IELTS paraphrasing: techniques, mistakes and worked examples

Paraphrasing means saying the same thing in different words without changing the meaning. In IELTS it matters in two directions. In Writing, you paraphrase the question to start your answer in your own words. In Reading and Listening, the test paraphrases the text, so the words in a question rarely match the words in the passage or recording. Get good at paraphrasing and you improve on both sides.

This guide covers five techniques, the mistakes that make a paraphrase worse than the original, and plenty of original before-and-after examples you can practise with.

Why IELTS paraphrasing matters

In Writing

The official Academic format page says Task 1 asks you to describe visual information “in your own words”. The band descriptors (May 2023) are clear about what happens if you rely on the question's wording instead. At band 4, Lexical Resource mentions inappropriate use of “language from the input material”; at band 3, “possible over-dependence on input material or memorised language”; and at band 1, “any copied rubric must be discounted”. Copied words from the task do not show your vocabulary, so they do not help your score.

In Reading and Listening

Questions such as True/False/Not Given, matching headings and sentence completion usually express an idea from the text in different words. If you hunt only for identical words, you will often find the wrong sentence, or nothing at all. Recognising paraphrase is the core skill behind our guides to True/False/Not Given and Yes/No/Not Given.

Technique 1: Synonyms (used carefully)

Replace a word or phrase with one that means the same in this context. This is the technique everyone knows, and the one most often misused, because few words are exact synonyms.

Check collocation before you swap. Lexical Resource at band 7 mentions “an awareness of style and collocation”, and a wrong synonym is more noticeable than a repeated word. Our IELTS vocabulary pages group natural collocations by topic.

Technique 2: Change the word form

Turn a verb into a noun, an adjective into an adverb, and so on. This often forces a new sentence shape, which is a stronger paraphrase than a simple synonym.

• The number of tourists has increased sharply. → There has been a sharp increase in tourist numbers.
• Cities are becoming more crowded. → *Overcrowding in cities is getting worse.*
• People depend heavily on their phones. → People's dependence on their phones is considerable.
• It is important to protect wildlife. → Protecting wildlife is of great importance.

Turning verbs into nouns is called nominalisation, and it is a feature of academic style. Our nominalisation page has more practice.

Technique 3: Change the sentence structure

Reorder the information, split or join clauses, or switch between a clause and a phrase.

• Although fast food is convenient, it is often unhealthy. → Fast food is often unhealthy, despite being convenient.
• Some people think that schools should teach cooking. → Cooking, according to some, ought to be part of the school curriculum.
• Because rents are high, many young adults live with their parents. → High rents mean that many young adults still live in the family home.

Technique 4: Active to passive (or the reverse)

Changing the voice moves the focus of the sentence. It is especially useful in Task 1 and when the person doing the action is not important.

• The council built a new library in 2019. → A new library was built by the council in 2019.
• The diagram shows how glass bottles are recycled. → The diagram illustrates the process by which glass bottles are recycled.
• Many schools have banned mobile phones. → Mobile phones have been banned in many schools.

Revise the forms on our passive voice page.

Technique 5: Make it more general or more specific

Sometimes the best paraphrase changes the level of detail while keeping the meaning: a list becomes a category, or a category becomes clearer. In Task 1, you can also express numbers differently.

• cars, buses and trains → different forms of transport
• smartphones, tablets and laptops → personal digital devices
• 25% → a quarter; just over 50% → slightly more than half; from 2010 to 2020 → over the decade

Worked examples: paraphrasing Writing questions

These are original practice prompts with an introduction that paraphrases each one. Notice that the meaning, including any limits in the question, stays exactly the same.

For Task 2, follow your paraphrase with a sentence that gives your position or outlines your essay. Our guide to IELTS essay types shows what that second sentence needs for each question type, and the Academic Writing Task 1 guide shows how the paraphrased introduction leads into the overview.

What not to do

• Don't change the meaning. Some people believe… is not the same as Most people believe…, and children is not the same as teenagers. Keep qualifiers like some, often and in many countries.
• Don't force a synonym for technical or key terms. Carbon dioxide, public transport, social media and the names of things in a diagram usually have no good synonym. Repeating them is fine.
• Don't use a thesaurus blindly. Pupils' learning outcomes is natural; pupils' erudition consequences is not.
• Don't copy and change one word. Some people believe that university education should be free for every student is still the question, not your own words.
• Don't paraphrase forever. One or two sentences is enough for an introduction. Spend your time on the body of the answer.

Paraphrasing in Reading and Listening

Here is an original example of how a Reading question might paraphrase a passage.

Almost no words match. Initially becomes at first, greeted with suspicion and feared become worried, the scheme becomes the project, and divert water away from their fields becomes reduce their water supply. The statement agrees with the passage, but you will only see that if you read for meaning rather than matching words.

Listening works the same way: a form might say Preferred day while the speaker says Thursday would suit me best. Our Reading tips and Listening tips cover how to predict the paraphrases before you read or hear the text.

Practise: try these yourself

Paraphrase each sentence using at least two techniques. Suggested answers follow, but many correct versions are possible.

1. Many young people spend too much time on social media.
2. The government should invest more money in public transport.
3. The chart shows the percentage of households with internet access in four countries.
4. Learning a foreign language is becoming more popular among adults.

1. A large proportion of the younger generation devote an excessive amount of time to social media. (synonyms + structure)
2. Greater public investment in buses and trains is needed. (word form + general to specific)
3. The bar chart compares the proportion of homes that were connected to the internet in four nations. (synonyms + passive)
4. There is growing interest among adults in learning another language. (word form + structure)

Paraphrasing is also useful in the Speaking test, where it helps you avoid repeating the examiner's question word for word. See our IELTS Speaking tips for more.

Do I have to paraphrase the question in Writing Task 2?

You should write your introduction in your own words. The band descriptors say any copied rubric must be discounted and mention over-dependence on input material at lower bands, so copied wording does not count in your favour.

Is it bad to repeat a word from the question?

Not always. Key terms such as carbon dioxide or social media often have no natural synonym, and repeating them is better than using a wrong word. What matters is that most of your sentence is your own.

How many techniques should I use in one paraphrase?

Usually two or three. Swapping a single word leaves the sentence too close to the original; combining a synonym with a new structure or a word-form change gives a genuine paraphrase.

Can paraphrasing lower my score?

It can if the paraphrase changes the meaning or uses an unnatural word. Lexical Resource rewards precision and appropriate collocation, so an accurate simple paraphrase is better than an impressive but wrong one.

How do I get better at spotting paraphrase in Reading?

After each practice test, compare every question with the sentence that answers it and note how the idea was reworded. Over time you will recognise common patterns, such as word-form changes and general-to-specific swaps.