Reported Speech Exercises with Answers for IELTS and Cambridge Exams

Students preparing for IELTS and Cambridge English exams sometimes also come across options like English final exam help as part of broader academic support services during important assessments and coursework deadlines.

Examples

• Maria said, “I am studying for the IELTS exam.”

• The teacher said, “You need more grammar practice.”

Examples

• Maria said that she was studying for the IELTS exam.

• The teacher said that we needed more grammar practice.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
“I am very nervous about the exam.”	He said that he was very nervous about the exam.
“I study only English.”	He said that he studied only English.
“I have completed my homework.”	He said that he had completed his homework.
“I will call you later.”	She said that she would call me later.

Example

• Direct: Sarah said, “I am learning Spanish this year.”

• Reported: Sarah said that she was learning Spanish that year.

Direct Speech	Reported Speech
Today	that day
Tomorrow	the next day
Yesterday	the day before
Now	then
Here	there

Example

• Direct: “I will finish the project tomorrow.”

• Reported: She said that she would finish the project the next day.

Example 1

Direct: The examiner said, “Your essay is well organised.”

→ Reported: The examiner said that the essay was well organised.

Example 2

Direct: “Many students struggle with paraphrasing,” the tutor explained.

→ Reported: The tutor explained that many students struggled with paraphrasing.

B1

“I enjoy reading English books,” Anna said.

→ Anna said that she enjoyed reading English books.

B2

“We are planning a group study session for tomorrow,” the students said.

→ The students said that they were planning a group study session for the next day.

C1

“Social media has transformed how people share information,” the researcher stated.

→ The researcher stated that social media had transformed how people shared information.

Exercise 1 — Change Direct Speech into Reported Speech

Convert the following sentences into reported speech.

1. “I am revising for my final exam,” Sarah said.
2. “We have completed all our speaking practice tests,” the candidates said.
3. “I will attend the speaking class tomorrow,” Ahmed explained.
4. “My teacher gave me useful feedback,” Lisa said.
5. “I cannot understand this question,” the candidate admitted.

Exercise 2 — Multiple Choice Questions

Choose the correct answer.

1. “I have finished my homework,” Tom said.
   Tom said that he _____ his homework.

   • a) finished
   • b) has finished
   • c) had finished

2. “We are studying reported speech,” they explained.
   They explained that they _____ reported speech.

   • a) studied
   • b) were studying
   • c) have studied

3. “I will call you later,” she said.
   She said that she _____ later.

   • a) called me
   • b) would call me
   • c) calls me

Exercise 3 — Find the Mistake

Correct the errors in these sentences.

1. She said that she is tired.
2. David said that he will join the class.
3. They said they has completed the test.
4. Maria said that she study English every day.

Exercise 4 — IELTS-Style Sentence Transformation

Rewrite the sentences using reported speech.

1. The teacher said, “Your introduction needs more detail.”
2. The examiner said, “You should support your ideas with examples.”
3. “Many candidates lose marks because of grammar mistakes,” the tutor explained.
4. “Time management is important during the IELTS test,” the instructor said.

Exercise 5 — Cambridge Exam Practice

B1 Level

1. “I like learning vocabulary,” Ben said.
2. “We are going to the library,” the students said.

B2 Level

1. “I have never taken the IELTS exam before,” Julia explained.
2. “My English has improved significantly,” the candidate said.

C1 Level

1. “Modern communication methods have influenced social interaction,” the professor stated.
2. “Students should develop critical thinking skills,” the lecturer argued.

Exercise 1

1. Sarah said that she was revising for her final exam.
2. The candidates said that they had completed all their speaking practice tests.
3. Ahmed explained that he would attend the speaking class the next day.
4. Lisa said that her teacher had given her useful feedback.
5. The candidate admitted that he could not understand that question.

Exercise 2

1. c) had finished
2. b) were studying
3. b) would call me

Exercise 3

1. She said that she was tired.
2. David said that he would join the class.
3. They said they had completed the test.
4. Maria said that she studied English every day.

Exercise 4

1. The teacher said that my introduction needed more detail.
2. The examiner said that I should support my ideas with examples.
3. The tutor explained that many candidates lost marks because of grammar mistakes.
4. The instructor said that time management was important during the IELTS test.

Exercise 5

B1

1. Ben said that he liked learning vocabulary.
2. The students said that they were going to the library.

B2

1. Julia explained that she had never taken the IELTS exam before.
2. The candidate said that his English had improved significantly.

C1

1. The professor stated that modern communication methods had influenced social interaction.
2. The lecturer argued that students should develop critical thinking skills.

Use Reported Speech for Paraphrasing

Paraphrasing is extremely important in IELTS Writing and Cambridge essays. Reported speech helps you express ideas in different ways.

Direct: “Online learning is effective.”

Reported: The researcher stated that online learning was effective.

Improve Grammar Accuracy

Correct use of indirect speech demonstrates strong grammatical control, which can improve:

• IELTS Grammar Band Score
• Cambridge Use of English scores

Practise Formal Reporting Verbs

Instead of always using said, try these more academic alternatives:

explained stated argued admitted suggested mentioned claimed announced

Practising reported speech exercises regularly can significantly improve your grammar, paraphrasing, and writing accuracy for IELTS and Cambridge English exams. By understanding tense changes, pronoun shifts, and sentence transformation rules, you will become more confident in both writing and speaking tasks.

Use these reported speech exercises with answers to strengthen your grammar skills and prepare effectively for B1, B2, C1, and IELTS exam success.

What is reported speech in English grammar?

Reported speech, also called indirect speech, is used to report what another person said without repeating their exact words. It is commonly used in academic writing, conversations, and English exams such as IELTS and Cambridge tests.

What is the difference between direct and indirect speech?

Direct speech uses the speaker’s exact words inside quotation marks (John said, “I am very tired.”). Indirect speech reports the meaning without quotation marks (John said that he was very tired.).

Why is reported speech important for IELTS Writing?

Reported speech helps IELTS candidates improve paraphrasing skills, demonstrate grammar accuracy, write more formal academic English, and avoid repetition in essays. Using it correctly can contribute to a higher Grammar score in IELTS Writing and Speaking.

Is reported speech included in Cambridge English exams?

Yes. Reported speech frequently appears in B1 Preliminary (PET), B2 First (FCE), and C1 Advanced (CAE), particularly in Use of English sections, sentence transformation tasks, writing papers, and speaking tests.

What are the most common mistakes in reported speech?

Common mistakes include forgetting tense changes, incorrect pronoun changes, wrong time expressions, missing the word that in formal writing, and using incorrect reporting verbs. Example: She said she is happy. → She said that she was happy.

Do all tenses change in reported speech?

No. Tense changes usually happen when the reporting verb is in the past. However, if the information is still a universal truth, the tense may stay the same. Example: The teacher said that the Earth revolves around the Sun.

Which reporting verbs are useful for IELTS and Cambridge exams?

Useful reporting verbs include explained, stated, argued, admitted, suggested, mentioned, claimed, and announced. These make writing more formal and academic.

How can I practise reported speech effectively?

You can improve by rewriting direct speech sentences, practising sentence transformations, completing grammar worksheets, reading academic English texts, and using IELTS and Cambridge practice materials regularly.

Can reported speech improve IELTS Speaking scores?

Yes. Correct use of reported speech demonstrates grammatical range and accuracy, important scoring criteria in IELTS Speaking. Example: My friend suggested that I should read English newspapers daily.

What level of reported speech is needed for B2 and C1 exams?

B2 and C1 learners should be comfortable with tense backshifting, advanced reporting verbs, complex sentence transformations, and formal academic reporting structures. C1 learners are expected to use reported speech accurately and flexibly in both writing and speaking tasks.