Try writing an essay on the above question before you study this unit.
You will need to:
• write an introduction to the topic;
• think of three causes of the problem and explain them, giving examples where possible;
• describe three solutions to deal with the problem;
• write a short conclusion which gives your view about the topic;
• write a minimum of 250 words.
Make a plan before you start. It's a good idea to organize the body of the essay like this:
• cause 1 + solution 1
• cause 2 + solution 2
• cause 3 + solution 3
Take your time, but remember that in the exam you will need to complete Writing Task 2
in around 40 minutes.
(Sticky note: Common topics for
Problem and Solution
essays
• junk food and obesity
• crime
• water shortages
• environmental problems
• problems in cities (e.g.
transport, overcrowding)
• problems in schools
• stress in modern life)
Schooldays – the best days of your life?
Make a few notes on these topics. Use a dictionary to look up any vocabulary you
need. Share your ideas with a partner.
The best teacher
you've ever had
(Example notes:)
My history teacher at high school.
• He had a great sense of humour.
• Encouraged me to think for myself.
• He got me into history.
Your favourite
subject at school
A subject you
were no good at
(Tip: When you finish, count
how many words you
wrote, and write the
number at the end of your
essay. If you wrote 240-
260 words, it's a bit too
short – if you write fewer
than 250 words, you will
lose marks in the exam.
Aim to write around
350 words.)
Introductory text
1 You're going to read an article entitled Teaching is 'one of the least popular jobs in the UK'.
What ideas do you think will be in it?
2 Read the article on the opposite page and match these questions (a-e) with the
paragraphs (1-5).
a Is the low salary the only problem?
b What does the new study say?
c What should the government do about the problem?
d What's the biggest reason that young people don't want to become teachers?
e What is the view of a teacher?
Responding to the text
3 Discuss these questions with a partner.
1 Does the article surprise you?
2 Do you think your country has similar problems finding teachers?
3 Do you agree with the solutions in the article?
problems solutions
Building your bank of words and phrases
5 Find the words or expressions in the article with a similar meaning to
these phrases.
1 people who have a university degree (paragraph 1) graduates
2 the biggest disadvantage (paragraph 2)
3 well paid (paragraph 2)
4 have respect for teachers (paragraph 3)
5 refuse to do what your teacher tells you (paragraph 3)
6 tiring and difficult job (paragraph 4)
7 cut the amount of work teachers have to do (paragraph 4)
8 staff who help the teacher in the class (paragraph 4)
9 I have too much work to do (paragraph 4)
10 the balance between how much time you spend at work,
and how much free time you have (paragraph 4)
11 give teachers a large salary increase (paragraph 5)
6 Read the article again and write down a few more words or phrases that you
think would be useful to learn.
(Tip: For each IELTS topic (e.g.
education), have a page or
two in your notebook down
where you write down
useful vocabulary. You can
then use your notes to
revise each topic before
the exam.)
Teaching is 'one of the least popular jobs in the UK'
1 (b) What does the new study say?
The UK government has just published a report on the future of secondary-school teaching
(pupils aged 11-16), and the conclusion of the report is that many secondary schools now
face great difficulties in finding people who would 'seriously consider' teaching as a career.
The number has fallen sharply, from 64% in 1982 to just 17% today. The report suggests
that urgent action needs to be taken in order to encourage more intelligent young graduates
into teaching.
2 The main drawback of secondary teaching, according to the report, is the low salary.
Earnings in teaching are much lower than in many other jobs, and this means that fewer and
fewer young people decide to be teachers. Joanne Manners, 24, is a good example: 'I
graduated in maths last year, and I was thinking of doing a teacher-training course to
become a maths teacher – but when I looked into the details, it became clear that teaching
isn't a very lucrative job these days. I saw I would earn twice as much if I worked in
marketing or advertising, and so I decided not to become a teacher.'
3 It's not just about the money, however. The survey concluded that another reason why
people don't want to be teachers is that some teenagers behave very badly in school. A lot
of schools have problems with discipline, and it seems clear that children do not have the
same respect for teachers as in the past. Here's the view of Dave Hallam, an accountant
from London: 'When I was at school, we were taught to look up to our teachers, and to do
what we were told. No one would ever disobey the teacher or be rude to him or her. But
now, this has completely changed, and it is difficult to control the pupils in class. I think
parents are to blame. They should have stricter rules with their children at home and also
teach their children to have more respect for teachers.'
4
'I love teaching, it's my passion. I've been a secondary-school teacher of
Spanish for ten years now, and although it's a very demanding job, it's very
satisfying. When I see my students passing their Spanish exams, or singing
along to Spanish pop songs, it makes me feel so proud,' says Brian Jones,
who works in a secondary school in London. So what does he think the
government should do to encourage more people to become teachers? 'My
view is that the government should reduce the burden of work on teachers,
by appointing more teaching assistants. I find that I always have too much
work to do, and I'm always snowed under with paperwork. I have to stay
at work late, and this is really bad for my family. I've got two young kids,
and I often don't get home until after they've gone to bed. My work-life
balance is terrible. If the government employed more teaching assistants, it
would make teaching a much easier and less stressful job, and more people
would be interested in it.'
5
The report is clear that the problem of teacher shortages is a very serious
one. It says that the government should raise teachers' pay significantly,
to catch up with workers in other professions. It also suggests that the
government could launch a nationwide publicity campaign, with some
advertisements on TV and in the newspapers, to show the positive sides of
teaching to young people. Another solution could be to set a maximum
number of hours per week that teachers can work, in order to reduce stress
on teachers. 'Hopefully,' the report concludes, 'these solutions can improve
the poor image of secondary teaching, and increase the number of young
people who want to become teachers in the future.'
Spotlight 1
Collocations for writing about education
(Tip: A good way to improve
the accuracy of your
vocabulary is to learn of
common collocations on each IELTS
key words. Collocations are
words which naturally go
together.)
1 Cross out the phrase in each list that does not form a collocation with the word
in bold. Use a dictionary to look up any words you are not sure about.
1 go to / do / leave / skip school
2 suffer from a / rack up a big / get into / be burdened with debt
3 make / sit / resit / pass / fail / take an exam
4 take out a / get a student / borrow a / pay back a loan
5 cram / write / do badly in / revise for an exam
2 Complete these sentences with collocations from Exercise 1. Use the words in
brackets to help you.
1 University fees are very expensive these days, so many students __________ when
they are studying. (debt)
2 It's a really bad idea to __________, because it's impossible to learn everything in
a short time. It's much better to start working a few weeks before. (exam)
3 If you don't have enough money to pay for everything when you go to university,
you can __________ from the government to help you. (loan)
4 In the first year, universities normally let you __________ if you fail it the first
time. (exam)
5 Students who borrow a lot of money to study at university can __________ for
many years afterwards. It can take five or ten years to pay back all the money. (debt)
Write three questions for a partner using the collocations in Exercise 1.
Example: Have you ever had to resit an exam?
Match each of the italicized phrases about school (1-4) to its meaning (a-d).
Use a dictionary to help you if necessary.
1 When I was 14, I played truant from school, but my teacher caught me.
2 In some countries, teachers can use corporal punishment.
3 Many schools test their pupils by continuous assessment throughout the school year,
rather than by having one big exam at the end of the year.
4 Many students prefer to follow a vocational course after school, rather than studying
an academic subject at university.
a a punishment which involves hitting students
b skipped (school)
c a course which prepares you directly for a job (e.g. hairdressing, cooking)
d lots of small tests and written work during the year
Complete these questions using the phrases from Exercise 4, then discuss them
with a partner.
1 Do you agree with __________ as a way of dealing with children
who misbehave in school?
2 Have you ever __________? Did you ever get caught?
3 Do you think __________ is a good alternative to exams?
4 Did you study a __________ after you finished school?
Spotlight 2
Academic Language for writing about solutions
(When you write IELTS essays, you need to use the correct style. You can learn and
practise some phrases to talk about solutions. These will help your writing to be more
academic and better structured.)
1 Unjumble these phrases for introducing solutions.
1 solution / to / A / is / government / for / the / ...
2 problem, / people / tackle / should / this / To / ...
3 forward / be / might / way / The / to / ...
4 problem / addressed / by / This / could / be / ...
5 involves / with / Dealing / issue / this / ...
2
Choose two of the phrases from Exercise 1, and write down two more solutions
to the problem outlined in this essay question.
All over the world, societies are facing a growing problem with obesity. This
problem affects both children and adults. What are the reasons for this rise in
obesity? How could it be tackled?
Example: A solution is for the government to increase tax on unhealthy food.
Grammar workout
3
Find the missing word in each sentence and add it in the correct place.
forward
1 The way (foward) might be to increase tax on junk food.
2 This problem could solved by investing in public transport.
3 Tackle this problem, the government should build more sports centres.
4 Address this issue installing more CCTV cameras in the street.
5 A solution for the government to allocate more money to primary education.
4
Write down a few solutions to each of these problems, then compare your ideas
with a partner.
1 Water shortages
This problem could be tackled by people using less water at home.
Another solution is for the government to repair old water pipes.
2 Violent crime in cities
3 Traffic congestion
5
Complete each of these paragraphs by adding a solution of your own.
Use phrases from Exercise 1.
1 One cause of stress in modern life is that people work long hours. In many jobs,
workers have to do a ten- or 12-hour day, which means that they come home late
and do not have time to relax or spend time with their families. For instance, in
many Asian countries, the average office worker has to start work very early, and
doesn't come back home until around 9 or 10 p.m.
2 Another cause of stress is job insecurity. In the past, most employees had a
permanent contract and did not worry too much about losing their job. However,
nowadays, it is common for people to work on short-term contracts which last just a
few months or a year. This means they are often worried about what will happen to
them at the end of the contract.
A generation ago, teaching in a high school was considered an extremely well-respected
and popular job, and in some countries this is still true. However, in many parts of the world,
there has been a sharp drop in the number of young people who want to become high-
school teachers. This essay will look at the reasons for this and propose some solutions.
One of the main causes of the problem is that teachers' salaries are lower than many other
jobs. Teachers' pay has not kept pace with that of other professions, such as law or
medicine. In the UK, for example, a doctor with five years' experience will earn far more than
a teacher with the same experience. The solution is for the government to raise teachers'
pay significantly, which would attract more people into the profession.
Another problem is that many children do not behave well in class. That is to say, teachers
often have to deal with pupils who disobey them, which often causes them to give up
teaching. This tends to put off potential teachers as well. To tackle this issue, parents must
give their children a sense of respect for teachers, in order to make children behave better in
class.
A third cause of the problem is that teachers often have too much work to do. Most teachers
are snowed under with marking and paperwork, which means that they have to stay late at
school and work at home in the evening. As a result, many teachers are tired and stressed,
and this has a negative effect on their family life. The way forward could be to cut teachers'
hours, and to take on more teaching assistants, which would make teaching an easier job.
To sum up, teaching has become a much less popular job in many countries, due to reasons
such as the salary, the working hours and pupils' behaviour. This is a serious problem, and
unless we can get more talented young people to become teachers, the education of our
children will suffer. My view is that the main responsibility for solving the problem lies with
parents and the government.
1 Read the model essay and write two more phrases to introduce each
of the following.
1 a problem: One of the main causes of the problem is ...
2 solutions: The solution is for the government to ...
2 Find the following in the model essay.
1 a sentence in the introduction which explains what the essay is going to talk about
2 an example from the writer's country
3 a linking phrase which means as a consequence
4 a sentence in the conclusion which summarizes the causes of the problem
5 a sentence in the conclusion which says who should solve the problem
3 Write down any other language or ideas in the model which could be useful in
your own essays.
Structure and linking
Contrasting ideas
1 Look at these two contrasting ideas about teaching, then rewrite them using the
linking words given below.
Teaching can sometimes be a tiring and stressful job, but it is generally very satisfying.
1 although
Although teaching can sometimes be a tiring and stressful job, it is generally
very satisfying.
2 however
3 nonetheless
2 Add the linking words given in brackets in the correct place in each sentence.
Make any other necessary changes to the sentence.
1 I sometimes eat junk food, but generally speaking, my diet is quite healthy.
(nonetheless)
2 My home town is really small, but there are lots of things to do. (although)
3 It is expensive to fly business class. It's worth it, because it's so comfortable.
(however)
(It is very common to use these linking phrases to give your opinion in Task 2.)
Although it is true that teachers work long hours, I believe that teaching is a very worthwhile
and important job.
Many people say that living alone can be difficult and lonely. Nonetheless, I think that there
are
more advantages of having your own place, such as being able to do whatever you like.
3 Complete these sentences with suitable endings.
1 Although it is true that studying abroad can be expensive, I think ...
2 It is clear that prison is the best punishment for serious crimes, such as murder.
However ...
3 To sum up, it is true that working from home has some advantages, such as not
having to travel to work every day. Nonetheless, my view is ...
(Linking phrases are often used in conclusions to show that you have considered the
question carefully and that you understand different points of view.
To sum up, although it is true that exams can be stressful for children, I think that they are
the best
and fairest way to accurately assess students' progress.)
4 Join these ideas together to form a conclusion using although, however or
nonetheless.
1 Going travelling for a year before university is expensive. It can open your mind to
new ideas.
2 Living in a big city can be stressful. It is more exciting than living in a small town.
3 Obesity is a very serious problem. It is not too late to do something about it.
5 Write down a few sentences on each of these topics. Then compare your
answers with a partner.
• being single
• going to university
• moving out of your parents' house
• going to the gym
• your home town
• studying IELTS
Example: Although being single gives you a lot of freedom, it can also be
quite lonely.
Language workout
Word-building
(It is really important to know the different forms of a word (in particular the noun,
adjective and verb forms). Have a section of your notebook where you write down
different word forms. As you do word-building practice, try to notice the patterns at the
ends of words. For example, words which finish with -ment are normally nouns.)
1 Complete these sentences with the correct form of the words in brackets. Use a
dictionary to help you if necessary.
1 Taking out a loan to fund a Master's degree is a really good __________ in your
future, and it will help you get a good job when you finish your course. (invest)
2 My art teacher in high school was absolutely __________ . His lessons were really
exciting, and I became really interested in art. (inspire)
3 Some people wouldn't like to be a teacher because they think teaching is really
__________ . Every year, you teach the same things. (repeat)
4 Although many TV programmes are not suitable for the classroom, some
__________ programmes, such as documentaries, are good aids to learning.
(educate)
5 A really good teacher can __________ his or her students, and make them excited
about the subject. (enthusiastic)
6 School shouldn't just be about studying and learning – it's also important for pupils
to have a wide range of extra __________ activities, such as sport and music.
(curriculum)
7 A good teacher knows when to give his or her students lots of __________ ,
especially if the students don't have confidence in their ability. (encourage)
2 Make a list in your notebook of typical word endings and examples. Look at the
words in Exercise 1, and add any new endings or examples to this table.
adjective noun endings verb endings
endings
-al (educational) -tion (education) -ate (to
educate)
-ment (investment)
(Add any new endings or examples to this table.
words in the Exercise 1, and add any new endings or examples to this table.
talented at foreign languages (natural))
3 Complete these questions with the correct form of the words in brackets.
1 Do you think you are __________ talented at foreign languages? (natural)
2 Do you think you are a __________ person? Are you good at subjects like art and
music? (create)
3 Are you a __________ person? Do you play any instruments? (music)
4 Are you interested in __________ subjects and ideas? (science)
5 When you were at school, did you watch any __________ programmes in your
lessons? (education)
6 Did you have a __________ party when you finished school or university?
(graduate)
Grammar and phrases for introductions
(The introduction of your essay is your first chance to show the examiner how good your
writing is. Make sure you practise writing introductions, and that you can use the correct
tenses and a range of phrases.)
1 Read this introduction and choose the correct options. Discuss with a partner.
Over the last few years, it 1 is becoming / has become less common for people to become
teachers. Today, graduates often 2 consider / are considering teaching as an unattractive
job, and many people 3 want / are wanting to do other jobs instead. In my country, the
problem 4 becomes / is becoming worse and worse, and it is important to take steps to
make teaching more attractive. This essay will look at the main causes of the problem,
and propose some solutions.
2 Look at these examples, then complete the table below.
• Present perfect: The number of teachers has gone down in the last decade.
• Present simple: These days, many young people take a break before going to university.
• Present continuous: The cost of living in big cities is rising all the time.
3 Complete these typical sentences for introductions using the verbs in brackets in the
correct tense.
1 It is clear that running a business __________ (be) becoming more popular.
2 Most people __________ (say) that they __________ (eat) too much unhealthy food.
3 There is no doubt that (house) prices __________ (rise) all the time.
4 In the last decade, the number of people taking a gap year __________ (rise) sharply.
5 Recently, it __________ (become) evident that obesity rates are a serious problem,
affecting both adults and children.
6 These days, governments __________ (need) to tackle public health more urgently. There
is very aware that the issue of
obesity __________ (affect) both adults and children.
7 Nowadays, fewer people __________ (have) a healthy diet and __________ (exercise)
often.
4 Look at the introduction in Exercise 1, and the sentences and useful phrases you found in
Exercises 2 and 3. Complete this table with the time expressions and useful phrases you
can find.
time expressions present useful phrases
perfect
over the last few years ... + present It is clear that...
perfect
In the last decade ... + present perfect ... is becoming more
popular.
Exam skills 1: Grammar and vocabulary
for writing conclusions
To sum up, in my view, the shortage of teachers in secondary schools is a serious
problem, and unless we can attract more talented young people into this kind of
teaching, our children's education will start to suffer. Governments must take steps
to deal with the problem as soon as possible.
All in all, there is no doubt that obesity is an increasingly worrying issue, affecting
both children and adults. As I see it, governments, parents and schools all have a
role to play in tackling the problem. Action must be taken urgently, otherwise our
societies will face even greater health problems in the future.
1 Read the two conclusions above and find synonyms for the phrases in
italics below. (two phrases)
1 in conclusion (two phrases)
2 in my opinion (two phrases)
3 start to solve the problem
4 It is clear that ...
5 a problem which is more and more serious
6 Governments, parents and schools should all do something.
7 We must act quickly.
Grammar for conclusions: unless/otherwise
These grammar structures are used to show what will happen if we do not start to solve the
problem. Look at these examples:
Unless we can attract more talented young people into this kind of teaching, our children's
education
will start to suffer.
Action must be taken urgently, otherwise our societies will face even greater health problems
in
the future.
2 Rewrite these sentences using unless or otherwise as shown in brackets.
1 If governments don't spend money on improving public transport in big cities, traffic
congestion will only get worse and worse. (unless)
Unless governments ...
2 We must recycle more. If not, the amount of rubbish we throw away will get out of
control. (otherwise)
3 If nothing is done to crack down on people who drop litter in the streets, our urban
environment will continue to be dirty and full of rubbish. (unless)
3 Correct the mistakes in these sentences.
1 Unless we ban guns completely, people will feel safe on the streets.
2 Otherwise we put more police on the streets, people will not have confidence that
their streets are safe.
4 Rewrite this sentence twice, once using unless and once using otherwise.
If we don't raise teachers' pay, fewer and fewer people will choose to become teachers.
1 Unless we ...
2 We should ...
5 Write a conclusion for one of the essay questions on page 30.
Exam skills 2: Building a good paragraph
(A good Task 2 essay has well-organized and well-developed paragraphs. Make sure that
you support your main ideas, give examples and explain your points as much as you can.)
1 Read the paragraph below, written by an IELTS student in response to this essay
question.
The number of people who are overweight or obese is far higher than in
previous generations. What are the reasons for this, and how can the problem
be tackled?
One of the reasons so many people are obese is
that they eat junk food, like hamburgers, chips or
fried chicken. The solution is for the government
to increase tax on this kind of unhealthy food.
2 Discuss these questions about the paragraph in Exercise 1.
1 Is the paragraph long enough? How many words should be in a good paragraph?
2 What is missing from the paragraph?
3 How could you improve it?
3 Rewrite the paragraph in a better way. Compare your version with a partner.
4 Put these sentences in the correct order to form a good paragraph.
a This would hopefully encourage consumers to buy healthier food and
therefore lose weight. ☐
b It is common these days for people to eat takeaway food or pick up
a ready meal from the supermarket, rather than cook a healthy meal. ☐
c One of the reasons that so many people are overweight is that
they eat junk food instead of cooking a healthy meal. ☐
d To address this issue, the government could increase sales tax
on food considered to be unhealthy. ☐
e For instance, in the UK, sales of pre-prepared meals, which contain high
levels of fat and salt, have increased dramatically in the last few years. ☐
5 Match each of these descriptions (1-5) to one of the sentences in Exercise 4 (a-e).
1 the solution to the problem
2 the main idea of the paragraph
3 an example
4 a supporting sentence, which explains the main idea
5 the result of the solution (i.e. what would happen if we tried the solution)
6 Complete this paragraph.
Another cause of obesity is that most adults do not get enough physical exercise. One
reason for this is that it is considerably more expensive to do sport than it used to be.
For instance, today in the UK, the monthly fees for using a gym are £40 or £50, which
means that many people cannot afford to use a gym. The solution is ...
Check and Challenge
Collocations for writing about education
CHECK
Write down three collocations for each of these words.
1 an exam cram for ... 2 a student loan 3 debt
CHALLENGE
Look in a dictionary and write down three collocations of these words.
1 study 2 teacher 3 language
Word-building
CHECK
Write the adjectival forms of these words.
1 repeat 2 education 3 continue 4 inspire
CHALLENGE
Look in a dictionary and find the noun forms of these adjectives.
1 disruptive 2 rowdy 3 popular 4 private
Grammar and phrases for introductions
CHECK
Find and correct the mistakes in the tenses in these sentences.
1 In the last few years, the number of people who study abroad is rising.
2 Pollution in many big cities has got worse and worse all the time.
CHALLENGE
Write an introduction for this essay question.
Although most people are richer than in the past, modern life seems very
stressful, and the number of people suffering from stress is at record levels.
What are the main causes of stress in modern life, and how could stress be
reduced?
Building a good paragraph
CHECK Put these sentences in the correct order.
a The answer is to increase tax on petrol from vehicles.
b One big problem facing cities is pollution from vehicles.
c This would encourage people to leave their cars at home.
d As a result, air quality is deteriorating, and rates of asthma are rising.
e Most urban areas are full of cars, particularly during the rush hour.
f For instance, in New York, there is often gridlock at peak times.
CHALLENGE Write the rest of this paragraph.
one cause of stress in modern life is job insecurity.
Practice questions
Have a go at writing an answer for these essays.
All over the world, societies are facing a growing problem with obesity. This
problem affects both children and adults. What are the reasons for this rise in
obesity? How could it be tackled?
See page 126 for a sample student answer to the above essay question.
Many schools these days have problems with poor student behaviour. Why do
you think these problems occur? What could be done to tackle these problems?
