Summary Writing: Selecting And Condensing
Overview
The summary is the question that separates careful readers from hopeful ones. You are given a text, a precise focus and a tight word limit, and asked to pull out only the ideas that answer the question, then re-tell them in your own words as clear, continuous prose. It rewards two things at once: how well you read, and how well you write. Get it right and it is fifteen of the most dependable marks on the paper.
This lesson teaches the whole craft: choosing the points that matter and rejecting the ones that do not, folding repeated ideas into one, condensing detail without losing meaning, and writing to the limit rather than over it. We work a full source text into a planned, marked, model summary of about 120 words, and show you exactly how the content marks and the writing marks are won.
Objectives
- Select material relevant to a specific summary task and reject what is not.
- Condense and reorganise ideas into your own concise, continuous prose.
- Write within a word limit, focusing on content points and avoiding copying.
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Lesson Evaluation
Congratulations on completing the lesson on Summary Writing: Selecting And Condensing. Now that youve explored the key concepts and ideas, its time to put your knowledge to the test. This section offers a variety of practice questions designed to reinforce your understanding and help you gauge your grasp of the material.
You will encounter a mix of question types, including multiple-choice questions, short answer questions, and essay questions. Each question is thoughtfully crafted to assess different aspects of your knowledge and critical thinking skills.
Use this evaluation section as an opportunity to reinforce your understanding of the topic and to identify any areas where you may need additional study. Don't be discouraged by any challenges you encounter; instead, view them as opportunities for growth and improvement.
- Question 1(f) awards 15 marks. How are they split? A. 15 for content, 0 for writing B. Up to 10 for content and up to 5 for the quality of writing C. 5 for content and 10 for writing D. 7 for content and 8 for writing Answer: B
- A text gives: 'the pay was poor; the wages barely covered her bills; she could save nothing'. In a summary these should be treated as: A. Three separate content points B. One umbrella point about low pay C. Background detail to be ignored D. A reason to exceed the word limit Answer: B
- Which version is the most concise and best for a summary? A. Every single morning, without fail, she would get up extremely early and travel a very long way to her place of work B. Her daily journey to work was long and tiring C. She rose at five, walked two miles in the dark, waited for a late bus, then travelled an hour to work D. She had to wake up and go to work like everyone else does Answer: B
- Why should a summary avoid lifting whole phrases from the text? A. Lifting is faster and so looks lazy B. It loses both reading and writing credit because it shows no understanding C. The examiner cannot read copied phrases D. It always exceeds the word limit Answer: B
- What is the single best first step in a selective summary task? A. Start writing immediately from the first line of the text B. Identify the question's focus, then plan the distinct relevant points C. Write an introduction setting out the topic D. Count to exactly 120 words as you go Answer: B
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