Lesson 17: Paraphrasing & Avoiding Repetition
paraphrase the question and vary your words so you never repeat the same word three times.
Why this matters
Repeating the question's words and your own key nouns ("school… school… school…") signals limited range. Band 7 speakers "paraphrase effectively". Paraphrasing also buys thinking time at the start of an answer.
The Tip/Trick
Echo-and-upgrade: restate the prompt in different words before you answer. And keep 2–3 synonyms ready for your topic's key noun.
- Before: "Describe your school. My school is a good school. The school is big…" (repetition)
- After: "I'd like to talk about the institution where I studied — it was a fairly large secondary school… the campus itself…" (school → institution → campus).
Grammar Focus — Comparatives + synonyms (paraphrasing)
Rule: vary vocabulary and use comparatives (-er/more…than, less…than) to compare and reword. Reference: the "Comparatives + synonyms (paraphrasing)" section.
- "Online courses are more flexible than traditional classes, though they can be less engaging."
- "It's far more demanding than I expected."
- "Smaller classes tend to be more effective."
Vocabulary Cluster — Education
Add to under "Education".
- to broaden your knowledge — learn more widely — "University broadened my knowledge."
- hands-on / practical learning — learning by doing — "I prefer hands-on learning."
- rote learning — memorising without understanding — "Our system relies on rote learning."
- a well-rounded education — balanced, broad — "It gave me a well-rounded education."
- to grasp a concept — understand it — "It took time to grasp the concept."
- a steep learning curve — hard, fast learning — "It was a steep learning curve."
- lifelong learning — learning throughout life — "I'm a big believer in lifelong learning."
- to keep up with the coursework — stay on track — "It was tough to keep up with the coursework."
Synonym sets to vary: school → institution / campus / place I studied; teacher → instructor / lecturer / educator; student → learner / pupil; learn → pick up / grasp / get to grips with.
Drill these as flashcards — flip, then grade yourself.
Answer Outline
- Paraphrase the prompt: "So you'd like me to talk about ____ — well…"
- Main point: "Essentially, ____."
- Comparative: "Compared with ____, it's ____."
- Wrap-up: "All in all, ____."
Model Answers: 5.0 vs 7.0
Cue card: Describe a subject you enjoyed studying at school.
Band 5.0: "I like study English at school. English is good subject. The English teacher is good. I learn English many years. I like English."
Band 7.0: "So you'd like me to talk about a subject I really took to — that would be English. I first started picking it up in secondary school, and I quickly found it far more engaging than the science-based subjects. What I appreciated was the practical, hands-on side: we weren't just doing rote learning but actually using the language. Compared with other classes, it gave me a more well-rounded set of skills. All in all, it's the subject that shaped my path the most."
What changed:
- Paraphrase the prompt: "a subject I really took to".
- Synonym variation: English → "the language"; learn → "picking it up", "using".
- Comparatives: "far more engaging than", "more well-rounded".
- No word repeated 3+ times.
- Repeating the topic noun every sentence → use synonyms/pronouns.
- "more better" → just "better" (no double comparative).
- Comparative form: "more easy" → "easier".
Your Turn (Record)
Task: Cue card "Describe something you learned that was useful." 2-min talk. Rule: do not repeat any key content word more than twice — force synonyms. Use at least 2 comparatives. ⏱ 1 + 2 min.
Your turn — record & get scored
Part 2- Describe something you learned that was useful.
Self-Check + Spaced Review
Done when:
- I paraphrased the prompt before answering.
- No key word repeated more than twice.
- I used ≥2 comparatives and ≥2 education collocations.
Spaced review:
- From Lesson 16: use a collocation instead of "very + adjective".
- From Lesson 05: link ideas with discourse markers.