1. One problem faced by almost every large city is traffic congestion. What do you think the causes are? What solutions can you suggest?

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

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



# 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:
Cause:

• 
  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
  

Solution:

• 
  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: