Vocabulary for Government Topic

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Below is a list of vocabulary relating to the topic of “Government”. This word list will help refresh your memory and also expand your range to learn new words. Although the topic of politics doesn’t appear in IELTS, questions relating to general government policies do appear frequently in both IELTS Writing and IELTS Speaking.

On this page, you will find:

  1. Word Forms
  2. Synonyms and Types of Government
  3. Useful Government Vocabulary
  4. IELTS Speaking Questions & Model Answers
  5. IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Questions

1. Word Forms:

  • government (n)
  • to govern (vb)
  • governmental (adj)

Common Errors 

There are two common errors when using the word “government”.

  1. “n” – don’t forget the spelling – goverNment.
  2. article “the” – when we refer to the government, we usually use the article “the”.
    1. For example:
    2. Wrong = Many people think government should improve the infrastructure in rural areas.
    3. Correct = Many people think the government should improve the infrastructure in rural areas.

2. Synonyms & Types of Government

Below is a useful word list for synonyms. However, please note that is fine to repeat the word “government” in your essay even for high band score candidates.

  • the political system
  • the administration
  • the central government
  • the local government
  • the authorities
  • the people in authority
  • the leadership
  • those in power

Note, as with all synonyms, they cannot all be used in the same context in the same way. They do differ.

Types of Government and Governing

Below are words relating to types of government and the way countries are run.

  • republic = a country with no monarch and has an elected leader, usually a president
  • democracy = the government is elected by the people, each person has a single vote
  • autonomy = a self-governing country or region
  • dictatorship = a country ruled by one person who has not been elected and uses force to keep control
  • totalitarian state = a country with only one political power and people are forced to do what the government tells them
  • regime = an authoritarian government
  • capitalist = a free-market country
  • communist = a political and economic system with a classless society where business, factories, farms etc are publicly owned
  • monarchy = a country has a king or queen – in traditional monarchies, the monarch has absolute power but in a a constitutional monarchy (such as the UK), there is a democratic government, and the monarch is largely symbolic and politically neutral
  • anarchy = a situation where there is no government
  • constitutional government = a government which is limited in its power by a constitution
  • coalition government = with no direct winner after elections, a government can be formed in which two or more parties cooperate

3. Useful Government Vocabulary

Within a Government

  • politicians = people who hold an office within politics
  • branches of government- legislative, executive and judicial
  • executive branch = this is the part of the government which carries out the law
  • legislative branch = this part of the government makes the laws and raises money to run the government
  • judicial branch = this part of the government decides laws and settles disputes
  • state government = a local government within a particular region or area of a country
  • enforcement agencies = bodies within a government which can enforce the law, for example, the police
  • political party = a group of people with similar political aims that hopes to have a member elected to government
  • diplomats = people who represent their country in communication with other countries

 Useful Government Vocabulary

  • to pass a law / to enable a law / to bring in a new law = to have a law accepted
  • to abide by a law = to follow a law without breaking it
  • to elect = to choose
  • to have political influence / political power = the extent of a group’s or person’s ability to change the way political decisions are made
  • a citizen = a person living within a country
  • election = the process of voting for someone to come into power or into a role
  • laws = rules for governing a country
  • liberty = freedom
  • maintain order = providing organisation and safety for the people of a country
  • rights = freedoms which are protected and should be guaranteed
  • taxes = money paid by citizens to run and maintain a country
  • raise / lower taxes – to increase or decrease the money paid by citizens to the government
  • budget = money that is allocated to spend in a particular area
  • to increase the budget on X = to give more money to X
  • defence spending = the money that the government spends on the defence of its country
    • note that the word “defence” can also be spelled as “defense” in American English
  • policies = action proposed by an organisation
  • charismatic = a characteristic that attracts and appeals to other people – many successful politicians are charismatic
  • long term / short term goals
  •  to be proactive = doing something rather than just waiting for something to happen

Citizen’s Actions

  • campaign for something
  • demonstrations
  • to be involved in protests
  • organise a petition
  • speak at public meetings
  • put up posters
  • organise a public meeting
  • write to politicians

4. Government Topic Questions for IELTS Speaking 

IELTS Speaking doesn’t have one single topic called “the Government”. But most topics in IELTS Speaking, do contain questions that relate to how official organisations, such as the government, can improve aspects of life. Below are some examples of questions with model answers. Most of these questions are more likely to appear in Speaking part 3 which deals with broader issues.

  • Q) What is the role of a government?
  • A) A government is responsible to decide how a country is run and for managing how it is run. It rules and governs a body of people to make sure that those people abide by laws.
  • Q) Do you think the government should be responsible for public health?
  • A) While the government should be proactive in opening more exercises facilities for the public and to raise awareness of public health, I think it is ultimately the role of the individual to improve their own health.
  • Q) Do you think the government should pay to support the Arts?
  • A) Yes, in a way. I think the government should definitely provide some support for the Arts as a way to promote our cultural heritage. For example, local people can learn about their own culture from watching the dramatic arts and also from paintings and sculptures. This is also a huge draw for visiting tourists who wish to experience local culture. However, I do think that artists also need to be responsible for ensuring their own income and not just rely on the government.
  • Q) What do you think the government could do to protect natural beauty spots in your country?
  • A) Well, I suppose one of the key things that those in power could do is to establish stricter laws to ensure people treat places of natural beauty with respect. For example, littering is a huge problem in my country and this needs to be taken more seriously. Another thing is for the government to spend more money on conservation as well as raising awareness among the local population of the importance of these places.

5. IELTS Writing Task 2 Essay Questions Samples

  1. Many people think people should pay for their education, while others think the government should fund all education. Discuss both sides and give your opinion.
  2. Some people believe the government should be responsible for the homeless and that society is not responsible. Do you agree?
  3. Do you think artists should have the right to express any opinion through their work or do you think the government should censor their work?
  4. Do you think the government should focus on supporting science or the Arts?
  5. Do you think the government should be solely responsible for public safety or do you think individuals should also be held responsible for their own safety?
  6. Some people believe that the government should spend more money on protecting wildlife. Do you agree or disagree?
  7. Some people think that the government is wasting essential funds on space research and that these funds would be better allocated to health care. To what extend do you agree?

Tip: Don’t suggest in your essay that the government could introduce a particular law if there is already one in place. If you know a law is already in place, then you can suggest that the law serves harsher punishments and give examples of that. Try to keep your essay real. Think your ideas through and be sincere in your essay for a high score.

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IELTS Speaking Part 2 Topic: Concentration

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IELTS Speaking Topic: Concentration – Questions, Model Answer and Vocabulary. The topic of Concentration is common in IELTS speaking and can appear in part 1, part 2 and part 3.  Below you will find a list of Cue Cards about this topic for Speaking Part 2 followed by useful vocabulary and a model answer. I’ve also added questions for part 1 and part 3 as well so that you can prepare fully for this topic.

Concentration Cue Cards for IELTS Speaking Part 2

Something that helps you concentrate at work or in your studies

You should say:

  • what it is
  • how you use it
  • how it helps you concentrate
  • how you feel about it

A method that helps you focus

You should say:

  • what it is
  • when you use it
  • how it helps you
  • whether you like it or not

Something that helps you remember things

You should say:

  • what it is
  • how often you use it
  • how effective it is
  • how you feel about it

A time when you struggled to concentrate

You should say:

  • when it was
  • what happened
  • how you reacted
  • how you felt about the incident

A time when you forgot something important

You should say:

  • when it happened
  • what happened
  • how you responded
  • how you felt about it

Someone you know who is very focused

You should say:

  • who it is
  • how you know this person
  • in what way they are focused
  • what you think of the person

A job that requires a high level of concentration

  • what the job is
  • what tasks are involved in it
  • why concentration is so important
  • and whether you think this is a useful job

Ideas & Vocabulary for Concentration Topic

In Speaking Part 2, it can be difficult to decide what to talk about for your topic. It’s important that you choose something easy to talk about that you are familiar with. This way, you will easily be able to expand your talk with extra details from your own memory or feelings. Below are a list of ideas and vocabulary of what to talk about for the topic of a method of concentrating or something that helps you concentrate. I’ve underlined useful language for you.

  1. Ear plugs or noise cancelling headphones
    1. Many people find that using ear plugs helps them focus on the task in hand without being distracted by surrounding noise.
  2. Eliminate distractions
    1. Getting rid of things that distract you from concentrating, such as closing down unused programs or personal social media on your laptop, removing files from your desk, clearing away mess etc. Some people are more easily distracted by such things than others.
  3. Go for a walk or take a break
    1. Taking some time out often helps clear brain-fog. It can give you a fresher perspective and more energy.
  4. Create an hourly plan
    1. Sometimes having a schedule can help you concentrate and get things done on time. Being more focused usually leads to higher levels of concentration.
  5. Set an alarm
    1. Setting regular notifications on your phone to ping helps remind you of what you are supposed to be focusing on.
  6. Distraction blocker apps or focus apps
    1. These apps can block incoming calls, messages pinging and prevent you accessing any website pages until the time you set has expired. Focus apps are designed to reward you if you focus on one task and give punishment if you switch to other apps or tasks during the time period set.
  7. Have a to-do list
    1. Having a clear list of tasks you must complete will help you focus as you tick them off one by one. This way you will be less preoccupied with things hanging over you and can work through them systematically.
  8. Multitasking
    1. Many people find doing more than one task at a time can save time, but others find it lowers their performance and ability to concentrate.
  9. Set deadlines for yourself
    1. Doing this gives you the drive to get things done and not fritter your time away.
  10. Avoid social media
    1. Time seems to disappear when people go on to social media and can lead to shorter attention spans in the long run.
  11. Drink water
    1. One of the main reasons people start to struggle with concentration is because they are dehydrated. Drinking water refreshes your mind and helps you focus. It is usually more effective than drinking caffeine.

Model Answer for Concentration Topic: IELTS Cue Card

The model answer below offers you another option for tackling the topic of concentration problems. I’ve again underlined useful language. Notice how I use a range of tenses and even manage to add some past tense and future forms even though the cue card is in the present – this is a very good way to boost your grammar score.

A method you use to concentrate

You should say:

  • what it is
  • when you use it
  • how it works
  • and how you feel about it

Model Answer

One great way that I ensure I can concentrate at work is by taking some time out for mindfulness. I know it probably sounds strange, but it really works. I find that my concentration starts flagging usually around 3pm after having eaten lunch and I also struggle to focus sometimes when I am overloaded with work. When I first started my job, my performance at work really dropped at those times. But having just a short break of just 15 mins to revitalises my body and mind through mindful breathing and creating a bit of peaceful space around me works wonders. Other people at work seem to take a break and spend their time gossiping, eating junk food or just stressing about unfinished tasks. But I use my short break to go for a short walk alone to clear my head and do some deep calm breathing. With a fresh mind, I can return to my work and tackle things in a more logical order without getting flustered.

Another aspect of mindfulness is having a clear work space. The more cluttered my desk is, the more overwhelmed I feel with tasks. It’s like everything gets on top of me. So, I make sure to take time to regularly clear my desk, check my task list and keep things organised. This creates a peaceful work environment which helps keep my mind focused on the task in hand.

But I know that everyone has their own methods. My friends says that the best way to focus in a busy office is to use noise cancelling ear plugs which help cut out ambient noise that can be very distracting. Another friend of mine found that by improving their sleeping and eating habits, they increased their ability to concentrate and were more attentive to smaller details. So, I guess everyone is different and you need to find what works best for you.

Model Answer Feedback

This answer doesn’t necessarily tackle each of the prompts on the cue card one by one. That’s ok and is acceptable in IELTS speaking part 2. It also offers multiple methods which isn’t asked for in the cue card. It also introduces methods used by others rather than just the speaker. This is all 100% fine and it’s a great technique for lengthening your talk. IELTS Speaking part 2 talks can be adapted as long as you stick to the main topic which in this case is “concentration”.  This model answer is packed with incredibly natural, high band score vocabulary and expressions. It also contains a lot of topic based vocabulary which is important for the examiner to hear. Whatever your topic, the examiner will be looking for vocabulary relevant to that topic. This answer also contains various grammar tenses, a comparative statements, superlatives and a wide range of sentence structures.

IELTS Speaking Part 1 Concentration Questions

  1. Do you ever struggle to concentrate?
  2. How do you improve your concentration?
  3. Did you struggle to concentrate at school? Why?
  4. What kinds of things makes it hard to concentrate?
  5. Do you think older people struggle to concentrate more than younger people?

IELTS Speaking Part 3 Concentration Questions

  1. Do you think technology has impacted our concentration?
  2. Do you think people concentrate better now than in the past?
  3. Do you think modern technology can be intrusive?
  4. What methods are there to improve someone’s concentration?
  5. How could employers help their employees concentrate more?
  6. Are there any jobs that require more concentration than others?
  7. Can exercise impact concentration?
  8. Why do some children struggle to concentrate in class?
  9. Can teachers do anything to help children concentrate better?

I hope you found this page useful. If you wish to learn more about IELTS Speaking, go to the main Speaking page on this website for tips, topics and model answers: IELTS Speaking Main Page. All main sections of this website are found using the RED Menu Bar at the top of the website.

All the best

Liz

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It’s a Hard Nut to Crack Idiom

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Idioms for IELTS: Tough Nut to Crack

“It’s a hard nut to crack”  or “it’s a tough nut to crack” is a great expression. This is used in two different situations:

  1. talking about a problem that is difficult to solve
  2. talking about a person who is difficult to understand

tough nut to crack

Model Sentences with Idiom

See the examples below for how this expression can be used:

  1. The problem of turning the failing health system around is a tough nut to crack.
  2. IELTS is a really hard nut to crack. There’s so much to learn and so many challenges to face in the test.
  3. He’s not the most forth-coming of people and can be quite secretive. He’s been described as a tough nut to crack and I’d have to agree.
  4. I can’t find any reasonable solution for the problem. It certainly is a tough nut to crack. I think everyone would agree.
  5. She’s been working here for over 5 years now but still doesn’t really socialise with anyone or even talk to anyone much for that matter. She’s a hard nut to crack.

Can you add any other model sentences with this idiom? Post them in the comments box below.

Note: This expression is an idiom and should not be used in academic writing. However, it’s very good to use it in your IELTS speaking test.

Tip: In sentence 2 above, the words “many challenges to face” are also idiomatic. You don’t have to use actual idioms to use idiomatic language. So, don’t over load your answers with idioms – just use the odd one or two in a natural way.

All the best

Liz

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Practice with Uncountable Nouns

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One of the most common mistakes people make with English vocabulary is being able to spot uncountable nouns and using the correct verb form to match. This lesson will test your ability to spot uncountable nouns and form correct sentences.

Questions 1-10: Choose the correct word or words to complete the sentences below. 

  1. Luck/Lucks  play/plays  a part in all exams, including IELTS.
  2. Grandparents often give excellent advice/advices.
  3. During the war soldiers had to display a lot of courage / courages.
  4. Economics/economic  play/plays  an important role in the development of a country.
  5. My grandfather had a lot of wisdom/wisdoms.
  6. It is hardly surprising that people struggle to find employment/employments in some cities where competition is high.
  7. Without state-of-the-art equipment/equipments, a company will not be able to compete in the current market.
  8. News is/are essential to keep abreast of.
  9. A lot of pollution/pollutions in city centres can cause health problems for people living and working there.
  10. My friend is almost completely bald. He has very few hair/hairs left on his head.

By the way, there is one question above that is not so easy. Pay close attention to the sentence and remember that some words can be both countable and uncountable depending on the context and wording in the sentence.

Answers

Answers are available below.

Click here: Answers for Uncountable Practice

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Vocabulary: Obese, Fat or Overweight

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Students often confuse the words: obese, fat and overweight. This lesson will explain the difference between these words so that you learn to use them correctly.

IELTS often has questions in both writing and speaking about the problems of eating fast food or problems with the modern diet. Making mistakes with these words is common and will damage your band score.

  • Obesity (n) / Obese (adj) = a medical condition when excess body fat has accumulated and can have a negative impact on a persons health by contributing to health problems such as heart disease, type 2 diabetes or kidney problems. This term is often used incorrectly and is only used in extreme cases when a person’s weight is a serious health concern and is labelled as a medical condition.
  • Overweight (n) / Overweight (adj) = weighing more than is considered normal or more than is optimally healthy and can cause some health concerns depending on how overweight a person is. This is neither negative or positive in meaning and is just a statement of a person’s size.
  • Fat = being larger than normal. This is used informally to describe people who are considered larger than average. It is not a polite term to use and can be offensive to people.

Practice Vocabulary Questions

Fill in the sentences below with the correct word listed above. Make sure you use the correct form of the word. A word may be used more than once.

  1. Many people who have a sedentary lifestyle are …………………. because they do not participate in regular exercise.
  2. My next door neighbour got quite ………… when she went to live in America for a year. I think she ate fast food most the time.
  3. 14 million children worldwide under the age of 5 were either overweight or ………….. in 2016.
  4. Worldwide ………… has nearly tripled since 1975.
  5. It is easy for people to become ……………….. if they do not eat a healthy diet.

Answers

The answers are available on the link below.

CLICK HERE: ANSWERS TO OBESE VOCAB LESSON

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Prepositions Practice Sept 2018

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Complete the sentences below using the following prepositions.

Prepositions:

  • A = down
  • B= for
  • C = on
  • D = with
  • E = over
  • F = in
  • G = no preposition required

Questions 1-6

Which of the above options can be used to complete these sentences.

  1. Smaller family units have become more common ………. recent decades.
  2. One of the main reasons ………. family units becoming smaller is finances.
  3. There has been a fall ……….. in the number of families with more than four members.
  4. Many children do not have a close relationship ………… their grandparents.
  5. Nowadays, less emphasis is placed ……….. close relationships between the generations.
  6. Children of working parents are often left alone ……. extended periods of time.

Answers

Click below to reveal the answers:

Answers

  1. F = in
    1. Smaller family units have become more common in recent decades.
  2. B = for
    1. One of the main reasons for family units becoming smaller is finances.
  3. G = no preposition needed
    1. There has been a fall in the number of families with more than four members.
  4. D = with
    1. Many children do not have a close relationship with their grandparents.
  5. C = on
    1. Nowadays, less emphasis is placed on close relationships between the generations.
  6. B = for
    1. Children of working parents are often left alone for extended periods of time.

 

All the best

Liz

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Vocabulary for Plant Topic IELTS Speaking

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Below is a list of vocabulary for the topic of plants in IELTS speaking part 1.

Pot Plants

  • Cactus (plural = cacti or cactuses)
  • Peace lily (see picture above)
  • Bamboo
  • Palm
  • Flowering plants
  • Orchids
  • Small plants for the window sill
  • Easy to maintain

Balcony plants

Trailing plants / climbers

Plants and flowers attractive to bees and butterflies

Hanging baskets (flowering plants)

  • Roses
  • Geraniums
  • begonia

Trees

  • (tree) trunk
    • wide trunk / thick trunk
  • a tall tree with a height of about 4.5 meters
  • a native tree
  • limbs / branches
  • twigs
  • leaves
    • lose their leaves in winter
    • retain their colour year round (evergreen)
  • foliage
  • blossom
  • root system
  • age: ancient tree, sapling (young tree)
  • adjectives: leafy, spreading, hollow, shady, verdant, gnarled, majestic
  • perennial 
  • ornamental tree / dwarf tree
  • tropical / sub-tropical species
  • longevity 

Other vocab

  • Stem
  • Bloom
  • Petals
  • Lush
  • Wilting
  • Leaves turning yellow
  • Soil
  • Compost
  • Plant feed
  • Pruning
  • Re-potting
  • Drainage
  • Watering (daily/ regularly)
  • Automatic watering system
  • Full sunlight / shade / exposure to sun
  • North facing window
  • Variety of colours
  • Herbs grown in pots
    • mint, parsley, coriander, basil, oregano, rosemary, thyme
  • Vegetables grown in pots
    • tomatoes, peppers, peas, beans
  • to have green fingers (idiom) = to be good at caring for plants
    • I’ve never had green fingers.
    • My father really has green fingers. He can grow anything.
  • Botanist – someone who studies plants

Sample Questions & Answers

You can see that some questions might produce shorter answers and other questions require more detail and explanation. This is normal in speaking part 1.

  1. Do you like plants?
    • Yes, I do. I usually have at least one indoor pot plant in my sitting room such as a peace lily.
  2. Are you good at growing plants?
    • No, I’m not. I definitely don’t have green fingers, unlike my grandfather who was really good with plants. I frequently have to buy new plants for my house when they die.
  3. Why do people grow plants?
    • I think some people grow plants because it’s a pleasurable hobby that they can enjoy all year round. It is very rewarding to grow a plant, particularly when the flowers bloom. For other people, it is a way to make their living environment better. What I mean is plants can provide not only clean air but also greenery which is supposed to be uplifting for the spirit.

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IELTS Speaking  Questions & Model Answers for Plant Topic

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How to Paraphrase Successfully in IELTS

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Paraphrasing in IELTS is essential for a high score in IELTS. This page contains tips on paraphrasing to maximise your score. For IELTS Writing Task 2, paraphrasing is critical to your score for essay writing. Vocabulary counts for 25% of your writing marks. This page mainly focuses in paraphrasing for essays, but it can also help you understand more about paraphrasing in IELTS Reading and IELTS Listening. Certainly, it plays a role in the speaking, but to a lesser degree because repeated words are much more acceptable in the informal IELTS speaking test. So, lets review all about paraphrasing.

This page will review:

  1. using synonyms
  2. not changing all words
  3. avoiding mistakes
  4. changing word forms
  5. changing sentence structure
  6. paraphrasing and band scores

IELTS Paraphrasing

1. Using Synonyms

In IELTS one way to paraphrase is to use synonyms. This shows the examiner your range of vocabulary for any given topic. The wider your range of vocabulary, the higher your band score. BUT, only if you don’t make mistakes. 

Here is an example of how a sentence can be re-written by using synonyms:

The reasons for increasing levels of pollution are the development of industry and air travel.

The sentence above can be paraphrased as:

The causes of rising levels of pollution are the growth and expansion of industry as well as the number of people travelling by air.

Here is a list of how the sentence was altered using synonyms.

  • causes = reasons
  • increasing = rising
  • the development of = the growth and expansion of
  • and = as well as
  • air travel = travelling by air

Notice: you can see that the words “levels of pollution” and “industry” have not be changed. This is fine. Not all words need to be changed. In fact, the word “pollution” is best not changed. See tip number 2, below:

Problems with Synonyms

Synonyms are NOT words with 100% the same meaning and same usage. This is why so many people make mistakes with them.

Synonyms are words with a very similar meaning and might be perfect in some contexts but then not at all suitable in other contexts. So, using synonyms well is all about how deep your knowledge is of the word meaning and how the word is used – both in grammar and context.

The more mistakes you make with words, the lower your band score will be. See Tip 6 below.

2. Not All Words Need Changing

Not all words need to be changed for a high score in IELTS. You can see from the example above that some words have remained the same levels of pollution, industry , air). This means you need to decide which words to paraphrase and which words to keep the same.

High band score successful candidates (band 7 and over) know when to paraphrase and when to keep words the same.

People stuck at band 6 and below, often over-paraphrase. They try to change too many words too often which results in 1) poor word choices   2) changing the meaning and going off topic. Both problems will lower your score below band 7.

3. Avoiding Mistakes

The more mistakes you make with vocabulary in IELTS writing and speaking, the lower your score will be. Paraphrasing is a skill. Synonyms do not have exactly the same meaning and cannot always be used at the same time.

Watch this video below to get useful tips on paraphrasing for writing task 1 and writing task 2.

Mistakes with paraphrases cause people to get a low score and can also take people off topic in an IELTS essay.

4. Changing the Word Form

Another way to paraphrase sentences is to change the form of the word. This means we use the same words as IELTS but change their form. This type of paraphrasing is really focused at your writing skills because it means you don’t need to look for a synonym for a word, instead you can alter the word form.

Here is an example:

Many people are unhealthy because they fail to eat well and exercise.

This can be paraphrased by changing the word form of “unhealthy”, “fail” and “exercise”.

Many people have poor health as they are failing to eat well and are not exercising enough.

Lets look at the word changes for this paraphrase:

  1. Word forms
    • unhealthy = poor health
    • fail = are failing
    • exercise = are exercising
  2. Linking word
    • because = as

This is not low level paraphrasing, in IELTS this is considered skilful paraphrasing and it is actually a skill that you want to demonstrate. You need to show the examiner that you can alter word forms as a sign of flexibility with language.

So, don’t get stuck on always trying to find synonyms, you can just change the word form and still get a high score. It’s also a good way to avoid errors but taking risks with synonyms that are not perfect.

5. Changing Sentence Structure

Another way to paraphrase successfully is to change the order to words in a sentence. This means changing the structure of the sentence. Taking the example from above again:

Many people are unhealthy because they fail to eat well and exercise.

You can see above there are two clauses:

  1. Many people are unhealthy
  2. because they fail to eat well and exercise

We can change the order of the clauses:

Many people fail to eat well and exercise and for that reason they are unhealthy.

The clauses are now in a different order:

  1. people fail to eat well and exercise
  2. they are unhealthy

Let’s change this even more:

Failing to eat well and not exercising are the reasons that many people have poor health.

This is the best way to tackle paraphrasing in IELTS essays. The examiner will look for sentences that start with a gerund – a verb converted to a noun using +ing which makes the noun always singular. 

If we use this approach and also add synonyms – it will look like this:

Failing to have a balanced diet and not getting enough physical exercise are the reasons behind the large number of people facing a range of health problems in society today.

Now we are approaching band 9 paraphrasing skills for IELTS writing task 2. Even a band 9 can keep some words the same – exercise = exercise.

If you enjoyed the example sentences above, you’ll love my Grammar E-book for Writing Task 2. It shows lots of ways to develop language and change sentence structures. See the link at the bottom of this page.

6. Paraphrasing & IELTS Band Scores

Of course paraphrasing will help your band score for the criterion of vocabulary. Below you see how your range of vocabulary affects your band score and also how the number of errors affects your score. Even if you have a wide range of vocabulary, your score will go down if you have too many errors. And if those errors impact your meaning, it will be below band 6.

Vocabulary Range

  • Band 5 = minimum range
  • Band 6 = adequate range
  • Band 7 = sufficient range
  • Band 8 – wide range

Number of Errors

  • Band 5 = frequent errors & problems with meaning
  • Band 6 = some errors, no problems with meaning
  • Band 7 = few errors
  • Band 8 = most sentences are error free

You can see that you need to show a range of words which means you need to paraphrase. But you also need to reduce your errors which means don’t try to paraphrase too much and don’t make mistakes.

Following the above tips (using synonyms, not paraphrasing all words, avoiding errors, changing the word form and changing the sentence structure) will help you achieve the highest score.

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