Writing Common Mistake: Copying the Task Prompt

One of the simplest yet most detrimental mistakes candidates make is copying phrases or entire sentences from the task prompt verbatim. This can severely affect your score in the Task Achievement/Task Response and Lexical Resource criteria. Examiners look for your ability to paraphrase and demonstrate a wide range of vocabulary. Simply reproducing the task prompt indicates limited lexical flexibility and insufficient understanding of the task requirements.

For instance, if the task prompt is:
Some people believe that governments should focus more on healthcare rather than on infrastructure development. To what extent do you agree or disagree?

A poor response might start with:
Some people believe that governments should focus more on healthcare rather than on infrastructure development.
This repetition shows no evidence of paraphrasing or original thinking.

How to Avoid This Mistake

The key to avoiding this error is developing strong paraphrasing skills. Paraphrasing means expressing the same idea using different words and sentence structures while retaining the original meaning.

a. Identify Synonyms and Alternative Phrases
Expand your vocabulary to include synonyms and related phrases for commonly used words.

• Governments → Authorities
• Focus on → Prioritise
• Healthcare → Medical services
• Infrastructure development → Building and improving public facilities

b. Change the Sentence Structure
Rearrange the sentence while maintaining the original meaning.

• Original: Governments should prioritise healthcare over infrastructure development.
• Paraphrased: The government’s primary focus should be on improving medical services rather than investing in public infrastructure.

c. Use General Synonyms Where Specific Ones Are Lacking
If you can’t find a direct synonym, use a general term to express the idea.

• Healthcare → Public well-being

d. Practise Paraphrasing Prompts Regularly
Take sample IELTS prompts and practise paraphrasing them in multiple ways. This will help you become more confident in rewriting sentences without losing the original meaning.

Examples of This Mistake and How to Fix It

Poor Example (Copied Prompt)
Some people believe that governments should focus more on healthcare rather than on infrastructure development.
Problem: This is a direct copy of the task prompt, which shows no paraphrasing skills.

Improved Example 1
It is often argued that authorities ought to prioritise medical services over the construction and maintenance of public infrastructure.
Why It Works: The improved version uses synonyms for key terms and rephrases the sentence while maintaining the original meaning.

Improved Example 2
There is a common belief that governments should allocate more resources to healthcare instead of infrastructure projects.
Why It Works: This version introduces variety by using different phrases and sentence structure.

Poor Example (Minimal Paraphrasing)
Some people think governments should give more attention to healthcare than infrastructure development.
Problem: Although some words have been changed, the structure and vocabulary remain too similar to the original prompt.

Improved Example
Many argue that improving medical care should take precedence over funding large-scale infrastructure projects.

Why It Works: This version effectively uses alternative expressions and a different sentence structure, showcasing a broader range of vocabulary.

See other common mistakes in IELTS writing

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