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Problem Solution Essay

Problem-Solution Essay - Writing Guide, Topics, & Examples!

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What is a Problem-Solution Essay?

A problem-solution essay is a form of persuasive writing that delves into a specific issue, providing a detailed examination of the problem and proposing effective solutions.

Unlike other essay types, it places a strong emphasis on presenting practical remedies to real-world problems.

The main aim is not just to explain the problem but to get readers interested in practical solutions. This makes it a unique and impactful type of academic writing.

Why Write a Problem Solution Essay

There are significant reasons to write a problem solution essay. First and foremost, this type of writing encourages the practical application of knowledge . You are required to address real-world issues and propose practical solutions. This helps develop a deeper sense of the problems around you.

Additionally, this process refines analytical skills , encourages you to approach problems with a solution-oriented mindset.

Also, working on a problem-solution essay helps you become better at communicating . You have to explain complicated problems and solutions in a way that's clear and easy to understand.

Writing problem solution essays is more than just an academic essay exercise. It serves as a platform for intellectual growth, developing a practical and impactful approach to societal challenges.

Problem Solution Essay Structure

In crafting a problem-solution essay, the structure plays a pivotal role in presenting ideas coherently and persuasively.

Two commonly used structures for this type of essay are the block structure and the chain structure. Each has its unique approach to organizing information, offering writers flexibility in presenting their analysis and proposed solutions.

Block Structure

The block structure, also known as the whole-to-whole or one-side-at-a-time structure, is a straightforward organizational method.

In this type of structure, the writer dedicates separate blocks of text to first presenting the problem comprehensively. The solutions to the problems are presented in the next sections subsequently.

This structure allows for a clear separation between the problem and solution sections, providing a systematic and easy-to-follow presentation.

Here is an outline for block structure problem-solution essay:

Chain Structure

Contrasting the block structure, the chain structure takes an interconnected approach.

In this format, the essay addresses a specific problem and promptly proposes a solution.

The pattern repeats as each problem is introduced, followed immediately by its corresponding solution. This structure aims to maintain a continuous and engaging flow, presenting a transition between problems and solutions.

Here is a chain structure template:

How to Write a Problem-Solution Essay?

A problem solution essay requires taking a systematic approach. Here are the basic steps for writing this type of essay:

Step 1 - Topic Selection

Choosing the right topic is the first crucial step in writing a problem-solution essay. Pick a real-world issue that genuinely interests you.

Consider problems that have personal significance or affect your community. The goal is to engage with a problem that allows for meaningful discussion and exploration.

Step 2 - Understanding the Problem

Before diving into solutions, take the time to fully grasp the intricacies of the problem at hand.

Research the issue thoroughly, aiming to comprehend its various aspects and implications. This step is essential for presenting a well-informed analysis in your essay, ensuring a solid foundation for proposing solutions.

Step 3 - Explore Viable Solutions

Once you've identified and understood the problem, brainstorm possible solutions.

Think about practical, achievable, and effective ways to address the issue. Consider different angles and perspectives, aiming for solutions that are not only feasible but also have the potential to make a positive impact in real-world scenarios.

Step 4 - Create an Outline

Organize your thoughts and structure your essay by creating a clear outline.

Allocate specific sections for introducing the problem, proposing solutions, and crafting a conclusion. A well-organized outline serves as a roadmap, guiding you through each step of the writing process.

Step 5 - Write the Introduction

Begin your essay with a captivating introduction . Start with an attention-grabbing hook that draws your reader in.

Clearly state the problem, emphasizing its significance. Conclude the introduction with a concise thesis statement that outlines the solutions you will explore in the essay.

Step 6 - Craft Body Paragraph

Dedicate individual paragraphs to each problem and its corresponding solution. Elaborate on the details of the problem and present practical solutions.

Support your ideas with examples, evidence, or real-life scenarios. This section forms the core of your essay, providing a comprehensive exploration of the issues at hand.

Step 7 - Address Possible Objections

Acknowledge and address potential counterarguments to your proposed solutions.

Anticipating objections adds depth to your essay, showcasing a thorough consideration of alternative viewpoints. By addressing possible objections, you strengthen the overall persuasiveness of your solutions.

Step 8 - Conclude The Essay

Conclude your essay by summarizing the main points without introducing new information. Reinforce the importance of the proposed solutions and leave a lasting impression.

Consider ending with a call to action or a thought-provoking statement that resonates with your reader. The conclusion should provide a sense of closure to your essay.

Problem-Solution Essay Example

We know that writing this kind of essay could be a challenge. Here are some problem solution essay samples:

Problem Solution Essay Sample PDF

Financial Problem Solution Essay

Garbage Problem Solution Essay

Problem Solution Essay IELTS

Problem Solution Essay Topics

When picking a topic for your problem-solution essay, think about a few important things.

Choose something that matters to your audience and is important in society right now. Pick issues that really affect people or communities and need attention.

Make sure the problem can be realistically solved with practical solutions. Here is a list of problem solution essay topics you can use:

Tobacco should be banned to control lung cancer. Discuss.
Obesity is caused by genetically modified and processed food. Discuss the solution.
Movie scripts should be censored to control violence in youth. Discuss.
How to tackle the lack of resources in urban homeless shelters?
Government should propose some policies to deal with illegal immigration. Discuss.
How can we use social media to improve awareness?
Propose some ways to keep your friends and family safe.
College students in the United States are overburdened with homework.
How to improve the quality of education in high school?
Providing equal opportunities to under-privileged children is important. Discuss.

These are some good problem-solution topics that you can tweak to use as your own.

Problem Solution Essay Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure your problem solution essay is well-crafted and effective:

So, wrapping up, with this guide and checklist, you can now write a problem-solution essay that fulfills its purpose. Just remember to be clear, practical, and interesting.

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Problem Solution Essay Topics

Table of Contents

Academic writing usually pursues a broad goal – identifying how well the student embraced the learning material and how accurately they can apply theory to practical events, phenomena, and processes. That’s exactly what you can do in a problem-solution essay, which is meant to test your skill of problem identification and scholarly evidence evaluation. You will need to find an issue in your area of study and scan the literature to find appropriate solutions to it. As a result, you should display a variety of analytical skills in this writing piece, proving to your professor that you can determine a problem, dissect it to realize its causes, and evaluate external evidence to find effective remedies to that issue.

So, you should understand how to write analysis paper first and then proceed to the problem-solution type of academic writing.

Problem Solution Topics for College Students

Problems and solutions vary by discipline and academic level. High school students typically face the need to resolve some basic-level problems, while college students face the need to dive deeper into the essence of things and find non-obvious solutions to complex issues. Here are a couple of suggestions to inspire your writing effort.

The dark side of the body positivity movement.
Driving under the influence: incidence rates, causes, and solutions to the problem.
Ways of addressing police brutality and abuse of power.
Solutions to the problem of racial violence in the USA.
Solutions to the ever-present problem of white-collar crime in European corporations.
Effective remedies to cybercrime and hacker attacks.
Solutions to the problem of body shaming.
Ways of improving privacy in the increasingly digitalized society.
Solutions to loosen the intimate relationship between poverty and criminality.
Solutions to concealed domestic violence.
Ways to encourage more families to adopt children from orphanages.
Reasons for wrongful sentencing and solutions to this problem.
Long-term remedies to the unemployment issue.
Ways to effectively promote the development of CMEs in the developing states.
Tech-savvy solutions to the problem of increasing waste and improper waste management in cities.
Solutions to the post-COVID-19 decrease in tourism industry’s popularity.
Workable solutions to the looming hyperinflation danger.
Ways to promote cultural diversity in the modern workplace.
Solutions to the harmful impact of perfect body images promoted on social media.
Addressing the increasing consumerism in modern society.
Effective solutions to help people exit abusive relationships.
Rising ageism and ways to address it in society and in the workplace.
Effective approaches to cultural exchange promotion.
Working solutions for promoting support for the elderly at the community level.
Reducing military tensions and risks across the globe via diplomatic means.
Efficient methods for curbing the global human trafficking industry.
How can humanity stop child labor practices in developing countries?
Using legislative means to limit the political candidates’ use of taxpayer money for their campaign financing.
Improving the quality of disabled individuals’ lives.
Solutions to the rising costs of education.
Problems that immigrants come across during assimilation and solutions to these challenges.
Possible solutions to the mounting substance abuse rates across the globe.

University-Level Problem Solution Topic List

Undergraduate writing about problems and their solutions is a distinct area of academic activity for which you should be sufficiently prepared. It engages students in a fascinating journey of problem identification, which is usually more complex than college-level writing. It would help to make sure that the problem is original – nobody has researched it in depth before. After that, you should construct genuinely new knowledge by analyzing the existing scholarly evidence, connecting the dots in theory, and finding brand-new solutions to the problem.

The task may seem daunting at first, but it is highly rewarding as an independent scholarly effort in the end. Here are some suggestions for directions you can take in the process of working on such papers.

The magnitude of the STD problem in African countries and possible solutions to the STD spread.
Electricity-powered cars as a solution to the deteriorating air quality in North America.
Approaches to individual education on recycling practices.
Why is deforestation remaining at high levels?
Workable solutions to reducing the volume of plastic waste disposal.
Landfill problem: an international comparison of the problem’s severity and regional approaches to addressing it.
School bullying: scope of the problem, causes, and solutions.
Effective educational techniques that may help resolve the problem of racial discrimination.
Workable methods for resource depletion minimization.
Is the problem of production process externalities acute in third-world countries? What can be done to curb it?
What can be done to reduce children’s exposure to illegal drugs?
Possible solutions to high divorce rates’ prevention.
Efficient approaches to reducing the number of school dropouts among students from low economic status families.
Educational techniques to ensure safe teenage driving.
A variety of approaches to teen pregnancy reduction.
Best ways to help victims of home violence.
Effective methods of reintroducing ex-prisoners to society so that they integrate smoothly and don’t return to crime.
Effective approaches to curbing illegal immigration to the USA.
What can be done to make third-world countries safe for tourists?
How can humanity address illiteracy on a global level?
A variety of approaches to balancing free speech with individual protection against abuse and insults.
Workable techniques to help people transition to a healthy lifestyle.
Solutions to the problem of substance abuse.
Effective methods for seizing smoking.
Making large cities more pedestrian- and cycler-friendly.
The best solutions to the problem of joblessness in the tech era.
Effective methods of overcoming one’s limits in sports.
Solutions for harsh injury prevention in professional athletics.
How can students choose courses more effectively and avoid costly career changes early in their lives?
Possible solutions to dealing with a nasty roommate.

Problem and Solution Ideas for all Study Levels and Subjects

At times, you might only need to compose a short essay about a problem relevant to your field of study. Here are some topic ideas for various academic subjects that you can consider and choose a good, fresh idea for your homework task.

What can people do to help animals cope with the consequences of climate change and the loss of their natural habitats?
Financial fraud is flourishing today. How to make people more financially literate and protected against scams and criminals?
Working in a multinational company is a cultural challenge. How can a company help its employees integrate better?
Remote work is the new reality of the post-COVID world. What are the best solutions to communication hurdles in remote teams?
Pets are a great responsibility for people of all ages. What solutions can be found to reduce the number of abandoned pets on the streets?
Manufacturing gets costlier, and producers often resort to unethical cost-saving techniques that are reflected in product quality. What are the optimal solutions to maintaining the profit margin while at the same time keeping the manufacturing pipeline ethical?
Eating disorders are a growing global health concern. What are the possible solutions to this problem, and what causes should be addressed to minimize its scope?
Depression is a common occurrence among teenagers coming of age. What can parents do to help their children overcome depressive episodes with minimum harm to their mental and physical health?
Unethical advertisers often resort to people’s fears and prejudice to produce a convincing effect. What regulations should be implemented to guarantee rigorous consumer protection from such practices?
The elderly worldwide often suffer from loneliness and isolation, which causes their premature cognitive deterioration. What are the possible solutions to this problem on a community level?
Gender role education still follows many age-old stereotypes and prejudices that harm people at an adult age. How can these stereotypes be dropped across all educational levels to free the growing generation from their limiting nature?
Water is increasingly polluted with industrial waste across the globe. What effective regulations can be put in place to prevent the problem from aggravating?
Some countries are more successful in responding to climate change challenges, while others have failed in their efforts. How can successful states educate the less successful ones to ensure global progress toward curbing climate change?
Monarch butterflies, as well as hundreds of other species, are on the verge of extinction. How can we help preserve them?
People need transportation to move globally, but vehicles pollute the atmosphere. What are the alternative solutions to sustaining economic activities without so much pollution?

What should I write my problem-solution essay about?

As the name of this essay type suggests, you should compose a writing piece with an actual problem in focus. It’s vital to choose a serious topic that covers a really existing problem instead of making a problem out of nothing. Once you delineate the issue’s scope and magnitude with figures and significant stats, you may proceed to a range of possible solutions you’ve identified in scholarly literature.

What is a problem-solution topic?

There are tons of worthy topics for your problem-solution essays, and the choice primarily depends on your academic subject and the area of your interest. This way, you can work on the problem topical for your community, your research subject, or the broader science. If you’re a biologist, you may study the problems that flora and fauna may experience in your neighborhood and use academic evidence to suggest workable solutions. Otherwise, if you’re an MBA student, it may be a good idea to study a concrete managerial issue in a particular organization and propose data-backed solutions.

What are some good topics for essays?

Again, it’s hard to determine the topic’s quality without understanding your subject and area of research interest. However, in a nutshell, a good topic for problem-solution essays should be debatable and realistic. In other words, your identified problem should indeed exist and offer no self-obvious solutions.

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29 Writing Problem-Solution Essays

Start-Up Activity

Point out that solving problems is how we make advances and improvements in life. Problems might be small, such as the need to fix a broken-down fence in our neighborhood. Problems can also be big, like the rapid loss of forests throughout our world.

Analyzing a problem helps us solve it. First, we look at the factors that cause the problem. Then we look at the effects that result from the problem. A solution might remove some of the problems or some of the effects.

Problem-solution writing can help students think their way through problems and come up with ways to solve them. It helps turn students into critical thinkers and problem solvers, making life better for everyone.

Think About It

“The golden rule of writing is to write about what you care about. If you care about your writing, you’ll do your best writing, and then you stand the best chance of really touching a reader in some way.”

—Jerry Spinelli

State Standards Covered in This Chapter

CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.A
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.B
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1.B
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.4
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.10
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1.A
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.1.D
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.1.D
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.5
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.5

LAFS Covered in This Chapter

Lafs.4.ri.1.1, lafs.4.ri.1.2, lafs.4.ri.2.5, lafs.4.w.1.1, lafs.4.w.2.4, lafs.5.ri.1.1, lafs.5.ri.1.2, lafs.5.ri.2.5, lafs.5.w.1.1, lafs.5.w.2.4, lafs.5.w.4.10, lafs.4.w.2.5, lafs.5.w.2.5, teks covered in this chapter, 110.6.b.9.d, 110.6.b.9.d.i, 110.6.b.9.d.iii, 110.6.b.12.c, 110.6.b.11.b, 110.6.b.11.a, 110.6.b.11.b.i, 110.6.b.11.b.ii, 110.7.b.9.d, 110.7.b.7.d, 110.7.b.9.d.iii, 110.7.b.11.a, 110.7.b.11.b, 110.7.b.12.c, 110.7.b.11.b.i, 110.6.b.11.c, 110.6.b.11.d, 110.7.b.11.c, 110.7.b.11.d, page 210 from writers express, sample problem-solution essay.

Ask for student volunteers to read each paragraph of the problem-solution essay on this page and the one that follows. Then review the features that are called out in the side notes.

Point out the problem (underlined) as well as each topic sentence that addresses a different part of the problem and proposes a solution.

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Page 211 from Writers Express

Sample Problem-Solution Essay (Continued)

Solving Problems Critically and Creatively

Help students improve problem solving.

Page 212 from Writers Express

Writing a problem-solution essay.

Use the strategy at the top of the page to help your students list problems. Then use the problem-solution strategy at the bottom of the page to help students analyze the problem.

You could also use the cause-effect minilesson to help students analyze the causes and effects of the problem. Afterward, your students can devise solutions by getting rid of some of the causes, some of the effects, or both.

Analyzing with a Cause-Effect Chart

Analyze causes and effects of any topic.

Page 213 from Writers Express

Prewriting: organizing your ideas.

Use the listing strategy on this page to help students gather and organize the ideas for their problem-solution essays. The organized list shows one pattern, focusing on major causes and the people who can help solve the problem. At the bottom of the page, you'll find another way to organize details. Have your students choose a pattern that best fits their ideas.

Page 214 from Writers Express

Writing, revising, and editing.

Use this page to help your students fashion effective beginnings, middles, and endings for their writing. Point out the transition words that they can use to connect ideas using order of importance. You can also have them do the minilesson for other transition ideas.

Download and distribute the problem-solution revising and editing checklist to help students check the quality of their text. You also might have peer reviewers complete a peer response sheet, as shown in the minilesson.

Using Transitions to Add Information and Emphasis

Help students add information and emphasis.

a line of apples transition from unfocused to focused

Using a Peer Response Sheet

Teach students to write peer responses.

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Problem-solution essays Situation-problem-solution-evaluation

Problem-solution essays are a common essay type, especially for short essays such as subject exams or IELTS . The page gives information on what they are , how to structure this type of essay, and gives an example problem-solution essay on the topic of obesity and fitness levels.

What are problem-solution essays?

Problem-solution essays consider the problems of a particular situation, and give solutions to those problems. They are in some ways similar to cause and effect essays , especially in terms of structure (see below). Problem-solution essays are actually a sub-type of another type of essay, which has the following four components:

The 'situation' may be included in the essay prompt, in which case it will not be needed in the main body. If it is needed, it can often be included in the introduction, especially for short essays, as with the example essay below . The 'evaluation' may be included as part of the conclusion (also as in the example below), or omitted altogether, especially for short essays. For these reasons, problem-solution essays are more common than situation-problem-solution-evaluation essays (or SPSE essays).

There are two main ways to structure a problem-solution essay. These are similar to the ways to structure cause and effect essays , namely using a block or a chain structure. For the block structure, all of the problems are listed first, and all of the solutions are listed afterwards. For the chain structure, each problem is followed immediately by the solution to that problem. Both types of structure have their merits. The former is generally clearer, especially for shorter essays, while the latter ensures that any solutions you present relate directly to the problems you have given.

The two types of structure, block and chain , are shown in the diagram below. This is for a short essay, which includes the 'situation' in the introduction and 'evaluation' in the conclusion. A longer essay, for example one of around 1,000 words, with citations , would probably have these two sections as separate paragraphs in the main body.

Example essay

Below is a problem-solution essay on the topic of obesity and poor fitness . It uses the block structure . Click on the different areas (in the shaded boxes) to highlight the different structural aspects in this essay, i.e. Situation, Problem, Solution, Evaluation. This will highlight not simply the paragraphs, but also (for problems and solutions) the thesis statement and summary , as these repeat the problems and solutions contained in the main body.

Consumption of processed and convenience foods and our dependence on the car have led to an increase in obesity and reduction in the fitness level of the adult population. In some countries, especially industrialized ones, the number of obese people can amount to one third of the population. This is significant as obesity and poor fitness lead to a decrease in life expectancy , and it is therefore important for individuals and governments to work together to tackle this issue and improve their citizens' diet and fitness. Obesity and poor fitness decrease life expectancy. Overweight people are more likely to have serious illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, which can result in premature death. It is well known that regular exercise can reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, which means that those with poor fitness levels are at an increased risk of suffering from those problems. Changes by individuals to their diet and their physical activity can increase life expectancy. There is a reliance today on the consumption of processed foods, which have a high fat and sugar content. By preparing their own foods, and consuming more fruit and vegetables, people could ensure that their diets are healthier and more balanced, which could lead to a reduction in obesity levels. In order to improve fitness levels, people could choose to walk or cycle to work or to the shops rather than taking the car. They could also choose to walk up stairs instead of taking the lift. These simple changes could lead to a significant improvement in fitness levels. Governments could also implement initiatives to improve their citizens' eating and exercise habits. This could be done through education, for example by adding classes to the curriculum about healthy diet and lifestyles. Governments could also do more to encourage their citizens to walk or cycle instead of taking the car, for instance by building more cycle lanes or increasing vehicle taxes. While some might argue that increased taxes are a negative way to solve the problem, it is no different from the high taxes imposed on cigarettes to reduce cigarette consumption. In short, obesity and poor fitness are a significant problem in modern life, leading to lower life expectancy . Individuals and governments can work together to tackle this problem and so improve diet and fitness . Of the solutions suggested, those made by individuals themselves are likely to have more impact, though it is clear that a concerted effort with the government is essential for success. With obesity levels in industrialized and industrializing countries continuing to rise, it is essential that we take action now to deal with this problem.

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Below is a checklist for the main body of an essay. Use it to check your own writing, or get a peer (another student) to help you.

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Compare & contrast essays examine the similarities of two or more objects, and the differences.

Cause & effect essays consider the reasons (or causes) for something, then discuss the results (or effects).

Discussion essays require you to examine both sides of a situation and to conclude by saying which side you favour.

Problem-solution essays are a sub-type of SPSE essays (Situation, Problem, Solution, Evaluation).

Transition signals are useful in achieving good cohesion and coherence in your writing.

Reporting verbs are used to link your in-text citations to the information cited.

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Problem/Solution Essays

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In this chapter you will write a problem/solution essay. To write a problem/solution essay, think about a problem that you have experienced and how it could be fixed.

A problem/solution essay is written to explain the solution(s) for a problem. This essay can describe multiple solutions or one “ideal” solution to the problem you describe.

This content is provided to you freely by BYU Open Learning Network.

Access it online or download it at https://open.byu.edu/academic_a_writing/problemsolution_essa .

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26 How do I Write a Problem Solution Essay?

To write a problem/solution essay, think about a problem that you have experienced and how it could be fixed. A problem/solution essay is written to explain the solution(s) for a problem . This essay can describe multiple solutions or one “ideal” solution to the problem you describe.

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Interest your reader in the problem.
Convince your reader that the problem is important and needs to be solved.
Explain your solution clearly.
Convince the reader that your solution is cost-effective and feasible.
Convince your reader that your solution is better than other solutions.

A problem-solution essay is an essay that describes a problem and discusses possible solutions to the problem. This type of essay may be assigned in a high school or college composition class, and it generally requires some research before the writing process can begin. The primary thrust of a problem-solution essay is usually either an argument for a specific solution to a problem or a strong case for the urgent need to solve a problem. Like most essays, the problem-solution essay must contain an introduction, a thesis, a body, and a conclusion.

Identify the problem that will be discussed. It can be helpful to brainstorm possible essay topics and create a list of bullet-point ideas that could possibly be discussed for each topic. The best problem-solution topics are interesting and can be viewed from multiple perspectives, but are also not so broad that a solution to the problem is impossible to imagine.

Provide relevant background information . The problem should be clearly defined, and the causes of the problem should be identified if possible. The extent of the problem must also be described, as well as the effects of the problem and possible consequences of allowing the problem to continue unsolved. Any key terms that need to be defined should also be included in the opening, as well as any pertinent historical information that would help the reader understand the problem better.

Depending on the problem to be discussed, the thesis of a problem -solution essay may argue for the urgent need to solve the problem, or it may argue for a single solution to the problem. Most commonly, it will argue for a single solution. The thesis should generally be only one sentence long, and should clearly identify the main point of the essay. It will usually be placed in the opening paragraph, although in some cases the thesis can be reserved for the latter part of the essay where it will be revealed after a complete discussion of the problem and possible solutions have taken place.

The body of a problem-solution essay should fully describe proposed solutions to the problem and discuss the possible outcomes of each solution. Advantages or disadvantages to each solution should be included, as well as the proposed solutions. If any attempts have already been made to solve the problem, those should be described as well. If the essay will be arguing for a single solution to the problem, the body of the paper should lead logically to the conclusion that the solution being advocated is the best solution available. In such cases, it is important not only to describe the solution but also to describe how the solution can or should be implemented.

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Composition Type: Problem-Solution Essays

An Introduction to Punctuation
Ph.D., Rhetoric and English, University of Georgia
M.A., Modern English and American Literature, University of Leicester
B.A., English, State University of New York

In composition , using a problem-solution format is a method for analyzing and writing about a topic by identifying a problem and proposing one or more solutions. A problem-solution essay is a type of argument. "This sort of essay involves argumentation in that the writer seeks to convince the reader to take a particular course of action. In explaining the problem, it may also need to persuade the reader concerning specific causes" (Dave Kemper et al., "Fusion: Integrated Reading and Writing," 2016).

The Thesis Statement

In many types of report writing, the thesis statement is posed front and center, in one sentence. Author Derek Soles writes about how the thesis statement in a problem-solution paper differs from a straight "report of findings" type of text:

"[One] expository mode is the problem-solution essay, topics for which are typically framed in the form of questions. Why did fourth-graders from poor families score low on a nationwide math test, and how can educators improve math education for this group? Why is Iran a threat to our national security, and how can we reduce this threat? Why did it take the Democratic Party so long to select a candidate for the 2008 presidential election, and what can the party do to make the process more efficient in the future? These essays have two parts: a full explanation of the nature of the problem, followed by an analysis of solutions and their likelihood of success."

("The Essentials of Academic Writing," 2nd ed. Wadsworth, Cengage, 2010)

Readers need additional context before you get to your thesis, but that is not to say that the thesis has to be posed as a question in the introduction:

"In a problem-solution essay, the thesis statement usually proposes the solution. Because readers must first understand the problem, the thesis statement usually comes after a description of the problem. The thesis statement does not have to give details about the solution. Instead, it summarizes the solution. It should also lead naturally to the body of the essay, preparing your reader for a discussion of how your solution would work."

(Dorothy Zemach and Lynn Stafford-Yilmaz, "Writers at Work: The Essay." Cambridge University Press, 2008)

Sample Introductions

It can be helpful to see completed examples before writing in order to examine what makes for an effective piece. See how these introductions give some context before posing the topic and lead naturally into the body paragraphs, where the evidence will be listed. You can imagine how the author has organized the rest of the piece.

"We buried my cousin last summer. He was 32 when he hanged himself from a closet coat rack in the throes of alcoholism, the fourth of my blood relatives to die prematurely from this deadly disease. If America issued drinking licenses, those four men—including my father, who died at 54 of liver failure—might be alive today."

(Mike Brake, "Needed: A License to Drink." Newsweek , March 13, 1994)

"America is suffering from overwork. Too many of us are too busy, trying to squeeze more into each day while having less to show for it. Although our growing time crunch is often portrayed as a personal dilemma, it is, in fact, a major social problem that has reached crisis proportions over the past twenty years."

(Barbara Brandt, "Whole Life Economics: Revaluing Daily Life." New Society, 1995)

"The modern-day apartment dweller is faced with a most annoying problem: paper-thin walls and sound-amplifying ceilings. To live with this problem is to live with the invasion of privacy. There is nothing more distracting than to hear your neighbors' every function. Although the source of the noise cannot be eliminated, the problem can be solved."

(Maria B. Dunn, "One Man's Ceiling Is Another Man's Floor: The Problem of Noise")

Organization

In "Passages: A Writer's Guide, " how to organize a problem-solution paper is explained:

"Though to some extent [your organization of the paper] depends on your topic, do make sure that you include the following information:

Introduction: Identify the problem in a nutshell. Explain why this is a problem, and mention who should be concerned about it.

Problem Paragraph(s): Explain the problem clearly and specifically. Demonstrate that this is not just a personal complaint, but a genuine problem that affects many people.

"Solution Paragraph(s): Offer a concrete solution to the problem, and explain why this is the best one available. You may want to point out why other possible solutions are inferior to yours. If your solution calls for a series of steps or actions to be followed, present these steps in a logical order.

"Conclusion: Reemphasize the importance of the problem and the value of your solution. Choose a problem that you have experienced and thought about—one that you have solved or are in the process of solving. Then, in the essay itself, you may use your own experience to illustrate the problem. However, don't focus all the attention on yourself and on your troubles. Instead, direct the essay at others who are experiencing a similar problem. In other words, don't write an I essay ('How I Cure the Blues'); write a you essay ('How You Can Cure the Blues')."

(Richard Nordquist, Passages: A Writer's Guide , 3rd ed. St. Martin's Press, 1995)

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The Ultimate Guide to Write Effective Problem Solution Essay
Mastering The Art of Academic Essay Writing With Examples

Problem-solution essay is a common type of expository essay in academic writing. These essays are usually assigned to students in higher levels of education because they require effective research on the topic before providing foolproof solutions to the problems.

What is a problem-solution essay
Structure of a problem-solving essay
Introduction element:hook
Introduction element:background brief
Introduction element: thesis statement
Introduction element: outline
Body paragraph of a problem-solution essay
Conclusion of a problem-solution essay

If you are also a student, there are possibilities that you will also get the task of writing an essay for a college/school assessment. Most probably you have gotten one and that’s why you are here we guess.

Besides, we know that researching and writing a problem and solution essay can be a head-scratcher sometimes. Moreover, students often get confused with the structure, thesis statement, and what to write in the body paragraphs of a problem solution essay. Lack of proper knowledge in writing a good problem and solution essay could result in lower credits.

However, before writing a problem solution essay, it is essential to identify the right problem that needs to be discussed in the essay. For this, you need to effectively brainstorm some of the ideas and then choose the right problems to address unless the topic is already assigned by your professors.

Now that you have effectively chosen a good topic for writing, you must go through a stepwise approach for writing an impressive problem solution essay. So, before starting to write an essay, it is essential to know what exactly is a problem-solution essay.

What is a problem-solution essay?

As the name suggests, a problem solution essay offers the solutions to a specific problem discussed in the essay. The problem solution essay intends to present either multiple solutions to a single problem or one ideal solution to the problem discussed in the essay.

In the book, Fusion: Integrated Reading and Writing (2016), the author Dave Kemper defined a problem-solving essay, “This sort of essay involves argumentation in that the writer seeks to convince the reader to take a particular course of action. In explaining the problem, it may also need to persuade the reader concerning specific causes”. To understand the problem-solving essay more comprehensively, let’s have a look at some of the example topics of problem-solving essays.

Elaborate on some of the effective solutions to reduce poverty.
Describe solutions to the problem of rising drug abuse in adolescents.
Elucidate the measure that can be taken to prevent human trafficking.

To continue, as seen in the above examples, some critical social problems are addressed and effective solutions need to be presented. Problems can be complex social issues like drug abuse or environmental problems like climate change that concern the entire planet. In most problem-solution essays, the problems are peculiar and have large scale implications.

But in order to effectively present a problem and its foolproof solutions, it is necessary to follow the right structure of writing a good problem solution essay. So, let’s get started with the structure.

How to structure the problem-solving essay?

Giving the right structure to an essay is an important aspect of writing a good essay because the better the structure, the more easily your reader or audience can navigate through your essay. In the case of a problem or solution essay, the structure is even more important because through the right structure only, your audience would be able to understand the given problem and your provided solutions more effectively.

In the problem solution essays, the structure is quite similar to the other essays that start with an essay introduction and is followed by body paragraphs and conclusions. To simplify, the standard structure of a problem solution consists of four paragraphs in which the introduction usually starts with asking a question that reflects the main problem. Along with this, the introduction also consists of the outline and the thesis statement of the essay.

Various ways of structuring of problem solution essay

Following the introduction, as per standard structuring, there will be two body paragraphs in which one will talk about the problem while the paragraph will present the solutions. The number of paragraphs containing the problem and solution can be extended as per the desired length of the essay. In the end, the conclusion of the essay will be provided that will sum up the key arguments. Let us delve into the introduction of a problem- solution essay.

How to write the introduction of a problem-solving essay?

An introduction is an important aspect of an essay because through an impressive introduction only, you will be able to convince your readers to read your essay till the end. In the case of a problem-solving essay, your introduction should be engaging enough to give a clear idea to the readers about the given problem/situation and whom the problem majorly impacts.

However, while writing an introduction there are a few other important aspects that need to be taken into consideration.

The crucial aspect is that your introduction should always contain

Background information
Thesis statement

That being said, the further sections will deliberately explain all the elements one by one to give you a clear picture of writing essays. Besides, every section will contain a sample element of the essay topic: Elaborate on some of the effective solutions to reduce poverty.

Explanation through an example will assist you in better understanding how to write each element meticulously. So, let’s move ahead without further ado.

Introduction element: Hook of a problem-solving essay

A hook is a very first and crucial element of writing an engaging essay introduction. Its presence in the introduction of the essay will assist you in intriguing the curiosity of the reader that will encourage them to read till the end.

Besides, the hook in the introduction of a problem-solving essay could be of various types. It can be a fun fact/claim or an astonishing statistic that directly points toward the problem which will assist in grabbing the attention of the reader from the very beginning.

Besides, in the case of a problem solution essay, you can also create a hook by asking valid questions related to the problem discussed in the essay to involve your reader in your essay as well. As per our example, the sample hook is given below.

Sample hook

Approximately 85% of the world is currently living on less than $30 per day. More than two-thirds of the same lives on less than $10 per day. Moreover, every 10th person survives on less than $1.90 per day (Roser & Ortiz-Ospina, 2022).

After hooking the readers on interesting information, it is time to give background information about the problem.

Introduction element: Background brief of a problem-solving essay

The background information will be provided to make your readers understand the context of the essay. In the case of a problem solution essay, you will provide background information about the problem that will clearly answer a few of the given questions below.

What is the problem?
How big is the problem?
Whom does the problem majorly affect?

Background information will assist the readers in understanding the urgency of the problem and will also highlight the major reason behind the need for highlighting the problem. In accordance with our example, the sample background information is given below.

Sample background brief

Poverty is becoming a global issue and every coming day; the rich are becoming richer and the poor are becoming poorer. Hence making progress against poverty is becoming one of the most urgent goals of the globe today. People lying in the poor category often face challenges like hunger, less access to education, sanitation issues, and much poorer health.

After giving the readers the background information, it is now time to give the thesis statement of the problem solution essay.

Introduction element: The thesis statement of a problem-solving essay

The thesis statement refers to the brief summary of the central idea of the essay that is usually included at the end of the introduction before the outline of an essay. A thesis statement in a problem solution essay can be of two to three lines but irrespective of the length of the thesis statement, your thesis statement needs to clearly include,

Why is it a problem?
How does this problem impact the readers?
Why does this problem need to be solved?

Moreover, the thesis statement should naturally highlight a brief summary of the solutions that would be highlighted later in the discussion. However, the thesis statement does not need to present detailed solutions. In the case of our example of the sample essay, the thesis statement in the problem solution essay is given below.

Sample thesis statement

Poverty is still a problem because it brings other problems such as malnutrition, and sanitation issues along. It also hinders the growth of developed and developing nations which directly impacts the lives of other people as well. Alleviation of poverty will ensure enhanced living standards for the people and will provide them with better growth opportunities.

Following the thesis statement, the last paragraph highlights the outline of the essay.

Introduction element: Outline of a problem-solving essay

The outline of the essay is the last paragraph of the introduction that will deliberately guide your readers toward the main body paragraphs of the essay. In the case of a problem solution essay, it is a kind of roadmap that will further guide your readers on the given problem and solutions they will encounter in the body paragraphs of the essay respectively.

However, it is essential to note that the outline should always summarize the solutions rather than discuss them in detail.

Sample outline

In this essay, firstly different problems that occur from poverty will be discussed in the essay, along with some of the statistics validating the issue. Secondly, the essay will possess some of the main causes of the problem. Lastly, different solutions will be discussed in the essay that can assist in reducing global poverty.

After the meticulous explanation, comes the body paragraphs of the essay.

How to write the body paragraph of a problem solution essay?

Body paragraphs are the cornerstone of the essay that requires the utmost research and attention to detail. There can be multiple paragraphs or even more depending upon the overall length requirement of the essay. You can choose to present the body paragraphs in two ways, block or point-by-point.

The block method in a problem solution essay refers to describing the problem first and then presenting all the required solutions. Whereas the point-by-point method in a problem-solution essay refers to presenting all the problems and solutions simultaneously rather than going through all problems and all solutions separately. In writing the body paragraph of the problem solution essay, you need to keep the 3 Es in mind which stands for explain, expand, and example.

To elaborate, in each paragraph you will start by explaining the topic sentence. This topic sentence will underline the problem or the solution that will be discussed in the paragraph. After explaining the topic sentence, you will elaborate your point by validly expanding the topic sentence and supporting the topic sentence by giving evidence (if possible).

For example, if you are describing the problem, you will use some statistics or research to validate the problem. Other than that, if you are providing a solution, you will use stats or research to validate how your given solution is the most effective remedy. Lastly, you can provide examples in the cases to explain the topic sentence more effectively.

Besides, the last line of the paragraph will be the transition sentence forming cohesion between the current paragraph and the next paragraph describing whether your next paragraph will present another aspect of the problem or will discuss the solution.

Following the example of our topic, below given is the example of a body paragraph using the chain method explaining poverty as a problem, first.Following the example of our topic, below given is the example of a body paragraph using the chain method explaining poverty as a problem, first.

Sample body paragraph

Poverty is a concept that is more than about lack of income and productive resources to ensure that are required to ensure good and sustainable livelihoods. Poverty also brings along poor mental and physical effects like hunger, malnutrition, and limited access to education. Along with this, poverty also brings ensures humans depriving of basic services access which has also resulted in social, political, and economic discrimination. This burden of poverty has excluded many people and deprived them of participating in various decision-making processes. Hence, it is essential to discuss the various possible solutions and act upon them to eradicate poverty effectively.

How to write the conclusion of a problem solution essay?

Lastly, the conclusion is the last paragraph that will wind up your whole essay in the end. While writing the conclusion, firstly, you will restate the thesis statement. Further than that, in a problem solution essay, it is always better to conclude with an intriguing statement that leaves your reader thinking more about the problem further and makes an impactful ending.

Sample conclusion

To conclude, sometimes all it takes is a small effort from external factors to kickstart the alleviation of poverty by giving some cashflow maintenance to the people living under the poverty line. Hence, the need is to effectively understand the problem and make small changes to implement the solutions and make the world free of poverty.

To encapsulate, if you keep all the above-given tips and tricks given in the guide in mind before writing the problem-solving essay, we are sure that you will be able to write a problem-solving essay like a pro.

Problem Solution Essay Examples

Choosing the right problem solution essay topics can make a significant difference in the quality of your work and your overall success.

The choice of your problem solution essay topics for college students is crucial because it sets the tone for your entire essay. A well-chosen topic not only makes your essay more engaging but also facilitates the research and writing process. It allows you to explore a subject you're passionate about while demonstrating your critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

Choosing a Problem Solution Essay Topic

Before we delve into the problem solution essay topics list, let's discuss some essential factors to consider when making your selection:

Relevance: Choose a topic that is relevant to your course or field of study. It should align with your academic goals and interests.
Feasibility: Ensure that your chosen problem has a realistic solution. Avoid topics with overly complex or unsolvable issues.
Significance: Select a topic that addresses a real-world problem or issue. It should be something that matters to your audience and society as a whole.
Personal Interest: Opt for a topic that genuinely interests you. Your enthusiasm will shine through in your writing and make the essay more enjoyable for both you and your readers.
Availability of Information: Check if there is enough research material available on your chosen topic. Having access to credible sources is essential for building a strong argument.

15 Unique Problem Solution Topics for Essay

Now that we've covered the importance of choosing the right topic, let's explore 15 unique topics for problem solution essay that you can consider for your next assignment:

Combating Cyberbullying in Schools
Reducing Food Waste: A Sustainable Solution
Promoting Mental Health Awareness Among Teens
The Opioid Epidemic: Finding a Path to Recovery
Problems and Solutions of Procrastination Regarding Time Management
Tackling Air Pollution in Urban Areas
Overcoming the Digital Divide in Education
Addressing Youth Unemployment
Social Media is The Reason for Many of The World’s Problems and Solutions
Combating Gender Inequality in the Workplace
Bullying in Schools: A Comprehensive Approach
Sustainable Agriculture: Feeding the Future
The Aging Population: Meeting Healthcare Needs
Curbing Plastic Pollution: A Global Responsibility
Effective Parenting in the Digital Age

10 Problem Solution Persuasive Speech Topics

These problem solution persuasive speech topics are aimed at persuading the audience to consider and support specific solutions to pressing issues:

Combating Online Harassment
Addressing the Mental Health Crisis
Tackling Childhood Obesity
Ensuring Affordable Healthcare for All
Solving the Student Loan Crisis
Curbing Youth Unemployment: Job Opportunities
Reversing Climate Change: Renewable Energy
Implementing Sensible Gun Control Measures
Supporting Food Security Initiatives
Promoting Gender Equality in the Workplace

Selecting the right problem solution essay topic is the first step towards crafting a compelling and impactful essay. Remember to consider relevance, feasibility, significance, personal interest, and the availability of information when making your choice. Once you've chosen a topic from our list or been inspired to come up with your own, you're well on your way to crafting a thought-provoking essay that offers solutions to real-world problems.

A problem solution essay is an analytical piece of writing that describes a problem or issue and proposes well-researched, viable solutions. Students are often tasked with writing these essays, as they require critical thinking to develop a thorough understanding of the problem and present solutions supported by evidence. This guide will outline the key steps for writing an excellent problem solution essay, using a problem solution essay example and relevant analysis to illustrate the process. For more impactful guidance, explore analytical essay titles with a punch to spark creativity and precision in your writing approach.

Introduction to the Problem Solution Essay

A problem solution essay identifies an issue or problem and aims to persuade readers that solutions exist to resolve it. The essay should outline the problem in the introduction, analyze its causes and effects, propose realistic solutions backed by research, recommend the best solution, and issue a call to action to implement the solution. Transitions should connect each section seamlessly. A strong conclusion reiterates the solutions and urges change.

Problem solution essays tackle current social, political, economic, or environmental issues facing society rather than personal problems. The writer’s aim is to bring awareness and understanding to the problem while convincing readers of the feasibility and necessity of the solution. If you’re looking for practical guidance, you can find problem and solution essay examples to further illustrate these concepts and improve your own writing.

Selecting a Topics for a Problem Solution Essay

Choosing an engaging topic is crucial to writing an interesting problem solution essay. The topic should be focused, address a current issue, and offer realistic solutions. Here are some productive categories to consider:

Political, Social, or Environmental Issues

Examples include poverty, gender inequality, pollution, global warming, public health, etc. Provide well-researched data and expert analysis of the origins and development of the issue.

Everyday Problems

Topics like traffic congestion, lack of recycling, childhood obesity, high cost of college, boredom and stress in school, etc. connect with readers’ daily lives. Support causes and effects with surveys and statistics.

Hypothetical Situations

Speculative topics imagine an unfavorable scenario like all energy sources disappearing or aliens attacking Earth. Explore imaginative preventative solutions supported by logic and reason.

Avoid overly broad or vague topics without clear solutions. Select issues that really spark your interest as your enthusiasm will show in your writing.

Components of a Problem Solution Essay

Engaging Introduction. Open with a thought-provoking statistic, question, anecdote, or fact about the problem. Foreshadow the solutions and briefly state the call to action.
Background on the Problem. Provide detailed facts, data, history, and context. Analyze the causes, effects, and current status through research. Use sources like academic studies, news articles, and surveys.
Solutions Section. Brainstorm 2-3 attainable solutions. Logically analyze the pros and cons of each solution. Cite evidence on the feasibility or past successes of these approaches.
Recommended Solution with Rationale. Choose one robust solution and argue convincingly why it is the best option based on your research in the previous section. Address opposing viewpoints.
Persuasive Call to Action. Inspire readers to implement this solution through collective action. Describe specific steps readers can take. Share resources.
Smooth Transitions. Use transition words like “First”, “However”, “Consequently”, “Therefore”, “On the other hand”, “For example”, “In conclusion” between ideas and sections.
Impactful Conclusion. Restate the problem and solutions. Summarize your argument advocating for the best solution. End with a memorable final statement to motivate readers.

How to Write a Conclusion For problem Solution Essay

Writing a conclusion for a problem solution essay involves summarizing the key points and providing a clear and compelling resolution to the problem discussed. Here are the three most important points to include in your conclusion:

Problem Solution Short Essay Example Analysis

Here is an excerpt of a problem solution essay responding to the prompt : “Obesity is becoming an increasingly difficult problem across the globe. How can we combat this issue?”

> Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally, with rates doubling since 1980. A 2018 CDC study found that 40% of American adults are obese, causing chronic illnesses like diabetes, heart disease, and cancer (Smith, 2019). We must take collective action to reverse this preventable health crisis through measures like sugar taxes, nutrition education, and access to healthy affordable foods.

> Implementing a sugar tax on sodas and junk food is an effective solution evidenced by results in countries like Mexico and Hungary where obesity rates declined after introducing taxes…[analysis of research studies]

This introduction hooks readers by stating a surprising fact about escalating obesity rates while foreshadowing solutions like a sugar tax. The background provides well-cited statistics demonstrating the scope of the problem through authoritative sources. The writer recommends the tax as the best solution based on concrete evidence. The sample essay follows the standard problem-solution structure and addresses the prompt appropriately.

Problem Solution Essay Example

In this compilation, we present a selection of problem-solution essay examples . These essays offer practical insights into addressing various issues through persuasive arguments and proposed solutions. Explore these examples of problem-solution essays to grasp effective problem-solving techniques, innovative approaches, and persuasive writing strategies. If you’re looking for further inspiration, consider delving into i nsights into argumentative essay examples for additional guidance and strategies in crafting compelling arguments.

Problem Solution Essay: Additional Tips for Students

To summarize, here are some key tips for students writing problem solution essays:

✅ Select a focused, current issue for your topic with achievable solutions

✅ Research extensively to understand the problem’s origins, effects, key stakeholders etc.

✅ Brainstorm innovative but realistic solutions supported by facts, statistics, expert data and case studies

✅ Recommend one solution using convincing evidence and address opposing viewpoints

✅ Persuade readers to take action through clear steps in your call to action

✅ Use transitions, precise language, and an organized structure

✅ Proofread carefully and check formatting requirements

By following these guidelines, students can produce compelling problem solution essays on topics that really resonate with their interests. The professional structure and tips provided above will help tackle these academically challenging essays effectively.

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What is a problem solution essay?

An essay that identifies the problem or an issue, providing several ways to resolve it. A typical problem solution essay example is river pollution or youth gang problems. Include a description of a problem with statistical data or references. As a rule, a solution is offered with due analysis. All problems and solutions examples must include strong argumentation and references.

How to write a problem solution essay?

An introduction part must provide information about the issue and explain why it matters. Provide a list of solutions or mention a methodology. Good problem solution essay topics analyze the strengths and weaknesses of existing solutions by coming to a conclusion and a list of recommendations. Remember about references and backing up your argumentation with evaluation in the Conclusion part.

How do I choose a good topic for a problem solution essay?

Focus on a current issue that interests you and has viable solutions. Avoid topics that are too broad or have no clear remedies. Select locally relevant problems or hypothetical scenarios.

What makes a good thesis statement for a problem solution essay?

Your thesis should identify the problem and the solution(s) you will argue for in the essay. Keep it concise, focused, and clear.

What types of evidence should I use to support my solutions?

Reference studies, statistics, expert opinions, case studies, logical reasoning, analogies, and anecdotes that build a strong case for your solution

The most popular topics for Problem Solution Essay

Gun Control
Drug Addiction
Women's Rights
Postpartum Depression
Illegal Immigration
Gun Violence
Teenage Pregnancy
Consumerism
Human Trafficking
Domestic Violence

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The Definitive Guide to Writing a Problem Solution Essay

06 February, 2021

13 minutes read

Author: Josh Carlyle

In this article, we cover the basics of problem solution essay writing. We will explain what a problem and solution essay is in academic and straightforward terms. We shall also cover the four essential components that make this essay coherent. With these four components in mind, we will offer guidance on the outline structure and provide some general writing tips on research and problem solving, as well as some topics and essay samples.

What is a Problem Solution Essay?

A problem solution essay is a staple of humanities and social science subjects. These essays cover a pressing issue, examine how it causes problems, and offer solutions to these problems. The topic for problem solution essay papers can be incredibly diverse. The problem could be local, regional, or global. It could affect a wide range of people or be part of the discourse on an arcane and obscure aspect of computing.

If you are wondering how to write a problem solution essay, look no further than its name. The core of a problem solution essay is in the title. In this type of essay, a problem is presented, and a solution is offered. Doing this well requires presenting the issue in an audience-appropriate way and then offering solutions that thoroughly negate any critiques of those solutions.

4 Components of a Problem Solution Essay

In a problem and solution essay, the following aspects must be included:

The Situation: this opening part is where the foundation of the problem lies. It is not an introduction in the sense that you may be familiar with or an abstract that covers the entirety of your thesis. Rather, it is a short and straightforward briefing that will make a layperson familiar with the situation at hand.
The Problem: this part provides specifics of the problem. Detailed dissections of evidence take place here; we’ll summarise those later in the evaluation section.
The Solution: this component covers push-back specific solutions you may encounter. Part of a correct answer is thinking of your opponents’ perspectives and ensuring that they address their assumptions and points.
The Evaluation: in this section, it is crucial to write with brevity and wit; this will make your position memorable. Readers will often remember the last part of essays they read, so make sure it represents a microcosm of your essay as a whole.

These components are the essence of the structure required in a problem solution essay. The actual structure you will work with will require a finer granulation of sections. For instance, in the solution section, the critiques will also need to have a review applied, demonstrating their lack of applicability or irrelevance.

Problem Solution Essay Outline

The best guide for a problem solution essay outline is the four components mentioned above. Cover the situation, the problem, the solution, and then evaluate both or all sides of the story.

To drill down further into the outline, you should have an introduction that will set out your paper’s structure. Then you should present the situation. Keep this section free from emotive language. Use it to ensure the reader has all the facts, and imagine that you want everyone reading the paper to be on a level playing field in terms of knowledge and framing of the problem.

In the problem section, you must explain why there is a particular issue. At this point in your essay, ensure that you do not leave the door open to other causes of the problem. Find ways to make the problem something that the reader cares about and wants to solve, but beware of assuming the reader is on your side simply because you’ve said some things and made some points.

Once the situation has been explained, and the problem elucidated, present your solution. It should use evidence, and you should be able to explain how it directly relates to the question. Don’t use ad hominem attacks or go polemic. Unravel the problem with your solution. Take it to step by step and keep your writing composed.

In the evaluation section, you should find your argument’s weaknesses and the views that find fault with your solution.

How To Find Solutions to Your Problems

You can find solutions to your problems by researching them; someone will have asked the question before, or one very similar to it. You can talk to your peers and even conduct polls on social media to gauge the public’s position on various solutions.

Another way of finding solutions include flipping your perspective. Take the position of the other side and see the world through their gaze. By putting yourself in the opponent’s shoes, you can see weaknesses in your ideas and perhaps adjust them to take on more relevance to more people or factor in an aspect that you had overlooked.

Ultimately, the best way to find solutions is to read and read some more. Try looking in your library if you prefer books to the internet, but don’t leave Google out of it. Using the search engine correctly, you can dig up all kinds of books, papers, and presentations that will be very useful in your studies.

Problem Solution Essay Topics

The list of problem solution essay topics is very long. As mentioned earlier, the problem can be a local issue, affecting a specific demographic or being universal. Regardless of the topic you choose, there are another million waiting for an answer.

To start you off, the climate crisis is an excellent area for debate.

How do we deal with stranded assets in the fossil fuel industry and financial sector?
What should the laws be surrounding new cars run on petrol and diesel?
How should electrification be carried out in developing nations? Is a carbon tax a viable way to reduce emissions?

Other problem solution essay ideas might include social media’s effect on dopamine levels, gerrymandering in electoral districts, or the working week’s length.

Problem Solution Essay Examples

Reading previous papers is a fantastic method to improve your grades. Study essays that get top marks and some of the ones which get lower marks. The difference will be apparent in their vocabulary, logic, and evidence. Read a few problem solution essay sample papers but don’t plagiarize them; always cite your sources. Here are a few examples to help you get started:

https://www.eapfoundation.com/writing/essays/problemsolution/

https://www.ieltsbuddy.com/problem-solution-essays.html

Writing Tips for a Problem Solution Essay

An essay is a complex task to complete. That’s why it’s useful to break down the whole into several steps.

Step one is to conduct some thorough research and planning. If you have free choice over the problem at hand, then start by brainstorming some groups you belong to and decide whether they’re officially mandated ones like a sports team or a club, or broader, like your sex, gender, nationality, or language grouping.

After this, jot down some issues in the groups. Are you struggling to manage the payment plan for your sports hall? Has there been an instance of bullying or shaming in your school? With the topic in mind, move onto research.

When researching your topic, it’s always useful to remember that there is nothing new under the sun. It is almost definite that similar problems have arisen before, and most solutions already exist.

Then, conduct and compose a literature review on the topic. A literature review is an excellent addition to your essay as a standalone section. It helps to situate your issue within the world and builds relations to other similar problems.

You may think you have nothing to say about the problem or find it hard to justify your opinion. Well, in the problem solution essay, your voice matters. Always try to back up what you’re saying through evidence and try not to stray into writing a polemic. Yet, passion and emotion are useful tools for framing the problem. Just try not to make these responses the whole essay.

As far as solving problems goes, you can use some general mechanics to come up with solutions. The following paragraphs will present some of these logical mechanics; feel free to use them in your writing:

Add something new: this solution works when something is lacking. The problem may be a lack of funding, equipment, or motivation. The assumed problem when using this angle of attack is that there is a lack of resources available. Concrete examples of this could include more teaching assistants in education, longer opening hours at a library, or more significant legislation to protect the environment.
Remove something: this is the inverse of the previous point. Inversing is a useful strategy for thinking about problems in general. If something is too crowded or too busy, it might be a solution to limit exposure to something and devise a solution.
Education: learning is a more specific aspect of ‘adding something’; it presupposes that a lack of information and awareness is the cause of the problem. If people had this knowledge, the theory goes that the issue would disappear or reduce because people could make informed decisions and correct their behavior.
Enforcement: if something like school rules, or even the law, is being ignored, proper enforcement might be a solution. Enforcement has its own sets of problems. This angle is an excellent way to write an unfolding and varied essay as it requires lots of discussion around proper enforcement. Making people do things they don’t want to do is a tricky situation and is riddled with structural and psychological issues.
Compromising: proposing compromise through mediation or bi-partisan effort is another complex solution. To work effectively, it has to involve people who possess robust negotiation techniques. But settlements happen all the time, so they’re a powerful solution to many problems. It may be useful to learn about zero-sum and relative issues to argue this case correctly.
A change in leadership: leaders can become stale and cumbersome; they may get weighed down by responsibility and have a low tolerance for change. Although, many problems require systemic changes, such as the climate crisis. With an established leader in charge, progress could be slow as they may be blinkered by their position. In this case, they are proposing an election or vote of confidence as a solution that can break the deadlock and offer people a chance to voice their concerns through voting.

One could surmise that the problem and solution essay is an incredibly relevant style of writing. By dissecting an issue and coming up with solutions, you learn a skill that is useful in many careers and practices. But writing one effectively requires both passion and perseverance; writing about topics that move us, though letting the fire burn too brightly, can put readers off or lead them to ignore their blind spots.

Follow the structures set out above and make sure to proofread your essays before submission. Finding a good editor is always a positive step; they can help to rephrase your words so that your argument comes across more fluently.

Writing drafts is good practice, although not always possible due to time constraints. Ideally, you should work through two drafts before submitting a final piece; if the essay makes up a small part of your overall grade, adjust the drafting process accordingly.

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Problem solution writing has been speaking truth to power for millennia. HandmadeWriting loves seeking solutions as much as it loves a simple academic essay or lab report. It’s hard to become a good essay writer without getting critical at times. That’s why we pride ourselves on producing some of the most compelling content around. So be the next one to enjoy our writing and get an A+ for it.

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How to Write a Problem Solution Paper

Problem Solution Paper: How to Write

In adult life, every day people face various problems and conflicts at work or in the lives of their friends, relatives, or their own. It’s crucial to learn and be able to solve problems and to have troubleshooting skills to ease situations. Tutors in universities or colleges try to teach students how to do that by asking them to complete problem-solution research papers as a great way to boost their problem-solving and writing skills. Proposing a solution essay as a type of paper is common on exams to check student’s critical thinking and ability to respond with a solution. To reach a solution you need to learn to work through details and find ways to solve problems quickly and effectively. To make the writing of problem-solving papers simple follow the next steps.

Step One: Defining the Problem and Choosing a Problem Solution Research Topic

When asked to write a problem and solution essay you might be assigned to a situation to write about or be allowed to choose one. If the second happens – try to think about someone or something that bothers, annoys, or irritates you, and in case you thought about a solution for that before it could be a topic for your essay; as an alternative – make a list of groups you think you belong to (such as family, school, sports teams, hobby buddies, etc.) and identify issues you have faced as a member, choose one that needs to be and can be solved practically and create a community problem-solving paper. You can also choose the topic for your essay from this list.

Step Two: Brainstorming and Research

Think about the problem or the issue you have chosen and ask yourself: why it matters, why it’s a problem, and how it can be solved. Try to understand and clarify what you know about the problem and what a potential solution could be. To ease your research or writing create questions. Try to find answers by looking for some information in scholarly journals online, academic texts, or, perhaps, in your own library, ask for help from people that you think might help you with the answers to your questions. Try to spot facts and statistics to make the problem more vivid to the readers. You can make a survey and interview the people that you think faced similar problems. In this type of paper, the point of view of the second person is efficient to be used. Read as much as possible about the topic you are going to write. In case of using outside sources, you may need to cite them. Good research will benefit you with a solid solution to the problem.

Step Three: Understanding the Complexity and Deciding on the Best Solution

If a problem is simple a solution is obvious. In case of a difficult problem, it takes some work to find a solution. It’s a good idea to create a sort of mind map or outline to understand all possible causes of the problem. Describe the factors that may be a part of the problem as many as possible. Study all potential causes of the problem that may be relevant to the factors. Create a diagram of the factors and causes, how they are connected and analyze it. Depending on the complexity of the problem you can do an investigation by analyzing causes and also surveys you’ve done before. Use specific examples and facts to support your solution and mention that you have taken to concerns the solutions of others if it happens to find them while you do your research. Try to convince your target audience that your solution is cost-effective doable, and the most effective.

Step Four: Writing an Essay

Being able to organize yourself is a very important part when writing a problem and solution essay. The structure of a problem-solving essay is the same as the structure of an ordinary academic paper.

Introduction

Develop a strong thesis for your paper, that will appear in the introduction and the conclusion of your essay, the statement that will outline the problem and problem solution paper ideas that your essay will cover in one or two sentences. When the thesis is ready it’s time to start an introduction. The paragraph that includes a reader’s attention grabber. Interest your reader in the problem by giving a frame of the story and explaining how the problem developed and why it’s important and needs to be solved. The tone of your paper should be reasonable, rational, logical, and thoughtful.

Contain at least two or three paragraphs in the body of your paper proposing possible solutions and explaining those that wouldn’t work. Offer the solution that you think is the best. Explain your solution clearly with details. Use evidence that your solution will work by providing supporting details: statistics, studies, arguments, and all the notes you have from your previous research. Show your troubleshooting skills and why your solution is reasonable. Describe how you will implement your solution.

The conclusion should briefly emphasize the importance of the problem and sum up the proposed solution in one or more paragraphs. Explain how the situation will change if your solution is adopted. An effective way to convince your audience is to talk about the results of the problem if it remains unresolved. End your essay with a strong call to action, agitate, and motivate the reader to become involved.

Finally, write your first draft, leave your paper for some time, and get back to it later, review your work and make sure it has all the components of a problem-solution paper and follows the structure. It should identify the problem and the solution, a thesis shall appear in the introduction and the conclusion. Check for spelling, punctuation, and grammar mistakes by reading aloud to yourself or it’s a good idea to ask a friend to proofread it for you to avoid missing out on anything that needs editing. Stay focused, creative, and original, follow the steps above, and your writing process will be smooth, simple, and flow freely.

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How to Write a Problem and Solution Essay With Tips and Examples

22 December 2023

last updated

When students face issues on how to write a problem and solution essay, they need clear guidelines. The key insights in the text include a definition of a problem and solution essay, its unique structure, and organizational pattern. Other essential details include the possible easy topics students can choose when writing their paper, the technical steps, and tips for creating a high-standard document. A sample outline and example of a problem and solution essay give readers a practical paper of how the text should appear after its completion. Therefore, this guideline is a must-read for every student who hopes to write a good problem and solution essay that meets the instructor’s quality expectations.

General Aspects of How to Write an Outstanding Problem and Solution Essay & Examples

Academic texts are an excellent place to build critical writing skills and develop the intellectual capacity to create different types of essays that others can use as sources of ideas. Since most types of papers are technical, students must continuously expose themselves to ideas and knowledge about how to write good essays. This guideline on how to write a problem and solution essay includes vital insights for students and anyone interested in writing this kind of text for academic or intellectual reasons. By reading this article, people can learn the meaning of a problem and solution essay, its unique structure, distinctive features, tips for a high-standard piece, and possible topics, among other essential details. A sample outline and practical example of a problem and solution essay offer readers a good paper of this type of text.

How to Write a Problem and Solution Essay With Tips and Examples

Definition of What Is a Problem and Solution Essay and Its Meaning

As the name suggests, this kind of academic essay addresses a specific problem and its solution. In other words, someone writing this paper should identify a particular problem and explain how to solve it. This text mainly applies where instructors want to assess students’ writing skills and ability to investigate matters and find relevant information that enhances one’s understanding of them. In this respect, a problem and solution essay differs from other types of scholarly texts, including a research paper or a research proposal , and some essays, like an argumentative essay , a cause and effect essay , or a compare and contrast essay . While these texts require writers to examine issues and use evidence to construct and defend arguments and observations, a problem and solution essay means that one must state a problem and explain its solution.

Unique Structure of a Problem and Solution Essay

Like other academic texts, a problem and solution essay has a unique essay structure that writers should adopt to ensure their work meets the instructor’s expectations. The design features certain elements, including a description of the problem in a way that attracts the reader’s interest, an explanation of the solution, a plan for implementing the answer, and a procedure for evaluating the outcome. In short, students should approach the task more carefully when writing a problem and solution essay. For example, a mistake writers make is to assume expectations and rely on their knowledge of other papers in writing assignments. While there are areas of similarities, most types of academic texts have distinct features that form part of expectations. An essay structure is one of these features and determines whether writers score highly or poorly in the eyes of readers.

🔹 Problem Description

Defining a specific problem is a writer’s first task when generating ideas about a problem and solution essay. This definition should form part of a thesis statement to inform readers early about the paper’s aim. While using many words to describe the problem in a college essay introduction is not advisable, writers should use the paper’s body to comprehensively address the issue, including its causes and who or what is affected. Essentially, the description part of an essay should make readers care about the situation and be curious about the solution.

After describing a defined problem, writers should explain a logical solution in the body of a problem and solution essay. Typically, they should tell readers something about the solution in the thesis statement because it mentions the problem. Ideally, a good thesis statement should focus on the most critical aspects of the paper, in this case, the problem and the solution. However, the body paragraphs should tell readers more about the solution, including who or what provides it and how it will impact the situation. A problem and solution essay should be rich with information that enables readers to understand everything without outside input. In this respect, all solutions should not leave readers confused or unimpressed because of simplicity or unreasonableness.

🔹 Implementation Plan

A good solution for writing an essay should have an implementation plan because it takes time to happen. Since most problems are complex and multifaceted, solutions take time to develop because of the dynamics involved, including the need to consult and budget-making. Therefore, writers should discuss implementation by addressing who or what would provide the solution, how, and the time it will take to get results. These details are essential to readers because they provide a roadmap for dealing with the problem when going through an essay. The most critical element of an implementation plan is the timeline, meaning when the solution will be available to when expected outcomes will manifest.

🔹 Evaluation of Outcome

The most effective strategy for assessing whether a particular solution described in an essay has solved a specific problem is to evaluate the outcome. Some solutions may be futile if they do not address the issue. Therefore, when writing a problem and solution essay, students should explain who or what would evaluate the outcome and the features they would assess to determine whether it is the right outcome.

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Organizing a Problem and Solution Essay

The most notable feature of scholarly documents is the content organization from the introduction to the conclusion . For example, students can adopt block or chain structures when writing a problem and solution essay depending on whether the instructor has specified the pattern. Ideally, different patterns determine how writers describe the problem and the solution.

🔸 Block Structure

The block structure is where writers divide the body of a problem and solution essay into two sections. The first element of an essay addresses the problem(s) and all the crucial details, like the causes and effects. The second section outlines the solution(s) to the problem and essential elements, like who or what would provide and the expected outcome. Therefore, when adopting the block structure in an essay, students should deal with the issue entirely before proceeding to the solution. Then, they should have another section in an essay for the implementation plan and another for evaluating outcomes. The format should be as follows:

Section 1: problem 1, problem 2;
Section 2: solution to problem 1, solution to problem 2;
Section 3: implementation plan;
Section 4: evaluation of outcomes.

🔸 Chain Structure

The chain structure divides the body of a problem and solution essay into several sections depending on the number of problems. In this case, students use each section to describe a problem, addressing the cause and effects and its solution, and essential details, like who or what would offer it and how long it would take to solve. Depending on essay instructions, students can use subheadings to identify the sections or use body paragraphs, each for one problem and its solution. Then, writers should have another section in an essay for the implementation plan and another for evaluating outcomes. As a result, the format should appear as follows:

Section 1: problem 1, solution 1;
Section 2: problem 2, solution 2;

Table Representing 12 Types of a Problem

Examples of 12 Problems, Their Solution(s), Implementation, and Evaluation for Writing an Essay

Topic Examples for Writing a Problem and Solution Essay

Choosing good essay topics is the first task when writing an academic paper, and it determines whether students have an easy or hard time generating ideas and putting them together coherently. Therefore, they should know that selecting problem and solution essay topics can mean the difference between a below-average and an excellent document. Before deciding on the topic, one should read widely to seek knowledge on what topics are easy and which can complicate producing a high-standard paper. The following list comprises easy topics that students can choose from when writing a problem and solution essay because they require writers to describe a problem, state a solution and how to implement it, and evaluate the outcomes.

Reducing Plastic Waste in the Ocean: An Innovative Approach
Discussing the Effects of Internet Addiction on Students and What Parents and School Administrators Can Do to Protect Learners
What Are the Side Effects of Prolonged Use of Painkillers, and How Can Governments Intervene?
Discussing Student Loan Debt as a Burden to Graduates and How the Government Can Lighten It
Exploring How Illegal Immigration Affects Natural Citizens and the Solutions to the Problem
Evaluating the Impact of Substance Abuse on Pregnant Women and What Health Professionals Can Do to Protect Mothers and the Unborn From Harm
What Causes Teen Pregnancy, and How Can Communities Prevent It?

Sample Outline Template for Writing a Good Problem and Solution Essay

I. Introduction

Hook : A statement starting with a quotation , striking example, or brief anecdote to capture the reader’s attention and stir their interest to know more about the topic.
Context: State the background of the problem and its development, including when and how it started, the cause, and who or what it affects.
Thesis : State the idea(s) that guide the rest of the paper, pointing to the problem and the possible solution for an essay.

II. Body of an Essay

A. The problem:

Describe the problem in depth, focusing on the causes and statistical evidence.
Explain the effects of the problem, including the people or other entities it affects and how.

B. Solution(s):

Explore the possible logical solution(s) that exist and their weaknesses.
State an ideal solution(s) to the problem.

III. Conclusion

Make deductions about the problem and solution(s).
Summarize the main points of a problem and solution essay.
Reinforce the thesis.
Make a call to action that enlightens readers about the problem and possible solution(s).

Example of a Problem and Solution Essay

Topic: Discuss Student Loan Debt as a Burden to Graduates and How the Government Can Lighten It

I. Example of an Introduction in a Problem and Solution Essay

The high cost of college education is historically out of reach for the majority. Officials in America enacted legislation to facilitate loans to individuals who see a college education as the pathway to economic mobility. Although student loan has helped millions to come closer to experiencing the American Dream, repaying it is burdensome to graduates, and some stakeholders believe loan forgiveness is the best solution.

II. Example of Body Paragraphs in a Problem and Solution Essay

A. problem sample paragraph.

Student loan debt results from the government’s effort to assist millions of Americans in attaining a college education despite their socioeconomic status. Any day of the week, a review of the mass media will reveal sentiments from various quarters about student loan debt and how it has made graduates’ lives a nightmare. For example, multiple reports show that most people graduating from higher education enter the job market yearly with a loan burden. These reports indicate the adverse effects of this condition, including sinking individuals into financial slavery and making a high standard of living a mirage. Arguably, people can conclude that a college education is no longer a pathway to the American Dream but one to economic slavery.

B. Solution Sample Paragraph

Since Joe Biden assumed the presidency, a section of congressional members has called for the federal government to adopt loan forgiveness to make life bearable for many graduates. Ideally, this intervention means the federal government owning up the student loans in the market to free graduates from loan repayment, which has proven to be a significant barrier to financial independence and a high living standard. While this solution is commendable, it has several weaknesses. Firstly, it does not solve the problem but transfers it from the individual to the government. Since the government gets money through taxation, student loan forgiveness will become a problem for taxpayers. Secondly, it does not address why people seek student loans, meaning the problem will continue manifesting. Another solution to the problem, which most people believe is ideal, is making the necessary arrangements, including legal, to make student loan repayment part of employment benefits. This solution recognizes that almost every graduate entering the job market has a student loan repayment obligation. Therefore, employers should make loan repayment an employment benefit and kill two birds with one stone, which means attracting the best candidates and retaining them because of improved life satisfaction. Companies are constantly losing their best employees because most skilled workers are always searching for an employer with the best compensation package. Making student loan repayment an employment benefit, like health insurance, will make an employer the dream workplace for most graduates because everyone wants the burden off their shoulders.

III. Example of a Conclusion in a Problem and Solution Essay

Student loan debt is a burden to most graduates that the federal government and employers can help lighten for millions of Americans. The media shows how loan repayment has sunk a majority of graduates into financial slavery and made the American Dream just that, a dream. Loan forgiveness by the federal government can help to lighten the burden. However, making loan repayment an employment benefit is the best solution because it does not transfer the obligation to the taxpayer. Therefore, legislators should refocus their efforts on loan forgiveness and consider how loan repayment can become part of employment benefits.

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4 Easy Steps for Writing a Problem and Solution Essay

Writing scholarly papers or essays is a technical process that requires an in-depth understanding of certain conventions. These conventions include following a prescribed essay outline ; formatting in APA , MLA , Harvard , or Chicago/Turabian ; using the active voice; adopting a formal tone; writing papers without grammar or format errors; and producing essays with a logical order of ideas and thought. Students should capture these details in various sections of their problem and solution essays. Ideally, the writing process happens in steps, each with its demands that form the instructor’s assessment criteria. Thus, the main steps for writing a great problem and solution essay are preparation, stage setup, document writing, and wrap-up.

Step 1: Preparation

Preparation is the first step of writing a problem and solution essay, requiring writers to focus on several details. The first aspect is defining the topic if the instructions do not specify it. The secret to a good topic is to identify a problem one cares about deeply that has practical solutions. Writing about a specific problem that cannot be solved would be frustrating because it would defeat the purpose of a problem and solution essay. Moreover, when defining the topic and generating ideas, writers should consider the audience to determine whether to use simple or technical language. The most effective strategy for writing essays is for students to incubate ideas during learning habitually. Course content is rich in ideas one can use to construct topics usable when professors issue instructions to write a paper for assessment.

Step 2: Stage Setup

Setting the stage is the second step of writing a problem and solution essay. The first task for students is to find credible sources . In this task, writers should research widely and identify materials relating to the topic to generate ideas for their essays. The best approach is to read several reliable sources while making notes. Besides, students should focus on materials that help them to construct a specific topic that addresses a problem with possible solutions. The next task is to create a clear outline according to the one above. However, someone may decide to follow block or chain structures in the paper’s body. The choice will depend on the number of problems and solutions, but a chain structure is best suited for an essay addressing several problems and solutions because it provides a logical flow.

Step 3: The Writing Process of Starting a Problem and Solution Essay

The third step in writing a problem and solution essay is to begin typing words, focusing on producing an initial draft. This first draft allows students to organize all ideas into a coherent paper. After completing the document, students should read it and confirm if the ideas are sufficient. If they are not, they should add more academic sources . However, if they are too many, one should delete some irrelevant sources. Writers should also alter their essay outlines after adding or deleting sources to fit the ideas. For example, people may switch from a block format to a chain structure in their essays if they find more problems and solutions and vice versa if the problems and solutions reduce significantly. The last task in this step is to create a well-organized thesis summarizing the paper’s objective, mentioning the problem(s) and solution(s).

Writing an Introduction for a Problem and Solution Essay

In the first paragraph, students should focus on a hook, background information, and a thesis when writing an introduction paragraph for a problem and solution essay. The hook is a statement that grabs the reader’s attention and stirs their interest in reading the entire text. Background information tells the context of the topic by stating why the problem is a matter of concern to a writer, a reader, and a broader society. The thesis tells the audience the reason for writing a problem and solution essay. As the last sentence in the introduction, the thesis gives readers a sneak peek into the argument that is the focus of body paragraphs.

Writing Body Paragraphs for a Problem and Solution Essay

The body is the most comprehensive section of a problem and solution essay because it comprehensively describes the problem(s) and solution(s). For example, students can adopt block or chain structures depending on the number of problems and solutions. An important detail for students to consider is ensuring each paragraph writing has a topic sentence that identifies an idea relating to a central thesis statement. The rest of the paragraph in an essay should focus on supporting the idea through evidence-based writing. In short, writers should use evidence from various sources, such as government websites and research materials. Moreover, one should cite such evidence in the applicable format: APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian. The end of each paragraph should have a transition that allows for a logical flow to the next paragraph or section. Depending on the college essay length, writers can use headings and sub-headings to organize the body.

Writing a Conclusion for a Problem and Solution Essay

As the term suggests, the conclusion paragraph is the last part of a problem and solution essay. In this section, writers should end their papers by reminding readers of the thesis with a summary of the main points. Essentially, the conclusion of an essay should restate the problem(s) and solution(s) and make a call to action that allows readers to formulate ideas of what society should do to make the problem(s) less severe and the solution(s) sustainable.

Step 4: Wrap-Up

The wrap-up is the last step of writing a problem and solution essay, and it is all about perfecting an initial draft document to make it final. The first task for students is to read and reread a problem and solution essay to identify and revise mistakes. Revision of an essay should involve rearranging words and sentences to eliminate an illogical flow of ideas and thoughts. The next task is to edit essays by fixing grammatical and formatting errors, including missing punctuation or wrong citations. As for formatting, students should adopt one style, like APA, MLA, Harvard, Chicago/Turabian, or others, in the whole essay since each one is unique.

For example, when citing a book, citations should read as follows for each type:

📕 APA Citation for a Book

References entry:

Author’s surname, initials of first and second names. Publication year in brackets. The title in the sentence case . The publisher’s name.

In-text citation:

(Author’s surname, publication year, page number)

📕 MLA Citation for a Book

Works Cited entry:

Author’s surname, complete first and second names. Title in the title case . The publisher’s name, the publication year.

(Author’s surname and page number).

📕 Harvard Citation for a Book

Reference List entry:

Author’s surname, initials of first and second names with date of publication. Title in the sentence case . The publisher, the publisher’s location.

(Author’s surname, publication year, page number).

📕 Chicago/Turabian Citation for a Book

Bibliography entry:

Author’s surname, complete first and second names. Title in the title case . The publisher’s location, the publisher.

Footnote entry:

Author’s first, second, and third names. The title in the title case . The publisher’s location, name, and publication year are in brackets. The page number from where writers got the information they are citing.

20 Tips for Writing a Problem and Solution Essay

A high-standard scholarly essay is a product of enough preparation and focused intellectual engagement. This condition makes it essential for writers to learn to accomplish their tasks flawlessly. The tips for students and anyone writing a problem and solution essay include identifying vulnerable groups in society; brainstorming about the problems they face; thinking about the possible solutions; generating ideas about the problems and solutions, creating an essay outline; considering whether to adopt the block or chain structure; writing the introduction with a hook, background information, and a thesis; describing the problems and the possible solutions comprehensively in the body; ensuring the body paragraphs have topic sentences, evidence, transitions, and citations; and writing a conclusion that restates the thesis, summarizes the main points, and makes call to action in an essay.

10 things to do when writing a problem and solution essay include:

identifying the situation to address in an essay, such as a political, economic, social, or cultural problem;
thinking about the solutions to the problem;
creating an outline that considers the paper’s content, including the problem, solution, implementation, and evaluation;
researching to find evidence about the problem for starting an essay;
evaluating the weaknesses of the existing interventions; adopting one formatting style for the entire paper;
creating a thesis that emphasizes the problem and possible solution;
constructing body paragraphs that satisfy all academic writing conventions, including topic sentences, transitions, and citations;
creating an initial essay draft;
reading and rereading a final draft essay to identify and fix mistakes;
proofreading a final version of a problem and solution essay.

10 things not to do:

defining an essay topic that does not address a problem or solution;
addressing a problem without a practical solution;
providing an introduction without a hook, context, or thesis statement;
adopting an essay outline that does not consider the four components of problem, solution, implementation, and evaluation;
using both block and chain structures;
failing to support arguments with evidence in an essay;
citing evidence wrongly;
mixing different formats (APA, MLA, Harvard, or Chicago/Turabian) in the same or different paragraphs;
writing a problem and solution essay with numerous grammatical and formatting errors;
failing to conclude a paper.

Summing Up on How to Write a Perfect Problem and Solution Essay

Define a problem afflicting vulnerable groups, like children, senior citizens, and persons with disabilities, for an essay.
Consider if there are existing solutions to the problem and their weaknesses.
Brainstorm to generate ideas about possible solutions to the problem.
Create an outline and populate each section with ideas, considering the hook, background information, topic sentences, transitions, evidence, citations, and a call to action.
Ensure a problem and solution essay adopts block or chain structures, not both.
Provide an in-depth description of the problem, its causes, and the people or other entities it affects.
Explain the possible solutions and who or what should provide them.
Make a call to action to leave readers with a lasting impression about the importance of the problem and why it is necessary to sustain the solution.

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Are you seeking captivating problem solution essay topics and brilliant suggestions for your paper? If so, you have come to the right place. Every student in school or higher learning institutions can discover enticing subjects and problem solution essay ideas that help prepare an excellent assignment. The first step in creating an essay that will capture readers' attention is choosing a topic. You can find great subjects using this article's exemplary problem solution topics and propositions as inspiration. These themes are categorized in a way that helps you quickly identify problem-solution essay subjects that interest you. This blog post will discuss how to choose excellent topics and ways of streamlining writing processes for students. Don’t have time for writing? Order an essay at StudyCrumb and forget about looking for problem and solution examples for years. Everything is simple – just share details and get a perfect piece matching your instructions.

What Are Problem Solution Essay Topics?

Problems and solutions essay topics offer specific, substantial but manageable issues that can be properly researched and analyzed. They focus on locating existing problems and offering workable remedies. In other words, a problem solution topic allows students to explore the issue at hand and suggest potential solutions. In addition to being very instructive, problem and solution topics are also comprehensive. Working with such papers can be challenging, but anything is possible with appropriate methods and extensive resources. Moreover, there is a truly wide variety of topics, and learners can select from the ones they feel most comfortable tackling. For instance, social, economic, cultural, and technological topics give students insight into different problems to write about.

Characteristics of Good Problem Solution Essay Topics

First things first, there should be enough information to research a good topic for a problem solution essay . Next, it is crucial to select for analysis good problem and solution topics that you are familiar with. Below is a list of things to consider for your problem solution paper topics.

The subject should have a well-defined issue.
It is advisable to employ unique vocabulary to engage your target audience.
The topic itself must be clear and simple to understand.
Its scope should be narrow enough.
Lastly, the topic should contain a main idea.

How to Choose a Problem and Solution Essay Topic?

Thinking small is the key to designing good problem and solution essay topics. Choose a particular issue that will result in formulating attainable and unambiguous goals. Here is a step-by-step guide on how to choose a problem solution paper topic.

Consider the audience: What requirements and interests do they have? Do they currently have any problems that they may be dealing with?
Take into account the scope of the topic: It can be challenging to conduct an in-depth study on a too broad topic. On the contrary, the audience might not find the issue fascinating or pertinent if it is too narrow.
Assess available resources: Do you have access to enough information? Are the sources trustworthy and current? Understanding the materials available might assist in deciding whether the subject is appropriate for a problem solution essay.
If you still find it hard to decide on a subject, ask your professor for help.

Problem Solution Essay Topics List

The best problem solution essay topics adequately present the argument and provide a comprehensive solution. Here are examples of ten best problems and solutions topics you can explore.

Ways of imparting financial education among youngsters.
Can the practice of self-defense lessen violent action?
How do managers handle external and internal disputes in organizations?
In universities, sexual assaults against women are frequently reported. What can we do to mitigate this issue?
The best method for companies to alleviate logistics issues.
Does enforcing gun laws prevent mass shootings?
Ways of stopping drunk driving.
How do we motivate individuals to adopt kids in the real world?
How protected areas save species from becoming extinct.
Using e-learning to cut education expenses.

Good Problem Solution Essay Topics

Good topics for a problem and solution essay should have a workable solution or a strong implementation plan. The most engaging and intriguing articles should focus on specific issues because such an approach will provide well-articulated answers. Here is a short list of good ideas for a problem solution essay you can draw inspiration from.

What steps can you take to dispel myths about feminist campaigns?
How can the negative lifestyle impact of video games on children be reduced?
What measures can be taken to stop COVID-19 from spreading?
How might families help in promoting a positive body image among kids?
What are some ways in which blogging can be improved?
How issues may be solved at work effectively.
Is it possible for a middle-aged person to change their job path? What can they do to achieve this?
How do I assist an individual who is depressed?
What steps should be taken to solve the texting-while-driving issue?
Is it appropriate to hold parents accountable for their child's bad lifestyle? What steps may be taken to avoid this issue?
Which strategies work best in lessening deception in real estate transactions?
How to handle your spouse's unreasonable expectations.
What steps may be taken to reduce or stop poverty?
Addressing flooding problems through erecting dams in high-risk areas.
How can we encourage more healthy standards of beauty?

Easy Problem Solution Essay Topics

Proposing a solution essay topics is a difficult task in general. However, if you want to concentrate on easy problem and solution essay topics, the following propositions will work wonders for you.

How do you deal with an envious partner?
What steps may be taken to stop child labor?
How confirmation bias affects the ability to solve problems effectively.
The impact of video games on an individual's capacity for problem-solving.
Steps that may be taken to boost participation at your preferred athletic event.
How do you maintain a successful marriage?
What modifications to the traffic regulations could be made to improve driving?
What is the best method of handling manipulative and overbearing individuals?
How can you improve the quality of life in your neighborhood?
What alternative approaches are there to marijuana use besides making it legal?
How can you simplify the process of creating a great image of yourself?
What are some healthy weight-loss options?
How can you maintain hydration without indulging in calorie-dense, sugary beverages?
What is the best way of eradicating poverty through wealth redistribution?
How should parents explain to their children that Santa Claus is a myth?

Interesting Problem and Solution Essay Topics

An interesting problem solving essay topics may spark discussions that last an hour or longer and provokes everyone around to participate in them. Furthermore, readers are more motivated to read writings on such engaging themes. Below is a list of interesting problem/solution essay topics you can choose from.

How can parents approach their kids' use of social networking sites?
How should a nation handle the problem of unauthorized immigration?
Can we stop rise of bigotry and prejudice?
How can society support marriage while preserving people's right to choose their sexuality freely?
How might parents stop their children from abusing drugs?
Ways in which young-age marriage can be used to combat social issues like adolescent pregnancies.
Addressing the problem of sexual abuse in colleges and universities.
What should be done to reduce gambling tendencies among students?
How do married couples improve their relationship?
Prevalence of domestic violence against both genders.
The risk posed by global warming is considerably more present today.
Why are teenagers abandoning their studies in great numbers?
How do teaching styles influence students' ability to solve problems?
Absenteeism issue might be resolved using Holmes' method.
How do organizations utilize digital platforms in advertising their products and services?

Funny Problem Solution Essay Topics

An incredible method of engaging readers in your problem solution topics is making them sound amusing. Here are a few insightful and fun problem solution essay topics you might focus on.

What benefit does having your phone robbed have?
Why does your partner whine so much? How could it be improved?
What enjoyable online activities can a couple engage in together?
How should your preferred junk food be made more nutritious?
What exercise options are there for folks who are not athletic?
Which methods will help learners save $100 in a month?
What is it that can alter how individuals feel about you?
How can you host a loud party without offending residents?
Ways of helping people who struggle with low self-esteem.
How can you encourage folks to use your pseudonym?
How do we stop ourselves from making impulse purchases?
Why is it that whenever I start giggling, I cannot stop?
How do you inform your partner that their cooking is terrible without offending them?
Ways in which 3D printing could fix the cooking issues in dormitories.
Having the best sense of humor among your pals frequently keeps them from treating you seriously. What can alter how others perceive you?

Local Problem Solution Essay Topics

Writing about existing issues in your area is a fantastic addition to your problem solution research paper topics. Some of such problems facing your locality may include drug abuse, pollution, or crime. Here are problems and solutions essay topics that you can select.

How to stop police violence.
Techniques for managing customer debt.
How can long-term joblessness be eliminated?
Debt management strategies for student loans.
What should your community do to lower medical costs?
How graduates may be assisted in finding employment.
What is the most effective strategy to halt traffic congestion?
How can the birth rate be raised if it is low?
Issues brought on by partisanship.
How can the problem of inadequate car parking spaces be resolved?
Ways in which youths should be prevented from illegal advertisements?
Strategies used by governments to prevent fraud in politics.
What steps can be taken to lessen the gender pay gap?
Ways of increasing state surveillance.
What should your municipality do to stop hate crimes?

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Problem Solution Essay Ideas for Students

The main priority of every learner when composing a problem solution essay is to choose interesting problem solution ideas after thorough consideration. Find a concept that you are passionate about. Select one of the many good subjects with a workable answer or a strong action plan. Although it may seem simple, a majority of students of various academic levels encounter difficulties when making this decision. The creative problem and solution essay ideas presented in this paper are meant to pique your curiosity. They will also motivate you to conduct further research and produce an outstanding essay.

Problem/Solution Essay Topics for Middle School

For many individuals, middle school is a particularly difficult time. Adolescents at this age feel like adults but are actually still youngsters. This issue and several other challenges contribute to an excellent collection of problem and solution essay topics for middle school. You are welcome to conduct your own study or choose one of the suggested ideas for problem solving topics.

How can we get youngsters to use bike helmets?
Methods of improving student performance in school.
Strategies that can be used in combating oceans' rising acidity.
Creative approaches used in delivering boring afternoon classes.
How to get teenagers to appreciate learning in general and academics in particular.
What are some ways to reduce the effects of greenhouse emissions caused by transportation?
Guidelines for caring for your pet without violating its rights.
How to create comics that aid students in understanding complex ideas.
Methods for lowering industrial noise pollution.
What additional creative courses can be added to the curriculum at middle school to help students' minds grow?
How can school settings be made less isolating?
Should learners have unlimited discretion in choosing courses they take?
How might society support and assist those who have autism?
How should parents prepare their middle schoolers for financial responsibility before they enter college?
What can educators do to support female adolescents clinging to the idealized pictures they see on media platforms?

Problem Solution Essay Topics for High School

High school students face a unique set of issues compared to middle school students, such as social life nuances. They may use these problems to prepare topics for a problem solution essay. Below is a list of problem and solution ideas that will streamline your essay writing process.

How can instructors stop negative consequences of physical punishment?
Why do high school students use drugs? What should be done about this?
What are the best ways for students to successfully cover their educational costs?
What should instructors do to ensure that learners gain the required knowledge?
Many academic institutions have rigid uniform policies. Is it possible to be unique without going against dress codes?
What can help learners who experience behavioral issues because of challenging home situations?
Practical approaches to issues of cell phone use in class.
Ways of stopping high school kids from procrastinating .
The cost of attending college is continually rising. What is the most effective way to reduce costs?
Secure methods that students can use to locate academic material on digital platforms.
Techniques for managing societal pressure in schools.
What strategies may students use in maintaining academic achievement while dealing with parental separation?
Practical strategies for eradicating stereotypes from society.
The issue of persistent student absenteeism and methods of dealing with it.
How should teenage pregnancy rate be minimized?

Problem Solution Essay Topics for College Students

College students deal with issues different from those of high school and middle school learners. You should write problem solution essay topics for college on subjects that exhibit your capacity for information processing and data synthesis. Think large and demonstrate your ability to tackle prevalent college problems. You can select from a wide range of college problem solution essay topics below.

How to address racism in universities.
What is the best method for evaluating learners' performance?
How to assist first-year students in selecting the appropriate college courses.
What can be done to encourage more students to enroll in colleges?
Ways of stopping college students from participating in violent riots and demonstrations.
In what ways can college students begin making money?
Learning and hearing lectures can be more difficult in big lecture halls. What steps can colleges take to address this issue?
How can academics change the unfavorable perceptions that undergraduates have of them?
How to stop college students from participating in violent protests and riots.
What can be done to promote the mental well-being of students?
Ways in which academics change unfavorable perceptions that undergraduates have of them?
What is the most effective strategy for handling bullies in colleges?
How to bridge the gap between affluent and low socioeconomic students.
Methods of maximizing web-based learning during a lockdown.
What should be done to stop college students from pursuing romantic relationships?

Problems and Solutions Topics by Subject

You can explore many unique problem solution topics. When approaching a solution essay, you will be barely able to exhaust these ideas. Several more subjects, like technology and science, may be investigated in addition to the ones already mentioned. These unique suggestions will grab your curiosity and motivate you to research an outstanding problem solution paper topic. Problem-solving essays pose an issue and challenge you to come up with the best answer. This section gives an insight into different problems and solutions topics by subject.

Problem Solution Essay Topics on Science

There are many problem solution research papers in the field of science since scientific processes are convoluted and plagued with problems. The quality of an individual's life can improve or deteriorate due to advancements in this discipline. If scientific subjects interest you, look at the following ideas for problem solution essay.

How can researchers obtain more financing for research?
What is the most effective technique to spread scientific knowledge to a broader audience?
How can scholars be motivated to conduct experimental studies?
Ways in which people can be inspired to stay employed in scientific fields.
How can prejudice against studies be removed?
Methods of improving research paper outcomes.
What remedies are available to stop the ozone layer from thinning?
How might the use of genetic engineering help food supply?
What changes can be made to the peer review process to make it more effective?
How stem cells can be used to cure disease.
Reducing global waste through the use of nanotechnologies.
What technological advancements are necessary to lessen the likelihood of overpopulation on Earth?
How might the placement of microchips in a person's brain assist those who are paralyzed?
Using science to address the issue of alcohol addiction.
Scientific breakthroughs that could prevent a global environmental crisis.

Read more: Science Research Topics

Psychology Problem Solution Essay Topics

Issues related to psychology are widespread in modern society. The field has a ton of excellent options for developing problem-solution essay topics. Use one of the following ideas for problem solution essays regarding human thoughts, emotions, behavior, and mind.

How can customers develop their critical thinking skills?
How can people use apps to cope with anxiety and psychological illness?
How parents and educators assist students in managing depression.
Suicide is becoming a big issue for youths. What mitigating steps can we take regarding this?
How can one determine whether a memory is accurate?
Many adolescents still experience bullying online, despite multiple efforts. What assistance can society offer?
How can we provide elders with social interaction opportunities they may require?
What would be a decent method aimed at preventing parents from pressuring their kids to succeed in school?
Posttraumatic stress disorder is prevalent among people who undergo trauma. How can this condition be addressed?
Addiction deprives people of their ability to make constructive contributions to society.
America's psychological health is in poor shape. How can we improve it?
Ways in which mental trauma associated with anorexia can be managed.
How do educators assist young people who struggle with social skills?
What actions may parents take aimed at assisting their children in case of a new epidemic?
Continuous stress affects sleep quality. What methods can make it better?

View more: Psychology Research Paper Topics

Cultural Problem Solution Essay Topics

A group of individuals who share certain knowledge, habits, and beliefs is said to have the same culture. You would likely concur that it is a crucial aspect of mankind. That is why instructors frequently provide cultural ideas for a problem solution essay to research. Here are a few problem solution paper ideas that you can adopt.

How can individuals gain an appreciation for diverse cultures?
What are the cultural management issues that arise with a multicultural staff?
Best approaches to promote cross-cultural interaction.
What potential remedies are there for consumerism?
Strategies that can be used in advancing cultural diversity in businesses.
Healthcare disparities based on race and culture.
What methods can be used to lessen or stop cultural appropriation?
Steps that may be taken to lessen societal effects on the media's idealized body image.
Remedies that exist to address ageism.
Development of cultural relativism and a decline in ethnocentrism.
Ways of dealing with media propaganda.
Culture wars are a significant source of conflict.
Globalization's potential effects on a country's culture.
Actions that could be taken to lessen adverse effects of the fast fashion sector on consumerism.
Media and other outside cultural influences destroy national cultures.

Political Problem Solution Essay Topics

Politics is a topic that all people are concerned about. Your acts and inactions will, in one way or another, affect the state of your nation. There is no denying several issues plagues today's politics. If you are searching for topics to write a problem solution essay on politics, look no further. Here is a selection of exciting problem topics for an essay.

How can human trafficking be stopped legally?
How can more people be encouraged to cast ballots during elections?
Ways of avoiding political confrontations.
What steps should be taken by governments to reduce post-election violence?
What should governments do to increase the availability of fresh, nutritious meals?
Actions that the government should take in addressing assimilation problems for immigrants.
Ways in which legislation restricts sources of funding used by democratic figures.
What can states do to enhance the lives of disabled people?
Techniques for preventing piracy.
Sexism in international politics.
What kind of situation has the biggest impact on voting behavior?
Is limiting immigration an honest approach to boosting wages?
Ways in which diplomacy can be used in lessening military aggression worldwide.
How can laws and regulations improve the sustainability of the food sector?
What methods may sub-Saharan nations use to run their economies independently of international aid?

>> View topics: Topics in Political Science

Problem Solution Essay Topics for Business

When running a company, many problems can arise - for instance, marketing tactics or cybersecurity. If you are interested in business, you can pick numerous topics for problem solution essays. Below is a list of problem ideas for your essay that focuses on solving problems.

What can we do to improve job satisfaction?
How can innovation be achieved without raising prices?
Ways of stopping shoplifting in a mall.
Individuals with fixed incomes and sizable cash reserves are negatively impacted by inflation. How is it to be prevented?
Many businesses collapse during the first year of operation. How can governments guarantee their longevity?
Low consumer volume and financial difficulties could be the outcome of poor marketing. What may be done to enhance a standard marketing plan?
How can you distribute limited resources most effectively?
Coping mechanism for stress in workplaces.
How do you establish a competitive advantage in a crowded market?
Methods of boosting productivity in organizations.
How can individuals prevent themselves from making bad investments?
A financial crisis may result in widespread job losses. How can downturns be avoided?
How companies should convince individuals to utilize performance metrics.
Staff turnover has a direct impact on corporations. How do we minimize it?
What should policymakers do to help small businesses in the event of another pandemic?

View more: Business Research Paper Topics

Problem and Solution Essay Topics on Education

Several problems with the school system need fixing to improve the overall quality of education. You will find some topics for problem solution essay in the list below. These problem cause solution topics are clear and straightforward.

Many educational institutions do not offer sufficient sex education programs. How might the stigma associated with this issue be reduced?
Measures that should be taken to deal with unruly and disobedient students.
When studying a subject, people with learning disabilities could feel frustrated. What adjustments can schools make to meet their needs?
How can academic institutions effectively support students with special needs?
What techniques can be used to lessen cheating?
What actions can the education system take to encourage diversity in schools?
What are the shortcomings of the American educational system as it stands today, and how can they be addressed?
How can learners be made interested in monotonous subjects?
Approaches that schools may adopt to encourage teamwork.
Ways in which students can use communication skills to handle bullying.
How can educational institutions devote more resources to extracurricular activities?
What ethical problems do universities face, and how can they be tackled?
What should be done to make education more widely available?
Ways in which educational establishments should protect students from minority groups.
Steps that schools can take to minimize the rate of dropouts.

Read more: Research Paper Topics in Education

Health Problems and Solutions Essay Topics

People frequently have trouble with their health, which is a crucial component of existence. As a result, this field serves as a solid source of problem solution paper topics. Below are health-related topics for a problem and solution essay.

How do we motivate individuals to take part in clinical studies?
The best way to look after cancer patients receiving treatment.
What should be done to increase the number of Americans who enroll in health insurance?
How can we assist those who are recovering from drug addiction?
Actions we may take to prevent obesity among children.
How can medical care be made affordable for everyone?
Measures for reducing prevalence of cardiovascular disease in the community.
Steps to address the growing health issues, including asthma, brought on by air pollution .
Management strategies for speech disorders.
How to provide enough oxygen for hypoxemia patients.
Ways of preventing flu during winter.
How people can be motivated to have regular health checkups.
How do we make sure those who are sick seek out primary care? How can primary healthcare be made available to everyone?
Schizophrenia is a challenging mental condition that significantly affects a person's life. What should society do to encourage people to get this condition treated?
What steps may be taken to stop Alzheimer's disease development?

>> View more: Public Helth Research Topics

Problem Solution Essay Topics About Animals

Before people came into existence, animals already inhabited our world. Many species disappeared or went extinct over time because of human activity. Factory farming, the fur trade, and poaching are all problems that need to be fixed. If you are interested in this subject, consider investigating one of the following problem solution research topics. These animal problem solution essay ideas are clear and easy to implement.

How can we save birds from hazards like high structures and wind farms?
What could be done to curb animal hunting?
How can we lessen water contamination, so that marine life is preserved?
What steps can be taken aimed at ending the dog meat trade?
How can the cost of veterinary care be reduced for all people?
Do animals need more rights? How can this be put into practice?
How will logging affect our environment? How can authorities stop this?
Ways of preventing commercial initiatives that use animal testing.
What steps must be taken to end the ivory trade?
Initiatives that may be taken to make wild animals' habitats safer.
How do we stop horse meat intake?
How can we prevent wild animals from being used in circuses?
The fur trade claims the lives of millions of animals. What should be done to stop this practice?
Many animals are raised in cruel conditions where they are physically harmed or mistreated. What are the options for resolving this issue?
Strategies that can be used to minimize poaching.

Environmental Problem Solution Essay Topics

Climate change is currently the most important environmental problem; however, it is not the only one. Yet more worldwide issues require attention, and students can use them for their solution essay topics. The following are problem essay topics for those who care about the environment.

What actions are necessary to secure renewable energy sources?
Natural catastrophes are caused by Earth's processes and negatively impact people's lives. How can we get ready for natural disasters?
What initiatives can be made to avert a shortage of energy resources?
An increase in UV radiation is caused by ozone loss. Along with other skin conditions, it causes cancer. How are we going to fix this issue?
Food waste is a major environmental issue because it uses cropland and water. How do we minimize it?
GMOs increase food output but may threaten biodiversity. What actions could be taken to address the issue?
How can oil spills in water bodies be cleaned up more quickly?
Home-based trash management techniques.
How can governments encourage organic farming?
Approaches used in preventing a rise in global temperatures.
Ways of stopping ice caps from melting.
What causes a global shortage of food resources? How can this issue be addressed?
How to minimize consequences of inappropriate zoning and biodiversity?
Using fluorinated gasses in freezers and hair care products significantly affects global warming. How may their negative effects on surroundings be reduced?
Cleaning up trash costs a large sum of money. How can the littering issue be resolved and entirely eliminated?

More ideas: Environmental Science Topics

Problem Solution Essay Topics on Technology

Technology involves intricate and problematic processes. Just like in science, these issues can either enhance or worsen modern life quality, so problem solution research essay topics in technology are of current importance and investigating them can make one feel like being on the cutting edge of human knowledge. Besides, technology has a lot of various aspects and subfields, allowing for a truly extensive selection of research problems. Below are insightful ideas that you can consider for your problem solution essay topic.

What should be done to minimize overdependence on technology?
What precautions are available to stop cheating during online exams?
Ways in which companies can protect users' confidentiality on social media.
How can food technology be used to eradicate global starvation?
Ways in which technological innovations can address drug dependency issues.
What precautions can you take to keep your kid from developing a smartphone addiction?
Given how swiftly technology develops, what remedies are available for annoying bugs?
Ways in which assistive devices may be used to help kids with visual impairment.
How can backup issues be resolved in companies?
Ways in which intelligence officers can use social media profiles to arrest criminals.
How can people coexist with robots at work without losing their jobs?
How to make technology infrastructure in smart cities better.
What are possible solutions for cybersecurity issues in cashless societies?
Wearable technologies raise new privacy concerns. How should problems of body-borne computers be solved?
What steps can be taken to prevent the loss of online data?

Browse through our blog for more essay topic ideas. Whether you need topics for an explanatory essay or cause and effect essay topics , we’ve got you covered.

Bottom Line on Problem Solution Essay Topics

A topic for a problem solution essay can be a fantastic method to investigate a wide range of problems and develop original answers. Students can create a thorough plan to deal with the issue by examining it, figuring out its cause, and coming up with remedies. Problem and solution essay topic ideas can also aid pupils in honing their critical-thinking abilities and improving their comprehension of the world. Researching the best topics for a problem solution essay can be a terrific approach to changing the world if chosen with attention and consideration.

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Daniel Howard is an Essay Writing guru. He helps students create essays that will strike a chord with the readers.

How to Plan & Write IELTS Problem Solution Essays

IELTS problem solution essays are the most challenging essay type for many people. The way they are worded can vary hugely which can make it difficult to understand how you should answer the question.

Generally, you’ll be asked to write about both the problem, or cause, and the solution to a specific issue. Sometimes, however, you will only be required to write about possible solutions.

The 3 essay types:

Problem and solution
Cause and solution
Just the solution

Hence, it’s essential that you analyse the question carefully, which I’ll show you how to do in this lesson. I’m also going to demonstrate step-by-step how to plan and write IELTS problem solution essays.

Here’s what we’ll be covering:

Identifying IELTS problem solution essays
6 Common mistakes
Essay structure
How to plan
How to write an introduction
How to write main body paragraphs
How to write a conclusion

Want to watch and listen to this lesson?

Click on this video.

Click the links to see lessons on each of these Task 2 essay writing topics.

Once you understand the process, practice on past questions. Take your time at first and gradually speed up until you can plan and write an essay of at least 250 words in the 40 minutes allowed in the exam.

The Question

Here are two typical IELTS problem solution essay questions. They consist of a statement followed by the question or instruction.

1. One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?

2. Since the beginning of the 20th century, the number of endangered species has increased significantly and we have witnessed more mass extinctions in this period than in any other period of time.

State some reasons for this and provide possible solutions.

These are some examples of different ways in which questions can be phrased. The first half of the questions relate to the problem or cause, the second half to the solution.

What issues does this cause and how can they be addressed?

What are some resulting social problems and how can we deal with them?

What problems arise from this and how can they be tackled?

Why is this? How might it be remedied?

What are the reasons for this, and how can the situation be improved?

Why is this happening, and what measures can be taken to tackle this problem?

And here are a few questions where you only have to write about the solution.

How can this situation be improved?

What solutions can you suggest to deal with this problem?

How can this problem be solved?

What measures could be taken to prevent this?

It’s important that you are able to recognise the common synonyms, words and phrases used in problem solution questions. Here are the key words and their synonyms used in the questions above.

Problem – issues, resulting, situation
Cause – reasons, why
Solution – deal with, addressed, tackled, remedied, improved, measures taken, solved, prevent

Before we move on to some common mistakes, I want to quickly explain the difference between a problem and a cause. Read the following examples.

Problem – I've missed the last bus home after visiting my friend for the evening.

Cause – I misread the timetable and thought the bus left at 22.45 when it actually left at 22.35.

The ‘cause’ is the reason for the ‘problem’. We’ll be looking at question analysis in more detail in a minute.

6 Common Mistakes

These six errors are common in IELTS problem solution essays.

Confusing problem and causes questions.
Having too many ideas.
Not developing your ideas.
Not developing both sides of the argument equally.
Not linking the problems and solutions.
Not being specific enough.

It is common for an essay to consist of a list of problems and solutions without any of them being expanded on or linked to each other. Sometimes, a student will focus on just the problem or only the solution which leads to an unbalanced essay. Both these issues will result in a low score for task achievement.

You must choose just one or two problems and pick solutions directly linked to them. Explain them and give examples.

Another serious error is to write generally about the topic. You need to be very specific with your ideas. Analysing the question properly is essential to avoiding this mistake. I’ll show you how to do this.

Essay Structure

Now let’s look at a simple structure you can use to write IELTS problem solution essays. It’s not the only possible structure but it’s the one I recommend because it’s easy to learn and will enable you to quickly plan and write a high-level essay.

1) Introduction

Paraphrase the question
State 1 key problem/cause and related solution

2) Main body paragraph 1 – Problem or Cause

Topic sentence – state the problem or cause
Explanation – give detail explaining the problem or cause
Example – give an example

3) Main body paragraph 2 – Solution

Topic sentence – state the solution
Explanation – give detail explaining the solution

4) Conclusion

Summarise the key points

This structure will give us a well-balanced essay with 4 paragraphs.

One Problem/Cause & Solution or Two?

Most questions will state problems, causes and solutions in the plural, that is, more than one. However, it is acceptable to write about just one.

This will give you an essay of just over the minimum 250 words. To write about two problems/causes and solutions will require you to write between 350 and 400 words which are a lot to plan and write in the 40 minutes allowed.

It is better to fully develop one problem/cause and solution than ending up with one idea missing an explanation or an example because you run out of time.

The step-by-step essay structure I’m going to show you includes one problem and solution but you can write about two if you feel able to or more comfortable doing so.

How To Plan IELTS Problem Solution Essays

Here’s the question we’re going to be answering in our model essay followed by the 3 steps of the planning process.

One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you sugge st?

Analyse the question
Generate ideas
Identify vocabulary

# 1 Analyse the question

This is an essential step in the planning process and will ensure that you answer the question fully. It’s quick and easy to do. You just need to identify 3 different types of words:

1. Topic words

2. Other keywords

3. Instruction words

Topics words are the ones that identify the general subject of the question and will be found in the statement part of the question.

One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion .

So, this question is about ‘ traffic congestion’ .

Many people will do this first step of the process and then write about the topic in general. This is a serious mistake and leads to low marks for task achievement.

What we need to do now that we know the general topic, is to understand exactly what aspect of traffic congestion we're being asked to write about.

The other keywords in the question tell you the specific topic you must write about.

By highlighting these words, it’s easy to see that you are being asked to write about the problem of traffic congestion in large cities. Your essay must only include ideas relevant to these ideas.

The instruction words are the question itself. These tell you the type of IELTS problem solution essay you must write. This is a ‘causes and solutions’ question.

# 2 Generate ideas

The next task is to generate some ideas to write about.

There are several different ways to think up ideas. I cover them fully on the IELTS Essay Planning page.

We’re going to use the ‘friends technique’. This is the method I prefer as it allows you to take a step back from the stress of the exam situation and think more calmly.

Here’s how it works. Imagine that you are chatting with a friend over a cup of coffee and they ask you this question. What are the first thoughts to come into your head? Plan your essay around these ideas.

Doing this will help you to come up with simple answers in everyday language rather than straining your brain to think of amazing ideas using high-level language, which isn’t necessary.

You might want to try this yourself before reading on for my ideas.

Here are my ideas:

Too many cars on the roads – increasing numbers of people own cars, more convenient than buses & trains
Inadequate public transport – crowded, old & dirty
Poor road layout
Rush hour traffic – most people travel to & from work at the same times each day
Car sharing, park-and-ride scheme, congestion charge
Improve public transport – more frequent and better quality
Improve infrastructure – bus lanes, cycle lanes will make it safer for people to cycle
Flexible working hours

For each cause you think of, immediately write down a possible solution. This you will ensure that the problems and solutions you think of are linked.

You don’t need to spend long on this as you only need one or two ideas.

I’ve got more far more ideas here than I need as I spent more time thinking about it that I would in the real exam. I’m going to pick just one cause to develop in the essay and one or two solutions.

My advice on making your selection is to choose ideas you can quickly think of an example to illustrate.

Here are my choices:

Cause – Too many cars on the roads. Why? – increasing numbers of people own cars, more convenient than buses & trains

Solution – Park-and-ride schemes

We’re almost ready to start writing our IELTS problem solution essay but first, we have one more task to do.

# 3 Vocabulary

During the planning stage, quickly jot down some vocabulary that comes to mind as you decide which cause and solution you are going to write about, especially synonyms of key words. This will save you having to stop and think of the right language while you’re writing. For example:

traffic jam
heavy traffic
private transport
infrastructure

With that done, we can focus on the first paragraph of the essay – the introduction.

How To Write an Introduction

Good introductions to IELTS problem solution essays have a simple 2 part structure:

State 1 key problem/cause and related solution/s (outline sentence)
Have 2-3 sentences
Be 40-60 words long
Take 5 minutes to write

1) Paraphrase the question

Start your introduction by paraphrasing the question.

Question: One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion.

What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?

Paraphrased question:

O ne of the most serious issues facing the majority of large urban areas is traffic jams.

Note my use of synonyms to replace key words in the question statement. You don’t have to replace every key word but do so where possible whilst ensuring that your language sounds natural.

2) Outline statement

Now we need to add an outline statement where we outline the two main points that we’ll cover in the rest of the essay, that is, the cause and the solution I chose earlier. Here they are again.

Cause – Too many cars on the roads. Why? – increasing numbers of people own cars, more convenient than buses & trains

And, this is one way to develop them into an outline sentence.

Outline statement:

The main reason for this is that there are too many private cars on the roads these days and a viable solution is to introduce more park-and-ride schemes.

So, let’s bring the two elements of our introduction together.

Introduction

This introduction achieves three important functions:

It shows the examiner that you understand the question.
It acts as a guide to the examiner as to what your essay is about.
It also helps to keep you focused and on track as you write.

The two ideas in your introduction will become your two main body paragraphs.

Main body paragraph 1 – Too many cars on the roads

Main body paragraph 2 – Park-and-ride schemes

How To Write Main Body Paragraphs

Main body paragraphs in IELTS problem solution essays should contain 3 things:

Topic sentence – outline the main idea
Explanation – explain it and g ive more detail

Main Body Paragraph 1

The topic sentence summarises the main idea of the paragraph. That’s all it needs to do so it doesn’t have to be complicated.

It plays an important role in ensuring that your ideas flow logically from one to another. It does this by acting as a signpost for what is to come next, that is, what the paragraph will be about.

If you maintain a clear development of ideas throughout your essay, you will get high marks for task achievement and cohesion and coherence.

We’ll now take the idea for our first main body paragraph and create our topic sentence.

Obviously, we’re going to write about the cause of the problem first.

Main body paragraph 1 – Too many cars on the roads

Topic sentence:

The number of people owning cars increases year on year, with most families now having more than one car.

Next, we must write an explanation sentence that develops the idea.

Explanation sentence:

Most people like the convenience of travelling at the time they want to rather than being restricted to public transport timetables, so they prefer to drive themselves around rather than taking the bus or train. This is despite the fact that they frequently have to sit in long traffic queues as they near the city centre.

Finally, we add an example to support our main point. If you can’t think of a real example, it’s fine to make one up, as long as it’s believable. The examiner isn’t going to check your facts. Alternative, you could add another piece of information to support your idea.

Example sentence:

Whenever I have to attend a meeting in the city, I always drive because it means that I can leave home when I want to rather than getting stressed about getting to the station in time to catch the train.

That’s the 3 parts of our first main body paragraph complete. Here’s the finished paragraph.

We now follow the same process for our second main body paragraph.

Main Body Paragraph 2

Main idea 2 – Park-and-ride schemes

First, we write the topic sentence to summarise the main idea.

Topic sentence:

A solution that is proving successful in many areas is park-and-ride schemes.

Now for the explanation sentence where we expand on this idea.

Explanation sentence:

This is where you park your car for free in a large car park on the outskirts of the city and take a bus for the final part of your journey. The fee you have to pay for the bus trip is usually very small and this public transport system is generally very regular, running every ten minutes or so.

Finally, an example to support this point.

A survey carried out in the city of Exeter showed that the rush hour congestion decreased by 10% when the council set up a park-and-ride scheme to the north of the city. There was an additional drop of another 10% in traffic volume when a second scheme began operating to the south.

That’s the 3 parts of our second main body paragraph complete. Here’s the finished paragraph.

Now we need a conclusion and our IELTS problem solution essay is done.

How To Write a Conclusion

The conclusion is a summary of the main points in your essay and can generally be done in a single sentence. It should never introduce new ideas.

If you're below the minimum 250 words after you’ve written your conclusion, you can add a prediction or recommendation statement.

Our essay is already over the minimum word limit so we don’t need this extra sentence but you can learn more about how to write a prediction or recommendation statement for IELTS problem solution essays on the Task 2 Conclusions page.

The conclusion is the easiest sentence in the essay to write but one of the most important.

A good conclusion will:

Neatly end the essay
Link all your ideas together
Sum up your argument or opinion
Answer the question

If you achieve this, you’ll improve your score for both task achievement and cohesion and coherence which together make up 50% of the overall marks. Without a conclusion, you’ll score below band 6 for task achievement.

You can start almost any final paragraph of an IELTS problem solution essay with the words:

In conclusion

To conclude

Now all you need to do is briefly summarise the main ideas into one sentence.

Here’s a top tip . Go back and read the introduction to the essay because this is also a summary of the essay. It outlines what you are going to write about.

To create a good conclusion, you simply have to paraphrase the introduction.

Introduction:

Here is the same information formed into a conclusion. I’ve also added a personal statement at the end to link back to one of my example sentences. You don’t have to do this but in this case, I think that it rounds the essay off better.

That’s it. We’ve completed our essay. Here it is with the 4 paragraphs put together.

Finished IELTS problem solution essay.

Go through this lesson as many times as you need to in order to fully understand it and put in lots of practice writing IELTS problem solution essays from past exam questions. Practice is the only way to improve your skills.

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More help with ielts problem solution essays & other task 2 essays.

IELTS Writing Task 2 – T he format, the 5 question types, the 5 step essay writing strategy & sample questions. All the key information you need to know.

The 5 Types of Task 2 Essay – How to recognise the 5 different types of Task 2 essays. 15 sample questions to study and a simple planning structure for each essay type.

Understanding Task 2 Questions – How to quickly and easily analyse and understand IELTS Writing Task 2 questions.

How To Plan a Task 2 Essay – Discover why essay planning is essential & learn a simple 4 step strategy, the 4 part essay structure & 4 methods of generating ideas.

How To Write a Task 2 Introduction – Find out why a good introduction is essential. Learn how to write one using a simple 3 part strategy & discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.

How To Write Task 2 Main Body Paragraphs – Learn the simple 3 part structure for writing great main body paragraphs and also, 3 common mistakes to avoid.

How To Write Task 2 Conclusions – Learn the easy way to write the perfect conclusion for a Task 2 essay. Also discover 4 common mistakes to avoid.

Task 2 Marking Criteria – Find out how to meet the marking criteria in Task 2. See examples of good and poor answers & learn some common mistakes to avoid.

The 5 Task 2 Essay Types:

Step-by-step instructions on how to plan & write high-level essays. Model answers & common mistakes to avoid.

Opinion Essays

Discussion Essays

Problem Solution Essays

Advantages & Disadvantages Essays

Double Question Essays

Other Related Pages

IELTS Writing Test – Understand the format & marking criteria, know what skills are assessed & learn the difference between the Academic & General writing tests.

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A Research Guide
Essay Topics

120 Problem Solution Essay Topics for College Students

Selecting a topic for a problem solution essay:.

Problem Solution Health Essay Topics:

The rising obesity epidemic: Implementing effective strategies for promoting healthy eating and physical activity
Access to healthcare in rural areas: Improving healthcare infrastructure and telemedicine services
Mental health stigma: Raising awareness and promoting acceptance to reduce discrimination
Substance abuse among teenagers: Enhancing prevention programs and providing accessible treatment options
Lack of sex education in schools: Implementing comprehensive and evidence-based sexual education curriculum
The impact of air pollution on respiratory health: Implementing stricter regulations on industrial emissions
Insufficient access to clean drinking water: Developing sustainable solutions for water purification and distribution
The rise of antibiotic resistance: Promoting responsible use of antibiotics and investing in alternative treatments
Inadequate support for caregivers of elderly individuals: Establishing support programs and respite care services
The impact of social media on mental health: Promoting digital well-being and responsible online behavior
Food insecurity and malnutrition: Implementing policies to ensure access to nutritious food for all
Lack of physical activity among children: Enhancing physical education programs and creating safe recreational spaces
The impact of sleep deprivation on overall health: Promoting healthy sleep habits and raising awareness about its importance
Limited access to affordable healthcare for low-income individuals: Expanding Medicaid and increasing funding for community health centers
The stigma surrounding mental health in minority communities: Promoting culturally sensitive mental health services and education

Problem Solution Education Essay Topics:

Addressing the achievement gap: Strategies to bridge the educational disparities among students from different socioeconomic backgrounds
Enhancing teacher training programs: Improving the quality of education by providing teachers with effective professional development opportunities
Reducing school dropout rates: Implementing interventions to prevent students from leaving school prematurely
Promoting inclusive education: Strategies to ensure equal access to education for students with disabilities
Combating bullying in schools: Implementing comprehensive anti-bullying programs to create a safe and supportive learning environment
Improving digital literacy: Enhancing students’ skills to effectively navigate and utilize technology for educational purposes
Enhancing parental involvement: Strategies to encourage parents to actively participate in their children’s education
Addressing the shortage of qualified teachers: Implementing initiatives to attract and retain highly qualified educators
Reducing the emphasis on standardized testing: Exploring alternative assessment methods to promote a more holistic approach to education
Promoting cultural diversity in schools: Strategies to create inclusive learning environments that celebrate and respect different cultures
Addressing the lack of resources in underfunded schools: Implementing measures to provide adequate funding and resources for schools in disadvantaged areas
Preventing academic cheating: Implementing integrity programs to promote academic honesty among students
Enhancing career guidance programs: Providing students with comprehensive career guidance to help them make informed decisions about their future
Addressing the mental health crisis in schools: Implementing mental health support services to address the increasing prevalence of mental health issues among students
Promoting critical thinking skills: Incorporating critical thinking into the curriculum to foster independent and analytical thinking among students

Problem Solution Psychology Essay Topics:

The impact of social media on mental health: Addressing cyberbullying and online addiction
Reducing the stigma surrounding mental illness: Promoting understanding and empathy in society
Enhancing psychological support in schools: Strategies to improve student well-being and academic performance
Overcoming the challenges of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): Effective therapeutic interventions and support systems
Addressing the rise of anxiety disorders in young adults: Identifying causes and implementing preventive measures
Combating the negative effects of body image dissatisfaction: Promoting self-acceptance and positive body image
Reducing the prevalence of eating disorders: Implementing comprehensive prevention and treatment programs
Enhancing mental health services in rural areas: Overcoming barriers to access and improving outreach efforts
Addressing the psychological impact of unemployment: Strategies for coping and reintegration into the workforce
Promoting positive parenting techniques: Reducing the risk of child abuse and fostering healthy child development
Overcoming the challenges of addiction: Effective treatment approaches and relapse prevention strategies
Addressing the psychological impact of discrimination: Promoting equality and inclusivity in society
Enhancing mental health support for veterans: Addressing the unique challenges faced by military personnel
Reducing the prevalence of self-harm and suicide: Implementing early intervention and support programs
Overcoming the psychological impact of natural disasters: Building resilience and providing post-disaster mental health support

Problem Solution Environment Essay Topics:

Deforestation: Implementing sustainable logging practices to protect forests
Air pollution: Promoting the use of electric vehicles to reduce emissions
Plastic pollution: Encouraging the adoption of reusable alternatives to single-use plastics
Water scarcity: Implementing efficient irrigation systems to conserve water in agriculture
Climate change: Promoting renewable energy sources to reduce greenhouse gas emissions
Loss of biodiversity: Establishing protected areas and wildlife corridors to preserve ecosystems
Soil erosion: Promoting sustainable farming practices to prevent soil degradation
Overfishing: Implementing stricter regulations and sustainable fishing practices
Urbanization: Designing green cities with more parks and green spaces to improve air quality
Waste management: Encouraging recycling and composting programs to reduce landfill waste
Deficient waste disposal: Implementing proper waste disposal systems in developing countries
Acid rain: Reducing industrial emissions and promoting cleaner energy production
Ozone depletion: Phasing out the use of ozone-depleting substances in manufacturing
Noise pollution: Implementing noise reduction measures in urban areas to improve quality of life
Industrial pollution: Enforcing stricter regulations and penalties for polluting industries

Problem Solution Technology Essay Topics:

Cyberbullying: Implementing stricter regulations and educational programs to combat online harassment
Digital divide: Bridging the gap between individuals with limited access to technology and those with advanced technological resources
Online privacy: Developing effective measures to protect personal information and prevent data breaches
Fake news: Promoting media literacy and critical thinking skills to combat the spread of misinformation
E-waste management: Implementing recycling programs and encouraging responsible disposal of electronic devices
Internet addiction: Raising awareness and providing resources for individuals struggling with excessive internet usage
Online security: Enhancing cybersecurity measures to protect against hacking and identity theft
Digital literacy: Promoting education and training programs to ensure individuals have the necessary skills to navigate the digital world
Online harassment: Implementing stricter laws and policies to address and prevent online harassment and cyberstalking
Technology addiction in children: Educating parents and caregivers on healthy technology usage for children and promoting alternative activities
Data privacy in social media: Strengthening regulations and user control over personal data shared on social media platforms
Digital piracy: Developing effective strategies to combat copyright infringement and protect intellectual property rights
Technological unemployment: Implementing retraining programs and promoting entrepreneurship to address job displacement caused by automation
Online scams: Raising awareness and providing resources to prevent individuals from falling victim to online scams and fraud
Digital divide in education: Providing equal access to technology and internet resources for students in underserved communities

Problem Solution Philosophy Essay Topics:

The problem of free will and determinism: Finding a solution to the debate between human agency and predestination
The problem of evil: Exploring philosophical solutions to the existence of evil in a world created by a benevolent God
The problem of personal identity: Examining philosophical theories that address the question of what constitutes personal identity over time
The problem of skepticism: Proposing philosophical solutions to the challenge of skepticism and the possibility of knowledge
The problem of moral relativism: Analyzing philosophical approaches to resolving the conflict between moral relativism and moral objectivity
The problem of consciousness: Investigating philosophical theories that offer solutions to the mind-body problem and the nature of consciousness
The problem of induction: Evaluating philosophical responses to the problem of induction and the reliability of empirical knowledge
The problem of universals: Discussing philosophical solutions to the debate over the existence and nature of universals
The problem of personal responsibility: Examining philosophical perspectives on the concept of personal responsibility and its implications for moral accountability
The problem of theodicy: Exploring philosophical responses to the problem of reconciling the existence of God with the presence of evil and suffering
The problem of identity politics: Analyzing philosophical approaches to addressing the challenges and controversies surrounding identity politics
The problem of moral luck: Investigating philosophical theories that attempt to reconcile the role of luck in moral judgments and moral responsibility
The problem of the self: Discussing philosophical solutions to the question of the self and its relationship to consciousness and personal identity
The problem of relativism in ethics: Evaluating philosophical responses to the challenges posed by ethical relativism and the possibility of moral objectivity
The problem of the nature of reality: Examining philosophical theories that offer solutions to the question of the nature of reality and the limits of human perception

Problem Solution History Essay Topics:

The impact of colonization on indigenous cultures: Strategies for cultural preservation and revitalization
The causes and consequences of the Great Depression: Implementing economic reforms to prevent future economic crises
The rise of totalitarian regimes in the 20th century: Strategies for promoting democracy and safeguarding human rights
The causes and consequences of the Cold War: Finding diplomatic solutions to reduce tensions and promote global cooperation
The challenges faced by women suffragettes in the fight for voting rights: Strategies for achieving gender equality in politics
The effects of the Industrial Revolution on working conditions: Implementing labor reforms to protect workers’ rights
The causes and consequences of the Civil Rights Movement: Strategies for combating racial discrimination and promoting equality
The impact of imperialism on African nations: Strategies for decolonization and nation-building
The causes and consequences of the French Revolution: Implementing political reforms to address social inequality and promote democracy
The challenges faced by Native American tribes during westward expansion: Strategies for preserving tribal sovereignty and cultural heritage
The causes and consequences of the Holocaust: Strategies for preventing genocide and promoting tolerance
The impact of the Cuban Missile Crisis on the Cold War: Strategies for nuclear disarmament and peaceful coexistence
The challenges faced by African Americans during the Jim Crow era: Strategies for achieving racial integration and equal rights
The causes and consequences of the Russian Revolution: Implementing economic reforms to address social inequality and promote stability
The impact of the Vietnam War on American society: Strategies for healing and reconciliation after a divisive conflict

Problem Solution Sociology Essay Topics:

The impact of income inequality on social mobility: Exploring solutions for a more equitable society
Addressing racial discrimination in the criminal justice system: Strategies for promoting fairness and equality
Combating gender inequality in the workplace: Implementing policies to ensure equal opportunities and pay
Tackling the rise of hate crimes: Promoting tolerance and understanding in diverse communities
Overcoming the challenges of urban poverty: Developing comprehensive strategies for poverty alleviation
Addressing the digital divide: Bridging the gap in access to technology and internet connectivity
Promoting mental health awareness and support: Strategies for reducing stigma and improving access to mental health services
Combating the opioid crisis: Implementing effective prevention and treatment programs
Addressing the challenges of aging population: Developing policies to support the elderly and ensure their well-being
Promoting inclusive education: Strategies for providing equal educational opportunities for students with disabilities
Tackling food insecurity: Implementing sustainable solutions to ensure access to nutritious food for all
Addressing the challenges of immigration: Developing comprehensive policies for integration and inclusion
Combating domestic violence: Implementing effective prevention programs and support services for victims
Promoting environmental sustainability: Strategies for reducing pollution and mitigating the effects of climate change
Addressing the challenges of substance abuse: Developing comprehensive prevention and treatment programs

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3. problems students are facing at public k-12 schools.

We asked teachers about how students are doing at their school. Overall, many teachers hold negative views about students’ academic performance and behavior.

48% say the academic performance of most students at their school is fair or poor; a third say it’s good and only 17% say it’s excellent or very good.
49% say students’ behavior at their school is fair or poor; 35% say it’s good and 13% rate it as excellent or very good.

Teachers in elementary, middle and high schools give similar answers when asked about students’ academic performance. But when it comes to students’ behavior, elementary and middle school teachers are more likely than high school teachers to say it’s fair or poor (51% and 54%, respectively, vs. 43%).

A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that many teachers hold negative views about students’ academic performance and behavior.

Teachers from high-poverty schools are more likely than those in medium- and low-poverty schools to say the academic performance and behavior of most students at their school are fair or poor.

The differences between high- and low-poverty schools are particularly striking. Most teachers from high-poverty schools say the academic performance (73%) and behavior (64%) of most students at their school are fair or poor. Much smaller shares of teachers from low-poverty schools say the same (27% for academic performance and 37% for behavior).

In turn, teachers from low-poverty schools are far more likely than those from high-poverty schools to say the academic performance and behavior of most students at their school are excellent or very good.

Lasting impact of the COVID-19 pandemic

A horizontal stacked bar chart showing that most teachers say the pandemic has had a lasting negative impact on students’ behavior, academic performance and emotional well-being.

Among those who have been teaching for at least a year, about eight-in-ten teachers say the lasting impact of the pandemic on students’ behavior, academic performance and emotional well-being has been very or somewhat negative. This includes about a third or more saying that the lasting impact has been very negative in each area.

Shares ranging from 11% to 15% of teachers say the pandemic has had no lasting impact on these aspects of students’ lives, or that the impact has been neither positive nor negative. Only about 5% say that the pandemic has had a positive lasting impact on these things.

A smaller majority of teachers (55%) say the pandemic has had a negative impact on the way parents interact with teachers, with 18% saying its lasting impact has been very negative.

These results are mostly consistent across teachers of different grade levels and school poverty levels.

Major problems at school

When we asked teachers about a range of problems that may affect students who attend their school, the following issues top the list:

Poverty (53% say this is a major problem at their school)
Chronic absenteeism – that is, students missing a substantial number of school days (49%)
Anxiety and depression (48%)

One-in-five say bullying is a major problem among students at their school. Smaller shares of teachers point to drug use (14%), school fights (12%), alcohol use (4%) and gangs (3%).

Differences by school level

A bar chart showing that high school teachers more likely to say chronic absenteeism, anxiety and depression are major problems.

Similar shares of teachers across grade levels say poverty is a major problem at their school, but other problems are more common in middle or high schools:

61% of high school teachers say chronic absenteeism is a major problem at their school, compared with 43% of elementary school teachers and 46% of middle school teachers.
69% of high school teachers and 57% of middle school teachers say anxiety and depression are a major problem, compared with 29% of elementary school teachers.
34% of middle school teachers say bullying is a major problem, compared with 13% of elementary school teachers and 21% of high school teachers.

Not surprisingly, drug use, school fights, alcohol use and gangs are more likely to be viewed as major problems by secondary school teachers than by those teaching in elementary schools.

Differences by poverty level

A dot plot showing that majorities of teachers in medium- and high-poverty schools say chronic absenteeism is a major problem.

Teachers’ views on problems students face at their school also vary by school poverty level.

Majorities of teachers in high- and medium-poverty schools say chronic absenteeism is a major problem where they teach (66% and 58%, respectively). A much smaller share of teachers in low-poverty schools say this (34%).

Bullying, school fights and gangs are viewed as major problems by larger shares of teachers in high-poverty schools than in medium- and low-poverty schools.

When it comes to anxiety and depression, a slightly larger share of teachers in low-poverty schools (51%) than in high-poverty schools (44%) say these are a major problem among students where they teach.

Discipline practices

About two-thirds of teachers (66%) say that the current discipline practices at their school are very or somewhat mild – including 27% who say they’re very mild. Only 2% say the discipline practices at their school are very or somewhat harsh, while 31% say they are neither harsh nor mild.

We also asked teachers about the amount of influence different groups have when it comes to determining discipline practices at their school.

67% say teachers themselves don’t have enough influence. Very few (2%) say teachers have too much influence, and 29% say their influence is about right.

A diverging bar chart showing that two-thirds of teachers say they don’t have enough influence over discipline practices at their school.

31% of teachers say school administrators don’t have enough influence, 22% say they have too much, and 45% say their influence is about right.
On balance, teachers are more likely to say parents, their state government and the local school board have too much influence rather than not enough influence in determining discipline practices at their school. Still, substantial shares say these groups have about the right amount of influence.

Teachers from low- and medium-poverty schools (46% each) are more likely than those in high-poverty schools (36%) to say parents have too much influence over discipline practices.

In turn, teachers from high-poverty schools (34%) are more likely than those from low- and medium-poverty schools (17% and 18%, respectively) to say that parents don’t have enough influence.

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The ‘Colorblindness’ Trap

How a civil rights ideal got hijacked.

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The ‘Colorblindness’ Trap: How a Civil Rights Ideal Got Hijacked

The fall of affirmative action is part of a 50-year campaign to roll back racial progress.

By Nikole Hannah-Jones

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a staff writer at the magazine and is the creator of The 1619 Project. She also teaches race and journalism at Howard University.

Anthony K. Wutoh, the provost of Howard University, was sitting at his desk last July when his phone rang. It was the new dean of the College of Medicine, and she was worried. She had received a letter from a conservative law group called the Liberty Justice Center. The letter warned that in the wake of the Supreme Court’s decision striking down affirmative action in college admissions, the school “must cease” any practices or policies that included a “racial component” and said it was notifying medical schools across the country that they must eliminate “racial discrimination” in their admissions. If Howard refused to comply, the letter threatened, the organization would sue.

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Wutoh told the dean to send him the letter and not to respond until she heard back from him. Hanging up, he sat there for a moment, still. Then he picked up the phone and called the university’s counsel: This could be a problem.

Like most university officials, Wutoh was not shocked in June when the most conservative Supreme Court in nearly a century cut affirmative action’s final thin thread. In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, the court invalidated race-conscious admissions programs at Harvard and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Universities across the nation had been preparing for the ruling, trying both to assess potential liabilities and determine the best response.

But Howard is no ordinary university. Chartered by the federal government two years after the Civil War, Howard is one of about 100 historically Black colleges and universities, known as H.B.C.U.s. H.B.C.U. is an official government designation for institutions of higher learning founded from the time of slavery through the end of legal apartheid in the 1960s, mostly in the South. H.B.C.U.s were charged with educating the formerly enslaved and their descendants, who for most of this nation’s history were excluded from nearly all of its public and private colleges.

Though Howard has been open to students of all races since its founding in 1867, nearly all of its students have been Black. And so after the affirmative-action ruling, while elite, predominantly white universities fretted about how to keep their Black enrollments from shrinking, Howard (where I am a professor) and other H.B.C.U.s were planning for a potential influx of students who either could no longer get into these mostly white colleges or no longer wanted to try.

Wutoh thought it astounding that Howard — a university whose official government designation and mandate, whose entire reason for existing, is to serve a people who had been systematically excluded from higher education — could be threatened with a lawsuit if it did not ignore race when admitting students. “The fact that we have to even think about and consider what does this mean and how do we continue to fulfill our mission and fulfill the reason why we were founded as an institution and still be consistent with the ruling — I have to acknowledge that we have struggled with this,” he told me. “My broader concern is this is a concerted effort, part of an orchestrated plan to roll back many of the advances of the ’50s and ’60s. I am alarmed. It is absolutely regressive.”

Graduates attend a Howard University commencement ceremony.

Wutoh has reason to be alarmed. Conservative groups have spent the nine months since the affirmative-action ruling launching an assault on programs designed to explicitly address racial inequality across American life. They have filed a flurry of legal challenges and threatened lawsuits against race-conscious programs outside the realm of education, including diversity fellowships at law firms, a federal program to aid disadvantaged small businesses and a program to keep Black women from dying in childbirth. These conservative groups — whose names often evoke fairness and freedom and rights — are using civil rights law to claim that the Constitution requires “colorblindness” and that efforts targeted at ameliorating the suffering of descendants of slavery illegally discriminate against white people. They have co-opted both the rhetoric of colorblindness and the legal legacy of Black activism not to advance racial progress, but to stall it. Or worse, reverse it.

During the civil rights era, this country passed a series of hard-fought laws to dismantle the system of racial apartheid and to create policies and programs aimed at repairing its harms. Today this is often celebrated as the period when the nation finally triumphed over its original sin of slavery. But what this narrative obscures is that the gains of the civil rights movement were immediately met with a backlash that sought to subvert first the language and then the aims of the movement. Over the last 50 years, we have experienced a slow-moving, near-complete unwinding of the idea that this country owes anything to Black Americans for 350 years of legalized slavery and racism. But we have also undergone something far more dangerous: the dismantling of the constitutional tools for undoing racial caste in the United States.

Beginning in the 1970s, the Supreme Court began to vacillate on remedies for descendants of slavery. And for the last 30 years, the court has almost exclusively ruled in favor of white people in so-called reverse-discrimination cases while severely narrowing the possibility for racial redress for Black Americans. Often, in these decisions, the court has used colorblindness as a rationale that dismisses both the particular history of racial disadvantage and its continuing disparities.

This thinking has reached its legal apotheosis on the court led by Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. Starting with the 2007 case Parents Involved in Community Schools v. Seattle School District No. 1, the court found that it wasn’t the segregation of Black and Latino children that was constitutionally repugnant, but the voluntary integration plans that used race to try to remedy it. Six years later, Roberts wrote the majority opinion in Shelby v. Holder, gutting the Voting Rights Act, which had ensured that jurisdictions could no longer prevent Black Americans from voting because of their race. The act was considered one of the most successful civil rights laws in American history, but Roberts declared that its key provision was no longer needed, saying that “things have changed dramatically.” But a new study by the Brennan Center for Justice found that since the ruling, jurisdictions that were once covered by the Voting Rights Act because of their history of discrimination saw the gap in turnout between Black and white voters grow nearly twice as quickly as in other jurisdictions with similar socioeconomic profiles.

These decisions of the Roberts court laid the legal and philosophical groundwork for the recent affirmative-action case. Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard involved two of the country’s oldest public and private universities, both of which were financed to a significant degree with the labor of the enslaved and excluded slavery’s descendants for most of their histories. In finding that affirmative action was unconstitutional, Roberts used the reasoning of Brown v. Board of Education to make the case that because “the Constitution is colorblind” and “should not permit any distinctions of law based on race or color,” race cannot be used even to help a marginalized group. Quoting the Brown ruling, Roberts argued that “the mere act of ‘separating children’” because of their race generated “ ‘a feeling of inferiority’” among students.

But in citing Brown, Roberts spoke generically of race, rarely mentioning Black people and ignoring the fact that this earlier ruling struck down segregation because race had been used to subordinate them. When Chief Justice Earl Warren wrote those words in 1954, he was not arguing that the use of race harmed Black and white children equally. The use of race in assigning students to schools, Warren wrote, referring to an earlier lower-court decision, had “a detrimental effect upon colored children” specifically, because it was “interpreted as denoting the inferiority of the Negro group.”

Roberts quickly recited in just a few paragraphs the centuries-long legacy of legal discrimination against Black Americans. Then, as if flicking so many crumbs from the table, he used the circular logic of conservative colorblindness to dispatch that past with a pithy line: “Eliminating racial discrimination means eliminating all of it.”

By erasing the context, Roberts turned colorblindness on its head, reinterpreting a concept meant to eradicate racial caste to one that works against racial justice.

Roberts did not invent this subversion of colorblindness, but his court is constitutionalizing it. While we seem to understand now how the long game of the anti-abortion movement resulted in a historically conservative Supreme Court that last year struck down Roe v. Wade, taking away what had been a constitutional right, Americans have largely failed to see that a parallel, decades-long antidemocratic racial strategy was occurring at the same time. The ramifications of the recent affirmative-action decision are clear — and they are not something so inconsequential as the complexion of elite colleges and the number of students of color who attend them: We are in the midst of a radical abandonment of a compact that the civil rights movement forged, a shared understanding that racial inequality is harmful to democracy.

The End of Slavery, and the Instant Backlash

When this country finally eliminated first slavery and then racial apartheid, it was left with a fundamental question: How does a white-majority nation, which for nearly its entire history wielded race-conscious policies and laws that oppressed and excluded Black Americans, create a society in which race no longer matters? Do we ignore race in order to eliminate its power, or do we consciously use race to undo its harms?

Our nation has never been able to resolve this tension. Race, we now believe, should not be used to harm or to advantage people, whether they are Black or white. But the belief in colorblindness in a society constructed on the codification of racial difference has always been aspirational. And so achieving it requires what can seem like a paradoxical approach: a demand that our nation pay attention to race in order, at some future point, to attain a just society. As Justice Thurgood Marshall said in a 1987 speech, “The ultimate goal is the creation of a colorblind society,” but “given the position from which America began, we still have a very long way to go.”

Racial progress in the United States has resulted from rare moments of national clarity, often following violent upheavals like the Civil War and the civil rights movement. At those times, enough white people in power embraced the idea that racial subordination is antidemocratic and so the United States must counter its legacy of racial caste not with a mandated racial neutrality or colorblindness but with sweeping race-specific laws and policies to help bring about Black equality. Yet any attempt to manufacture equality by the same means that this society manufactured inequality has faced fierce and powerful resistance.

This resistance began as soon as slavery ended. After generations of chattel slavery, four million human beings were suddenly being emancipated into a society in which they had no recognized rights or citizenship, and no land, money, education, shelter or jobs. To address this crisis, some in Congress saw in the aftermath of this nation’s deadliest war the opportunity — but also the necessity — for a second founding that would eliminate the system of racial slavery that had been its cause. These men, known as Radical Republicans, believed that making Black Americans full citizens required color-consciousness in policy — an intentional reversal of the way race had been used against Black Americans. They wanted to create a new agency called the Freedmen’s Bureau to serve “persons of African descent” or “such persons as once had been slaves” by providing educational, food and legal assistance, as well as allotments of land taken from the white-owned properties where formerly enslaved people were forced to work.

Understanding that “race” was created to force people of African descent into slavery, their arguments in Congress in favor of the Freedmen’s Bureau were not based on Black Americans’ “skin color” but rather on their condition. Standing on the Senate floor in June 1864, Senator Charles Sumner quoted from a congressional commission’s report on the conditions of freed people, saying, “We need a Freedmen’s Bureau not because these people are Negroes but because they are men who have been for generations despoiled of their rights.” Senator Lyman Trumbull, an author of the 13th Amendment, which abolished slavery, declared: “The policy of the states where slavery has existed has been to legislate in its interest. … Now, when slavery no longer exists, the policy of the government must be to legislate in the interest of freedom.” In a speech to Congress, Trumbull compelled “the people of the rebellious states” to be “as zealous and active in the passage of laws and the inauguration of measures to elevate, develop and improve the Negro as they have hitherto been to enslave and degrade him.”

But there were also the first stirrings of an argument we still hear today: that specifically aiding those who, because they were of African descent, had been treated as property for 250 years was giving them preferential treatment. Two Northern congressmen, Martin Kalbfleish, a Dutch immigrant and former Brooklyn mayor, and Anthony L. Knapp, a representative from Illinois, declared that no one would give “serious consideration” to a “bureau of Irishmen’s affairs, a bureau of Dutchmen’s affairs or one for the affairs of those of Caucasian descent generally.” So they questioned why the freedmen should “become these marked objects of special legislation, to the detriment of the unfortunate whites.” Representative Nelson Taylor bemoaned the Freedmen’s Bureau Act of 1866, which he accused of making a “distinction on account of color between two races.” He argued, “This, sir, is what I call class legislation — legislation for a particular class of the Blacks to the exclusion of all whites.”

Ultimately, the Freedmen’s Bureau bills passed, but only after language was added to provide assistance for poor white people as well. Already, at the very moment of racial slavery’s demise, we see the poison pill, the early formulation of the now-familiar arguments that helping a people who had been enslaved was somehow unfair to those who had not, that the same Constitution that permitted and protected bondage based on race now required colorblindness to undo its harms.

This logic helped preserve the status quo and infused the responses to other Reconstruction-era efforts that tried to ensure justice and equality for newly freed people. President Andrew Johnson, in vetoing the 1866 Civil Rights Act, which sought to grant automatic citizenship to four million Black people whose families for generations had been born in the United States, argued that it “proposes a discrimination against large numbers of intelligent, worthy and patriotic foreigners,” who would still be subjected to a naturalization process “in favor of the Negro.” Congress overrode Johnson’s veto, but this idea that unique efforts to address the extraordinary conditions of people who were enslaved or descended from slavery were unfair to another group who had chosen to immigrate to this country foreshadowed the arguments about Asian immigrants and their children that would be echoed 150 years later in Students for Fair Admissions.

As would become the pattern, the collective determination to redress the wrongs of slavery evaporated under opposition. Congress abolished the Freedmen’s Bureau in 1872. And just 12 years after the Civil War, white supremacists and their accommodationists brought Reconstruction to a violent end. The nation’s first experiment with race-based redress and multiracial democracy was over. In its place, the Supreme Court in Plessy v. Ferguson in 1896 ushered in the period of official racial apartheid when it determined that “the enforced separation of the races … neither abridges the privileges or immunities of the colored man … nor denies him the equal protection of the laws.” Over the next six decades, the court condoned an entire code of race law and policies designed to segregate, marginalize, exclude and subjugate descendants of slavery across every realm of American life. The last of these laws would stand until 1968, less than a decade before I was born.

Thurgood Marshall’s Path to Desegregation

In 1930, a young man named Thurgood Marshall, a native son of Baltimore, could not attend the University of Maryland’s law school, located in the city and state where his parents were taxpaying citizens. The 22-year-old should have been a shoo-in for admission. An academically gifted student, Marshall had become enamored with the Constitution after his high school principal punished him for a prank by making him read the founding document. Marshall memorized key parts of the Constitution, especially the Bill of Rights. After enrolling at Lincoln University, a prestigious Black institution, he joined the debate team and graduated with honors.

But none of that mattered. Only one thing did: Marshall was a descendant of slavery, and Black people, no matter their intellect, ambition or academic record, were barred by law from attending the University of Maryland. Marshall enrolled instead at Howard University Law School, where he studied under the brilliant Charles Hamilton Houston, whose belief that “a lawyer is either a social engineer or he’s a parasite on society” had turned the law school into the “West Point of civil rights.”

It was there that Marshall began to see the Constitution as a living document that must adapt to and address the times. He joined with Houston in crafting the strategy that would dismantle legal apartheid. After graduating as valedictorian, in one of his first cases, Marshall sued the University of Maryland. He argued that the school was violating the 14th Amendment, which granted the formerly enslaved citizenship and ensured Black Americans “equal protection under the law,” by denying Black students admission solely because of their race without providing an alternative law school for Black students. Miraculously, he won.

Nearly two decades later, Marshall stood before the Supreme Court on behalf of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund in Brown v. Board of Education, arguing that the equal-protection clause enshrined in the 14th Amendment did not abide the use of racial classifications to segregate Black students. Marshall was not merely advancing a generic argument that the Constitution commands blindness to color or race. The essential issue, the reason the 14th Amendment existed, he argued, was not just because race had served as a means of classifying people, but because race had been used to create a system to oppress descendants of slavery — people who had been categorized as Black. Marshall explained that racial classification was being used to enforce an “inherent determination that the people who were formerly in slavery, regardless of anything else, shall be kept as near that stage as is possible.” The court, he said, “should make it clear that that is not what our Constitution stands for.” He sought the elimination of laws requiring segregation, but also the segregation those laws had created.

The Supreme Court, in unanimously striking down school segregation in its Brown decision, did not specifically mention the word “colorblind,” but its ruling echoed the thinking about the 14th Amendment in John Marshall Harlan’s lone dissent in Plessy v. Ferguson. “There is no caste here,” Harlan declared. “Our constitution is colorblind, and neither knows nor tolerates classes among citizens.” But he also made it clear that colorblindness was intended to eliminate the subordination of those who had been enslaved, writing, “In respect of civil rights, all citizens are equal before the law.” He continued, “The arbitrary separation of citizens on the basis of race … is a badge of servitude.”

The court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education was not merely a moral statement but a political one. Racial segregation and the violent suppression of democracy among its Black citizens had become a liability for the United States during the Cold War, as the nation sought to stymie Communism’s attraction in non-European nations. Attorney General James P. McGranery submitted a brief to the Supreme Court on behalf of the Truman administration supporting a ruling against school segregation, writing: “It is in the context of the present world struggle between freedom and tyranny that the problem of racial discrimination must be viewed. The United States is trying to prove to the people of the world of every nationality, race and color that a free democracy is the most civilized and most secure form of government yet devised by man. … Racial discrimination furnishes grist for the Communist propaganda mills.”

Civil rights activists were finally seeing their decades-long struggle paying off. But the architects and maintenance crew of racial caste understood a fundamental truth about the society they had built: Systems constructed and enforced over centuries to subjugate enslaved people and their descendants based on race no longer needed race-based laws to sustain them. Racial caste was so entrenched, so intertwined with American institutions, that without race-based counteraction , it would inevitably self-replicate.

One can see this in the effort to desegregate schools after the Brown v. Board of Education ruling. Across the country, North and South, white officials eliminated laws and policies mandating segregation but also did nothing to integrate schools. They maintained unofficial policies of assigning students to schools based on race, adopting so-called race-neutral admissions requirements designed to eliminate most Black applicants from white schools, and they drew school attendance zones snugly around racially segregated neighborhoods. Nearly a decade after Brown v. Board, educational colorblindness stood as the law of the land, and yet no substantial school integration had occurred. In fact, at the start of 1963, in Alabama and Mississippi, two of the nation’s most heavily Black states, not a single Black child attended school with white children.

By the mid-1960s, the Supreme Court grew weary of the ploys. It began issuing rulings trying to enforce actual desegregation of schools. And in 1968, in Green v. New Kent County, the court unanimously decided against a Virginia school district’s “freedom-of-choice plan” that on its face adhered to the colorblind mandate of Brown but in reality led to almost no integration in the district. “The fact that in 1965 the Board opened the doors of the former ‘white’ school to Negro children and of the ‘Negro’ school to white children merely begins, not ends, our inquiry whether the Board has taken steps adequate to abolish its dual, segregated system,” the court determined.

The court ordered schools to use race to assign students, faculty and staff members to schools to achieve integration. Complying with Brown, the court determined, meant the color-conscious conversion of an apartheid system into one without a “ ‘white’ school and a ‘Negro’ school, but just schools.” In other words, the reality of racial caste could not be constitutionally subordinated to the ideal of colorblindness. Colorblindness was the goal, color-consciousness the remedy.

Using Race to End Racial Inequality

Hobart Taylor Jr., a successful lawyer who lived in Detroit, was mingling at a party in the nation’s capital in January 1961 to celebrate the inauguration of Lyndon B. Johnson as vice president of the United States. Taylor had not had any intention of going to the inauguration, but like Johnson, Taylor was a native son of Texas, and his politically active family were early supporters of Johnson. And so at a personal request from the vice president, Taylor reluctantly found himself amid the din of clinking cocktail glasses when Johnson stopped and asked him to come see him in a few days.

Taylor did not immediately go see Johnson. After a second request came in, in February, Taylor found himself in Johnson’s office. The vice president slid into Taylor’s hands a draft of a new executive order to establish the Committee on Equal Employment Opportunity, which Johnson would lead. This was to be one of President John F. Kennedy’s first steps toward establishing civil rights for Black people.

Taylor’s grandfather had been born into slavery, and yet he and Taylor’s father became highly successful and influential entrepreneurs and landowners despite Texas’ strict color line.

The apartheid society Taylor grew up in was changing, and the vice president of the United States had tapped him to help draft its new rules. How could he say no? Taylor had planned on traveling back to Detroit that night, but instead he checked into the Willard Hotel, where he worked so intently on the draft of the executive order that not only did he forget to eat dinner but also he forgot to tell his wife that he wasn’t coming home. The next day, Taylor worked and reworked the draft for what would become Executive Order 10925, enacted in March 1961.

A few years later, in an interview for the John F. Kennedy Library Oral History Program, Taylor would recall what he considered his most significant contribution. The draft he received said employers had to “take action” to ensure that job applicants and employees would not be discriminated against because of their race, creed, color or national origin. Taylor thought the wording needed a propellant, and so inserted the word “affirmative” in front of action. “I was torn between ‘positive’ and ‘affirmative,’ and I decided ‘affirmative’ on the basis of alliteration,” he said. “And that has, apparently, meant a great deal historically in the way in which people have approached this whole thing.”

Taylor added the word to the order, but it would be the other Texan — a man with a fondness for using the N-word in private — who would most forcefully describe the moral rationale, the societal mandate, for affirmative action. Johnson would push through Congress the 1964, 1965 and 1968 civil rights laws — the greatest civil rights legislation since Reconstruction.

But a deeply divided Congress did not pass this legislation simply because it realized a century after the Civil War that descendants of slavery deserved equal rights. Black Americans had been engaged in a struggle to obtain those rights and had endured political assassinations, racist murders, bombings and other violence. Segregated and impoverished Black communities across the nation took part in dozens of rebellions, and tanks rolled through American streets. The violent suppression of the democratic rights of its Black citizens threatened to destabilize the country and had once again become an international liability as the United States waged war in Vietnam.

But as this nation’s racist laws began to fall, conservatives started to realize that the language of colorblindness could be used to their advantage. In the fall of 1964, Barry Goldwater, a Republican who was running against President Johnson, gave his first major national speech on civil rights. Civil rights leaders like the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Roy Wilkins had lambasted Goldwater’s presidential nomination, with King saying his philosophy gave “aid and comfort to racists.” But at a carefully chosen venue — the Conrad Hilton in Chicago — in front of a well-heeled white audience unlikely to spout racist rhetoric, Goldwater savvily evoked the rhetoric of the civil rights movement to undermine civil rights. “It has been well said that the Constitution is colorblind,” he said. “And so it is just as wrong to compel children to attend certain schools for the sake of so-called integration as for the sake of segregation. … Our aim, as I understand it, is not to establish a segregated society or an integrated society. It is to preserve a free society.”

The argument laid out in this speech was written with the help of William H. Rehnquist. As a clerk for Justice Robert Jackson during the Brown v. Board of Education case, Rehnquist pushed for the court to uphold segregation. But in the decade that passed, it became less socially acceptable to publicly denounce equal rights for Black Americans, and Rehnquist began to deploy the language of colorblindness in a way that cemented racial disadvantage.

White Americans who liked the idea of equality but did not want descendants of slavery moving next door to them, competing for their jobs or sitting near their children in school were exceptionally primed for this repositioning. As Rick Perlstein wrote in his book “Before the Storm: Barry Goldwater and the Unmaking of American Consensus,” when it came to race, Goldwater believed that white Americans “didn’t have the words to say the truth they knew in their hearts to be right, in a manner proper to the kind of men they wanted to see when they looked in the mirror. Goldwater was determined to give them the words.”

In the end, Johnson beat Goldwater in a landslide. Then, in June 1965, a few months after Black civil rights marchers were barbarically beaten on Selma’s Edmund Pettus Bridge and two months before he would sign the historic Voting Rights Act into law, Johnson, now president of a deeply and violently polarized nation, gave the commencement address at Howard University. At that moment, Johnson stood at the pinnacle of white American power, and he used his platform to make the case that the country owed descendants of slavery more than just their rights and freedom.

“You do not take a person who, for years, has been hobbled by chains and liberate him, bring him up to the starting line of a race and then say, ‘You are free to compete with all the others,’ and still justly believe that you have been completely fair,” Johnson said. “This is the next and the more profound stage of the battle for civil rights. We seek not just freedom but opportunity. We seek not just legal equity but human ability, not just equality as a right and a theory but equality as a fact and equality as a result.”

For a brief moment, it seemed as if a grander, more just vision of America had taken hold. But while Goldwater did not win the election, 14 years later a case went before the Supreme Court that would signal the ultimate victory of Goldwater’s strategy.

Claiming Reverse Discrimination

Allan Bakke was enjoying a successful career at NASA when he decided he wanted to become a physician. Bakke grew up in a white middle-class family — his father worked for the Post Office, and his mother taught school. Bakke went to the University of Minnesota, where he studied engineering and joined the R.O.T.C. to help pay for college, and then served four years as a Marine, including seven months in Vietnam. It was there that Bakke became enamored with the medical profession. While still working at NASA, he enrolled in night courses to obtain a pre-med degree. In 1972, while he was in his 30s, Bakke applied to 11 medical schools, including at his alma mater, and was rejected by all 11.

One of the schools that Bakke, who was living in California at the time, applied to was the University of California at Davis. The school received 2,664 applications for 100 spots, and by the time he completed his application, most of the seats had already been filled. Some students with lower scores were admitted before he applied, and Bakke protested to the school, claiming that “quotas, open or covert, for racial minorities” had kept him out. His admission file, however, would show that it was his age that was probably a significant strike against him and not his race.

Bakke applied again the next year, and U.C. Davis rejected him again. A friend described Bakke as developing an “almost religious zeal” to fight what he felt was a system that discriminated against white people in favor of so-called minorities. Bakke decided to sue, claiming he had been a victim of “reverse” discrimination.

The year was 1974, less than a decade after Johnson’s speech on affirmative action and a few years after the policy had begun to make its way onto college campuses. The U.C. Davis medical school put its affirmative-action plan in place in 1970. At the time, its first-year medical-school class of 100 students did not include a single Black, Latino or Native student. In response, the faculty designed a special program to boost enrollment of “disadvantaged” students by reserving 16 of the 100 seats for students who would go through a separate admissions process that admitted applicants with lower academic ratings than the general admissions program.

From 1971 to 1974, 21 Black students, 30 Mexican American students and 12 Asian American students enrolled through the special program, while one Black student, six Mexican Americans and 37 Asian American students were admitted through the regular program. Bakke claimed that his right to equal protection under the 14th Amendment and the 1964 Civil Rights Act had been violated. Though these laws were adopted to protect descendants of slavery from racial discrimination and subordination, Bakke was deploying them to claim that he had been illegally discriminated against because he was white. The case became the first affirmative-action challenge decided by the Supreme Court and revealed just how successful the rhetorical exploitation of colorblindness could be.

Justice Lewis Powell, writing for a fractured court in 1978, determined that although the 14th Amendment was written primarily to bridge “the vast distance between members of the Negro race and the white ‘majority,’” the passage of time and the changing demographics of the nation meant the amendment must now be applied universally. In an argument echoing the debates over the Freedmen’s Bureau, Powell said that the United States had grown more diverse, becoming a “nation of minorities,” where “the white ‘majority’ itself is composed of various minority groups, most of which can lay claim to a history of prior discrimination at the hands of the State and private individuals.”

“The guarantee of equal protection cannot mean one thing when applied to one individual and something else when applied to a person of another color,” Powell wrote. “If both are not accorded the same protection, then it is not equal.” Powell declared that the medical school could not justify helping certain “perceived” victims if it disadvantaged white people who “bear no responsibility for whatever harm the beneficiaries of the special admissions program are thought to have suffered.”

But who or what, then, did bear the responsibility?

Bakke was raised in Coral Gables, a wealthy, white suburb of Miami whose segregationist founder proposed a plan to remove all Black people from Miami while serving on the Dade County Planning Board, and where the white elementary school did not desegregate until after it was ordered by a federal court to do so in 1970, the same year U.C. Davis began its affirmative-action program. The court did not contemplate how this racially exclusive access to top neighborhoods and top schools probably helped Bakke to achieve the test scores that most Black students, largely relegated because of their racial designation to resource-deprived segregated neighborhoods and educational facilities, did not. It did not mean Bakke didn’t work hard, but it did mean that he had systemic advantages over equally hard-working and talented Black people.

For centuries, men like Powell and Bakke had benefited from a near-100 percent quota system, one that reserved nearly all the seats at this nation’s best-funded public and private schools and most-exclusive public and private colleges, all the homes in the best neighborhoods and all the top, well-paying jobs in private companies and public agencies for white Americans. Men like Bakke did not acknowledge the systemic advantages they had accrued because of their racial category, nor all the ways their race had unfairly benefited them. More critical, neither did the Supreme Court. As members of the majority atop the caste system, racial advantage transmitted invisibly to them. They took notice of their race only when confronted with a new system that sought to redistribute some of that advantage to people who had never had it.

Thus, the first time the court took up the issue of affirmative action, it took away the policy’s power. The court determined that affirmative action could not be used to redress the legacy of racial discrimination that Black Americans experienced, or the current systemic inequality that they were still experiencing. Instead, it allowed that some consideration of a student’s racial background could stand for one reason only: to achieve desired “diversity” of the student body. Powell referred to Harvard’s affirmative-action program, which he said had expanded to include students from other disadvantaged backgrounds, such as those from low-income families. He quoted an example from the plan, which said: “The race of an applicant may tip the balance in his favor, just as geographic origin or a life spent on a farm may tip the balance in other candidates’ cases. A farm boy from Idaho can bring something to Harvard College that a Bostonian cannot offer. Similarly, a Black student can usually bring something that a white person cannot offer.”

But, of course, a (white) farm boy from Idaho did not descend from people who were enslaved, because they were farmers from Idaho. There were not two centuries of case law arguing over the inherent humanity and rights of farm boys from Idaho. There was no sector of the law, no constitutional provision, that enshrined farm boys from Idaho as property who could be bought and sold. Farm boys from Idaho had no need to engage in a decades-long movement to gain basic rights of citizenship, including the fundamental right to vote. Farm boys from Idaho had not, until just a decade earlier, been denied housing, jobs, the ability to sit on juries and access to the ballot. Farm boys from Idaho had not been forced to sue for the right to attend public schools and universities.

In Bakke, the court was legally — and ideologically — severing the link between race and condition. Race became nothing more than ancestry and a collection of superficial physical traits. The 14th Amendment was no longer about alleviating the extraordinary repercussions of slavery but about treating everyone the same regardless of their “skin color,” history or present condition. With a few strokes of his pen, Powell wiped this context away, and just like that, the experience of 350 years of slavery and Jim Crow was relegated to one thing: another box to check.

Yet at the same time Powell was drafting this ruling, cases of recalcitrant school districts still refusing to integrate Black children were making their way to the Supreme Court. Just 15 years earlier, the federal government called up National Guardsmen to ensure that handfuls of Black students could enroll in white schools.

Indeed, Powell wrote this opinion while sitting on the same court as Thurgood Marshall, who in 1967 became the first Black justice in the Supreme Court’s 178-year history. In Brown, Marshall helped break the back of legalized segregation. Now, as the court deliberated the Bakke case, a frustrated Marshall sent around a two-and-a-half-page typed memo to the other justices. “I repeat, for next to the last time: The decision in this case depends on whether you consider the action of the regents as admitting certain students or as excluding certain other students,” he wrote. “If you view the program as admitting qualified students who, because of this Nation’s sorry history of racial discrimination, have academic records that prevent them from effectively competing for medical school, then this is affirmative action to remove the vestiges of slavery and state imposed segregation by ‘root and branch.’ If you view the program as excluding students, it is a program of ‘quotas’ which violates the principle that the ‘Constitution is color-blind.’”

When Marshall’s arguments did not persuade enough justices, he joined with three others in a dissent from a decision that he saw as actively reversing, and indeed perverting, his legacy. They issued a scathing rebuke to the all-white majority, accusing them of letting “colorblindness become myopia, which masks the reality that many ‘created equal’ have been treated within our lifetimes as inferior both by the law and by their fellow citizens.”

Marshall also wrote his own dissent, where he ticked off statistic after statistic that revealed the glaring disparities between descendants of slavery and white Americans in areas like infant and maternal mortality, unemployment, income and life expectancy. He argued that while collegiate diversity was indeed a compelling state interest, bringing Black Americans into the mainstream of American life was much more urgent, and that failing to do so would ensure that “America will forever remain a divided society.”

Marshall called out the court’s hypocrisy. “For it must be remembered that, during most of the past 200 years, the Constitution, as interpreted by this court, did not prohibit the most ingenious and pervasive forms of discrimination against the Negro,” he wrote. “Now, when a state acts to remedy the effects of that legacy of discrimination, I cannot believe that this same Constitution stands as a barrier.”

At the end of his lengthy dissent, Marshall pointed out what had become the court’s historic pattern. “After the Civil War, our government started ‘affirmative action’ programs. This court … destroyed the movement toward complete equality,” he wrote. As he said, “I fear that we have come full circle.”

The Reagan Rollback

In 1980, having just secured the Republican nomination for the presidency, Ronald Reagan traveled to Mississippi’s Neshoba County Fair to give an address. It was there in that county, a mere 16 years earlier, that three civil rights workers, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner, were murdered by Klansmen, among the most notorious killings of the civil rights era.

Standing in front of a roaring crowd of about 10,000 white Mississippians, Reagan began his general-election campaign. He did not mention race. He did not need to. Instead he spoke of states’ rights, replicating the language of Confederates and segregationists, to signal his vision for America.

Despite the Bakke ruling, affirmative action continued to gain ground in the 1970s, with a deeply divided Supreme Court upholding limited affirmative action in hiring and other areas, and the Jimmy Carter administration embracing race-conscious policies. But Reagan understood the political power of white resistance to these policies, which if allowed to continue and succeed would redistribute opportunity in America.

Once in office, Reagan aggressively advanced the idea that racial-justice efforts had run amok, that Black Americans were getting undeserved racial advantages across society and that white Americans constituted the primary victims of discrimination.

A 1985 New York Times article noted that the Reagan administration was “intensifying its legal attack on affirmative action” across American life, saying the administration “has altered the government’s definition of racial discrimination.” As early as the 1970s, Reagan began using the phrase “reverse discrimination” — what the political scientist Philip L. Fetzer called a “covert political term” that undermined racial redress programs by redefining them as anti-white. Reagan’s administration claimed that race-conscious remedies were illegal and that hiring goals for Black Americans were “a form of racism” and as abhorrent as the “separate but equal” doctrine struck down by Brown v. Board.

Reagan, who had secretly called Black people monkeys and opposed the Civil Rights Act of 1964, opposed the establishment of the Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday. Yet in the first commemoration of that holiday in 1986, he trotted out King’s words to condemn racial-justice policy. “We’re committed to a society in which all men and women have equal opportunities to succeed, and so we oppose the use of quotas,” he said. “We want a colorblind society, a society that, in the words of Dr. King, judges people not by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.”

This passage from King’s famous 1963 “I Have a Dream” speech has become a go-to for conservatives seeking to discredit efforts to address the pervasive disadvantages that Black Americans face. And it works so effectively because few Americans have read the entire speech, and even fewer have read any of the other speeches or writings in which King explicitly makes clear that colorblindness was a goal that could be reached only through race-conscious policy. Four years after giving his “Dream” speech, King wrote, “A society that has done something special against the Negro for hundreds of years must now do something special for him.” And during a 1968 sermon given less than a week before his assassination, King said that those who opposed programs to specifically help Black Americans overcome their disadvantage “never stop to realize that no other ethnic group has been a slave on American soil. The people who say this never stop to realize that the nation made the Black man’s color a stigma; but beyond this they never stop to realize that they owe a people who were kept in slavery 244 years.”

But as the sociologist Stuart Hall once wrote, “Those who produce the discourse also have the power to make it true.” Reagan deftly provided the road map to the nation’s racial future. Tapping into white aversion to acknowledging and addressing the singular crimes committed against Black Americans, conservatives, who had not long before championed and defended racial segregation, now commandeered the language of colorblindness, which had been used to dismantle the impacts of legal apartheid. They wrapped themselves in the banner of rhetorical equality while condemning racial-justice activists as the primary perpetrators of racism.

“There’s this really concerted, strategic effort to communicate to white people that racial justice makes white people victims, and that when people demand racial justice, they don’t actually mean justice; they mean revenge,” Ian Haney López, a race and constitutional law scholar at the University of California, Berkeley, told me. “Black people are treated as if they are just any other Americans. There is no history of racial subordination associated with Black people. There is no structural or systemic racism against African Americans. By 1989, it’s over. Reactionary colorblindness has won.”

Diversity vs. Redress

Perhaps no single person has more successfully wielded Reagan’s strategy than Edward Blum. In 1992, Blum, who made his living as a stockbroker, decided to run for Congress as a Republican in a Texas district carved out to ensure Black representation. Blum was trounced by the Black Democratic candidate. He and several others sued, arguing that a consideration of racial makeup when creating legislative districts violated the 14th Amendment’s equal-protection clause. Despite the fact that until a 1944 Supreme Court ruling, Texas had selected candidates through all-white primaries, and the fact that the district had been created in part in response to the state’s history of Black-voter suppression, Blum’s side won the case, forcing a redrawing of legislative districts in a manner that diluted Black and Latino voting power. Since that victory, Blum has mounted a decades-long campaign that has undermined the use of race to achieve racial justice across American life.

Blum is not a lawyer, but his organizations, funded by a mostly anonymous cadre of deep-pocketed conservatives, have been wildly effective. It is Blum, for instance, who was the strategist behind the case against the Voting Rights Act. When the Supreme Court again narrowly upheld affirmative action in college admissions in the early 2000s, Blum set his sights on killing it altogether. In that 2003 case, Grutter v. Bollinger, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor wrote the majority opinion preserving limited affirmative action but putting universities on notice by setting an arbitrary timeline for when the court should determine that enough racial justice will have been achieved. “It has been 25 years since Justice Powell first approved the use of race to further an interest in student-body diversity in the context of public higher education,” O’Connor wrote. “We expect that 25 years from now, the use of racial preferences will no longer be necessary.” The use of the term “racial preferences” is key here. Instead of a policy created to even the playing field for a people who had been systematically held back and still faced pervasive discrimination, affirmative action was cast as a program that punished white Americans by giving unfair preferential treatment to Black Americans.

Blum didn’t wait 25 years to challenge affirmative action. His case brought on behalf of Abigail Fisher, a soft-spoken white woman who sued the University of Texas at Austin, after she was denied admission, went all the way to the Supreme Court. The court ultimately upheld the university’s admissions program. In his second attempt, Blum changed tactics. As he told a gathering of the Houston Chinese Alliance in 2015: “I needed Asian plaintiffs.” In Students for Fair Admissions v. Harvard, Blum’s group argued, and the court agreed, that affirmative-action programs discriminated against Asian Americans and, at the University of North Carolina, also white students. But many saw Blum’s use of another historically marginalized group in the lawsuit as an attempt to neutralize any argument that those targeting affirmative action opposed racial equality.

Blum’s success relied on defining affirmative action as a program about “visual diversity,” treating race as a mere collection of physical traits and not a social construct used to subordinate and stigmatize. When colleges seek diversity, he said, they are “really talking about skin-color diversity. How somebody looks. What’s your skin color? What’s the shape of your eyes? What’s the texture of your hair? Most Americans don’t think that the shape of your eyes tells us much about who you are as an individual. What does your skin color tell the world about who you are as an individual?” This reasoning resounds for many Americans who have also come to think about race simply as what you see.

Blum has described racial injustice against Black Americans as a thing of the past — a “terrible scar” on our history. As he awaited the court’s ruling last April, Blum told The Christian Science Monitor that today’s efforts to address that past were discriminatory and in direct conflict with the colorblind goals of Black activism. He said that “an individual’s race or ethnicity should not be used to help that individual or harm that individual in their life’s endeavors” and that affirmative action was “in grave tension with the founding principles of our civil rights movement.” But the civil rights movement has never been about merely eliminating race or racism; it’s also about curing its harms, and civil rights groups oppose Blum’s efforts.

Yet progressives, too, have unwittingly helped to maintain the corrupt colorblind argument that Blum has employed so powerfully, in part because the meaning of affirmative action was warped nearly from its beginning by the Supreme Court’s legal reasoning in Bakke. When the court determined that affirmative-action programs could stand only for “diversity” and not for redress, many advocates and institutions, in order to preserve these programs, embraced the idea that the goal of affirmative action was diversity and inclusiveness and not racial justice. Progressive organizations adopted the lexicon of “people of color” when discussing affirmative-action programs and also flattened all African-descended people into a single category, regardless of their particular lineage or experience in the United States.

Campuses certainly became more “diverse” as admissions offices focused broadly on recruiting students who were not white. But the descendants of slavery, for whom affirmative action originated, remain underrepresented among college students, especially at selective colleges and universities. At elite universities, research shows, the Black population consists disproportionately of immigrants and children of immigrants rather than students whose ancestors were enslaved here.

So, at least on this one thing, Blum is right. Many institutions have treated affirmative-action programs as a means of achieving visual diversity. Doing so has weakened the most forceful arguments for affirmative action, which in turn has weakened public support for such policies. Institutions must find ways, in the wake of the affirmative-action ruling, to address the racism that Black people face no matter their lineage. But using affirmative action as a diversity program — or a program to alleviate disadvantage that any nonwhite person faces — has in actuality played a part in excluding the very people for whom affirmative action and other racial redress programs were created to help.

Taking Back the Intent of Affirmative Action

Just as the NAACP Legal Defense Fund used the Brown v. Board of Education ruling as a legal catalyst for eliminating apartheid in all American life, Blum and those of like mind intend to use the affirmative-action ruling to push a sweeping regression in the opposite direction: bringing down this nation’s racial-justice programs and initiatives.

Right after the June ruling, 13 Republican state attorneys general sent letters to 100 of the nation’s biggest companies warning that the affirmative-action ruling prohibits what they call “discriminating on the basis of race, whether under the label of ‘diversity, equity and inclusion’ or otherwise. Treating people differently because of the color of their skin, even for benign purposes, is unlawful and wrong.” Companies that engage in such racial discrimination, the letter threatened, would “face serious legal consequences.”

The letter points to racial-justice and diversity-and-inclusion programs created or announced by companies, particularly after the murder of George Floyd by a white police officer. In response to the killing, a multigenerational protest movement arose and faced violent suppression by law enforcement as it sought to force this nation to see that the descendants of slavery were still suffering and deserved repair. Corporations took a public stance on racial justice, vowing to integrate everything from their boardrooms to their suppliers. Monuments to white supremacists and Confederates that had stood for 100 years were finally vanquished from the public square. And many colleges and other institutions vocally committed to racial justice as an ethos.

But that fragile multiracial coalition — which for a period understood racial redress as a national good needed to secure and preserve our democracy — has been crushed by the same forces that have used racial polarization to crush these alliances in the past. Conservatives have spent the four years since George Floyd’s murder waging a so-called war against “woke” — banning books and curriculums about racism, writing laws that eliminate diversity-and-inclusion programs and prohibiting the teaching of courses even at the college level that are deemed racially “divisive.”

In other words, conservatives have used state power to prepare a citizenry to accept this new American legal order by restricting our ability to understand why so much racial inequality exists, particularly among the descendants of slavery, and why programs like affirmative action were ever needed in the first place.

“Something really stunning and dangerous that has happened during the Trump era is that the right uses the language of colorblindness or anti-wokeness to condemn any references to racial justice,” Haney López told me. “This rhetoric is a massive fraud, because it claims colorblindness toward race but is actually designed to stimulate hyper-race-consciousness among white people. That strategy has worked.”

Today we have a society where constitutional colorblindness dictates that school segregation is unconstitutional, yet most Black students have never attended a majority-white school or had access to the same educational resources as white children. A society with a law prohibiting discrimination in housing and lending, and yet descendants of slavery remain the most residentially, educationally and economically segregated people in the country. A society where employment discrimination is illegal, and yet Black Americans are twice as likely to be unemployed as white Americans, even when they hold college degrees.

Despite these realities, conservative groups are initiating a wave of attacks on racial-equality programs. About 5 percent of practicing attorneys are Black, and yet one of Blum’s groups, the American Alliance for Equal Rights, sued law firms to stop their diversity fellowships. In August, it also sued the Fearless Fund, a venture-capital firm founded by two Black women, which through its charitable arm helps other Black women gain access to funding by giving small grants to businesses that are at least 51 percent owned by Black women. Even though according to the World Economic Forum, Black women receive just 0.34 percent of venture-capital funds in the United States, Blum declared the fund to be racially discriminatory. Another Blum group, Students for Fair Admissions, has now sued the U.S. Military Academy, even though the Supreme Court allowed race-conscious admissions to stand in the military. Another organization, the Center for Individual Rights, has successfully overturned a decades-long Small Business Administration policy that automatically treated so-called minority-owned businesses as eligible for federal contracts for disadvantaged businesses.

Last year, a group called the Californians for Equal Rights Foundation sued the City and County of San Francisco over their funding of several programs aimed at eliminating disparities Black Americans face, including the Abundant Birth Project, which gives stipends for prenatal care, among other supports, to Black women and Pacific Islanders to help prevent them from dying during childbirth. Even though maternal mortality for Black women in the United States is up to four times as high as it is for white women, conservatives argue that programs specifically helping the women most likely to die violate the 14th Amendment. Even as this lawsuit makes its way through the courts, there are signs of why these sorts of programs remain necessary: It was announced last year that the Department of Health and Human Services opened a civil rights investigation into Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles for allegations of racism against Black mothers following the death of a Black woman who went there to give birth.

It is impossible to look at the realities of Black life that these programs seek to address and come to the conclusion that the lawsuits are trying to make society more fair or just or free. Instead they are foreclosing the very initiatives that could actually make it so.

And nothing illuminates that more than the conservative law group’s letter warning Howard — an institution so vaunted among Black Americans that it’s known as the Mecca — that its medical school must stop any admissions practices that have a “racial component.” Howard’s medical school, founded in 1868, remains one of just four historically Black medical schools in the United States. Howard received nearly 9,000 medical-school applicants for 130 open seats in 2023. And while almost all of the students who apply to be Howard undergraduates are Black, because there are so few medical-school slots available, most applicants to Howard’s medical school are not. Since the school was founded to serve descendants of slavery with a mission to educate “disadvantaged students for careers in medicine,” however, most of the students admitted each year are Black.

That has now made it a target, even though Black Americans account for only 5 percent of all U.S. doctors, an increase of just three percentage points in the 46 years since Thurgood Marshall’s dissent in Bakke. Despite affirmative action at predominantly white schools, at least 70 percent of the Black doctors and dentists in America attended an H.B.C.U. H.B.C.U.s also have produced half of the Black lawyers, 40 percent of Black engineers and a quarter of Black graduates in STEM fields.

Even Plessy v. Ferguson, considered perhaps the worst Supreme Court ruling in U.S. history, sanctioned the existence of H.B.C.U.s and other Black-serving organizations. If institutions like Howard or the Fearless Fund cannot work to explicitly assist the descendants of slavery, who still today remain at the bottom of nearly every indicator of success and well-being, then we have decided as a nation that there is nothing we should do to help Black Americans achieve equality and that we will remain a caste society.

What we are witnessing, once again, is the alignment of white power against racial justice and redress. As history has shown, maintaining racial inequality requires constant repression and is therefore antithetical to democracy. And so we must be clear about the stakes: Our nation teeters at the brink of a particularly dangerous moment, not just for Black Americans but for democracy itself.

To meet the moment, our society must forcefully recommit to racial justice by taking lessons from the past. We must reclaim the original intent of affirmative-action programs stretching all the way back to the end of slavery, when the Freedmen’s Bureau focused not on race but on status, on alleviating the conditions of those who had endured slavery. Diversity matters in a diverse society, and American democracy by definition must push for the inclusion of all marginalized people. But remedies for injustice also need to be specific to the harm.

So we, too, must shift our language and, in light of the latest affirmative-action ruling, focus on the specific redress for descendants of slavery . If Yale, for instance, can apologize for its participation in slavery, as it did last month, then why can’t it create special admissions programs for slavery’s descendants — a program based on lineage and not race — just as it does for its legacy students? Corporations, government programs and other organizations could try the same.

Those who believe in American democracy, who want equality, must no longer allow those who have undermined the idea of colorblindness to define the terms. Working toward racial justice is not just the moral thing to do, but it may also be the only means of preserving our democracy.

Race-based affirmative action has died. The fight for racial justice need not. It cannot.

Top photo illustration by Mark Harris. Photograph by Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos

A picture with an earlier version of this article was published in error. The image caption, relying on erroneous information from a photo agency, misidentified the man shown as Hobart Taylor Jr. The image has been replaced with a photo of Taylor.

How we handle corrections

Nikole Hannah-Jones is a domestic correspondent for The New York Times Magazine focusing on racial injustice. Her extensive reporting in both print and radio has earned a Pulitzer Prize, National Magazine Award, Peabody and a Polk Award. More about Nikole Hannah-Jones

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How to Write a Problem Solution Essay
Great Tips on How to Write a Problem Solution Essay: Excellent Guide!
College Problem Solution Essay Outline
10 Beautiful Ideas For Problem Solution Essay 2023
problem-and-solution-essay-example.pdf
Problem/Solution Essay

VIDEO

Project #3: A Problem-Solution Essay
PrObLem discuss with junior class.#crclasses #shashibhushansir #class10 #students #education
IELTS Essay(Academic/General): Problem/Solution Essay Type
‘Cause/Solution’ essay VS ‘Problem/Solution’ essay
clue in question to identify a problem solution essay ielts liz
Problem And Solution Essay

COMMENTS

Guide To Problem Solution Essay
Offer detailed explanations, examples, and evidence to support the understanding of the problem. Solution 1: After presenting all problems, transition to the solutions. Propose practical and reasonable solutions for the first problem. Support each solution with evidence and rationale. Solution 2:
Problem Solution Essay Topics
University-Level Problem Solution Topic List. Undergraduate writing about problems and their solutions is a distinct area of academic activity for which you should be sufficiently prepared. It engages students in a fascinating journey of problem identification, which is usually more complex than college-level writing.
100 Problem Solution Essay Topics with Sample Essays
Scan the lists below to find questions my students have generated to find something you want to write about. Topics are divided into: 1. Social Issues. 2. Relationships. 3. Sports.
How to Write a Problem-Solution Essay: Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Think about groups that you belong to and the problems that those groups have. Make a list of groups you belong to, such as: Step 2: Make a list of problems you have encountered in some of these groups. Sometimes there is a plan for a solution, but it isn't working, or maybe the plan isn't being enforced.
29 Writing Problem-Solution Essays
Sample Problem-Solution Essay. Ask for student volunteers to read each paragraph of the problem-solution essay on this page and the one that follows. Then review the features that are called out in the side notes. Point out the problem (underlined) as well as each topic sentence that addresses a different part of the problem and proposes a ...
Problem-solution essays
Problem-solution essays consider the problems of a particular situation, and give solutions to those problems. They are in some ways similar to cause and effect essays, especially in terms of structure (see below). Problem-solution essays are actually a sub-type of another type of essay, which has the following four components: Situation. Problem.
Problem/Solution Essays
In this chapter you will write a problem/solution essay. To write a problem/solution essay, think about a problem that you have experienced and how it could be fixed. A problem/solution essay is written to explain the solution (s) for a problem. This essay can describe multiple solutions or one "ideal" solution to the problem you describe.
Problem Solution Essay: 5-Minute Writing Guide & Examples
What Is a Problem Solution Essay: Definition. A problem and solution essay is a type of academic writing that defines some specific issue and provides steps to solve it. This kind of essay is aimed at assessing a student's ability to find some controversial problem and offer a clear problem-solving strategy.
26 How do I Write a Problem Solution Essay?
The conclusion of a problem-solution essay should contain a call to action, advocating that the reader either take part in the proposed solution to the problem or become involved in looking for a solution to the problem to be solved. Future consequences of the problem can be used as leverage for the call to action. It may also be useful to briefly restate the problem and describe the effects ...
Problem-Solution Essay
A problem-solution essay is an essay that uses analysis of problems and solutions to argue a point. Here we will focus on the specific strategies that can be used to develop a problem-solution essay.
Problem-Solution Essays: Definition and Examples
A problem-solution essay is a type of argument. "This sort of essay involves argumentation in that the writer seeks to convince the reader to take a particular course of action. In explaining the problem, it may also need to persuade the reader concerning specific causes" (Dave Kemper et al., "Fusion: Integrated Reading and Writing," 2016).
A comprehensive guide to writing problem solution essay
The problem solution essay intends to present either multiple solutions to a single problem or one ideal solution to the problem discussed in the essay. In the book, Fusion: Integrated Reading and Writing (2016), the author Dave Kemper defined a problem-solving essay, "This sort of essay involves argumentation in that the writer seeks to ...
Free Problem Solution Essay Examples. Best Topics, Titles
As of 2021, the total student loan debt in the country exceeded $1.7 trillion, and the average student loan borrower owes over $30,000. This debt burden not only affects individual borrowers' financial health but…. Absolutely free Problem Solution Essay examples provided by straight-A students. Variety of topics to choose from, easy to ...
All You Need to Know About Writing a Problem Solution Essay
The best guide for a problem solution essay outline is the four components mentioned above. Cover the situation, the problem, the solution, and then evaluate both or all sides of the story. To drill down further into the outline, you should have an introduction that will set out your paper's structure. Then you should present the situation.
Step-by-step Guide on How to Write a Problem-Solution Essay
Describe the factors that may be a part of the problem as many as possible. Study all potential causes of the problem that may be relevant to the factors. Create a diagram of the factors and causes, how they are connected and analyze it. Depending on the complexity of the problem you can do an investigation by analyzing causes and also surveys ...
40 Problem-Solution Essay Topics to Help You Get Started
A problem-solution essay that addresses economic problems is compelling precisely because everyone is eager for answers—especially college graduates. Check out these six problem-solution essay topics about economics for essay ideas. 6. Problem: Student loan debts.
200 Best College Problem Solution Essay Topics List
Problem Solving Essay Topics for the Most Creative Students Problem solution essay topics are of particular interest as they are used to heading problem-solution essays. This type of essay deals with identifying an existent issue, challenge or problem in our society and tangible ways to fix them. Besides being very educative and intriguing, a ...
50 Problem Solution Essay Topics for College Students
Problem solution essays are a common assignment in academic writing, requiring students to identify a problem and propose a solution. The key to a successful essay lies in choosing a topic that is both relevant and thought-provoking. In this blog post, we will explore a range of problem solution essay topics that are sure to inspire you. ...
How to Write a Problem and Solution Essay With Tips and Examples
Example of a Conclusion in a Problem and Solution Essay. 🛠️ Four Steps for Writing a Problem and Solution Essay. 1️⃣ Step 1: Preparation. 2️⃣ Step 2: Stage Setup. 3️⃣ Step 3: The Writing Process of Starting a Problem and Solution Essay. 📑 Writing an Introduction for a Problem and Solution Essay.
250+ Problem Solution Essay Topics for Your Study
Problem Solution Essay Ideas for Students. The main priority of every learner when composing a problem solution essay is to choose interesting problem solution ideas after thorough consideration. Find a concept that you are passionate about. Select one of the many good subjects with a workable answer or a strong action plan.
IELTS Problem Solution Essays
Essay Structure. Now let's look at a simple structure you can use to write IELTS problem solution essays. It's not the only possible structure but it's the one I recommend because it's easy to learn and will enable you to quickly plan and write a high-level essay. 1) Introduction. Paraphrase the question.
Problem Solution Essay on Education
Problem Solution Essay on Education. This essay sample was donated by a student to help the academic community. Papers provided by EduBirdie writers usually outdo students' samples. Typically, the higher the level of education results in a higher amount of earnings, better health, and a longer life.
120 Problem Solution Essay Topics for College Students
Problem Solution Environment Essay Topics: Deforestation: Implementing sustainable logging practices to protect forests. Air pollution: Promoting the use of electric vehicles to reduce emissions. Plastic pollution: Encouraging the adoption of reusable alternatives to single-use plastics.
3. Problems students are facing at public K-12 schools
Major problems at school. When we asked teachers about a range of problems that may affect students who attend their school, the following issues top the list: Poverty (53% say this is a major problem at their school) Chronic absenteeism - that is, students missing a substantial number of school days (49%) Anxiety and depression (48%) One-in ...
The Colorblind Campaign to Undo Civil Rights Progress
From 1971 to 1974, 21 Black students, 30 Mexican American students and 12 Asian American students enrolled through the special program, while one Black student, six Mexican Americans and 37 Asian ...
Teens are spending nearly 5 hours daily on social media. Here are the
41%. Percentage of teens with the highest social media use who rate their overall mental health as poor or very poor, compared with 23% of those with the lowest use. For example, 10% of the highest use group expressed suicidal intent or self-harm in the past 12 months compared with 5% of the lowest use group, and 17% of the highest users expressed poor body image compared with 6% of the lowest ...
MIT Solve
The solution benefits students from diverse backgrounds, including Indigenous communities, by providing accessible and high-quality academic support through essay writing services. The affordability, flexible pricing plans, and diverse writing options cater to the needs of students with varying budgets, including those from Indigenous communities.