Power of Paraphrasing in IELTS
Let’s discuss the importance of paraphrasing in IELTS. It is considered an essential skill especially for the writing and the speaking sections however, it can also be helpful in the listening and reading sections.
What is Paraphrasing?
Paraphrasing refers to the skill of expressing something in written or spoken simply by restating a sentence or phrase using different words and different grammar structures without changing its meaning.
Where in IELTS can we use this skill?
Paraphrasing is commonly used to write introductions in IELTS writing. For both Task 1 and Task 2 in the writing section of the IELTS, this is an effective technique to paraphrase the question for the introduction.
In the IELTS speaking section, paraphrasing often helps you achieve a better band score. Lexical Resource in the IELTS Speaking Band descriptor for band 7 clearly states the use of effective paraphrasing.
In IELTS reading and listening, the concept of paraphrasing often helps you better understand the questions and texts.
Common Paraphrasing Techniques
There are several techniques of paraphrasing however the challenge is to use different methods together and not just stick to one.
One of the first and the most popular methods is using synonyms. This includes replacing words with words that have the same meaning. Using appropriate synonyms often indicates that you have an access to a wide range of vocabulary. However, a common mistake is getting confused with words that give similar meaning.
Using only synonyms to paraphrase can look a bit unnatural. Another effective paraphrasing method is changing the word order. If you identify the sentence has more than just one clause, it is an effective technique to change the order of these clauses in the sentence. However, it is very essential to understand that the changes you make should not affect the grammar.
Also, words in English language have different word forms. Being able to change the word form is a very helpful way to paraphrase but again, it should not affect the grammar in the sentence.
Changing word order and words forms in the sentences can often be very tricky. You just have to ensure that you do not make grammatical errors while you do so.
Another common paraphrasing technique is changing the active voice to passive. Passive voice is more commonly used when writing about process diagrams in the Writing Task 1 or, when giving opinions that are not yours in the Writing Task 2.
All of the above mentioned paraphrasing techniques require practice and you may not want to use these methods unless you are confident.
Combine and use different methods because paraphrasing is not only about replacing words with synonyms. No matter what methods you use, do not change the meaning and make sure all your sentences are error free.
And remember, PRACTICE IS THE KEY!
