Task 2 — Problem/Solution, Advantages & Two-Part
The three most practical Task 2 types reward a plan and punish a wanderer. Each has one specific demand — a linked solution, a clear verdict, or two answered questions — and missing it costs Task Response marks that fluent English can't win back.
What you'll be able to do
- Link solutions directly to the problems or causes you raise
- Give a clear, consistent verdict on 'outweigh' questions
- Answer both parts of a two-part question in full
- Study two band-9 models built for these practical prompts
The opinion and discussion essays are about what you think. These three types are about what you can do with an issue: diagnose it, weigh it, or answer a pair of direct questions about it. They suit candidates who like structure, because each one has a clear shape — but each also hides one specific requirement that, if you miss it, quietly caps your Task Response.
The three are problem–solution (sometimes framed as causes–solutions), advantages–disadvantages, and the two-part or direct question. Below is what each demands before we plan and model them.
| Type | Typical wording | What it demands |
|---|---|---|
| Problem–Solution / Causes–Solutions | "What problems does this cause and how can they be solved?" / "What are the causes and what measures could address them?" | One paragraph on problems (or causes), one on solutions. The solutions must clearly answer the problems you named — not float free. |
| Advantages–Disadvantages | "What are the advantages and disadvantages?" OR "Do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?" | Cover both sides. If asked whether one outweighs the other, you MUST reach a verdict and hold it throughout. |
| Two-part / Direct question | Two separate direct questions, e.g. "Why is this trend happening? Is it a positive or negative development?" | Answer BOTH questions fully — ideally one body paragraph each. Skipping or half-answering one halves your Task Response. |
Problem–solution: make the solution fit the problem
This type is really two mini-essays joined at the hip. Body 1 identifies the problem (or the cause), explains why it matters, and gives an example. Body 2 proposes a realistic solution, explains how it would work, and gives an example. The single most important thing — and the thing weaker scripts miss — is that the solution must be tied to the problem you actually raised.
I see this constantly: a candidate writes a strong paragraph about, say, traffic congestion being caused by too many private cars, then proposes "the government should build more hospitals" as a solution. The solution is fine in the abstract; it just doesn't answer the problem on the page. Keep asking yourself: does this solution solve that problem? If not, cut it.
Planning a problem–solution essay
- Name one clear problem (or cause). One well-developed problem beats three shallow ones. Be specific about what it is and who it affects.
- Match it with one realistic solution. Ask directly: would this actually fix the problem I just described? Realistic and linked beats ambitious and vague.
- Explain the mechanism. Don't just name the solution — say how it works. "Congestion charging reduces traffic because it makes driving into the centre expensive, pushing commuters onto public transport."
- Add an example to each. A real city, policy or scenario for the problem, and one for the solution. Concrete detail is what lifts these essays above a list.
Advantages–disadvantages: mind the verdict trap
This type comes in two flavours, and telling them apart is everything. If the prompt simply says "what are the advantages and disadvantages?", you describe both sides fairly and you're done — no verdict required. But if it asks "do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?", that little word outweigh turns it into an opinion question in disguise. Now you must decide which side wins, say so clearly, and hold that verdict from introduction to conclusion.
The classic mistake is answering an "outweigh" prompt by listing three advantages and three disadvantages, then stopping. Without a verdict, you've written a plain discussion essay for a question that demanded a decision — and Task Response drops, because you didn't answer what was asked.
The 'outweigh' verdict trap
When a prompt asks whether the advantages outweigh the disadvantages, listing pros and cons is not enough — you must state which side is stronger and keep that position consistent. Decide your verdict before you write, put it in the introduction, and repeat it in the conclusion. An essay that weighs both sides evenly and never commits reads as an unanswered question, no matter how good the English. This one word is responsible for a large share of avoidable band-6 scores.
Planning an advantages–disadvantages essay
- Check for the word 'outweigh' first. If it's there, you need a verdict. If it's not, a balanced description of both sides is enough.
- If a verdict is needed, decide it now. Which side wins? Commit before you brainstorm, so the essay leans that way on purpose.
- One paragraph per side. Body 1 for advantages, Body 2 for disadvantages — each with an explanation and example.
- State the verdict twice. In the introduction ("the benefits clearly outweigh the drawbacks") and again in the conclusion. Never leave the reader guessing which side you landed on.
Two-part questions: answer both, or lose half
A two-part prompt gives you two direct questions, often quite different from each other — for example, "Why do more people choose to live alone today? Is this a positive or negative development?" The safest structure is one body paragraph per question. It's mechanical, and that's exactly why it works: it guarantees you answer both parts, which is the whole game here.
The failure mode is answering the first question thoroughly, running low on time or ideas, and giving the second question a single rushed sentence — or forgetting it entirely. Because Task Response is judged on covering the whole prompt, a half-answered second question can cost you a full band.
💡 Spotting the trap in the wording
An increasing number of people are buying goods online rather than in physical shops. Do the advantages of this trend outweigh the disadvantages?
Answer:
Type: Advantages–disadvantages WITH a verdict (note 'outweigh'). Required: not just pros and cons — a clear decision on which side wins, stated in the introduction and conclusion. Plan: Verdict = advantages outweigh. Body 1 = advantages (convenience, price, choice). Body 2 = disadvantages (harm to local shops, no physical inspection) — but framed as outweighed by the benefits.
The word 'outweigh' is the whole instruction. A candidate who writes a balanced pros-and-cons essay here has answered a question that wasn't asked. The verdict — advantages win — must shape the introduction, the emphasis of the body paragraphs, and the conclusion.
Model 1 — Problem–solution
Watch how the solution in Body 2 directly answers the problem raised in Body 1, rather than drifting to an unrelated fix.
✅ Band-9 problem–solution essay Band 9.0
Prompt: In many cities, traffic congestion is becoming a serious problem. What problems does this cause, and how could they be solved?
Traffic congestion has become one of the defining frustrations of modern city life, clogging roads for hours each day. This essay will examine the problems it creates and argue that a combination of congestion pricing and better public transport offers the most effective response.
The most damaging problem congestion causes is the sheer loss of time and productivity. When commuters spend an hour or more crawling to work each morning, cities lose enormous quantities of working hours, and individuals lose time they could spend with their families or resting. This has a real economic cost: studies of large cities routinely estimate that congestion drains billions from local economies every year through delayed goods, wasted fuel and lost labour. Beyond the economics, the constant stop-start of gridlocked traffic pours pollution into the air, worsening respiratory illness for everyone who lives near a busy road.
The most effective way to address these problems is to make driving into congested areas less attractive while giving people a genuine alternative. Congestion pricing — charging drivers a fee to enter the busiest districts at peak times — directly targets the cause by discouraging unnecessary car journeys. London's congestion charge, introduced in 2003, cut traffic in the central zone significantly in its early years. Crucially, the money raised should be reinvested in frequent, affordable buses and trains, so that commuters priced off the roads have somewhere to go. Pricing without an alternative simply punishes drivers; pricing paired with better transport actually shifts behaviour.
In conclusion, urban congestion inflicts serious economic and health costs on cities, but these are not inevitable. By charging for road use at peak times and channelling that revenue into public transport, cities can ease the gridlock at its source.
- The introduction paraphrases the prompt and previews the essay's structure in one outline sentence — a clean, efficient opening.
- Body 1 develops ONE problem (lost time and productivity) fully, with an economic angle and a health angle, rather than listing several shallow ones.
- Body 2's solution directly answers Body 1's problem: congestion pricing tackles the excess car journeys, and the writer explicitly links the two ('directly targets the cause').
- The essay adds the non-obvious insight that pricing must be PAIRED with public transport — showing genuine, developed thinking rather than a generic fix.
- A specific example (London's 2003 congestion charge) grounds the solution in reality. The conclusion restates both the problem and the linked solution without new ideas.
Model 2 — Advantages–disadvantages with a verdict
This prompt uses "outweigh", so the essay commits to a verdict in the introduction and holds it all the way to the conclusion.
✅ Band-9 advantages–disadvantages essay (with verdict) Band 9.0
Prompt: More and more people are working from home rather than in a traditional office. Do the advantages of this development outweigh the disadvantages?
Remote work, once a rare perk, has become a permanent feature of many careers, with large numbers of employees now working from home instead of commuting to an office. While this shift brings clear drawbacks, I believe its advantages comfortably outweigh them, chiefly because of the time it saves and the flexibility it offers.
The benefits of working from home are substantial. The most immediate is the elimination of the daily commute, which returns hours to employees each week and removes a significant source of stress and expense. This recovered time can be spent on family, exercise or rest, all of which tend to make people more productive when they do work. Home working also grants flexibility that suits parents, carers and people with disabilities, widening the pool of who can participate in the workforce at all. A parent who can start early, break for the school run and finish later is far more employable than an office-only schedule would allow.
The disadvantages are real but, to my mind, more manageable. Working from home can be isolating, and the informal conversations that build teams and spark ideas are harder to replicate over video calls. Some employees also struggle to separate work from home life when both share the same four walls. Yet these problems have practical remedies: occasional team days in a shared office, clear working hours, and a dedicated workspace address most of them. They temper the case for remote work; they do not overturn it.
In conclusion, although home working carries genuine costs in connection and boundaries, the time it saves and the flexibility it provides are more valuable still. For most employees, the advantages of this development clearly outweigh its disadvantages.
- The introduction states the verdict outright ('its advantages comfortably outweigh them') — exactly what an 'outweigh' prompt demands, and it names the reasons up front.
- The essay covers BOTH sides — a full advantages paragraph and a full disadvantages paragraph — so it isn't one-sided, yet it never loses its verdict.
- The disadvantages paragraph is framed to support the verdict: the problems are acknowledged honestly, then shown to be 'more manageable', keeping the position consistent.
- Concrete detail (the school-run parent, team days, dedicated workspace) turns abstract claims into a developed argument.
- The conclusion repeats the verdict in fresh wording — the reader is never left wondering which side the writer chose.
Two questions to ask before you hand in
For a problem–solution essay: "Does my solution actually solve the problem I described?" For an advantages–disadvantages essay: "Did the prompt say 'outweigh'? If so, have I given a clear verdict?" For a two-part question: "Have I answered both questions with roughly equal depth?" One of these three checks catches most of the Task Response marks candidates leave on the table.
Now write one under timed conditions
You've seen the structure for every Task 2 type. The only way to make it stick is to write real essays against a clock. Take a prompt into the Writing Practice Clinic, produce a full 40-minute answer, and get an instant estimate across all four criteria — then bring it back up with the checklist there. For official sample questions, the free practice materials from the British Council and IELTS.org are worth working through.
Frequently asked questions
How do I know if an advantages–disadvantages question needs a verdict?
Look for the word 'outweigh'. If the prompt asks 'do the advantages outweigh the disadvantages?', you must decide which side is stronger and state it clearly in your introduction and conclusion. If it simply asks 'what are the advantages and disadvantages?', a balanced description of both sides is all that's required.
How many problems and solutions should I write about?
One well-developed problem and one realistic, clearly linked solution is usually enough for a strong essay. Depth beats breadth: a single problem explained with an example and a solution whose mechanism you actually describe scores better than a shallow list of several.
What is the biggest mistake in problem–solution essays?
Proposing a solution that doesn't actually solve the problem you raised. Always check that your solution directly answers the specific problem or cause you described earlier — a good idea that addresses a different issue still counts as off-task.
How should I structure a two-part question?
Answer each of the two questions in its own body paragraph. This guarantees you cover both parts with roughly equal depth, which is essential — half-answering or forgetting the second question is one of the fastest ways to lose Task Response marks on this type.