Hi, I’m Hiroshi Tanaka, and as an IELTS Reading examiner, I’ve seen that most mistakes in the test happen not because students don’t know the answer — but because they don’t recognise paraphrasing. In IELTS, the test rarely copies the same words from the question into the passage. Instead, ideas are rephrased using synonyms or grammatical changes.
To succeed, you must train your brain to match meaning, not words. In this lesson, I’ll explain how to identify paraphrasing, why it’s crucial for Band 7+, and how to build daily habits that make it automatic
Paraphrasing means expressing the same idea using different words or sentence structures. It tests your ability to understand meaning even when vocabulary changes.
Example:
Question: The study examined the effects of pollution on children.
Passage: Researchers investigated how contaminated air impacts young people.
✅ “examined” → “investigated”
✅ “pollution” → “contaminated air”
✅ “children” → “young people”
Although the wording is different, the meaning is identical.
Every IELTS Reading passage is full of synonyms and reworded expressions. Recognising them allows you to:
|
Skill |
Impact |
|
Spotting paraphrasing |
Faster question matching |
|
Ignoring superficial words |
Avoiding traps |
|
Recognising meaning |
Higher accuracy in True/False/Not Given |
Examiners use paraphrasing deliberately to test your real comprehension, not just vocabulary memorisation.
1️⃣ Synonym Replacement
Replacing words with the same meaning.
Example:
“rise” ↔ “increase,” “go up,” “grow,” “climb”
“problem” ↔ “issue,” “difficulty,” “challenge”
2️⃣ Word Form Change
Changing the form of the same word family.
“decide” → “decision”
“analyse” → “analysis”
IELTS loves this type — it tests grammar awareness as well as vocabulary.
3️⃣ Passive to Active Voice
The sentence structure changes, but meaning stays the same.
Question: The team built the bridge in 2008.
Passage: The bridge was constructed by the team in 2008.
4️⃣ Negative Expression
A sentence may use the opposite meaning to express the same idea.
“few people believed” ↔ “only a small number agreed”
Recognising logical opposites helps avoid confusion in True/False/Not Given questions.
5️⃣ Description Instead of Direct Term
Sometimes the passage explains an idea instead of naming it.
“The Earth’s natural satellite” ↔ “the Moon”
You must think conceptually, not literally.
Question:
The company expanded rapidly after introducing its first smartphone.
Passage:
“Following the launch of its debut mobile device, the firm experienced significant growth.”
✅ “expanded rapidly” → “experienced significant growth”
✅ “first smartphone” → “debut mobile device”
Understanding paraphrasing ensures you instantly connect the question to this part of the text.
|
Question Phrase |
Likely Paraphrase in Passage |
|
cause |
lead to / result in / bring about |
|
advantage |
benefit / positive aspect |
|
research |
investigation / study |
|
show |
reveal / demonstrate / indicate |
|
problem |
issue / difficulty / challenge |
|
necessary |
essential / required / crucial |
Keep a personal notebook of such pairs during practice — they appear repeatedly in real tests.
Use Cambridge IELTS books and follow this method:
This builds what I call “semantic radar” — your ability to detect meaning change instantly.
1️⃣ Matching identical words blindly
→ IELTS often includes the same word as a trap. Focus on meaning, not word repetition.
2️⃣ Missing grammatical clues
→ “increase” (verb) ≠ “an increase” (noun). Check sentence function.
3️⃣ Ignoring opposites
→ Look for contrast words like “however” or “despite”; they often signal a shift in meaning.
4️⃣ Relying only on translation
→ Paraphrasing often fails across languages. Practise thinking in English structures.
Find the paraphrases in this example:
“Due to limited funding, the university postponed its research project.”
Possible paraphrased question:
“The study was delayed because there was not enough money.”
✅ limited funding = not enough money
✅ postponed = delayed
Recognising this connection improves both reading and writing.
|
Technique |
Description |
Benefit |
|
Paraphrase grouping |
Learn clusters (e.g., “rapidly = swiftly = quickly”) |
Reduces dictionary dependence |
|
Thematic reading |
Read science, environment, society topics weekly |
Expands natural vocabulary range |
|
Daily synonym training |
Review 10–15 pairs using flashcards |
Builds automatic recognition |
|
Context matching |
Focus on grammar + logic, not word lists |
Improves comprehension accuracy |
In short, Understanding Paraphrasing is one of the most powerful skills for IELTS Reading success. Once you can match ideas instead of words, you’ll save time, avoid traps, and handle every question type with confidence.
Next, continue with Improving Reading Speed to learn how to read faster without losing accuracy.
Or revisit IELTS Reading Skills & Exam Strategy for the full set of Core Skills.
For official examples, visit the British Council IELTS Practice Reading section.
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