ESSAY 2PROBLEM SOLUTION ESSAYPLEASE DO NOT JUST COPYPASTE WHOLE SENTENCES FROM ESSAYS ON THE INTERNET (for example, from this site: https://writing9.com/text/602ae68368fceb0018c42203-some-people-believe-that-having-sport-in-schools-is-a)! Example of a topic for a problem solution essay: How can we solve the problem of traffic jams? Suggest some measures that could be taken to reduce the impact of ageing populations. Write an essay (no fewer than 300 words). Use the following phrases. Phrases for a problem solution essay12 Ways to Solve Problems
| Solution | How It Works | Assumes Cause of Problem is | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Add something | Give more money, people, equipment, or stuff | Lack of resources | More teachers in schools, more money for fire department |
| Take something away | Remove source of problem | One thing or person causing problem | Fire bad teachers, get rid of poor textbooks |
| Educate | Give information about the problem and solution | People don’t know what to do | Say No to Drugs campaign |
| Make laws or rules | Create a new law or rule, or reform existing rules | Current rules don’t solve problem | School dress code revised to require uniforms |
| Enforce laws or rules | Provide a way to enforce or else provide more resources (like more police or money for regulators) to enforce existing rules or laws | Current rules are adequate but aren’t enforced | School calls parents if students don’t adhere to dress code |
| Change method or procedure | Change the way something is done or organized | Something isn’t being done the right way | Change meeting time from Tuesday morning to Saturday to get more people to come |
| Motivate | Use advertising or emotional appeals to get people to do or not do something | People know what they should do, but don’t do it | Anti-smoking ads |
| Build something new | Give new facilities or organization | More buildings or a new organization is needed because nothing currently existing will solve problem | Build a new football stadium to encourage fan support |
| Work out a compromise | Get opposing sides together to work out a mutual agreement | Problem is mostly lack of agreement | Trade agreement talks between countries |
| Adapt a solution that works | Take a solution that worked somewhere else and apply it to this problem | Current solution does not fit problem | Adding taxes on cigarettes decreases smoking, so put a tax on unhealthy snack foods |
| Change leadership | Get rid of current leadership and put someone new in charge | Leader is the problem | Fire college football coach |
| Change attitudes | Present information or incentives to change the way people feel about situation | Attitudes are causing problem | Parents give children money to do chores |
Writing Your Essay To write a persuasive solution essay, you need to organize carefully. Your main goals are:
- Interest your reader in the problem
- Convince your reader that the problem is important and needs to be solved
- Explain your solution clearly
- Convince the reader that your solution is cost-effective and feasible
- Convince your reader that your solution is better than other solutions
Introduction In the introduction, you need to describe the problem and explain why it needs to be solved and then give your thesis solution. Remember:
- If it is an unknown problem, you will need to explain in detail.
- If it is a familiar problem, then you need to paint a vivid picture.
- In both situations, you will need to convince the reader that it is an important problem.
Creative Introduction Ideas
- Tell a true-life story about the problem.
- Give a personal experience story.
- Use a scenario or imagined story illustrating why this needs to be solved.
- Give statistics and facts about the problem which makes it vivid for the reader.
- Do a detailed explanation of the problem with facts that show why it needs to be dealt with.
- Give the history of the situation and explain how this problem developed.
- Use a frame story that gives an example of the problem in the introduction and then a return to the problem being solved in the conclusion.
- Use a vivid description with sensory details that make the reader see the situation.
- Use a movie, book, T.V. story, or news story to show the problem and why it is important.
Thesis At the end of your introduction, you can ask your thesis question and then give your solution idea as the thesis statement. Here are some tips:
- State your solution clearly in one sentence.
- Usually, your thesis sentence will come after you describe the problem.
- Sometimes, you may not want to state this thesis until after you have shown that the present solutions aren’t working, especially if your thesis is something simple.
Body of Paper The body of your paper will be three or more paragraphs and must:
- Explain your solution clearly.
- Give details about how this solution will solve the problem.
- Explain who will be in charge and how it will be funded.
- Give evidence that your solution will work (expert opinion, examples of when it has worked before, statistics, studies, or logical argument).
The body of your paper will also seek to argue that your solution:
- Will solve the problem.
- Is cost-effective.
- Is feasible to implement.
- Is a reasonable solution to the problem.
- Can stand up to possible objections.
- Is better than other solutions.
In order to make a convincing argument, you will need to consider objections to your plan carefully and refute them logically with argument and/or evidence. Writing the Conclusion Your conclusion will be one or more paragraphs. For an excellent ending, you want to clinch your argument and convince your reader that your solution is the best. Here are some effective ideas:
- Tell the reader what should happen.
- Describe how the situation will change if your plan is adopted.
- Use the end of the frame story to show how the solution is needed or how it will work.
- Give a real-life example or scenario showing the adoption of your plan and how it works.
- Cite convincing facts, statistics, or expert testimony on the solution or the problem.
Effective Writing TipsTone: Tone is important in this sort of paper. You want to have a tone that is reasonable, convincing, appealing, and logical. Point of View: Because you are trying to convince the reader, this is one paper where the second person point of view (“you” or “we”) might be used effectively. However, first person or third is also appropriate. Audience: Considering the reaction of your reader is very important in writing this paper. You need to address a reader who can implement your proposal. You need to think about how you can convince the reader who has the power to act on your suggestions, not just someone who already agrees with you but can’t do anything about the situation. How to Convince Your Audience To build an effective argument or proposal, you need to find common ground with your audience. While there is some value in arguments which “preach to the choir” and “rally the troops” to support something they already strongly believe, most arguments are more effective if you seek to persuade an audience which is undecided or not strongly in favor of your position.
- Who is your audience? What do they believe about your issue?
- What do you want them to believe or do after reading your paper?
- What are the warrants (values or strong beliefs) your audience holds about this type of subject?
- How are your warrants (values or strong beliefs) different or the same as those of your audience?
- Where do you and your audience have common ground? What basic needs, values, and beliefs do you share? Examples of needs and values that motivate most audiences: basic needs, health, financial well-being, affection and friendship, respect and esteem of others, self-esteem, new experience, self-actualization, and convenience.
- Which of these needs and values could be effective for you to appeal to in your paper?
SAMPLE PROBLEM SOLUTION ESSAYS
Problem/Solution Essay Example #1
No More Traffic Jams There is nothing worse than being trapped in your car, waiting in the middle of a traffic jam. It is frustrating, knowing that there is nothing you can do and that you are going to be late to work. Traffic jams often occur during rush hour or right after a large event because there are more cars on the road than normal. Traffic jams can also be caused by car accidents or road construction. They usually occur on major roads that many people use to travel to work or school. Traffic jams are a problem because they make people late for work or school, they can cause car accidents, and they are frustrating. How can we reduce the number of traffic jams? Possible solutions include carpooling or using public transportation. The best way to solve traffic jams is by using public transportation because it will be efficient, economical, and reliable. First, using public transportation is efficient. A bus is a very efficient way to move lots of people from one place to another using only one vehicle. Instead of having one vehicle for each person on the road, busses take many cars off the road as people ride together. Trains are even more efficient at reducing the number of cars on the road. Because trains have their own dedicated rail system to get people around, all of the cars are eliminated without adding any more traffic to the roads. Not only are busses and trains more efficient at carrying passengers, but time spent on a bus or a train is more efficient for the passenger. This encourages more people to use public transportation. It is easy to see how efficient public transportation is and the impact that it has on reducing traffic. Another reason that public transportation is the best solution to traffic jams is because it is so economical. People want to use public transportation instead of driving their own car because they can save money. Public transportation usually does not cost very much, especially for people who use it often. There are discounts for seniors and students, which makes it an even more economical way for these groups to travel around town. Using public transportation also eliminates the need to pay for parking, car insurance, and car maintenance, not to mention gasoline. All of the expenses related to owning a car are replaced with one simple fare. Because it is so economical, public transportation is a good solution to traffic jams by encouraging more people to travel together and reduce the number of cars on the road. Finally, public transportation is the best solution because it is reliable. Many people set up carpools to reduce traffic, but this is only a temporary solution. Every time someone has a change in their schedule, the carpool needs to be adjusted. For example, if someone has to go to the doctor or sleeps in, the carpool will not work that day. If someone changes jobs or transfers to a new school, the carpool will need to be adjusted again. Public transportation, on the other hand, is more reliable. The bus and train schedules don’t change every time that one rider needs to go to the doctor. The schedules are set and people can plan on them. People who use public transportation will find that it is reliable and can help limit the number of cars on the road. Because it is efficient, economical, and reliable, public transportation is the best way to reduce the number of traffic jams. There are other possible ways to address this problem, but using public transportation is clearly the best. Traffic jams during very busy hours on the road can be reduced and more people can get to work on time and avoid the frustration caused by sitting in the middle of a long line of cars. Cities and governments should consider ways to improve their public transportation system and encourage more people to use it. If they do, they will surely see fewer traffic jams on their roads and much happier drivers.
Problem/Solution Example Essay #2
Conversations happen everywhere: work, school, church, stores, dates, and even the gym. Conversations are such a common part of daily life that people often don’t think about how difficult they can be, or the anxiety they can cause, if all of these conversations are happening in another language. Many international students avoid participating in conversations, especially with native speakers of English. This avoidance is a serious problem for international students who study English because participating in conversations is crucial for developing their language skills. Avoiding conversations can also cause international students to struggle making friends and make them feel more isolated. While it is natural to feel nervous about participating in conversations, international students need to find ways to be more confident in their ability to participate in a conversation. International students can choose from various solutions to stop avoiding conversations and feel more confident.
One solution for students to develop more conversational confidence is to learn about current, relevant news. Many international students don’t join conversations because they aren’t sure what to talk about or what other people would be interested in. The Internet makes it very easy to find out what everyone else in the community is talking about; with this knowledge, students can be prepared for conversations because they know what people are generally talking about and can even look up the vocabulary words they need. Students can start this preparation by following a university’s social media pages or listening to locallyproduced news. Learning about current events is an easy way to be ready for a casual conversation.
Students can also prepare for common conversational topics if they want to be more active participants in conversations. While almost every conversation is different, there are some things that come up frequently, and those topics can be practiced. For example, many people might ask international students about their family, their country, their job, their reason for studying English, or their hobbies. Students can practice responding to these types of questions while they are working or preparing dinner by talking to themselves. As topics come up in conversations that they are not able to speak about, they can add those topics to their list to practice. By thinking about and practicing responses to common conversational questions, international students can have more confidence to participate in conversations.
Another way to feel more confident is by listening to conversations. This solution helps students hear how native speakers start (or end) a conversation, as well as how they change topics. Examples of conversations that are easy to find include television shows. These shows, especially if they can be paused and replayed, can be helpful because there is no pressure for the student to participate in the conversation or to understand everything the first time. Other conversations that are easy to watch happen in news broadcasts between the featured stories. These conversations are a little more formal than conversations in TV shows, which can be an advantage because students can observe the similarities and differences between casual and more formal conversations. This listening practice can really help students overcome any anxiety about participating in conversations.
A final way to overcome the habit of avoiding conversations is to refine language skills and prepare questions. By improving their vocabulary, fluency, grammar, and pronunciation, students will not only be more confident in conversations, but they will look forward to them as an opportunity to practice. Many students are hesitant to speak because they do not want to make mistakes, so by refining their language, they can reduce that concern. However, students should not wait until their language is perfect before they speak. An easy way to start is to listen to questions that people ask and create some grammatically correct questions to ask in a conversation. These questions can be practiced and memorized to make sure the language is correct. With these questions and continued improvement in their language skills, international students can be more actively involved in conversations.
In conclusion, students have many options to solve the problem of avoiding conversations. Choosing to work through one of these solutions will help students improve their English skills and help them build stronger relationships with others. They will be able to take advantage of the time they spend studying in the United States. Since conversations are part of everyday life and can’t be entirely avoided, it is better to conquer the fear through preparation than to limit self-expression. Whether students are talking to a supervisor, a classmate, a roommate, or a date, they will feel empowered to be better conversational partners.