The Summary Question

1. A VERY IMPORTANT question in PAPER 2 !!!

2. It is worth 25 marks and you MUST ACE IT to score well in Paper 2.

READ the SUMMARY QUESTION even before

•you begin reading the passage or answering any of the questions.

•Write down the summary question at the top of the correct passage.

•THEN read the passage, keeping the summary question in mind.

Requirements of the Summary QuestionSummary Question Requires you to • derive 17 points for your answer from a

specified section of the passage • Eg. …lines 5 to 60.• Phrase your answer in your own words as

far as possible.• Keep your answer within the specified

word limit, • not counting the given beginning

TIME MANAGEMENT• Here is a plan of how to allocate your time:

• 2 minutes

• 13 minutes

• 20 minutes

• 10 minutes

Analyse the summary question

Search for the main points and organise your points

Write your first draft and check your first draft

Write your final draft

TIME MANAGEMENT• Here is a plan of how to allocate your time:

• 2 minutes

• 13 minutes

• 20 minutes

• 10 minutes

Analyse the summary question

Search for the main points and organise your points

Write your first draft and check your first draft

Write your final draft

In other words, within the first 15

minutes, you must have found all your 17 points

Summary Writing Technique

1. Analysing the Summary Question

1. Analysing the Summary Question

• Eg 1: Write a summary of the natural attractions of Queensland…

• - only 1 aspect needs to be summarised

• Eg 2: Write a summary of the benefits and problems of using traditional methods of healing …..

• – 2 aspects need to be summarised

1. Analysing the Summary Question

• Eg 3: Write a summary of the reasons why Anne Frank felt left out, how the inmates treated her and what she did to cope with the situation.

• - 3 aspects need to be summarised

No. Summary Question Number of topics to be summarised

1 Write a summary of the attractions that Mount Fuji has to offer tourists…

2 Write a summary of the advantages and disadvantages of using the television as a baby sitter…

3 Write a report, giving the factors that led to the uprising, the steps taken by the government to put down the revolt, and the factors that led to the success of the revolt…

1. Analysing the summary question

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2

2

3

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1

2

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1. Analysing the Summary Question

1. Analysing the Summary Question Eg 1: Marco Polo recorded his

experiences in China in great detail. Imagine you are Marco Polo. Using your own words, summarise what he did in the Chinese cities he visited.

1.The summary is from Marco Polo’s point of view

2.It has to be written using pronouns like ‘I’ and ‘my’.

1. Analysing the Summary Question • Eg 2: Using your own words as far

as possible, summarise the benefits that the writer sees in canoeing.

• The summary is from the writer’s point of view

2. Searching for main points• Read the relevant section of the passage,

underline or highlight each main point • and paraphrase them in your own words

in note form. • Include only main points in your

summary.• Omit details, examples, elaborations,

repetitions and quotations • (unless the question specifically requires

you to summarise details and examples).

3. Organising your points• Number the points along the margin in the order that

you want to present them in the summary.• Eg : Write a summary of the advantages and

disadvantages of using the television as a baby sitter…• It would be good to summarise the advantages and

then the disadvantages• If the writer is moving back and forth between

advantages and disadvantages in the passage, then you may need to re-order the points.

4. Writing your first draft

1. Write out the first draft on a sheet of rough paper.

2. Count the number of words you have written and avoid writing in excess of the word limit.

3. Use your own words as far as possible.

4. Change the sentence structure and string the words differently when you encounter words and phrases in the passage that are difficult to substitute.

4. Writing your first draft

5. Write in complete sentences and avoid writing in note form.

6. Use a variety of sentence structures and include linking words to make your summary more cohesive.

(eg. however, but, finally, and, next, then, eventually, nevertheless, since, because, as a result, ..)

5. Check for punctuation and spelling errors and write out your summary in one paragraph.

5. Checking your first draft

• If your draft exceeds the given word limit, check for irrelevant details and delete them. Rephrase some expressions to cut down the number of words.

• Eg. ‘The officer who was very competent’ can be written as ‘ The competent officer’.

• If your summary is too short, read the passage again and check for main points that you may have missed.

• Add more of linking words to make your writing more fluent.

6. Writing your final draft

• Re-write your summary neatly and indicate the exact number of words at the end.