the language you are using here should be easy to understand and, if possible, not involve any specific vocabulary. If you feel you can not avoid using professional terms, make sure you have given them a short explanation in the text. 

The next step will be to argue the solution. It is a rare occasion when something is practically perfect in every way. Try to think of some disadvantages of the solution you suggest and how to fix them.

Refute objections

Supporting the previous thesis, it is very important to make sure that the readers, no matter what their occupations and degrees are, would have no questions about the relevance of your solution. Make sure it is just perfect that you have mentioned all the possible peculiarities and suggested the way to solve them.

Problem solution essay outline

There are two different ways to create the outline of the problem solution essay. They are called Block and Chain structure. Before you choose any of those — a tiny warning:  both of the structures can be tricky, so it is still highly recommended to create an outline to make sure your essay is brilliant.

Introduction and background of the problem solution essay

Prepare the readers for your essay. Tell them about the backgrounds of the issue you are talking about and the context of the problem.

Problems

As we have already discussed, the problem has to be delivered to the readers so that they get to understand its importance and become interested in the ways of its solution.

Transitional paragraph

This is a necessary part of every essay in order to avoid the sort of chopped delivery, where the suggestion of solutions goes right after the description of the problem. It will only mess up the reader`s understanding of the situation. This is why there are one or two transitional sentences that softly take the reader from the problem to the solution.

Solutions

As mentioned, the possible solutions to the problem have to be delivered as clearly as possible. It is also important to write about all the possible disadvantages of your solution and how to avoid or to solve them.

Evaluation and conclusion

The conclusion of any essay, especially the problem solution one, has to be a clear reflection of the introduction. In the beginning, you were talking about the important problem that has to be solved and you end the essay by telling, «…this is why this problem is important to solve…».

Get free examples of the problem solution essay

To make sure you understood all the aspects of creating the problem solution essay, take a look at the examples of the problem solution essays. It is absolutely not hard to find lots of them online. Just try to find the essay on the topic you understand very well so that you could clearly see all the peculiarities we were talking about.

Problems solution essay examples

If you struggle with finding the topic for your problem solution essay. We suggest 15 options for you to choose from:

1. Cultural difference. How can people overcome it?
2. Misunderstandings between men and women. How to start speaking one language?
3. The issue of child socializing. How to help a child blend into the new group?
4. Vegan meet. Is the new scientific invention really going to work?
5. Eating animals. Natural need or the act of violence?
6. Digitalization. How to avoid becoming a robot?
7. What can we do to stop global warming?
8. How to make your children interested in reading?
9. Switching to a healthy lifestyle — making sure to live a long and happy life.
10. The usage of fur and leather in fashion. How can to be fought?
11. Traveling with pets. How to make it easy and stressless?
12. Reducing the usage of paper. How to make to work?
13. Easy ways of learning the languages?
14. Reading one book a day will make your life better.
15. Staying fit without joining the gym.

Conclusion

The problem solution essay is a specific kind of writing that requires the accurate following of the structure. The best way to do it is to create a plan before you start writing so that you can create an image of how your essay is going to look like, what aspects it is going to involve, and also to make sure the problem and solution essay is strongly bonded. It is especially important if you plan to have more than one solution to the problem. 

After you Write a Problem Solution Essay, don`t forget to proofread it and perhaps ask somebody for feedback. Sometimes, we can miss some mistakes.

We sincerely hope that our writing tips for the problem solution essay here are helpful for you. It can be a good idea to search for the problem solution essay examples to make sure you will nail it.