Listening: Question Paraphrase Bank

This is the basic rule of IELTS Listening: a word written on the question paper almost never sounds the same in the audio. The test writers build the questions deliberately with paraphrase — that is, the answer is hidden inside other words and a different structure.

For example:

• On the question paper: What is included in the membership fee?
• In the audio: It costs forty pounds a year, and that covers all classes.

Here fee → costs, included → covers. If you are waiting only for the word fee, the answer passes you by.

The second danger is the distractor. Sometimes the audio uses a word from the question in a sentence where it is a trap, not the answer: for example, in a price question the speaker first says the old price, then corrects it. So what you match to the question while listening must be the meaning, not the word itself. This material will give you the most commonly used paraphrase pairs and the skill of recognising them in real speech.

Paraphrase happens through three mechanisms. Recognising all three is the bridge that connects the question to the answer in the audio.

1. Synonym substitution. A formal, written word in the question; a simple spoken equivalent in the audio: prior to → before, purchase → buy, commence → start.
2. Change of word form. A noun in the question, a verb in the audio, or vice versa: the decision was made → they decided; successful applicants → if you applied successfully.
3. Change of structure and number. Active ↔ passive, fraction ↔ percentage: applications must be submitted → you need to hand in your application; a quarter of users → 25 per cent.

While practising, ask yourself on every question: which word changed, and in what form? This habit works equally well in the everyday contexts of Parts 1–2 and in the academic monologue of Part 4, because the principle of paraphrase does not change throughout the whole test.

The 15 pairs below are the core paraphrases that repeat most often. The left column is the formal word you see in the question, the middle column is the spoken equivalent you hear in the audio. As well as memorising them, say each pair in a sentence of your own — this raises your recognition speed considerably.