IELTS Writing Task 2: How I paraphrase 4 common phrases in Task 2 Questions

Did you know that one of the best ways to start your IELTS writing task 2 is simply to paraphrase the task question? “Paraphrase the question” means you repeat the question, but using different words and phrases with the same meanings.

Ex-examiners and experts on IELTS writing such as Liz from IELTS Liz and Chris Pell from IELTS Advantage recommend this as the simplest and most effective way to begin your Writing Task 2 essay.

So today we’re going to look at 4 phrases you will very often see in IELTS Writing Task 2 questions and I’m going to show you the best ways to paraphrase them.

1. Some people think/ believe/ feel/ say…

This is one of the most common ways that IELTS task 2 questions begin. “Some people…” can be followed by “think”, “believe”, “feel” or “say”. For example:

Some people think that adverts control what we purchase, while others believe they are useful sources of information on products.  Discuss both sides and give your opinion.

Some people believe that professionals such as doctors and engineers should be required to work in the countries where they did their training. Do you agree or disagree?

Some people feel that the common educational system of teachers and students in a classroom will be replaced by the year 2050. Do you agree with this view? Give your opinion.

Some people say that globalisation and the growing number of multinational companies have a negative effect on the environment. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

The simplest way to paraphrase these is to use one of the alternatives. So, if the IELTS question begins with, “Some people think”, you begin with  “Some people believe”.

However, that’s still quite similar to the original, so it would be even better to change the phrase into the passive form. So, Instead of “Some people think”, you can begin with, “It is sometimes believed” or, “Some people say” can become, “It is sometimes claimed”. 

Now remember, you don’t need to add “by people” when using the passive form. It’s already clear that you are talking about people.

So your introduction might start:

It is sometimes thought that adverts strongly influence us to buy things. However, adverts can also be viewed as helpful and informative.

In some IELTS questions instead of, “Some people” you might see, “Many people”.  In this case you could change “Many” to “A large number of”. So instead of “Many people say”, you could write, “A large number of people claim”. Of course here, you can use passive too, which would be “It is claimed by a large number of people”.

2. In many countries

IELTS Writing Task 2 questions quite often begin with, “In many countries”. For example:

In many countries, paying for things using mobile phone (cellphone) apps is becoming increasingly common. Does this development have more advantages or more disadvantages?

Here again you can replace “many” with “a large number of”. This phrase can also be moved to the end of the sentence, so the whole sentence might look like this:

Mobile phone apps are being used more and more to pay for goods and services in a large number of countries.

Notice that when this phrase comes at the end of the sentence, no comma is needed.

3. Nowadays, a growing number of

Nowadays, a growing number of people with health problems are trying alternative medicines and treatments instead of visiting their usual doctor. Do you think this is a positive or a negative development?

IELTS questions frequently begin in this way too. 

Here we can replace ‘Nowadays’ with ‘These days’ or alternatively, ‘In the modern world’.

“A growing number of” can be changed to “an increasing number of” or simply, “more and more”. So finally we have: 

In the modern world, more and more people who have problems with their health are experimenting with alternative medicines and treatments, rather than using normal health services.

4. In the future, people will

In questions about future developments or changes, you might see a question using “In the future, people/ governments/ companies etc, will…”.  For example:

In the future, more people will choose to go on holiday in their own country and not travel abroad on holiday. Do you agree or disagree?

Firstly, instead of saying, “In the future”, you could simply say, “In future years”.

Rather than, “more people” we can use a phrase we saw earlier, “a growing number of people”.

And in this question “will” is used to make a prediction. You can also use “going to” for predictions, so this is an easy change.

Finally we have:

In future years, a growing number of people are going to opt for domestic rather than foreign holidays.

If you can paraphrase these 4 question beginnings, you will have a head start on test day. I highly recommend you practise paraphrasing IELTS task questions, as this is a key skill in writing task 2 and will help you build your range of vocabulary.