Situation-problem-solution-evaluation essays consider the problems of a particular situation, and suggest solutions to those problems. They are usually divided into four different main sections, hence the name. Each section, usually one or two paragraphs, covers a single aspect of the essay.

Here are the essential steps to write the SPSE Essay

  • Introduce the place and/or situation. Describe the problem in an in-depth fashion. Propose several solutions.
  • Argue that one of the solutions is practical, feasible, cost-effective, and workable, using properly cited experts and statistics.
  • Explain why it is better than other solutions.

The problems might be global, such as environmental issues including climate change, pollution, deforestation, desertification or other worldwide problems like poverty, or illiteracy. However these are very large topics, difficult to cover adequately in a short essay. Therefore, many students will take a smaller, more localized version of one of these, for example: plastic, marine pollution in Legian, Bali; recent increased deforestation in Kalimantan; or the illiteracy of elementary school-age girls in the Papua region of the Indonesia.

Other possible topics include health-related topics such as depression or eating disorders but again these are very broad so students should choose more confined versions of these such as: the role of Instagram influencers on middle-class students in Jakarta; or an increase in bulimia among young women in south Sulawesi.