Writing: Summarize Written Text: Tips and Strategies
For the first question type of the Writing section, you are required to read a long text of up to 300 words. Following this, you must type its summary in a single sentence between 5 to 75 words. The word count at the bottom of the screen counts the number of words you write.
Understand Summarize Written Text
Prompt length: Text up to 300 words
Skills assessed: Reading and Writing
Time to answer: 10 minutes
Attempting the question: After reading the text, you need to start typing your summary in the space given. You have 10 minutes to write one sentence which should not exceed 75 words. You can also use ‘cut’, ‘copy’, and ‘paste’ options to write your response.
Scoring: Your score for this question is based on four factors:
- 1. Content: Ensure that you cover the main ideas of the text without misinterpreting the purpose or topic.
- 2. Form: Be mindful that your summary must be in a single sentence of not less than 5 words and not more than 75 words.
- 3. Grammar: The grammatical structure of the sentence should be correct. You must include a main clause and subordinate clause in your response.
- 4. Vocabulary: You must add words from the passage appropriately. The use of synonyms also demonstrates a better understanding.
Tips and strategies to answer Summarize Written Text
- 1. Make sure the sentence is in correct form: Keep in mind to write the response in a single sentence which must start with a capital letter and end with a full stop.
- 2. Consider the word limit: You cannot go beyond 75 words and a minimum of 5 words are also necessary. You can try writing the summary in around 50 words.
- 3. Use complex and compound sentences: Practice writing complex and compound sentences, only then you will be able to write the summary in a single sentence.
- 4. Practice: Practice reading more long passages and writing short summaries. The more you read, the better you will understand the main ideas and key points of a passage.
For more tips and strategies, you can register with SGES Education.
