Paraphrasing In IELTS Writing Test
There is a common saying that first impression is the best impression. Do you agree? Nine
time out of ten, people get connected to you when you are uniquely different, make a good
impression on others.
Of course, IELTS examiners are trained not get influenced by such impressions but still IELTS
test takers have the opportunity to strike well at the beginning of their IELTS essay with
correctly paraphrasing the information given in the question.
What is paraphrasing?
You will receive a sentence and you will rewrite it or revamp it by making use of different
words. The rewritten sentence will look entirely different from the given sentence (in the
question).
What if you do not paraphrase the first sentence in your answer?
If you do not paraphrase the first given sentences in the question, then you may lose marks.
That is right. Paraphrasing the information given in the question is mandatory and it is one of
the criteria for gaining higher score in IELTS.
Take a look at the following example:
“The Jamaican students are known for their intelligence and innovativeness in thinking.”.
The sentence given above can be paraphrased as follows:
Jamaican students are popular for being very smart and innovative.
Jamaican students are well known for being very intelligent and smart.
How to paraphrase so that the given information doesn’t get changed?
Listed down are two simple paraphrasing techniques that can be used by you. Learn how to
apply these techniques so that you do not have to face any trouble while taking the real exam.
Making use of the synonyms
The first important and very easy technique to paraphrase any given sentence is making use
of the right synonyms. Read and understand the given information and then make use of the
most appropriate synonyms to represent the same information. But, make sure you do not
make use of heavy words, words that are not common.
Restructuring the complete sentence
Restructuring the complete sentence can be a difficult task but for anyone who is trained to do
so may not face any trouble.
But, make sure that you highlight some keywords so that the information you are
restructuring shall not look unfamiliar.
Example: 2/3rd of the people in China are obsessed with mobile phones
The above sentence can be paraphrased as follows:
2/3rd of the Chinese population are known to use mobile phones a lot.