IELTS Solution Essay Band 9 Model with Useful Tips

The IELTS Solution Essay is a common essay to get in Writing Task 2. You will be given an issue in the essay question and then presented with one or two questions to answer. The questions will decide what your task is. Knowing your task is essential for a high score in Task Response, which counts for 25% of your marks. All essay lessons and model essays on my website for writing task 2 are for both Academic and GT writing task 2.

Types of IELTS Solution Essay

There are three kinds of IELTS solution essays.

Solution Essay

IELTS will give you a problem that exists in the world today and then ask you what solutions you can offer. There are various different wording for this. Below are three examples:

  • What solutions can you offer?
  • What measures can you suggest to tackle this problem?
  • How can this be resolved?

Cause Solution Essay

For this essay, you will be presented with a topic, such as increasing urban populations. You will then see two questions which ask you to give the causes of the problem and solutions to the problem. Instructions can often be paraphrased. Below are two examples:

  • What are the reasons for this? What solutions can you suggest?
  • Why is this happening? What can be done to tackle it?

Problem Solution Essay

This is less common and is often confused for the Cause Solution Essay so watch out and pay attention to the word. You will be presented with an issue, such as more people moving to urban areas for work. You will then see two questions. Below is an example of how those questions can be worded:

  • What problems does this cause?
  • What answer can you suggest to deal with it?

IELTS Solution Essay Tips

  1. Identify the type of solution essay you have.
  2. Spend time analysing the topic given. Most people rush to form their ideas and don’t prepare supporting points. This is a mistake. Planning is crucial. You are being marked on your ideas and how they are explained and illustrated so spend a few minutes making sure you’ve got it all planned.
  3. Once your ideas are formed, think about how to organise them into paragraphs and how to organise supporting points within the paragraph. Many people think that only paragraphing is marked for organisation, but actually the order of supporting points is also marked. Your aim is for coherence.
  4. Think about language. How will you paraphrase words for the topic and what words will you use to express solutions and causes (if required). Poor paraphrasing (risky paraphrasing) is one reason people fail to get band 7 in their Vocabulary for writing task 2.
  5. Always have an introduction, body paragraphs and conclusion. Never ever miss the conclusion. Always make sure you have time to write it.
  6. Pay attention to the content and length of paragraphs in the model essay below. All the model essay on my website are safe to use as a guide for how to write your IELTS essay. Even for people aiming for band 9, they are still safe to use.

IELTS Solution Essay Model Answer

Many offenders commit more crimes after serving their first punishment. Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?

A large number of criminals who serve their first prison sentence, leave prison only to reoffend. This is mainly because of the lack of rehabilitation and difficulty finding regular employment once released. There are a number of solutions which should be implemented to deal with criminals who reoffend.

Firstly, the reason for most first-time offenders committing crimes again, once they have been released from prison, is due to the lack of rehabilitation whilst in prison. In other words, offenders are not given a chance to retrain and learn new skills for their future or develop a deeper understanding of correct moral behaviour and instead mix with other criminals, which only strengthens their criminal intentions. Secondly, repeat offending is also owing to the difficulty in finding employment after being released. As a result, many of them struggle financially which leads them back to crime, regardless of the consequences.

There are two effective solutions to the problem of repeat offenders. One way to tackle this is to ensure that all criminals entering prison are given the chance to retrain with useful skills which will hopefully ensure them a job after they have served their sentence. By doing this, it will help them reintegrate back into society and give them some means of supporting themselves financially. Another method of dealing with criminals who reoffend is to have more supervision and checks in place when they are back in society. This solution would hopefully prevent them from taking any chances and deter them from reoffending because they are being so closely watched.

In conclusion, regardless of the reasons for reoffending, having skills training and education in prison as well as closer observation for newly released offenders can be effective in preventing criminals from committing crimes again.

VOCABULARY FOR THIS TOPIC: Word List for Crime & Punishment Topic

Examiner Comments: This essay addresses the task completely. All parts of the essay question have been covered with relevant ideas. Both causes and solutions have been well-explained. Ideas are logically organised and there is a flexible use of linking devices, which help sign post the direct of the essay. There is a range of sentence structures and also tenses. Vocabulary is also flexible with a good range of less common words that allows for precise meaning. Essay Length: 290 words

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Crime and Punishment: IELTS Reading Exercise

This IELTS reading exercise is based on the question type of matching sentence endings and covers the topic of crime and punishment. This article is adapted from a UK newspaper discussing the aims of prisons and contains very useful  vocabulary for a common IELTS topic.

Matching Sentence Endings Questions Reading Practice

The aim of these question types is to complete the sentence given by choosing one of the endings in the list. This is called Matching Sentence Endings. You can find tips for this question type in the recommended links at the bottom of this page:

The Old Debate: Punish or Rehabilitate

Debates over how to treat prisoners have gone on since imprisonment began: should the prison system leave inmates to fester in cold cells, with punishment and deterrence as the goal of incarceration? Or should it let them wander from classroom to games room, preaching rehabilitation into society as its main aim?

With over 83,000 prisoners currently locked away, England and Wales have a staggering imprisonment rate of 150 per 100,000 of the population. Our prisons have been officially overcrowded since 1994; nearly 14,000 current inmates are serving indeterminate sentences. If lowering the number of criminals is the reason behind imprisonment, recent figures point to a failing system: almost three quarters of under-18s are reconvicted within a year of release. As James Bell, an American lawyer and prison reform activist, said: “As it stands now, justice systems are extremely expensive, do not rehabilitate, but in fact make the people that experience them worse.”

In response to worldwide alarm over the ineffectiveness of how we manage criminals, a growing number of prisons are embracing a new style of incarceration. By giving inmates more responsibility, comfort, and freedom within the prison walls, governors say they are offering prisoners the chance to change. As the Prison Radio Association spokespeople said: “Reducing re-offending is of benefit to everybody. Equipping prisoners with skills and confidence is crucial in bringing down re-offending rates.”

Questions 1-4: Complete the sentence by choosing the correct ending.

  1. Since prisons were established, it has been considered whether or not …
  2. Putting criminals behind bars to reduce the crime rate is clearly not working…
  3. The new approach to dealing with punishment is  ………
  4. One of the most effective ways to reduce crime figures is to …

Choose the letter (a-g)

  • a) because many under 18’s are criminals.
  • b) the aim of imprisonment should be to put people off committing crime or to rehabilitate them.
  • c) in answer to the lack of success with the way criminals are currently dealt with.
  • d) provide equipment to prisoners.
  • e) the goal should be to provide warmer cells.
  • f) help offenders develop useful skills.
  • g) according to the current crime numbers.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers.

Answers

  1. b
  2. g
  3. c
  4. f

Adapted from Telegraph

All reading exercises on ieltsliz.com have been written by myself to help you prepare for your IELTS test for free.   

Liz

Vocab Builder

  • inmates = prisoners
  • deterrent = discouragement / preemption
  • deter = to put people off doing something / dissuade
  • incarceration = imprisonment
  • staggering = overwhelming
  • indeterminate = unknown / unstated
  • convict (noun) = criminal / convict (verb) = to sentence or to condemn
  • re-offending = commit a crime again 

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Crime: Vocabulary Exercise

Crime is a common topic in IELTS writing task 2 and occasionally it also appears in IELTS speaking part 2 and 3. Below is an exercise to help you practice this vocabulary. This exercise is aiming for students aiming for band score 7 and above. To get a full vocabulary list for crime and punishment, follow the link.

Instructions

Fill in the gaps using the list of vocabulary provided. You may need to change the form of the words to make the sentences grammatically correct. Words may be used more than once.

arrest  /  suspect  /  guilty  /  convict  /  sentence  /  innocent   /  penalty  /  commit

  1. Before handing out a ………………, the circumstances of a crime should be taken into consideration.
  2. The police should be sure of their facts before ……………. someone for a crime.
  3. Criminals who are found …………….of a major crime should receive a heavy ………………….
  4. Criminals …………. of serious crimes should receive the maximum …………..
  5. If a person is found to be …………., they should receive compensation for wrongful arrest.
  6. People …………. of terrorism should be on a watch list.
  7. Having a fixed …………… for each type of crime does not take into account the motivation for ………… the crime.

Answers

  1. sentence
  2. arresting
  3. guilty / sentence
  4. convicted or guilty / penalty or sentence
  5. innocent
  6. suspected
  7. penalty / committing

 

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