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3 Best Paraphrasing Tips for IELTS Writing Task 2

What is paraphrasing.

Paraphrasing is when you take an original idea and re-write it to express the same meaning but in a different way. This might be by changing words, word forms, sentence structure, or using synonyms. If you think this is just for writing academic papers, think again. We actually paraphrase all the time!

When you read a book, article, or watch a movie and tell your friends about it, you are paraphrasing. When you tell your friend or colleague about a conversation you had with your boss, you are paraphrasing. You are not repeating the original conversation word for word. You are giving them the main idea of the conversation using your own words.

IELTS Writing Task 2: Why do you need to paraphrase?

Paraphrasing is important to the IELTS writing task 2 because your introduction paragraph is basically a paraphrase of the essay prompt. You will need to re-write the essay prompt in your own words to introduce your essay.

Watch Jay break down the IELTS writing task 2 introduction right here:

Three ways how do paraphrasing for IELTS writing task 2

Before you attempt to paraphrase, you need to make sure that you understand the gist , or meaning of the paragraph. Paraphrasing is more than just changing words. Your paraphrase needs to make sense and still convey the original message. So, you should read the original text a couple of times to make sure you understand the message it conveys. Then turn the ideas over in your mind. Think of how you would express the same ideas to a friend.

Below are three techniques to paraphrase. Rather than exclusively using one of them, a good paraphrase includes all methods. 

• Use synonyms

Synonyms are different words that express the same or similar meaning.

For example: Interesting, fascinating, curious and amusing are all synonyms.

But! Some synonyms can have a slightly different meaning. For example, fascinating has a stronger meaning than interesting . So be careful when using synonyms. We need to make sure that the words we are using convey the same level of meaning as the original.

Original: Many people think that cars should not be allowed in city centres.

Paraphrase: Many people believe that motor vehicles should be banned in urban areas.

think –> believe

cars –> motor vehicles

should not be allowed –> should be banned

city centres –> urban areas

• Change the word forms

Another way to paraphrase is to change word forms. For example, changing a noun into a verb, a verb into a noun or an adjective into a noun or vice versa.

Original: Many people find watching tennis interesting (interesting = adjective).

Paraphrase: Many people have an interest in watching tennis (interest = noun).

Original: Some people think Facebook is an invasion of privacy (invasion = noun).

Paraphrase: Some people think Facebook has invaded our privacy (has invaded = verb).

• Change the sentence structure

A third way to paraphrase is to change sentence structure. This could be by changing the sentence from passive to active or vice versa, or changing the order of the clauses. Let’s have a look.

Active to Passive

Original: The hurricane destroyed the city.

Paraphrase: The city was destroyed by the hurricane.

In the sentence above, the subject (the hurricane) became the object, and the object (the city) became the subject.

To be passive, we also changed the verb destroyed into past perfect (was/were + past participle).

Passive to Active

Original: The public transport system was developed by the city council.

Paraphrase: The city council developed the public transport system.

In the sentence above the subject (the public transport system) became the object, and the object (the city council) became the subject.

  Order of clauses

A clause is a group of words that contains a subject and a verb. Some sentences can be a single clause. Some sentences can be made up of two or more clauses.

For example: It is difficult to say whether the economy will improve.

The two clauses are: It is difficult to say / whether the economy will improve.

  One way to paraphrase is by changing the order of the clauses.

For example: Whether the economy will improve, it is difficult to say.

Let’s look at another example:

Original: During the summer, many people visit the temple.

Paraphrase: Many people visit the temple during the summer.

Paraphrasing an essay prompt to write your introduction

In IELTS Writing Task 2, you write your introduction by paraphrasing the essay prompt. In order to do this, you will need to unpack or break the essay prompt into parts. Usually, an essay prompt consists of three parts:

A general statement that introduces the topic

A specific statement that gives you the specific idea about the topic

Finally, your instructions/question

Let’s look at an example:

Nowadays, more and more foreign students are going to English-speaking countries to learn the international language – English. It is undoubtedly true that studying English in an English-speaking country is the best way, but it is not the only way to learn it. Do you agree or disagree with the above statement?

To unpack this prompt, the first sentence is the general statement. Nowadays, more and more foreign students are going to English-speaking countries to learn the international language – English . This tells us what the essay topic is.

The second sentence is the specific statement. It is undoubtedly true that studying English in an English-speaking country is the best way, but it is not the only way to learn it . It gives an opinion about the topic.

The third sentence is the question. To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement? This means you have to express your opinion on the second sentence.

So! In order to write your introduction, you need to paraphrase the three parts of this essay prompt.

Let’s look at an example of a paraphrase of each:

Sentence 1: Nowadays, more and more foreign students are going to English-speaking countries to learn the international language – English

Paraphrase: In recent times, a growing number of international students are learning English in English-speaking countries.

Sentence 2: It is undoubtedly true that studying English in an English-speaking country is the best way, but it is not the only way to learn it.

Paraphrase: Although it is beneficial to learn English in a country where it is natively spoken, there are other effective ways to learn it.

Sentence 3: To what extent do you agree or disagree with the above statement?

Paraphrase: I agree with this statement to a large degree.

Putting it all together:

Original (essay prompt): Nowadays, more and more foreign students are going to English-Speaking countries to learn the “international language – English”. It is undoubtedly true that studying English in an English-speaking country is the best way, but it is not the only way to learn it. Do you agree or disagree with the above statement?  

Paraphrase (introduction): In recent times, a growing number of international students are learning English in English-speaking countries. Although it is most beneficial to learn English in a country where it is natively spoken, there are other effective ways to learn it. I agree with this statement to a large degree.

Using a combination of the above techniques (synonyms, word forms, sentence structure), write an introduction to the following essay by paraphrasing the prompt below.

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. To what extent do you support or oppose this idea?

  There are three possible correct answers:

Click here to show/hide answer 1

Click here to show/hide answer 2, click here to show/hide answer 3.

So, more than one paraphrase can be correct. There are many ways to say the same thing. There is also more than one way to paraphrase. The best way to paraphrase for IELTS Writing Task 2 is to use a combination of these techniques (synonyms, sentence structure and clause order).

Practice makes perfect!

Our  E2Language  IELTS experts can help you learn the rest of the method for IELTS Writing Task 2!

Jamal Abilmona is an expert IELTS teacher, curriculum designer and language buff. She has taught English for general and academic purposes in classrooms around the world and currently writes e-learning material for E2Language.com , providing online IELTS preparation for students all around the world.

Naseem says:

Need tips about listening and reading and writing ilets general.

bhawana says:

need tips about writting speaking ilets in genral

olivia says:

We can help with that!

IELTS General Writing TASK 1: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4y_u4o5kp_w

IELTS Speaking SUPER METHODS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qXPSgMo0C1w

Find all kinds of other helpful Video Lessons on our E2 IELTS YouTube Channel! Olivia & The E2 Team

Yogeshbhai Chalodiya says:

Environmental resources run out by over-utilization at the end. Which results in a great level of damage to the environment. It is undoubtedly true that the government should demotivate their citizens from over-utilizing such. Which, I am in great support of this initiative.

Fathima Hafsa says:

Exploitation of natural resources eventually deplete them. As a result, a major damage is caused to the environment. Hence, people should be urged by the government not to waste natural resources.

Motaz shehata says:

The excessive usage of natural sources undoubtedly causing at the end be depleted at all, consequently to harmful the planet. So, the government has to encourage people to acknowledge the actual value of our limited supply of natural resources. Therefore, I completely agree to keep our usage of our sources to a minimal level.

Divyanshu Mishra says:

Excess of anything is bad and the same is true for natural resources which are continuously being depleted by humans and soon will be exhausted. Burning fossil fuels cause a high degree of harm to the environment therefore it is only logical that the governments should discourage their use and provide other sustainable options. I completely agree with the statement.

Is this appropriate or too wordy?

Naomi says:

Natural resources are vital to the nation, and exploiting them would be harmful to the ecosystem. Therefore,the Authorities should pose strict measures on their use. I agree with this statement to a large degree.

Ernestina says:

Natural resources are very vital to a nation, and therefore, exploiting it will cause serious harm to us. Hence, I think the governments should pose strict measures on their uses. I strongly agree with this statement.

Siobhan MacDonald says:

Ho Ernestina, thank you for your feedback!

TETTEH says:

Misusing of natural resources causes serious harm to the environment. Thus the government should put measures in place to discourage people from misusing such resources. I strongly agree with this statement.

Thank you for your feedback and valuable opinion!

Hi! Thank you for your feedback :)

Jayeshkumar says:

It was indeed a great guidance to learn nuances of paraphrasing.

We are happy you enjoyed it!

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Paraphrasing in IELTS

In this tutorial, we examine an important IELTS skill for starting  IELTS writing  task 2: paraphrasing.

Firstly, let’s start by defining paraphrasing.

What is paraphrasing?

Paraphrasing is the expression of a phrase or sentence in another way.

For example, the sentence:

‘The school student listened attentively to the podcast’

can be paraphrased as:

‘The pupil listened very carefully to the digital audio file’

This technique is used frequently in the writing, reading and listening components of the  IELTS exam .

Why is paraphrasing important in IELTS writing task 2 ?

Paraphrasing in IELTS is important because it:

• helps you to focus on the main topic, using your own words
• provides you with the skill to develop an idea, reformulate a concept and offer variety in your writing style
• prevents redundancy and makes the sentence structure in the essay or written material more appealing to the reader

3 ways To paraphrase

In this tutorial, let’s review IELTS test paraphrasing techniques to apply in writing task 2 of the IELTS exam.

Most students think of paraphrasing only as meaning using synonyms, but there are different ways to paraphrase that don’t require changing the word. These include changing the word form, using the passive voice to change the phrase from active to passive, changing the sentence structure or using different clauses to change the verb form. Use as many of these techniques as you can to score higher on the IELTS test.

We’ll examine three principle paraphrasing strategies:

• Use of synonyms
• Verb transformation
• Sentence restructuring

Secondly, we will apply these techniques to examples of writing task 2 in the IELTS exam. Writing skills in this component of the exam include:

• giving an opinion
• discussing causes and suggesting solutions
• discussing arguments for or against an idea or situation
• discussing advantages and disadvantages

When you are sure you understand all three techniques, choose another IELTS test writing question and try to paraphrase it by yourself.

Strategy 1: use of synonyms

Let’s start with our first strategy: the use of synonyms.

• First, read and understand the question.
• Use a highlighter to highlight the keywords in the question.

Select synonyms to replace those keywords.

Let’s take an example. Read and understand the title of this writing task 2:

Unemployment is one of the most serious problems facing developed nations today. What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of reducing the working week to thirty-five hours?

This essay title asks the writer to provide the advantages and disadvantages of an idea or solution.

In your opening introduction, you should not immediately provide an opinion on the essay topic.

Instead, paraphrase two sentences, using our 3-step strategy.

First, read and understand the question:

Unemployment is one of the most serious problems for developed nations.

A 35-hour working week is a possible solution to unemployment.

Use a pen to highlight or underline the keywords in the question:

You can keep the same overall sentence structure and change keywords (making sure not to paraphrase a fixed expression without checking it carefully – for example, high unemployment cannot be changed to ‘high lack of jobs’ – it should be nationwide lack of jobs or a serious lack of jobs)

• unemployment = lack of jobs
• serious problems = grave issues
• developed nations = industrialized countries
• advantages and/or disadvantages = pros and/or cons
• working week = professional schedule

Strategy 2: verb transformation

Let’s take the same essay topic example and apply our second strategy to it: verb transformation.

In this strategy, we:

Highlight the key verbs

Select new verbs or synonyms OR transform the verb

• Facing = confronting
• Reducing = lessening

Many countries are faced with the problem of unemployment.

Unemployment, which many countries are facing, is a serious problem in the modern world.

Strategy 3: sentence restructuring

Let’s apply our third strategy to the same essay topic. Sentence restructuring is using a new sentence format, based on the writing skill. In this example, the writer is expected to explain the advantages and/or disadvantages of an idea.

What are the advantages and/or disadvantages of reducing the working week to thirty-five hours?

The sentence can be paraphrased as

Let’s examine the pros and/or cons of …

Let’s look at the pros and/or cons of …

Okay! Let’s now put our 3 strategies together to write sentences with our new synonyms to create an introduction:

Lack of jobs is indeed a grave issue confronting industrialised countries at this time. Let’s examine the pros and/or cons of lessening professional schedules to thirty-five hours.

IELTS Writing Task 2: How to write a good introduction

Tip 1: Review the question, classify it, and highlight the keywords.

Tip 2: Write brief ideas by brainstorming the topic.

Tip 3: Select the best and easiest to explain ideas.

Tip 4: Write a general statement by paraphrasing, followed by your position.

Tip 5: Explain how you plan to develop your essay. Review your introduction.

Let’s try it again – Another example of paraphrasing for IELTS writing task 2

Using the techniques above, let’s apply them to a different question, this time about computer games in schools.

Firstly, we’ll take an example of a common essay writing skill, discussing causes and suggesting solutions. Let’s look at the example and then, apply our 3-step paraphrasing strategy to write an introduction.

Nowadays, many schools are using computer games to teach lessons to many children inside and outside the classroom. What are the negative and positive effects of using computer games in education and what can be done to minimise the negative effects?

2. Use a highlighter to highlight the keywords in the question:

3. Select synonyms to replace those keywords.

• nowadays = in modern times
• schools = academic institutions
• computer games = electronic activities and exercises
• lessons = courses
• inside and outside the classroom = at school and at home
• negative and positive effects = good and bad impacts
• education = academic development

Using Strategy 2: verb transformation

1. highlight the key verbs.

Nowadays, many schools are using computer games to teach lessons to many children inside and outside the classroom. What are the negative and positive effects of using computer games on education and what can be done to minimize the negative effects?

2. Select new verbs or synonyms or transform the verb

using = employing

teach = instruct

can be done = solution

minimise = reduce

Using strategy 3: sentence restructuring

Let’s apply our third strategy to the same essay topic. Sentence restructuring is the skills of applying a new sentence format, based on the writing objective required. In this example, the writer is expected to  outline  both the negative and positive effects of using computer games on education. The sentence

What are the negative and positive effects of using computer games on education?

Can be restructured into an answer format:

In this essay, I will outline the bad and good impacts of employing electronic activities and exercises on academic development.

The second question

What can be done to minimize the negative effects?

can be transformed to:

I will also examine solutions to reducing the bad impacts of electronic activities.

Okay! We are now ready to put our introduction together, using our 3-step strategy:

In modern times, many academic institutions are employing electronic activities and exercises to instruct courses to children both at school and at home. In this essay, I will outline the bad and good impacts of employing electronic activities and exercises on academic development.

I will also examine solutions to reducing the bad impacts of these electronic activities.

Two extra strategies:

Change the word form: Unemployment is a noun, but you can change it to an adjective as an example of paraphrasing.

Unemployment is a serious problem – Change the word form of unemployment from a noun to an adjective: There are many unemployed people in some countries.

In this way, you can change verbs to nouns, nouns to adjectives and vice versa.

Use referencing.

This means using which, that, it – very useful when you can’t think of another synonym!

Unemployment is growing in many countries, and this issue is becoming a challenge for many governments.

There is always a way to paraphrase, whatever the question. With more practice, you will be able to identify the best way to paraphrase that sounds natural and appropriate.

Video: how to start IELTS task 2

Click this  link  to watch the video on Youtube. 

Subscribe to the  IELTS podcast Youtube channel . 

Audio tutorial about starting IELTS writing task 2

Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download  | Spotify | Google Play / Podcasts | Apple Podcast || Stitcher | 

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19 sample IELTS essays and 240 task questions ebook

Additional IELTS resources:

Remember, paraphrasing is so important for both writing and speaking in IELTS. You can change the word using synonyms, change the form, change the verb/tense, change the voice from active to passive, or use referencing. and if you’re not sure, look at an example before you practice.

If you have your exam in a few months, then you may be interested in getting feedback for your essay writing, the best way is to find a professional essay correction service, or find a tutor.

If you struggle to start  IELTS writing task 2  (so many students have this problem!), or if you can’t find ideas for Task 2, then this  tutorial  will help. Take a look at some  IELTS writing task 2 questions  to help you prepare. Alternatively, you might be interested in boosting your lexical resource by upgrading your vocabulary, this page explains how to do just that.

35 IELTS writing phrases PDF (copy paste)

Effective Strategies and Examples for Paraphrasing in IELTS Writing Task 2:

Paraphrasing is an essential skill in IELTS Writing Task 2 as it demonstrates your ability to restate information in your own words. Here are some of the best strategies and examples to help you paraphrase effectively in your IELTS Writing Test.

• Synonyms: Replace words or phrases with similar ones.

Original sentence: “Many people believe that technology has a negative impact on social interactions.”

Paraphrased sentence: “A considerable number of individuals hold the view that the influence of technology on interpersonal relationships is adverse.”

• Word order changes: Rearrange the word order while maintaining the original meaning.

Original sentence : “Education plays a crucial role in shaping a person’s future.”

Paraphrased sentence : “The future of an individual is significantly shaped by their education.”

• Passive to active voice and vice versa: Change the sentence structure from active to passive voice or vice versa.

Original sentence : “The government should take action to reduce pollution levels.”

Paraphrased sentence : “Action should be taken by the government to decrease pollution levels.”

• Use different grammatical structures: Express the same idea using different sentence structures.

Original sentence: “The importance of physical exercise should not be underestimated.”

Paraphrased sentence: “Physical exercise holds significant significance and should not be undervalued.”

When paraphrasing, it is crucial to maintain the original meaning while using your own words. Also, you should ensure that your paraphrased sentences are grammatically correct and coherent. Practice paraphrasing regularly during your IELTS preparation to enhance your skills.

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IELTS Paraphrasing Task 2 | Video Post

To “paraphrase” something (usually a written or spoken passage) means to re-write it using different vocabulary, phrases, and structures than the original, while keeping the same information and meaning . This ability is essential for the IELTS exam! So if you’re planning on taking the IELTS, it’s time to start sharpening up you paraphrasing skills.

Being able to paraphrase is extremely useful for IELTS Speaking — but it’s even more important for the IELTS Writing section. Paraphrasing shows that you really understand a question, and are not just copying it word for word into your answer.

Re-writing something in your own words can be difficult at first, but our IELTS expert is here to help you become a whiz at IELTS paraphrasing.

With this in mind, we’re proud to present our brand new IELTS resource: the free IELTS Paraphrasing Task 2 video! Watch the embedded video below, or scroll down for a full video transcript. (And check out our Paraphrasing Task 1 video if you haven’t already!) 🙂  

What Will I See in the IELTS Paraphrasing Task 2 Video?

In this free 5-minute IELTS Paraphrasing video, our IELTS expert Eliot will walk you through how to make high scoring paraphrases, using information you are likely to see in an IELTS Academic Task 2 prompt.

The video begins with a brief introduction, after which Eliot will walk you through how to use paraphrasing skills to write good introductions for a IELTS Task 2 essay prompt.

The Task 2 essay is worth two thirds of the points for your writing score the IELTS, so it’s a very important piece of the exam. Since you will only be given a total of 40 minutes to complete Task 2, learning how to quickly write a strong task 2 introduction can save you some precious time!

IELTS Vocabulary 1 Video Transcript

Hi, I’m Eliot the IELTS expert from Magoosh, and today we have a little bit of a challenge for you. By the end of this presentation here, we’re going to ask you to write a comment below where you can submit an answer to a question we’re going to pose to you. And we’re gonna offer to evaluate that, to give you some feedback on it, okay? So what we’re thinking about in this assignment that we have for you is task 2 essays and how to write good introductions for a task 2 essay prompt. Okay, so what goes into a good introduction? Well, there are two basic parts you always need to have in a good IELTS task 2 introduction. First, you need to introduce the topic of the essay to your reader, all right? So it has to be very clear what the essay’s going to be about. And then you have to write a thesis statement where you give your perspective on that topic. You sort of give your opinion, if an opinion is required, or at least your perspective. What do you think about the topic that’s been posed to you in your task 2 question? This is difficult to do, and many of my students have trouble doing it, probably for a lot of reasons. One is that there’s a lot of pressure on your task 2 essay, right? It’s worth two thirds of the points for your writing score the IELTS, so that’s a lot of pressure right there, but also time is so limited, right? You only have 40 minutes to write your task 2 essay, so you don’t have much time to brainstorm. It’s very important to get really good at writing these task 2 introductions, to get started on your essay so that you can save time. And that you have enough time to write your body paragraphs then, and hit your word minimum for your task 2 essay. So the skill we’re working on to do this is to do a really good job of paraphrasing the language from the prompt, translating the language into your own introduction. So what we’re going to do in the assignment that we’re gonna give you here on this video, I’m gonna pose a question for you, a sample task 2 question. And what I want you to do is to do your best to use your own words to paraphrase the language from the prompt and write your own task 2 introduction for the question that we’ve posed. Okay, so you can see the question that we’re gonna be thinking about is, if you could change your home town to make it a better place, what changes would you make? How would these changes improve your home town? This is a sample IELTS task 2 question that’s what I call a thematic question, there are a few questions that they ask you in a row and you need to answer all of them in your essay. So this is a challenging type to answer. What you should do as you think about writing your introduction is to make sure you focus on what is the topic. How can I explain what the topic of this essay is going to be? In just a couple of words, we could say the topic is about your hometown, or making improvements on your hometown. Well, put that into your own language as you begin your introduction. And then your thesis statement should come next, okay, so what’s your thesis going to be for this essay type? Well, the specific improvements you plan to make to your hometown to make it better would be the thing to focus on in your thesis. So think about those things, brainstorm, what are you going to propose are the changes you could make to your hometown to make them better? Those specific things should be in your thesis. So I want you to try this out okay? I want you to think about the question, sit down, pretend you’re about to write a task 2 essay, and then go ahead and write that introduction only. And put it in the comments below this video and we will give you feedback, let you know how you did and what could be improved in your task 2 introduction. So do your best and I look forward to seeing what you come up with for this and, we’ll give you some responses about how well you did.

More IELTS Practice…

If you want more IELTS paraphrasing practice after watching the video, check out our free blog post on How to Paraphrase on the IELTS , and check out our main IELTS Writing blog post . And don’t forget to comment! 🙂

Happy studying!

Molly is one of Magoosh’s Content Creators. She designs Magoosh’s graphic assets, manages our YouTube channels and podcasts, and contributes to the Magoosh High School Blog.

Since 2014, Molly has tutored high school and college students preparing for the SAT, GRE, and LSAT. She began her tutoring journey while in undergrad, helping her fellow students master math, computer programming, Spanish, English, and Philosophy.

Molly graduated from Lewis & Clark College with a B.A. in Philosophy, and she continues to study ethics to this day. An artist at heart, Molly loves blogging, making art, taking long walks and serving as personal agent to her cat, who is more popular on Instagram than she is.

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3 responses to “IELTS Paraphrasing Task 2 | Video Post”

If I had a chance to modify my city to improve the way of living for the people, I would like to make a few alterations in the traffic rules. I think this would be the most important amendment for every one. Furthermore, I would like to improve the underground sewage system which is essential during the rainy season. This change will certainly help the city roads from getting over flooded during heavy rains.

Every society have their own share of problems and difficulties but like the dawn after dust, opportunities to rectify them is also within our reach. Likewise, if I were given the authority to serve my community, I would propose improvements in many sectors. In particular, issues concerning youth related substance abuse and shortage of drinking water.

Human community, with time, have organically grown by incorporating many developing ideas from within. Even though I wish for subtle modifications in my town, I believe these changes would make my town sustainable and environment friendly.

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How to paraphrase in IELTS writing

Paraphrasing in ielts essays..

Updated: August 2022

An important skill in IELTS writing is being able to paraphrase the task question. Paraphrasing means to say something in your own words while keeping the same meaning.

In the introduction of your essay, the first thing you should do is paraphrase the topic question by changing the structure of the sentences or changing the formation of the words. This can be done using synonyms (words with the same meaning). Remember that if you just copy the original question word for word you may lose marks. However, you do not have to paraphrase every single word especially if there are no synonyms that accurately match.

Keep it simple and concise, do not use overly complicated language or try to impress the examiner with very high-level grammar. Simple and concise is the key.

Changing the structure and word formation

Changing the form of the words is an important skill to practice by using: a verb, gerund, adjective, noun . Look at the examples below.

1. People increasingly access the news online these days, rather than buying newspapers and magazines to find out what is going on in the world.

2. there is an increase in people accessing the news online these days, rather than buying newspapers and magazines to find out what is going on in the world., 3. an increasing number of people are buying what they need online nowadays., 4. in recent times, the number of people who buy what they need online is on the increase..

• Sentence 1:  adverb + verb (increasingly access)
• In sentence 2: noun + subject+ gerund (an increase in people accessing…) also I re-ordered the sentence.
• Sentence 3: collocation (an increasing number of) + present continuous (are buying)
• Sentence 4:  relative clause (who buy..) + set noun phrase (on the increase)

Using this technique you need to be confident with your grammar. If you decide to reorder the sentence structure it will show the examiner your ability to manipulate grammar effectively.

To see a lesson on paraphrasing without synonyms, Click here.

Note on synonyms : Be careful when using synonyms because if they are used incorrectly they will lower your score.  Remember that not everything has to be paraphrased. Some words can remain the same, just rephrase the keywords.

Let’s look at some IELTS questions and my ideas below.

I have not written a thesis statement or my opinion yet, the examples below are just to show how to paraphrase the question.

One of the major problems facing the world today is the growing number of refugees. Some say developed nations of the world should tackle this problem by taking more refugees. 

To what extent do you agree or disagree?

Paraphrased version: A major issue in the world recently is the increasing number of refugees. Many believe that developed countries ought to deal with this problem by accepting more refugees .

Take a look at how I have paraphrased the words.

1. one of the major problems facing the world today = A major issue in the world recently 2. The growing number of = the increasing number of 3. some say = many believe 4. developed nations = developed countries 5. should tackle this problem = ought to deal with this problem 6. taking = accepting

You will notice I have not paraphrased the word ‘refugees’ as this is difficult to paraphrase. The closest word to this would be ‘asylum seekers’ but that carries a slightly different meaning. So, in this case, I just keep the same word from the task.

Some people think that sports involving violence, such as boxing and martial arts, should be banned from TV as well as from international sporting competitions.

To what extent do you agree?

Paraphrased version: Certain people believe that violent sports, namely martial arts and boxing, should not be shown on TV including international sporting events.

1. some people think = certain people believe 2. such as = namely 3. should be banned from TV = should not be shown on TV 4. as well as = including 5. competitions = events

In many countries, a small number of people earn very high salaries. Some people believe that this is good for the country, but others think that governments should not allow salaries above a certain level.

Discuss both these views and give your own opinion.

Paraphrased version In several nations, there are some people who make large salaries. Some would argue that this is beneficial for the country, whereas others believe governments should limit salaries to a certain amount.

1. in many countries = in several nations 2. a small number of people = some people 3. some people believe = some would argue 4. good = beneficial 5. but others think = whereas others believe 6. should not allow salaries above a certain level. = should limit salaries to a certain amount

Some people prefer to spend their lives doing the same things and avoiding change. Others, however, think that change is always a good thing.

Paraphrased version Many individuals would rather go through life staying the same, whereas others like the idea of facing new challenges.

1. Some people prefer = Many individuals would rather 2. spend their lives doing the same things = go through life staying the same 3. others however = whereas others 4. think that change is always a good thing =  like the idea of facing new challenges.

The impact that the growing demand for more flights has had on the environment is a major concern for many countries. Some people think that one way to limit the number of people travelling by air is to increase the tax on flights.

To what extent do you think this could solve the problem?

Paraphrased version There are global concerns over environmental problems caused by the growth of air travel. Tax hikes on tickets have been suggested by some as a measure to limit the number of air travellers.

You can see here the way I have moved the sentences around and changed the form of the words. It is not just about using synonyms. Practice this skill for a higher band score in vocabulary.

As you can see from all the examples, I have not rephrased everything. Some words cannot be accurately paraphrased because they lose the meaning.

After paraphrasing the question you will need to write a thesis statement ( click here for a lesson on Thesis statements )  If the question asks for an opinion you must include it in your thesis statement and throughout the essay.

If you do not paraphrase the essay question you could lose marks. Be careful too as synonyms used incorrectly can lower your score.

Let’s practice.

Can you paraphrase the task question below?

Some people think that governments should give financial support to creative artists such as painters and musicians, while others believe that creative artists should be funded by alternative sources.

Discuss both views and give your opinion.

Some people would argue that support in the form of government subsidies should be provided to creative artists, whereas others say that they ought to seek funds from other sources.

 I have not added a thesis statement here as this is for paraphrasing practice only.

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Common Paraphrase for IELTS Writing Task 2

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IELTS Writing Task 2: Free Tips, Lessons & Model Essays

Success in IELTS writing task 2 is based on using the right techniques. These free tips, model essays, lessons, videos and information will help develop the skills for writing task 2. This page will teach you how to maximise your IELTS writing task 2 score. All lessons are on this page are for both GT and Academic writing task 2.

On this page, you will find for free:

• IELTS WRITING TASK 2 TEST INFORMATION
• PRACTICE ESSAY QUESTIONS
• ESSENTIAL TIPS FOR IELTS ESSAYS
• MODEL ESSAYS
• PRACTICE LESSONS (writing skills, topic ideas etc)

1. IELTS Writing Task 2 Test Information

Learn about your IELTS writing task 2 test. All lessons and tips on this page are for both Academic and GT writing task 2.

• IELTS Writing has two tasks: Task 1 (a report) and Task 2 (an essay).
• The total time is one hour for both tasks. You should spend only 40 mins on task 2.
• The time is yourself to manage. No one will tell you when to move from task 1 to task 2.
• The essay if a formal essay. You should not use informal language in your essay.
• The instructions say “write at least 250 words”. This means you need to write over 250 words.
• Writing task 2 is worth about 66% of your total writing score. Click here: Total Writing Score Calculations
• There are four marking criteria: WRITING T2 BAND SCORES & MARKING WITH TIPS. Make sure you learn all about how your essay is scored.

The Essay Task

Below is an example task you will be given in IELTS Writing Task 2.

• You will be given a topic.
• Topics contain specific issues or opinions that you must address.
• You are given a task, such as to discuss and give an opinion. 
• Examples are based on your experience of the world in general, not your personal life.
• There are FIVE ESSAY TYPES . 

2. IELTS Practice Essay Questions

Practice essay questions to help you prepare ideas for topics in IELTS writing task 2. These questions have been written based on questions reported by IELTS students.

Over 100 IELTS Essay Questions (repeated topics)

3. Essential IELTS Writing Task 2 Tips

The most important writing tips for a strong IELTS essay in writing task 2. Learn about the recommended essay length, how to plan your essay, when to give your opinion and how to write an introduction etc. Some videos linked below are old, but still 100% relevant today. Click below:

Essay Structure & Paragraphing

Key Linking Words List

Types of IELTS Essays

Essay Planning Tips

Paraphrasing Tips & Examples

Common Essay Topics

When & How to give your opinion

Video  Using the last 5 minutes

4. IELTS Model Essays

IELTS Essays have a specific format, structure, style and band score requirements. These model essays are at band 9 and illustrate how an IELTS writing task 2 essay should be written. Use them as a guide to creating an essay suitable for a high band score in IELTS. Remember, language only counts for about 50% of your marks, the rest is IELTS essay techniques.

• Agree Disagree Opinion Essay: Health
• Advantages & Disadvantages Essay: Language
• Cause  Solution Essay: Crime & Punishment
• Direct Questions Essay: Happiness
• Opinion Essay: Social Media
• Discussion Essay: Work
• Do Advs Outweigh Disavs Essay: Reading
• Direct Questions Essay: Family
• Direct Questions Essay: Art
• Positive or Negative Development: Social Media
• 2 Model Essays about Economy & Money /Buildings
• Model Essay & Question for Topic of Education
• Two Question Essay: Technology
• IELTS ESSAY TOPICS FOR 2024

More Writing Task 2 Tips

• Ideas for Topics Tips with Band Score Info
• Deleting Words in your Essay
• Should I indent the first word of my paragraphs?
• 10 sentences to avoid in your IELTS essay
• Video:  How to add examples to your essay
• Tips: Under Words Penalty
• Can you use quotes, idioms or proverbs in your essay?
• Handwriting: Using cursive writing or not
• Video : Grammar – How to Add a Clause
• Video : Grammar – Connecting Sentences

5. Practice Lessons for Writing Task 2

Various lessons for: IELTS Essay Writing Skills, Topics, Language 

• Improving Sentences for a Higher Score
• Essay Ideas: Advertising to Children in Schools
• Essay Topics for 2024
• IELTS Essay Topics Prediction 2022
• Grammar Test : Using “the” with countries and nationalities
• Paraphrasing Practice
• Using Passive Voice for Giving Opinions
• Essay Ideas: Employment Competition
• Essay Ideas: The Importance of History
• Essay Ideas: Housing & Trees 
• Essay Ideas: International Aid
• Essay Ideas: City Transport
• Essay Ideas: Salaries
• Essay Ideas: Function of Schools
• Essay Ideas: Female Staff in Senior Positions
• Writing Skills: Punctuation Practice
• Writing Skills: Linking Word Practice
• Essay Ideas: Littering in Cities
• Listen and Write Dictation: Natural Disasters
• Discussion Essay with Feedback: Music Topic
• Writing Skills: Improving Sentences: Ebooks Topic
• Essay Ideas: Banning Mobile Phones
• Two Question Essay with Feedback: Judging Business Success
• Essay Ideas: Tourism and Local Communities
• Essay Ideas: Traffic & Pollution
• Writing Skills: Improving a Thesis Statement
• Writing Skills: Improving Sentences (1)
• Essay Ideas: Handwriting Skills
• Essay Ideas: Older or Younger Leaders
• Writing Skills: Introduction Feedback
• Writing Skill: Opinion Essay Introduction Feedback
• Writing Skills: Opinion Essay Body Paragraphs
• Writing Skills: Opinion Essay Introduction
• Writing Skills: Opinion Essay Finding Main Points
• Writing Skills: Thesis Statement
• Essay Ideas: Public Services .

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In this video, you also get impressive sentence structures for your body paragraphs, such as:

1. There are a great number of reasons to support/oppose this belief. 2. There do exist reasons why this notion is out of favor with some. 3. Let’s examine the flaws in this view.

Your Opinion

You will need a few interesting phrases to express your opinion on IELTS exam day, as you must directly give your opinion not only on IELTS Writing Task 2, but also Speaking Part 3.

Here are some interesting ways to do this:

• My frank and honest opinion is that…
• It is my firm belief that…
• I’m inclined to believe that…

Plus, you should learn some idioms to express your opinion . Even on IELTS Writing Task 2, you should use 1 or 2 idioms to raise your vocabulary score.

Solution/Cause/Effect

• One possible quick fix could be…
• The key to unraveling the issue is…
• The origins of the problem can be found in…
• The genesis of the issue is actually…
• The aftermath has involved…
• There are legitimate repercussions, including…

Finally, it is always a good idea to look at exemplary essays and learn from them. One student, after taking our course, got an 8.5 in writing , and in this episode he tells you how .

Practice the phrases from today by adding them to your vocabulary notebook and using them in your own examples.

What do you think of today’s advice?

Leave us a message in the comments section below!

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How to Paraphrase in the IELTS Test

Paraphrasing is an essential IELTS skill. This post will show you how to paraphrase effectively.

Paraphrasing is simply re-writing a phrase or sentence so that it has the same meaning but with different words. Paraphrasing is one of the most important skills to learn before doing your IELTS test. It is most important for writing and speaking, but will also help you in the reading and listening tests. In other words, if you know how to paraphrase, you are more likely to get the score you need.

The mental processes required to paraphrase will also help you to fully understand the question, and this is one of the reasons I tell my students to begin all of their answers in the writing test by paraphrasing the question.

Let’s look at an example.

Example: Paraphrasing is one of the most important skills to learn before doing your IELTS test.

Paraphrased: Before taking the IELTS test, mastering paraphrasing is one of the most crucial things to do.

As you can see, the second sentence (paraphrased sentence) uses synonyms to change some vocabulary (e.g., ‘important’ for ‘crucial’ and ‘’prior’’ to ‘before’ and changes the grammar (e.g., Paraphrasing is one of the most important skills” for “mastering paraphrasing”). You can also change the word order.

You should use these three main methods in the IELTS test to paraphrase sentences. Ideally, you should try to use all three, but sometimes two will only be possible.

We will now look at each method in detail and also have a look at the passive.

Method Number 1: Using Synonyms

Synonyms are different words that have the same meaning. For example, ‘humans’ is a synonym for ‘people’ and ‘attractive’ is a synonym for ‘beautiful’. This method replaces words with the same meaning to produce a new sentence.

For example:

My car needs petrol .

My vehicle requires fuel.

As you can see, I have replaced 3 out of four words with synonyms to produce a new sentence with the same meaning as the first one. You will notice that I didn’t replace all of the words, but you should try to replace most of them.

This is the most common method that students use, and it can be used effectively, but you should be careful.

Violent crime is on the rise among teenagers .

Violent offences are rising among young people .

This student has changed the word ‘teenagers’ to ‘young people’. They are similar words, and teenagers are, of course, young people; however, children and young adults, aged between 18-30, could also be described as young people. A more term would be ‘adolescents’ or ‘young people between the ages of 13-19.’ A better way to paraphrase this sentence would therefore be:

Violent offences are rising among adolescents.

You should, therefore, only use words you are 100% sure about. Don’t change a word unless you are 100% sure that it is a direct synonym. Otherwise, you are likely to make mistakes, which will lower your score.

Let’s look at another good example:

Global warming is mostly caused by emissions from internal combustion engines.

Climate change is mainly caused by the release of fumes from motor vehicles.

M ethod Number 2: Change the Word Order

Changing the word order also allows us to effectively paraphrase a sentence, but again, we have to be careful. Don’t change the word order without thinking about how this affects the grammar of the sentence. By changing the word order, you may have to add a word, subtract a word or change the form of the word.

The 100% rule applies again; don’t change it if you are not 100% sure it is grammatically correct. Remember that you are judged on your ability to produce error-free sentences in the IELTS test and use a range of grammar structures.

Fortunately, there are two straightforward ways to change the word order in most IELTS questions.

• You can easily change the order of the clauses if the original sentence has more than one clause.

Question: As languages such as Spanish, Chinese and English become more widely used, there is a fear that many minority languages may die out.

Paraphrased by changing word order: There is a fear that many minority languages may die out, as languages such as Spanish, Chinese and English become more widely used.

We could also add some synonyms to paraphrase it even more:

Paraphrased with changing word order AND synonyms: There is dismay that many lesser-used languages may pass away as languages such as Chinese, English and Spanish become more broadly spoken.

• You can also change the word order if there is an adjective or noun in the question. You do this by simply changing the adjective into a relative clause.

Question: Learning to manage money is one of the key aspects of adult life.

Paraphrased: Learning to manage money is a key aspect of adult life.

M ethod Number 3: Change the Form of the Word

There are many different forms of words, including nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs. Changing the form of a word allows us to paraphrase effectively. Again, don’t just change the form of the word; you also need to check that your changes make grammatical sense. You might need to change the words around it to make the sentence error-free.

Question: Longer life spans and improvements in the health of older people suggest that people over the age of sixty-five can continue to live full and active lives.

Paraphrased by changing word form: Longer life spans and improvements in the health of older people are suggesting that people over the age of sixty-five can continue living full and active lives.

M ethod Number 4: Change from Active to Passive

The passive voice is often used in academic writing and can therefore be used in the IELTS academic writing test. Only verbs with an object can be turned into passive.

Example active sentence: The property developers invested $20 million in the development of the shopping centre.

Example passive sentence: $20 million was invested in the development of shopping centres.

We often use the passive voice in academic writing when we don’t want to say it is our opinion.

Example active: People say that global warming is caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

Example passive: Global warming is said to be caused by the burning of fossil fuels.

How many of these methods should I use?

The four methods can be used independently or together. I advise my students to try and change the grammar (word order and/or word form) and use synonyms. Remember only use the methods you feel 100% comfortable using and ensure your work is error-free.

These paraphrasing methods will only help you in the IELTS exam if you practice using them. Find some example writing questions and try paraphrasing them using these methods. You can use the methods individually and then combine them. Try all of them to see what works for you. If you practice enough, you will begin to see patterns in the questions, and common words and phrases will become easy for you to change.

If you want to see examples of paraphrasing, use Google. Many articles will appear on the same topic if you Google certain keywords. By comparing these, you will be able to see how different writers have expressed the same ideas.

Do you need me to correct your essays and give you feedback on them? Check out our essay correction service .

About Christopher Pell

My name is Christopher Pell and I'm the Managing Director of IELTS Advantage.

I started IELTS Advantage as a simple blog to help 16 students in my class. Several years later, I am very humbled that my VIP Course has been able to help thousands of people around the world to score a Band 7+ in their IELTS tests.

If you need my help with your IELTS preparation, you can send me an email using the contact us page.