7 Tips to ace “Summarize Written Text” section of PTE
“Summarize Written Text” column is one of the most challenging tasks in the writing section of the PTE academic. Summarizing all the information into a single sentence that is grammatically correct and well-organized may seem like a daunting task initially to a student, but it’s all about writing a concise and organized summary of information that is already in front of you. Keep in mind that the response should be a single sentence with 5 to 75 words in the response box. Add anything more than that and you’ll receive zero scores.
So here are a few useful tips that will help you ace PTE Summarize Written Text Section with excellence:
- Identify the main ideas
Glance through the paragraph and identify the main idea of each paragraph. This will give you a good understanding of the overall idea of the topic and will form the base of your summary.
- Keep It Simple
Most students tend to over-complicate their sentence by using long, complex sentences presuming that this will help boost their test score. What they fail to take into consideration is that the more complex a sentence is, the more chances of errors. For example, using a minimum number of punctuation marks like commas and colons is preferable (for ex. 2 commas) than overloading a single sentence with them (5 commas, 3 colons, and 2 semi- colons). This will only complicate things for you.
- Summarize only important points
Most students fail to identify the main idea of the passage (refer 1) and end up including each and every detail in the summary. It is imperative you understand that you cannot address every point in that paragraph in a one-line summary. You must learn to identify and ignore irrelevant information. The examiner rather focuses on your ability to grasp the main idea of the passage(s) and summarize it in a single sentence.
- Use FANBOYS Connectors
Coordinating conjunctions are a great way to connect compound sentences and avoid using unnecessary punctuations. These conjunctions can be easily remembered using the acronym:
F – For
A – And
N – Nor
B – But
O – Or
Y – Yet
S – So
- Learn to Paraphrase
One major error that all students make is that they copy the lines from the paragraph into their summary. Instead, use your own words. It is recommended that you use your own words to increase the probability of achieving a high score. Also, look up for synonyms of as many words as possible when you are preparing for PTE.
- Proofread
You must always proofread your summary. Give yourself one minute at the end and re-read everything you’ve written. Check for punctuation, spelling and any other grammatical errors and rectify any mistakes you may have made.
- Practice
We can’t emphasize enough the importance of this point. There are loads of resources and mock-tests available online for you to practice and polish your writing skills. You can also use newspapers or any written articles.
Conclusion
If you need help with PTE, you can send us an email on marketing@yuranuseducation.com to apply and attend our PTE coaching classes. All the necessary study materials shall be provided to you so that you grasp the concepts better and come up with optimum results.
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