By English Test Coach · Updated
Task 2 · Causes, problems and practical responses
A useful solution addresses something you have explained. Identify whether the question asks why a situation happens or what difficulties it causes, then connect each proposed response to that focus.
These original plans and questions support Academic and General Training Task 2 practice. They are teaching examples, not recalled test questions, official essay categories or examiner-scored answers.
More people are buying goods online instead of using local shops. What problems can this cause for communities, and what measures could encourage people to shop locally?
“Residents may order online because they can compare products without making a separate journey.”
This explains why online buying might increase. It could provide brief context, but a whole paragraph about convenience would not answer the requested community problems.
“If a nearby shop closes after losing customers, residents who cannot easily travel elsewhere may lose convenient access to an everyday service.”
This identifies who experiences a difficulty and how it follows. Develop that connection rather than writing only “online shopping damages communities”.
The phrase “what measures could encourage people to shop locally?” then asks for a response with a particular aim. A proposal about packaging waste might address a different issue without giving residents a reason to visit local shops.
This groups the problems in one body paragraph and the measures in another. You can also use paired paragraphs, each developing a problem followed by its response, if the links stay clear and every requested part receives enough explanation.
“The government should raise awareness” often leaves the actual work unexplained. Use these questions to test a proposal, then turn the answers into connected prose.
Actor: a local shop. Action: publish accurate stock information and allow a customer to reserve an item for collection.
That is more precise than “businesses should improve”. Keep the actor within the task: if a question specifically asks what households can do, a response entirely about national legislation would miss that limit.
Mechanism: a customer can check that the needed item is available before travelling, reducing the risk of a wasted visit. Limit: this helps only if the stock information is dependable and collection is accessible.
The limit makes the proposal credible. It does not require an exhaustive business plan or prove that every customer will change behaviour.
“Local shops could let customers reserve available items before collecting them. A resident who knows a needed part is ready would have a clearer reason to make the journey, and might visit another business nearby. However, the service would need reliable stock information; repeatedly arriving to find an item unavailable would undermine that benefit.”
This original teaching paragraph connects an action to the requested aim. It uses a hypothetical example, not a claim about measured sales. Compare a one-off event with everyday access: attracting visitors on one Saturday cannot by itself resolve a persistent transport barrier.
Many adults would like to exercise more but rarely take part in local sports activities. Why might this happen, and what could communities do to increase participation?
The question already says many adults would like to participate. “They have no interest in exercise” ignores that premise. Look instead at a plausible barrier between wanting to join and being able to attend.
A paragraph about the health consequences of inactivity would answer a different question from why participation is low. Read the original community-sport answer to see a complete cause–response approach.
“Because” explains a reason; “as a result” introduces a consequence; “by offering” can introduce how an action works. The connector does not establish the link for you. After “this would help”, say who benefits and which barrier changes. The paragraph-development lesson provides a focused exercise.
Some people who have served a prison sentence struggle to find stable employment after their release. Why might this happen, and what could employers and public services do to help them find suitable work?
The focus is stable employment after release. A discussion of prison conditions or the causes of crime would not answer it. Develop a plausible obstacle to finding work, then explain what one of the named actors could change. These are original essay-planning examples, not claims about every applicant or employer.
A jobseeker might have experience but no recent reference, or need to learn a workplace system that has changed. Public employment services could assess that particular gap and offer relevant preparation. A supervised task or placement could give the person current evidence of ability.
Limit: completing a course does not establish suitability for every role or guarantee a vacancy.
If an application is rejected solely because of a record, another training course may not change the screening decision. Employers could instead assess the candidate’s relevant evidence against the actual role, retaining appropriate safeguards.
Limit: individual consideration is an opportunity for assessment, not a promise of appointment.
The complete original answer brings those two connections together. It does not claim that employment guarantees a reduction in reoffending; that outcome is neither supplied nor requested by this question.
“Employers refuse to consider applicants with a record. Therefore, public services should give every applicant the same basic course, and all of them will obtain permanent jobs.”
Identify the missing connection and the promised outcome. Rewrite the response so it addresses the screening barrier and keeps a realistic limit.
“Where relevant skills are being overlooked, employers could assess applicants against the requirements of the job, considering current training and references. Public services could help applicants present that evidence clearly. This would create a fairer opportunity to demonstrate suitability, while role-related safeguards and the availability of vacancies would still matter.”
The response changes how evidence is considered and gives public services a supporting action. It does not assume everyone needs identical training or will receive a job. A paragraph about a different skills gap would need a different explanation.
Mark the instruction before drafting. Some of these ask for causes and others for resulting problems; the labels below identify the difference.
Some people who have served a prison sentence struggle to find stable employment after their release. Why might this happen, and what could employers and public services do to help them find suitable work?
Instruction focus: Causes and responses: distinguish missing evidence of current skills from a screening decision, then match public-service and employer actions to those barriers.
Children now spend more time using digital devices than playing outdoors. Why is this happening, and what can be done to encourage outdoor activity?
Instruction focus: Causes and responses: distinguish the attraction of devices from practical barriers to outdoor play.
More people are buying goods online instead of using local shops. What problems can this cause for communities, and what measures could encourage people to shop locally?
Instruction focus: Problems and measures: keep the consequences focused on communities, then explain what could encourage local visits.
Households sometimes throw away food that could still be eaten. What are the main reasons for this, and what could households and food retailers do to reduce the waste?
Instruction focus: Reasons and responses: cover both named actors, households and retailers, instead of making one responsible for everything.
Noise from traffic and construction is increasing in many cities. What problems can this cause, and what measures could local authorities take to reduce it?
Instruction focus: Problems and measures: develop a resulting difficulty, then connect a council measure to the source of that difficulty.
Many adults would like to exercise more but rarely take part in local sports activities. Why might this happen, and what could communities do to increase participation?
Instruction focus: Causes and responses: identify a participation barrier and explain how an accessible programme reduces it.
For a short exercise, imagine a town where many shoppers depend on buses. Write an actor/action/mechanism/limit plan for improving access to its shops. Explain the link to a community problem rather than simply predicting more sales. Compare your coverage with the Task Response guidance.
Open the local-shopping task in the free workspace and plan the links before you draft. Public AI assessment is paused; the planner, timer, word count and study resources remain available without an account. The rule-based demo is not an AI score.