The ways of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing to achieve a band score of 6.5+

One highly important skill in the IELTS Writing test that helps you achieve a high band score is paraphrasing. So, how can we paraphrase in a correct and precise manner to satisfy the examiners? Let PREP quickly decode the top 5 advanced paraphrasing in IELTS Writing!

I. What is paraphrasing in IELTS Writing?

Paraphrasing in IELTS Writing involves expressing the original sentence using different vocabulary or sentence structures without changing the meaning. Paraphrasing is a necessary technique that students need to master in IELTS Writing to achieve a band score of 6.5+.

II. The importance of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing

In IELTS Writing, including both Task 1 and Task 2, students need to restate the perspectives of the given topic in their own writing, usually in the Introduction and Conclusion (for Task 2). To avoid plagiarism or repeating the same words, students need to paraphrase.

If this technique is applied accurately and flexibly, the Lexical Resource criterion of the writing will often be at a band score of 7 or higher (according to the Lexical resource - Band 7 in the Writing band descriptor (Public version): "uses a sufficient range of vocabulary to allow some flexibility and precision".

III. Some techniques of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing Task 1 & Task 2

1. Techniques of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing: Using synonyms

Students can use synonyms that have similar or close meanings to replace the original words. This is a common paraphrasing technique in English. The use of synonyms is one aspect that examiners evaluate to assess the range of vocabulary in the writing.

However, when students use synonyms as a paraphrasing technique in English, they may make some common mistakes such as using words that do not match the context of the sentence, which changes the intended meaning; or choosing words with incorrect grammar; or attempting to replace all the words in the original sentence, which is a mistake that many students often make.

To use synonyms correctly when paraphrasing, students need to carefully select appropriate words and use synonyms with similar connotations to the original words. Specifically, simply looking up synonyms in a thesaurus (e.g., thesaurus.com) does not guarantee finding the appropriate synonym for the intended context. Please keep this in mind when using this paraphrasing technique in English!

Instead, students should reverse-search the chosen synonyms in reputable dictionaries such as Cambridge Dictionary or Collins Dictionary to check how those words are used, by looking at the definitions and usage examples.

Examples of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing using synonyms:

Original sentence: Studies have suggested that children watch much more television than they did in the past and spend less time on active or creative things.

➪ Paraphrased sentence: It is now a norm that children watch an excessive amount of television and do not engage much in active or creative activities.

Note: 

• much more television → an excessive amount of television 
• spend less time on → do not engage much in 

Original sentence: Nowadays, more and more people decide to have children later in their life.

➪ Paraphrased sentence: In modern society, there has been a growing concern that many couples have delayed parenthood

Note: 

• nowadays → in modern society
• more and more → many
• have children later → delay parenthood

2. Techniques of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing: Using different part of speech 

Changing the word form is an effective paraphrasing technique in English. Some common parts of speech that can be interchanged include verbs, nouns, adjectives, and adverbs.

Changing the word form often involves altering the grammatical structure or collocation. Therefore, students need to be careful to avoid errors when applying this paraphrasing technique in English. It is advisable to use the Online OXFORD Collocation Dictionary of English to check the corresponding word combinations for each word form to ensure accuracy.

Examples of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing using part of speech:

Original sentence: Some people think that environmental protection is the responsibility of politicians.

➪ Paraphrased sentence: Some people believe that politicians should be responsible for protecting the environment. 

Note: 

• environmental protection → protect the environment 
• the responsibility of → be responsible for 

Original sentence: Using a computer every day can have negative effects on children.

➪ Paraphrased sentence: The usage of computer every day can negatively affect children.

Note: 

• using a computer → the usage of computer
• have negative effects → negatively affect

3. Techniques of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing: Changing sentence structure

Changing between active and passive voice is an effective paraphrasing technique in English. Students can paraphrase by converting active sentences into passive ones or vice versa. Additionally, the use of passive voice is common in academic writing as it demonstrates the objectivity of the writer's viewpoint.

Examples of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing:

Original sentence - active voice: Modern technology has made it easier for individuals to download copyrighted music and books from the internet for no charge.

➪ Paraphrased sentence - passive voice: Copyrights have evolved into a major topic of concern in the era of the Internet and modern technology, as copyrighted music and books can now be downloaded for free with a few simple mouse-clicks.

Original sentence - active voice: Stronger measures, however, should be adopted such as introducing criminology as a school subject and showing students documentaries about the lives of prisoners.

➪ Paraphrased sentence - passive voice: The government, however, should adopt stronger measures such as introducing criminology as a school subject and showing students documentaries about the lives of prisoners.

4. Techniques of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing: Changing sentence order or word order

Typically, students can interchange the positions of clauses if the original sentence contains multiple clauses. With this paraphrasing technique, students can combine it with the use of synonyms to achieve the best paraphrasing result.

Examples of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing:

Original sentence: It is more important for schoolchildren to learn about local history than world history. 

➪ Paraphrased sentence: There is a common belief that local history is more important to children than world history. 

Original sentence: Many people are unhealthy because they might not eat well

➪ Paraphrased sentence: Failing to maintain a balanced diet is the reason why many people have poor health. (combining the use of synonyms and changing sentence structure)

5. Techniques of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing: Using dummy subjects "it" and "there"

The structure using dummy subjects "There/It + to be + V-past participle" is often used to express opinions or state facts, and it can also be a paraphrasing technique in English.

Examples of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing:

Original sentence: I would recommend that all forms of copyright infringements are prohibited.

➪ Paraphrased sentence: It is recommended that all forms of copyright infringements are prohibited. 

Original sentence: Some students prefer to take a gap year between high school and university, to work or to travel.

➪ Paraphrased sentence: In today’s world, there has been an accelerating trend of students taking a break from studying before pursuing tertiary education. 

Note: Students are encouraged to combine multiple paraphrasing techniques in the same sentence to ensure flexibility in vocabulary use and semantic accuracy.

IV. Exercises on practicing paraphrasing in IELTS Writing with answers

Below are some paraphrasing in IELTS Writing exercises with answers. To complete the following sentences, apply the effective paraphrasing techniques mentioned above:

1. Paraphrasing in IELTS Writing Task 1 exercises

• a. The Pie chart below shows the average household expenditure in Japan and Malaysia in the year 2010.
• b. The chart below shows the percentage of adults of different age groups in the UK who used the Internet every day from 2003-2006.
• c. The chart below shows the percentage of the whole world population in four countries from 1950 to 2000, with projections till 2050.
• d. The graph below shows the sales of children’s books, adult fiction and educational books between 2002 and 2006 in one country.
• e. The line graph below shows the population size, birth rate and death rate of England and Wales from 1700 to 2000.
• f. The line graph and bar chart give the information and forecast about the vehicle numbers and CO2 emission in England and Wales between 2000 and 2020.
• g. The charts below show the proportion of the energy produced from different sources in a country between 1985 and 2003.
• h. The graph below shows the proportion of the population aged 65 and over between 1940 and 2040 in three different countries.
• i. The chart below gives information on the percentage of British people giving money to charity by age range for the years 1990 and 2010.
• j. The graph and table below show the average monthly temperatures and the average number of hours of sunshine per year in three major cities.
• k. The diagrams below show the changes that have taken place at the West Part Secondary School since its construction in 1950.
• l. The chart below gives information about Southland’s main exports in 2000, 2021, and future projections for 2025.
• m. The pie charts below show the online shopping sales for retail sectors in New Zealand in 2003 and 2013.
• n. The chart below shows the changes that took place in three different areas of crime in Newport city center from 2003-2012.
• o. The maps below show the village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010.

Source: theieltswizard.com

2. Paraphrasing in IELTS Writing Task 2 exercises

• a. People say that global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
• b. The overuse of natural resources ultimately exhausts them. This causes huge harm to the environment. Therefore, the government should discourage people from overusing such resources
• c. Some students prefer to take a gap year between high school and university, to work or to travel.
• d. The world's natural resources are consumed at an ever-increased rate
• e. Some people think that environmental problems are too big for individuals to solve. Others believe individuals can also do some things to solve these problems.
• f. Some people think that governments should give financial support to artists, musicians and poets
• g. Whether or not someone achieves their aims is mostly by a question of luck
• h. Some people think that the government should ban dangerous sports
• i. In recent years, waste from multinational companies’ production sites has significantly damaged the environment of the host countries.
• j. In many cities, the use of video cameras in public places is being increased in order to reduce crime.
• k. In the modern world, it is no longer necessary to use animals for food, clothing or medicine. 
• l. The use of social media is replacing face-to-face interaction among many people in society.
• m. In the developed world, average life expectancy has been increasing.
• n. The position of women in society has changed greatly in the past 20 years
• o. The level of crime has increased noticeably in different ways

3. Answer keys (multiple correct paraphrases)

Task 1: 

• a. The given pie chart provides information about the proportion of money spent on household expenses in Japan and Malaysia in 2010. 
• b. The given bar chart illustrates the percentage of adults of different ages using the Internet between 2003 and 2006 in the UK
• c. A glance at the bar chart reveals information about the proportion of the population in India, China, the USA, and Japan in 1950 and 2000, with projected data for 2050.
• d. The given line graph illustrates the comparison of the sales of three different types of books, namely Children’s books, adult fiction, and educational books from 2002 to 2006.
• e. The line graph provides information about the population size and compares the birth and mortality rate of England and Wales for a period of 300 years starting from 1700.
• f. The two charts provide data about the number of vehicles and the amount of CO2 emission by different means of transport in England and Wales from 2000 to 2020
• g. The given pie charts compare the percentage of energy generated from seven different sources in a particular country from 1985 to 2003.
• h. A glance at the line graph provided reveals the information about the increase in the ageing population in Japan, Sweden, and the USA from 1940 to 2040.
• i. The chart examines the level of donation among people of different ages in Britain
• j. The data provides information on average temperatures and annual hours of sunshine in London, New York and Sydney.
• k. The diagrams show West Part School at three different stages in its development in the years 1950, 1980 and 2010.
• l. The given bar chart illustrates the performance of Southland’s primary exports in 2000 and 2013. It also indicates the future projections for 2025.
• m. The two pie charts compare the percentages of online sales across different retail sectors in New Zealand in the years 2003 and 2013.
• n. The given graph illustrates how crime rates altered in Newport inner city during the period 2003-2012.
• o. The given maps depict the changes that took place in the village of Stokeford in 1930 and 2010. 

Task 2: 

• a. Global warming is said to be caused by the burning of fossil fuels.
• b. Exploiting natural resources will ultimately deplete them and lead to environmental harm. Therefore, the overuse of these resources should be discouraged by governments.
• c. In today’s world, there has been an accelerating trend of students taking a break from studying before pursuing tertiary education
• d. The overconsumption of natural resources is emerging as a major topic of concern today.
• e. Some vast environmental problems, such as global warming and deforestation, occur on a global scale. In the view of some people, the job of addressing these problems is beyond the capability of individuals
• f. Governmental finance as a form of support for artists has evolved into a major topic of concern in modern society
• g. The debate of whether luck is the primary determinant of success in achieving targets has been heated.
• h. It is believed that a ban on extreme sports should be imposed by the authorities
• i. It is argued that waste from large-scale companies has begun destroying the ecology of the countries they operate in.
• j. The use of surveillance cameras as crime prevention is being increased in many major cities around the world. 
• k. These days, we no longer need to use products from animals, such as food, clothing items or even medicine.
• l. Nowadays, face-to-face communication is being replaced with online conversations using social media apps
• m. Many developed countries have been experiencing substantial increases in life expectancy.
• n. The social status of females has dramatically changed in the last two decades.
• o. The increase in the level of crime has been noticeable in multiple ways.

Those are all the techniques of paraphrasing in IELTS Writing Task 1 and 2 that will help you easily conquer the IELTS Writing test. PREP wishes you effective IELTS exam preparation and success in achieving a high IELTS band score!