Mastering the art of rewriting introductions in IELTS Writing

In the IELTS Writing test, it is a good idea to try and reword your introduction so you don’t copy too much of the language that has already been provided for you in the task question.  This applies to both Task 1 and Task 2.  Let’s look at some ways of rephrasing your introduction.  

Here is a sample Task 1 question in the IELTS Academic Writing test:    

The table below shows the number of registered junior players in 4 different types of football in an Australian city in 2015 according to 3 different age groups.  

Let’s compare two different introductions:    

Introduction A    

The table below shows the amount of registered junior players in 4 various types of football in an Australian city in 2015, divided into 3 different age groups.    

Introduction B    

The tabular data illustrates the amount of youth who had registrations in 4 various football codes in an urban centre in Australia in 2015, with the figures distributed into 3 age brackets.    

In the case of Introduction A, some words have been paraphrased (e.g. amount, various, divided into), but this is not sufficient.  Too much of the introduction has been copied from the question:    

The table below shows the amount of registered junior players in 4 various types of football in an Australian city in 2015, divided into 3 different age groups.    

Also, the writer has mentioned the table ‘below’.  This is a redundant word and is not needed (unless you want to redraw the table at the bottom of your page).  It doesn’t seem right to include this as it won’t make sense.    

However, in Introduction B, most of the input from the task question has been paraphrased, plus the meaning has not changed at all.  

So, a good rule when writing your introduction in Task 1 of the Academic test, is to mention these three things:    

1. What  

2. Where  

3. When  

 What: the amount of youth who had registrations in 4 various football codes  

 Where: an urban centre in Australia    

When: in 2015    

Make sure you describe the type of data it is (e.g. the number of / the percentage of / etc.).  Mention the location (e.g. the city / country / place) and when (e.g. the year / the years / the time span).  

In Task 1 of the IELTS Writing test for General Training, you can be asked to write a formal or informal letter.  Here is a sample formal task:    

After the salutation, regardless of whether it is formal or informal, you should state the purpose of your letter.  Let’s compare the two samples below.    

Introduction A    

Dear Sir,    

I have some peculiar charges for maintenance work on my most recent electricity bill ($57.50) that I believe is incorrect.    

Introduction B    

Dear Sir or Madam,    

I am writing to query my most recent electricity bill which I believe has some charges that may have been incorrectly added.    

Looking at the salutations first of all, Introduction A has used ‘Dear Sir,’, but as this is a formal letter and there is no way of knowing if the reader of the letter is male or female, this is an inappropriate way to begin.  Also, using something like ‘Dear manager,’ is not standard convention either.  Introduction B has used the correct salutation of ‘Dear Sir or Madam,’.  If you are writing a letter to a friend, then use their first or given name.  For example:  ‘Dear John,’  or ‘Dear Sally,’ etc.    

When looking at the introductory sentence of the letter, we can see that Introduction A gets straight to the point and talks about the maintenance work they have been charged for.  This detail is for to particular and may affect the tone of the letter.  However, looking at Introduction B, the writer’s purpose is clear – they want to ask about a certain charge that they feel is incorrect (no specific details have been given yet.    

Task 2    

In your essay in the IELTS Writing test, it is a good idea to paraphrase as much as you can from the task input as well.  This can help provide some examples of a wide range of vocabulary for the examiner.  Let’s look at a sample task:    

 Here are some components you can include in your introduction:    

• A background statement  

• Paraphrase of the input and opinion  

• State your position on the matter    

These components can be demonstrated in the sample introduction below:    

Advertising is seen as a key part of business, where it assists companies in promoting their products by making people who consume them more aware.  In recent times, the quantity of advertisements seen in different types of media has been on the rise, with some claiming that it is beneficial for the end users.  This essay will outline why this is in fact a negative phenomenon rather than a positive one.    

To extend your introduction further, you can give a brief outline of what the body paragraphs will talk about:    

Advertising is seen as a key part of business, where it assists companies in promoting their products by making people who consume them more aware.  In recent times, the quantity of advertisements seen in different types of media has been on the rise, with some claiming that it is beneficial for the end users.  This essay will outline why this is in fact a negative phenomenon rather than a positive one for both financial and social reasons.    

You will also see that the writer has reworded a lot of the input language from the task question but has still kept the same meaning.  Remember that changing the part of speech of a word such as ‘consumers’ (noun) to ‘people who consume’ (verb) is another way of paraphrasing.  You don’t always have to find a synonym (e.g. end users).