IELTS Writing · learn the shape from a story

The Problem–Solution Essay

"What are the causes… and what measures can be taken?" First find the real causes of the problem, then match each one to a workable solution. Meet the shape through a short story, then build your own.

The Well That Ran Dry

Read it once for pleasure. Notice how the well-keeper wins — you'll need her method in a moment.

One dry morning the village well gave nothing but dust. The rope came up light, the bucket came up empty, and by noon the whole village stood around the stone rim in silence. The well had never run dry in living memory.

Ada, the young well-keeper, did not panic and she did not guess. Before she fixed anything, she set out to learn why the water had gone — because a problem you don't understand is a problem you can't solve.

She walked, watched and counted for three days, and she found three causes. First, the village had grown: twelve new households now drew from a well built for half that number. Second, she climbed to the spring that fed it and found the channel choked — a slab of fallen rock had blocked the flow at its source. Third, no one had saved a single drop in the wet season; when the rains came, the water simply ran away downhill.

So Ada answered each cause in turn. She set a fair ration, so the crowd of new households drew only what the well could give. She gathered the strongest villagers and together they cleared the fallen rock, and the spring ran free again. And she led them in digging a rain-catch reservoir, so the next wet season would be stored, not wasted.

By the following spring the bucket came up heavy. The well flowed once more — because every cause had met its cure.

Ada didn't succeed by wishing for water. She succeeded because of the shape of her thinking: find the causes, then match a real measure to each one. Open The Shape to see it.

Her plan is the essay

Ada's four moves are the four parts of a problem–solution essay. Same colours, all the way through this lesson.

In the story"The well has run dry — but a dry well has reasons, and reasons can be fixed."
IntroductionRephrase the question and state the issue: this problem has clear causes and workable solutions.
In the story"Three causes: too many new households, a spring blocked by fallen rock, no water saved in the wet season."
Body Paragraph 1 — CausesExplain the main causes of the problem → give an example.
In the story"Ration the water · clear the fallen rock · dig a rain-catch reservoir." — each measure answers a cause.
Body Paragraph 2 — SolutionsGive the measures — each one answering a cause → give an example.
In the story"By spring the bucket came up heavy." — every cause had met its cure.
ConclusionRestate that, with these measures, the problem can be eased. No new causes.

The three rules hidden in the story

1
Match each solution to a cause. Ada's ration answered the growing village, the clearing answered the blocked spring, the reservoir answered the wasted rain. A measure that fixes nothing you named is wasted words.
2
Causes in one paragraph, solutions in the next — never mix them. First she diagnosed; only then did she act. Keep the two jobs in two separate paragraphs.
3
Be specific and realistic. She dug a reservoir and cleared a rock — concrete measures, not "hope for rain." Name real, workable actions, not vague wishes.

The same shape, a real question

Many people believe that human activity is causing serious damage to the natural environment. What are the main causes of this, and what measures can be taken to reduce the damage?

Watch the four colours return — Ada's plan, now in exam English.

Introduction It is widely accepted that human activity is inflicting serious harm on the natural world. This is undoubtedly a growing concern, but the damage has identifiable causes and, more encouragingly, workable solutions. This essay will examine the main causes of environmental damage and propose the measures that could most effectively reduce it.
Body Paragraph 1 — the causes The damage stems largely from three human pressures. The first is industrial emissions: factories and power stations pour carbon and pollutants into the air and water in the pursuit of cheap production. The second is deforestation, as vast areas of woodland are cleared for farmland and timber, stripping the planet of the trees that absorb carbon. The third, underlying both, is sheer over-consumption — a hunger for more goods, energy and land than the earth can replace. History offers a stark illustration: the people of Easter Island cut down every last tree to sustain their way of life, and when the resources ran out, their whole society collapsed with them.
Body Paragraph 2 — the matching measures Fortunately, each of these causes has a practical remedy. To curb industrial emissions, governments could introduce stricter regulation, fining heavy polluters and rewarding clean industry. To halt deforestation, governments could protect the remaining forests by law and fund large-scale replanting. And to check the over-consumption behind it all, public education campaigns could teach people to reduce waste, recycle and value what they already own. Costa Rica, for example, has roughly doubled its forest cover since the 1980s by paying landowners to protect and replant trees, proving that lost woodland can genuinely be restored.
Conclusion — the problem can be eased In conclusion, although human industry, deforestation and over-consumption are doing real damage to the environment, the problem is far from hopeless. With stricter regulation, the protection and replanting of forests and better public awareness, the damage can be significantly reduced.
Notice: causes in one paragraph, solutions in the next, and every solution answers a named cause — regulation for emissions, replanting for deforestation, education for over-consumption. Exactly Ada.

The exact phrases for each move

Keep these to hand while you write your own. One from each group is plenty.

Introduction — rephrase & signpost

… is a growing concern in many countries today. It is widely accepted that… This essay will examine the causes and propose measures.

Introduce a cause

One major cause is… This stems largely from… A key factor behind this is… This is chiefly the result of…

Introduce a solution

The most effective measure would be to… One way to tackle this is… This could be addressed by… A practical step would be to…

Introduce your example

A striking illustration of this is… For example,… This can be seen in… A clear case is…

Conclusion — the problem can be reduced

In conclusion,… Although… the problem can be reduced if… With these measures in place,…

Now build your own

The gap between rich and poor countries is becoming wider. What are the causes of this, and what measures can be taken to reduce the gap?

Fill the skeleton first — the issue, the causes, the matching measures — then write the full essay. Be Ada: find the causes, then answer each one with a real measure.

Check it like an examiner

The issueThe widening gap between rich and poor countries is a serious global concern with clear causes and practical solutions.
Causes + examplePoorer nations are held back by heavy debt to wealthy lenders and by a lack of access to education, so few gain the skills to compete — some countries spend more on repaying old loans than on their schools and hospitals combined.
Solutions (each answering a cause) + exampleWealthy nations could cancel or reduce crippling debt to answer the debt burden, and fund schools and training to answer the skills gap — targeted aid programmes have already raised literacy sharply in parts of East Africa.
ConclusionAlthough the divide is widening, debt relief and investment in education could genuinely narrow the gap between rich and poor nations.