When a question says 'in your own words', how do you rephrase the passage without changing its meaning or just swapping a few words?
Answer 'in your own words' questions by genuinely rephrasing the passage while keeping the meaning exact
A focused answer to own-words comprehension questions for O-Level English: why lifting loses marks, how to substitute the key words rather than the easy ones, and how to keep the meaning precise while changing the wording.
Reviewed by: AI editorial process; not yet individually human-reviewed
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What this dot point is asking
Many comprehension questions, and the summary task, tell you to answer "in your own words as far as possible". This is testing whether you understand the passage, not whether you can find and copy the right line. The skill is genuine rephrasing: replacing the key content words with accurate equivalents while keeping the meaning exact. This dot point is about doing that properly, since the most common ways students lose these marks are lifting the passage and changing only the unimportant words.
The answer
Why lifting loses marks
If you copy the passage word for word, you prove only that you found the right sentence, not that you understood it. "In your own words" questions exist precisely to reward understanding, so a lifted answer earns little even when it is the correct information. The marker is checking whether you can express the idea yourself, which a copied phrase cannot show. Lifting is the single biggest cause of lost marks on these questions.
Substitute the key words, not the easy ones
The trap is changing the small, unimportant words while leaving the loaded content words untouched. If the passage says "the costs had spiralled beyond what the town could bear" and you write "the costs had spiralled beyond what the town could bear, which is why...", you have changed nothing that matters. The words that must be replaced are the content words carrying the meaning ("spiralled", "bear"), not the linking words ("the", "had", "what"). Identify the key words and find your own equivalents for those.
Keep the meaning exact
Rephrasing must not change the sense. A synonym can be slightly off: if the passage says a plan was "abandoned" and you write it was "paused", you have weakened the meaning, because paused suggests it might resume. The goal is an equivalent that says exactly the same thing, neither stronger, weaker nor different. After rephrasing, reread your version against the original and check they make the same claim. Accuracy matters as much as independence of wording.
Some words can stay
"As far as possible" is a real allowance. Technical terms, proper nouns and very common words that have no natural synonym can be kept; you are not expected to invent a clumsy substitute for "school" or "river". The rule applies to the key content words that can be rephrased, not to every word in the sentence. Forcing an awkward synonym for an unsubstitutable word can even distort the meaning, so use judgement: rephrase what carries the meaning, and leave the genuinely unsubstitutable words alone.
Examples in context
Example 1. The "easy words" trap exposed. Asked to explain, in their own words, why "the factory was shut down because its machinery had become dangerously outdated", a weak answer writes "The factory was shut down because the machinery had become dangerously outdated, and so it closed." Almost nothing has changed: "shut down", "dangerously outdated" are all lifted. A strong answer replaces the content words: "The factory was closed because its equipment had grown so old that it was no longer safe." Here "shut down" becomes "closed", "machinery" becomes "equipment", and "dangerously outdated" becomes "so old that it was no longer safe", which is what genuine rephrasing looks like.
Example 2. A synonym that quietly changes the sense. If a passage says a decision "was met with outrage", writing that it "was met with surprise" loses marks not for lifting but for accuracy: outrage is anger, not surprise, so the meaning has shifted. The right equivalent keeps the strength and sense, such as "caused great anger". This shows why own-words answers demand judgement: the goal is a fresh wording that means precisely the same thing, so checking the rephrased version against the original for any change in sense is an essential final step.
Try this
Q1. Explain why copying the exact words of the passage loses marks on an own-words question. [2 marks]
- Cue. The question tests understanding, so a copied phrase shows only that you located the right line, not that you grasped the idea; the marks go to expressing the meaning yourself, which lifting cannot demonstrate.
Q2. Rephrase this in your own words, keeping the meaning: "The proposal was rejected because it was deemed too risky." [2 marks]
- Cue. Something like: "The plan was turned down because it was judged to be too dangerous." The key content words ("proposal", "rejected", "deemed too risky") are replaced with accurate equivalents.
Q3. Explain which words you should focus on replacing and which you may leave. [2 marks]
- Cue. Replace the key content words that carry the meaning (the loaded nouns, verbs and adjectives); you may leave small linking words and genuinely unsubstitutable words such as proper nouns or technical terms, since "as far as possible" allows those to stay.
Exam-style practice questions
Practice questions written in the style of SEAB exam questions on this dot point, with worked answer explainers. The year tag is the paper they imitate, not the source.
Original3 marksAn original passage reads: 'The scheme was abandoned because the costs had spiralled beyond what the town could bear.' Using your own words as far as possible, explain why the scheme was abandoned. [3 marks]Show worked answer →
Model answer (own words): "The scheme was given up because its costs had risen so high that the town could no longer afford them."
How it rephrases the key words: "abandoned" becomes "given up"; "spiralled beyond what the town could bear" becomes "risen so high that the town could no longer afford them". The meaning is kept exactly while the loaded content words are replaced.
Why not lift: copying "the costs had spiralled beyond what the town could bear" would show no understanding; the marks go to genuine rephrasing of the key ideas, not to recopying them.
Markers reward replacing the important content words ("abandoned", "spiralled", "bear") with accurate equivalents while preserving the precise meaning, rather than changing only small linking words.
Original4 marksExplain what 'in your own words' actually requires, why simply changing a few easy words is not enough, and how you keep the meaning accurate when rephrasing. [4 marks]Show worked answer →
What it requires: rephrasing the key content words of the passage (the ones carrying the meaning) into your own equivalents, not copying the original phrasing.
Why changing easy words is not enough: swapping small or unimportant words while leaving the key phrase intact ("The plan was stopped because the costs had spiralled beyond what the town could bear") still lifts the loaded words, so it does not show understanding.
How to keep meaning accurate: find a precise synonym or paraphrase for each key idea, then check that the rephrased version says exactly the same thing, neither weaker, stronger nor different in sense.
Markers reward a clear account of rephrasing the key words, the point that minor substitutions are insufficient, and a sensible method for preserving the exact meaning.
Related dot points
- Distinguish literal from inferential comprehension questions and answer each with the right evidence
A focused answer to literal and inferential comprehension for O-Level English: recognising what each question type wants, locating direct answers, and supporting inferences with evidence from the text.
- Explain the meaning of words and phrases as used in context, capturing the writer's intended sense
A focused answer to vocabulary-in-context questions for O-Level Comprehension: using surrounding clues to fix a word's intended sense, capturing connotation, giving a contextual not dictionary meaning, and phrasing it in your own words.
- Answer flow questions by identifying what connecting words and references point back to in the text
A focused answer to flow questions in O-Level Comprehension: working out what pronouns and connectives like this, it and however refer to, and explaining how ideas link across sentences and paragraphs.
- Paraphrase selected points into your own words accurately, avoiding lifting from the passage
A focused answer to paraphrasing in O-Level Summary Writing: rewording selected points in your own language, replacing the key content words, keeping the meaning exact, and avoiding the lifting that costs marks.