Gateway skill · Foundation skill 2 of 5
Paraphrasing
Learn five techniques to restate an idea accurately and naturally, so your introduction and body paragraphs do not copy the question word for word.
Paraphrasing is not about finding “difficult” words. It is about saying the same thing in a natural way.
15–20 min · 4 drills · Task 1 + Task 2
Before you start
Quick drill
Quick recall check: decode this question before you start paraphrasing it.
Many companies now allow staff to choose their own working hours. Do the advantages of this policy outweigh the disadvantages?
What is the operation here?
Copying the question costs you marks
In IELTS Writing, the introduction often restates the question. If you copy the question word for word, two things happen: the copied words may not count toward your word total, and the examiner sees no evidence that you can use language flexibly.
Paraphrasing also matters inside the essay. When you repeat an idea, you need different words or a different structure, or your writing feels repetitive.
Official requirement
Lexical Resource rewards flexibility and accurate use of vocabulary. Repeating the question’s exact wording shows neither.
Five ways to say the same thing
Most learners think paraphrasing means “find a synonym.” That is only one technique, and it is the most dangerous one — a wrong synonym changes the meaning. Use all five. The best paraphrases combine two or three of them.
Synonym swap
Replace a word with another word of close meaning. A synonym must fit the context — 'big' and 'large' are synonyms, but 'a big problem' is natural while 'a large problem' sounds strange.
Original: Many people believe that...
Paraphrase: Many people think that...
Word form change
Change a word from one form to another: verb to noun, adjective to noun, noun to verb. The meaning stays identical, but the sentence structure must change too.
Original: The government should educate children about health.
Paraphrase: The government should provide children with health education.
Voice change
Switch between active and passive voice. Useful in Task 1 process descriptions and in Task 2 when you want to shift focus from the actor to the action.
Original: Children should be taught to cooperate.
Paraphrase: Schools should teach children to cooperate.
Structure reorder
Keep the same words but change the order of the clauses or phrases.
Original: Some people believe that university education should be free.
Paraphrase: Whether university education should be free is a question on which opinions differ.
Generalize or specify
Replace a specific term with a broader one, or a broad term with a more specific one — without changing the meaning. Only do this when the new term truly matches the original.
Original: ...high-school students...
Paraphrase: ...secondary-school learners...
Some words should stay the same
Not every word can or should be changed. Forcing a paraphrase on these words produces awkward or inaccurate English.
- •Proper nouns — country names, organisation names, brand names.
- •Exact technical terms with no natural synonym — for example, “internet access,” “carbon emissions,” “renewable energy.”
- •The core concept, if changing it loses precision — for example, do not change “unpaid community service” to “free social work” if “unpaid” and “free” carry different meanings in context.
Quick meaning check
Before changing a word, ask: does my new word mean exactly the same thing here — not almost the same, exactly the same? Does it sound natural in this sentence? If the answer to either is no, keep the original word. It is better to repeat a word than to use the wrong synonym.
A worked example
Some people believe that the government should pay for university education. Others think students should pay for their own studies.
Discuss both views and give your opinion.
Original first sentence: Some people believe that the government should pay for university education.
Applying the techniques:
- Synonym: believe → argue
- Word form: pay (verb) → fund / cover the cost of
- Structure: “Some people believe that X” → “Whether X is a question on which opinions differ”
- Generalize: university education → higher education; the government → the state
“Opinions differ on whether higher education should be funded by the state or by the students themselves. In my view, while students should contribute, the government should cover the majority of the cost.”
Notice that not every word changed — “students” and “government” stayed in their original form once each. A good paraphrase changes enough to be clearly your own, but not so much that it sounds forced.
Practice 1 of 3
Judgment drill
Judge whether a paraphrase is accurate and natural.
See it once first
A good paraphrase changes enough words to be clearly your own, but every change must keep the same meaning and still sound natural. Copying is not paraphrasing; a wrong synonym is not paraphrasing either — it is a new, inaccurate sentence.
Many young people are choosing to live alone in large cities.
Which paraphrase is best?
Task 1 and Task 2 paraphrase differently
In Task 1, you paraphrase the prompt sentence that describes the visual. There is a small set of safe, reusable changes.
| Original | Safe paraphrase |
|---|---|
| The graph shows | The line graph illustrates / compares |
| The chart shows | The bar chart presents / compares |
| The number of | Figures for / data on / the quantity of |
| The percentage of | The proportion of / the share of |
| between 2000 and 2020 | from 2000 to 2020 / over the period 2000–2020 |
| in three countries | across three countries / in three nations |
In Task 2, you paraphrase the claim in the prompt. Here there is no fixed list — you use the five techniques to restate the claim in your own words, often combining two or three in one sentence.
In Task 1, paraphrase the description of the visual. In Task 2, paraphrase the claim being debated.
Practice 2 of 3
Quick drill
Apply the word-form technique to change a sentence.
See it once first
Word-form change keeps the same root word but changes its grammar: verb to noun, adjective to noun, noun to verb. "Educate" (verb) becomes "education" (noun) — but a noun cannot sit where a verb goes, so a new verb such as "provide" or "give" is needed to carry it.
The government should educate children about healthy eating.
Rewrite the sentence using the noun form of "educate" (education). Keep the same meaning.
Which rewrite correctly uses "education" as a noun?
Four mistakes that lower your score
1. Changing a word to a wrong synonym
“a big problem” → “a large problem” — not natural English.
2. Paraphrasing a proper noun or technical term
“internet access” → “web connectivity” — forced and unnatural. Keep “internet access.”
3. Copying the question exactly
No paraphrase at all.
4. Using a memorized “fancy” phrase
“...is important...” → “...plays a pivotal role in the contemporary era...” — memorized, over-formal, and not matched to the context. Examiners recognise and discount this kind of language.
Practice 3 of 3
Quick drill
Paraphrase a Task 1 prompt into an introduction sentence.
The bar chart below shows the amount of electricity produced by four different sources in Germany between 2010 and 2020.
Write one sentence that paraphrases this prompt. Do not copy it word for word.
Which sentence is the best paraphrase of the prompt?
The 60-second paraphrase check
- 1. Read the original sentence.
- 2. Mark the words that must stay (proper nouns, key terms).
- 3. Mark the words that can change.
- 4. Choose one or two techniques.
- 5. Write the paraphrase.
- 6. Read it back — same meaning? natural?