Writing synonyms in reading answers?

[terry3218]

First of all, I would like to thank Ryan for taking this initiative to introduce this sub-forum.

My question is related to reading section. Is it okay to write synonyms in answers of reading test? For example, in one of the reading tests in cambridge ielts 9, I wrote discounts whereas the answers had written minimum fares. It was a topic related to a package that was offered to students for travelling on public transport, which enabled them to avail discounted prices on tickets.

Regards

[David.IELTS.Examiner]

Hello Terry,
An excellent question to kick off with! The answer is that candidates must use the exact words from the passage in their answers. (This is the case in the example you mentioned.) If this is not possible (e.g. it would make the answer grammatically incorrect), the correct form of the word should be used, e.g. 'direct' might become 'direction'.

[terry3218]

Hello Terry,
An excellent question to kick off with! The answer is that candidates must use the exact words from the passage in their answers. (This is the case in the example you mentioned.) If this is not possible (e.g. it would make the answer grammatically incorrect), the correct form of the word should be used, e.g. 'direct' might become 'direction'.

Thanks for the insights, David.