Writing a Problem-Solution Essay: Your Ultimate Guide
What is a Problem-Solution Essay?
A problem-solution paper describes a problem and provides a solution to it. This kind of essay shares some traits with a cause and effect paper. Both essay types have similar logical development.
What do you have to do with a problem-solution essay? Essentially, you will describe a problematic situation, like environmental pollution. Then, you will write how bad it is and provide possible solutions. In the end, you need to evaluate these solutions, deciding on the most effective ones.
In practice, a problem-and-solution essay is way easier than you think. You may also encounter such writing pieces on the web regularly. Thus, promotional campaigns have a similar function. They describe a situation and give a solution in the form of an advertised product.
Therefore, problem-solution writing is everywhere, and you will craft perfect essays after reading our guide. Now, check what components the problem-solution paper has.
Components of a Problem-Solution Essay
A problem-solution essay has several components necessary to fulfill its function: give a solution to a problem. So here they are:
Situation
This part describes a particular situation, for example, global warming. It is an introductory part of your essay that gives a reader an understanding of a problem and its context.
Problem Statement
In the second part, you need to explain to your reader that your problem is worth considering. You have to describe the implications it involves.
Note that you have to explain this part even if you speak of something apparent at first sight (like pollution or climate change). This section’s primary purpose is to give your readers the context and even frighten them to some extent with robust, eye-opening statistics and facts.
Solution
The solution part describes the ways your problem can be solved, minimized, or prevented. You can provide several solutions and discuss them, evaluating their pros and cons. Thus, some approaches might be inefficient, while others will eliminate the issue like nothing.
Evaluation
The last section underlines everything you mentioned before and gives a conclusion to your essay. You have to state what solution brings the best results and include a meaningful call to action. For example, you can write that we all have to sort litter, use fewer plastic products, and walk more to slow down climate change and environmental pollution.
Problem-solution components may seem similar to essay outline parts, but they aren’t. It’s because you can make a separate paragraph for your problem statement or include it in your introduction. The outline might be more flexible. So check what structure should a problem-and-solution essay have below.
Problem-Solution Essay Outline
While writing a problem-solution essay, you can follow this outline:
Introduction
In your essay introduction, you have to describe your problem and its significance. This section must contain a thesis statement like global warming will disrupt human civilization unless we stop it.
Optionally, you can describe your problem a bit more in the introductory section of your essay. Thus, you can explain the problem’s origins and describe possible implications it will involve unless solved.
At this point, your readers are getting interested in your topic. So make sure to hook your readers’ interest.
Body
The body must contain the solution part of your essay. It can have several paragraphs, and each of them will cover different solutions. Your essay body will look like this:
- Solution 1.
- Solution 2.
- Solution 3.
Or, it might also include the problem statement component:
- Problem statement.
- Solution 1.
- Solution 2.
- Solution 3.
Conclusion
In the final essay section, you need to provide the evaluation component. Thus, you have to say that your problem is significant once again. Then, you need to evaluate the given solutions and emphasize the most effective ones. Afterward, you should summarize your essay as you will do in a regular essay conclusion.
Please note that it’s a general essay setup. You can modify your problem-solution essay outline as long as you cover your paper’s main components: situation, problem, solution, and evaluation.
How to Choose a Topic for a Problem-Solution Essay?
Your tutor may give you a topic, and you will have to work with it. But sometimes, you will choose a problem-solution essay topic on your own. How to select one? Check these tips:
Search for Problem-Solution Essay Topics on the Web
You may struggle to come up with your essay topic. In this case, you can search for problem-solution essay ideas on the internet. For example, you can find a list with 100+ topics in just a couple of seconds. So choose the subject of your interest, and that’s it.
Avoid Super-General Topics
It’s crucial to select a theme you can cover within your essay word count. You will struggle to process broad subjects like “preventing poverty” within 1,000 words. Such topics require significant research, in-depth and detailed argumentation, and there might never be a straightforward solution to them. They are subjects for term papers rather than regular essays. So, select narrower themes instead, like combating sedentary office job implications.
Make Sure There is Enough Research
Choose only topics you can research well. By selecting a well-researched topic for problem-solution essay, you can save twice as much time on writing. Your task will be to process the existing literature, describe problem solutions, and evaluate them by providing real-life cases. It’s much better than googling for some studies for hours or days, developing your concepts, and theorizing on their efficiency.
Problem-Solution Essay Examples
If you still struggle to figure out what problem solution essays are all about, you need to check for some problem-solution essay sample. So here are several high-quality examples:
Writing Tips for a Problem-Solution Essay
Check these tips for writing winning problem-solution essays:
1. Draft an Essay Outline
Before being capable of crafting a meaningful essay outline, you have to do some basic research. After that, you will realize what you need to write about. After doing quick research, create an essay outline. Open MS Word or another word processing application and type these titles: introduction, solution 1, solution 2, solution 3, conclusion, etc. It will help you focus on each paragraph and write to the point.
2. Do High-Quality Research
Make sure you get information from relevant sources. Discoveries are made each year, and you have to pay attention to the freshest research pieces. Therefore, search for studies and literature published in 2017-2020, if possible. Using accurate and relevant data will complement your research quality and ensure you a high grade.
3. Proofread Your Essay
Errors will downgrade your essay despite its eye-opening argumentation and super-clear structure. That’s why you have to proofread your work several times before submitting it. Check these proofreading tips to get A+ grades:
- Check your essay in half an hour after finishing it.
- Increase the font size to spot more spelling errors.
- Proofread your essay the next day.
- Use multiple grammar checkers.
4. Use Writing Aid
Your essay must contain a well-done bibliography page. Moreover, it has to be 100% unique. For this, you have to use writing tools like plagiarism checkers and citation generators. Thus, a citation machine will save your time on creating a reference list. A plagiarism checker will ensure that your work doesn’t contain matching content (it may have plagiarized elements due to clichés, organization names, rewritten sentences, etc.).
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