Summary writing o level

SUMMARY
WHAT IS IT ?
A summary , synopsis , or recap
is
a shorter version of the
Original

SUMMARY WRITING
 In summary writing, you are asked to condense a
selected area of text by:
 reproducing facts and ideas required by the question,
 using your own words as far as possible,
 keeping within the word limit specified by the
question,
 in a well-constructed continuous paragraph.
 When marking the summary, the examiners will look
at 2 categories:

CONTENT AND STYLE
 Content
- The key points you were asked to select
from the passage.
 Style
 The accuracy and quality of your writing.

- The extent to which you are able to use
your own words

TOP PRIORITY
1.
Read the summary
question carefully.

SUMMARY QUESTION
 Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the
ways in which technology has brought disadvantages and
advantages to people’s working lives and behaviour.
 USE THE MATERIAL IN PASSAGE A FROM
PARAGRAPH 3 TO PARAGRAPH 7.
 Your summary, which must be in continuous writing
(not note form), must not be longer than words, (not
counting the words given to help you begin.)
 Begin your summary as follows: Modern technology
has affected our lives so much that we… [25
marks]

MODERN INVENTION
SUMMARY WRITING PAPER 2

PASSAGE A PARAGRAPH 1
 Modern inventions have speeded up people’s lives
amazingly. Motor-cars cover a hundred miles in little
more than an hour, aircraft cross the world inside a
day, while computers operate at lightning speed.
Indeed, this love of speed seems never-ending.
Every year motor cars are produced which go even
faster and each new computer boasts of saving
precious seconds in handling tasks. Then there is the
speed with which we access information wherever we
are. Pocket computers and mobile phones enable us
to log on to news or contact our friends in
seconds, even from some mountain top.

All this saves time, but at a price. When we lose
or gain half a day in speeding across the world
in an aeroplane, our bodies tell us so. We get
the uncomfortable feeling known as jet-lag; our
bodies feel that they have been left behind in
another time zone. Again, spending too long at
computers results in painful wrists and fingers.
Mobile phones also have their
dangers, according to some scientists; too
much use may transmit harmful radiation into
our brains, a consequence we do not like to
contemplate.

 Our behaviour, also, has felt the impact of modern
technology. People seem to be in a rush, and
increasingly impatient. Automatic doors on lifts
never open quickly enough for us and we tap our
feet impatiently if our computers take an extra few
seconds to access information on the Internet. Even
some of our clothes reflect this impatience, for we
need to acquire the right “look” as quickly as
possible. Who wants to wear denim jeans as stiff as
tin when you can buy them pre-washed, pre-faded
and maybe pre-patched at the knees?

. PASSAGE A PARAGRAPH 4
 The obsession with saving time results in many
people trying to imitate computes in an effort to handle
several tasks simultaneously – multi-tasking , as it is
called. They talk to somebody on the telephone, listen
to somebody else nearby, and look at a computer
screen, all at the same time. Frequently, the efficiency
of their work suffers. Speed of thinking, too, is often
confused with intelligence itself. The student who
takes pain to weigh up a question before answering
will not be considered as smart as those who snap
their fingers and glibly claim they know the answer.

 However, what do we do with the time we
have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it
seems. We are so accustomed to constant
activity that we find it difficult to sit and do
nothing, or even just one thing at a time.
Perhaps the days are long gone when we
might listen quietly to a story on the radio,
letting imagination take us into another world.

 There was a time when some people’s lives
were devoted simply to the cultivation of the
land or the care of cattle. No multi-tasking
there; their lives proceeded at a much gentler
pace, and in a familiar pattern. There is much
that we might envy about a way of life like this.
Yet before we do so, we must think of the hard
tasks our ancestors faced: they farmed with
bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and
had to fashion tools from wood and stone.
Modern machinery has freed people from that
primitive existence.

 Technology has also made work in factories far less
tedious, with machines performing the dull, repetitive
tasks previously carried out by human hands. The
computer, too, has brought major advantages in printing
processes. No longer has each individual letter of every
word to be set by hand in wooden blocks, ready for the
printing press to “read”. Such is the speed of a computer
printer that an author can put the finishing touches to a
book and see it printed on the same day. The motor-car
has been blamed for its polluting effects and its demands
for more and more roads, but it has banished the time-
consuming and uncomfortable journeys endured in horse-
drawn vehicles.

 Despite the hold that speed has on our
lives, its attractions are beginning to dwindle.
Countries have abandoned thoughts of ultra-
fast, supersonic passenger aeroplanes, and
shaving minutes off journeys by road does
not win the approval of society as a whole.
Possibly the world’s long fascination with
speed is finally ending

STEPS
 1 2 3 4
Where is the
area of
passage to
be
summarised?
What do you
need to
summarise?
How many
parts are
there to
answer?
What is the
word limit?

. SUMMARY QUESTION
 Using your own words as far as possible, summarise the
ways in which technology has brought disadvantages and
advantages to people’s working lives and behaviour.
 USE THE MATERIAL FROM PARAGRAPH 3 TO
PARAGRAPH 7.
 Your summary, which must be in continuous writing
(not note form), must not be longer than 160
words, (not counting the words given to help you
begin.)
 Begin your summary as follows: Modern technology
has affected our lives so much that we… [---

SUMMARY STEP 1
 FROM
 WHICH PARAGRAPH
 TO
 WHICH
PARAGRAPH?

SUMMARY STEP 2
UNDERSTAND THE QUESTION
REQUIREMENT:
WHAT ARE WE SUPPOSED TO BE
SUMMARISING?
 Summarise the ways in which technology
has brought disadvantages and
advantages to people’s working lives and
behaviour.

SUMMARY STEP 3
MARK OUT SENTENCE BY
SENTENCE:
WHAT WE ARE
SUPPOSED TO BE
SUMMARISING

PARAGRAPH 3
 Our behaviour, also, has felt the impact of modern
technology. People seem to be in a rush, and
increasingly impatient. Automatic doors on lifts never
open quickly enough for us and we tap our feet
impatiently if our computers take an extra few
seconds to access information on the Internet. Even
some of our clothes reflect this impatience, for we
need to acquire the right “look” as quickly as possible.
Who wants to wear denim jeans as stiff as tin when
you can buy them pre-washed, pre-faded and maybe
pre-patched at the knees?

SUMMARISE THE WAYS IN WHICH TECHNOLOGY HASBROUGHT
DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES TO PEOPLE’SWORKING
LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR.
Our behaviour, also, has felt the
impact of modern technology.
People seem to be in a rush, and
increasingly impatient. Automatic
doors on lifts never open quickly
enough for us and we tap our feet
impatiently if our computers take an
extra few seconds to access
information on the Internet. Even
some of our clothes reflect this
impatience, for we need to acquire
the right “look” as quickly as
possible. Who wants to wear denim
jeans as stiff as tin when you can
buy them pre-washed, pre-faded
and maybe pre-patched at the
knees?
impact of modern technology. People
seem to be in a rush, and increasingly
impatient. Automatic doors on lifts
never open quickly enough for us and
we tap our feet impatiently if our
computers take an extra few seconds
to access information on the Internet.
Even some of our clothes reflect this
impatience, for we need to acquire the
right “look” as quickly as possible. Who
wants to wear denim jeans as stiff as
tin when you can buy them pre-
washed, pre-faded and maybe pre-
patched at the knees?
DISADVANTAGES
ADVANTAGES

PARAGRAPH 4
 The obsession with saving time results in many
people trying to imitate computes in an effort to
handle several tasks simultaneously – multi-
tasking , as it is called. They talk to somebody
on the telephone, listen to somebody else
nearby, and look at a computer screen, all at the
same time. Frequently, the efficiency of their
work suffers. Speed of thinking, too, is often
confused with intelligence itself. The student
who takes pain to weigh up a question before
answering will not be considered as smart as
those who snap their fingers and glibly claim
they know the answer.

LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR
 The obsession with saving time
results in many people trying to
imitate computes in an effort to
handle several tasks
simultaneously – multi-tasking
, as it is called. They talk to
somebody on the telephone, listen
to somebody else nearby, and look
at a computer screen, all at the
same time. Frequently, the
efficiency of their work suffers.
Speed of thinking, too, is often
confused with intelligence itself. The
student who takes pain to weigh up
a question before answering will not
be considered as smart as those
who snap their fingers and glibly
claim they know the answer.
 ADVANTAGES
 The obsession with saving time
handle several tasks simultaneously
– multi-tasking , as it is called. They
talk to somebody on the telephone,
listen to somebody else nearby, and
look at a computer screen, all at the
same time. Frequently, the efficiency
of their work suffers. Speed of
thinking, too, is often confused with
intelligence itself. The student who
takes pain to weigh up a question
before answering will not be
considered as smart as those who
snap their fingers and glibly claim
DISADVANTAHES
ADVANTAGES

PARAGRAPH 5
 However, what do we do with the time we
have saved? Certainly not relax, or so it
seems. We are so accustomed to constant
activity that we find it difficult to sit and do
nothing, or even just one thing at a time.
Perhaps the days are long gone when we
might listen quietly to a story on the
radio, letting imagination take us into another
world.

SUMMARISE THE WAYS IN WHICH TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT
DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES TO PEOPLE’S WORKING
LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR.
However, what do we do
with the time we have
saved? Certainly not
relax, or so it seems. We
are so accustomed to
constant activity that we find
it difficult to sit and do
nothing, or even just one
thing at a time. Perhaps the
days are long gone when we
might listen quietly to a story
on the radio, letting
imagination take us into
another world
However, what do we do with
the time we have saved?
Certainly not relax, or so it
seems. We are so
accustomed to constant
activity that we find it difficult
to sit and do nothing, or even
just one thing at a time.
Perhaps the days are long
gone when we might listen
quietly to a story on the radio,
letting imagination take us into
another world
DISADVANTAGES ADVANTAGES

PARAGRAPH 6
 There was a time when some people’s lives
were devoted simply to the cultivation of the
land or the care of cattle. No multi-tasking there;
their lives proceeded at a much gentler pace,
and in a familiar pattern. There is much that we
might envy about a way of life like this. Yet
before we do so, we must think of the hard
tasks our ancestors faced: they farmed with
bare hands, often lived close to hunger, and had
to fashion tools from wood and stone. Modern
machinery has freed people from that primitive
existence.

LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR
There was a time when some
people’s lives were devoted
simply to the cultivation of the
land or the care of cattle. No
multi-tasking there; their lives
proceeded at a much gentler
pace, and in a familiar pattern.
There is much that we might
envy about a way of life like this.
Yet before we do so, we must
think of the hard tasks our
ancestors faced: they farmed
with bare hands, often lived
close to hunger, and had to
fashion tools from wood and
stone. Modern machinery has
freed people from that primitive
people’s lives were devoted
simply to the cultivation of the
land or the care of cattle. No
multi-tasking there; their lives
proceeded at a much gentler
pace, and in a familiar pattern.
There is much that we might envy
about a way of life like this. Yet
before we do so, we must think of
the hard tasks our ancestors faced:
they farmed with bare hands, often
lived close to hunger, and had to
fashion tools from wood and stone.
Modern machinery has freed people
from that primitive existence.

PARAGRAPH 7
 Technology has also made work in factories far less
tedious, with machines performing the dull, repetitive
tasks previously carried out by human hands. The
computer, too, has brought major advantages in
printing processes. No longer has each individual
letter of every word to be set by hand in wooden
blocks, ready for the printing press to “read”. Such is
the speed of a computer printer that an author can
put the finishing touches to a book and see it printed
on the same day. The motor-car has been blamed for
its polluting effects and its demands for more and
more roads, but it has banished the time-consuming
and uncomfortable journeys endured in horse- drawn
vehicles.

DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES TO PEOPLE’S WORKING
LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR
 Technology has also made work in
factories far less tedious, with machines
performing the dull, repetitive tasks
previously carried out by human hands.
The computer, too, has brought major
advantages in printing processes. No
longer has each individual letter of every
word to be set by hand in wooden
blocks, ready for the printing press to
“read”. Such is the speed of a computer
printer that an author can put the
finishing touches to a book and see it
printed on the same day. The motor-car
has been blamed for its polluting effects
and its demands for more and more
roads, but it has banished the time-
consuming and uncomfortable journeys
endured in horse- drawn vehicles.
 DISADVANTAGES
previously carried out by human hands.
The computer, too, has brought major
advantages in printing processes. No
longer has each individual letter of every
word to be set by hand in wooden
blocks, ready for the printing press to
“read”. Such is the speed of a computer
printer that an author can put the finishing
touches to a book and see it printed on
the same day. The motor-car has been
blamed for its polluting effects and its
demands for more and more roads, but it
has banished the time-consuming and
uncomfortable journeys endured in horse-
drawn vehicles.
PARAGRAPH
7

SUMMARY STEP 4
 Pick out the content points. Avoid the distractors and
elaboration points. Never lose sight of what the question
wants!
 Distractors: phases or sentences which are irrelevant to the
what the question wants.
 Elaboration points: phases or sentences which do not form
points in themselves, but give extra information as examples
or explanations.
 Remember that there will be more points available than the
number you need to score full marks for content (15 marks).
Therefore, it is possible to score full marks for content!

IGNORE
 DISTRACTORS
Irrelevant phrases or sentences

SUMMARY STEP 4
 . An important reminder at this point:
 1. Summary does not contain
unnecessary information or
elaboration or provision of examples.
 2. When writing one, do not add any
new information or change the
meaning of the original text.

SUMMARY STEP 4
 3. Check the points we have picked
out from the paragraphs 3 to 7 to
keep only the relevant points.
 4. At the same time, run through the
same set of paragraphs again to
check if we have missed out any
other relevant points.

SUMMARISE THE WAYS IN WHICH TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT DISADVANTAGES
AND ADVANTAGES TO PEOPLE’S WORKING LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR
increasingly impatient.
Automatic doors on lifts never
open quickly enough for us and we
tap our feet impatiently if our
computers take an extra few
seconds to access information on
the Internet. Even some of our
clothes reflect this our this
impatience, for we need to acquire
the right “look” as acquire the
right “look” as quickly as possible.
Who wants to wear denim jeans
as stiff as tin when you can buy
them pre-washed, pre-faded
maybe pre-patched at the knees?
Automatic doors on lifts never
open quickly enough for us and
we tap our feet impatiently if
our computers take an extra
few seconds to access
information on the Internet.
Even some of our clothes reflect
this our this impatience, for we
need to acquire the right “look”
as acquire the right “look” as
quickly as possible. Who quickly
as possible. Who wants to wear
denim jeans as stiff as tin when
you can buy them pre-washed,
pre-faded maybe pre-patched at
the knees?
Elaboratio
n
examples

SUMMARISE THE WAYS IN WHICH TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT DISADVANTAGES AND
ADVANTAGES TO PEOPLE’S WORKING LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR
DISADVANTAGES
PARAGRAPH
4
ADVANTAGES
The obsession with saving time
results in many people trying to imitate
computes in an effort to handle several
tasks simultaneously – multi-tasking
, as it is called. They talk to somebody
on the telephone, listen to somebody
else nearby, and look at a computer
screen, all at the same time.
Frequently, the efficiency of their work
suffers. Speed of thinking, too, is often
confused with intelligence itself. The
student who takes pain to weigh up a
question before answering will not be
snap their fingers and glibly claim they
know the answer.
The obsession with saving time
handle several tasks
simultaneously – multi-tasking , as
it is called. They talk to somebody
on the telephone, listen to
somebody else nearby, and look at
a computer screen, all at the same
time. Frequently, the efficiency of
their work suffers. Speed of
thinking, too, is often confused with
intelligence itself. The student who
takes pain to weigh up a question
before answering will not be
snap their fingers and glibly claim

SUMMARISE THE WAYS IN WHICH TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT DISADVANTAGES AND
ADVANTAGES TO PEOPLE’S WORKING LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR.
However, what do we do with the
time we have saved? Certainly not
relax, or so it seems. We are so
accustomed to constant activity that
we find it difficult to sit and do
nothing, or even just one thing at a
time. Perhaps the days are long
gone when we might listen quietly to
a story on the radio, letting
imagination take us into another
world.
.
DISADVANTAGE
S
PARAGRPH
5
ADVANTAGE
S
However, what do we do with
the time we have saved?
Certainly not relax, or so it
seems. We are so accustomed to
constant activity that we find it
difficult to sit and do nothing, or
even just one thing at a time.
Perhaps the days are long gone
when we might listen quietly to a
story on the radio, letting
imagination take us into another
world.

SUMMARISE THE WAYS IN WHICH TECHNOLOGY HAS BROUGHT DISADVANTAGES
AND ADVANTAGES TO PEOPLE’S WORKING LIVES AND BEHAVIOUR
people’s lives were devoted simply to
the cultivation of the land or the care
of cattle. No multi-tasking there; their
lives proceeded at a much gentler
pace, and in a familiar pattern. There
is much that we might envy about a
way of life like this. Yet before we do
so, we must think of the hard tasks
our ancestors faced: they farmed with
bare hands, often lived close to
hunger, and had to fashion tools from
wood and stone. Modern machinery
has freed people from that primitive
existence.
DISADVANTAG
ES
PARAGRAPH 6 ADVANTAGES
people’s lives were devoted simply
to the cultivation of the land or the
care of cattle. No multi-tasking
there; their lives proceeded at a
much gentler pace, and in a familiar
pattern. There is much that we
might envy about a way of life like
this. Yet before we do so, we must
think of the hard tasks our
ancestors faced: they farmed with
bare hands, often lived close to
hunger, and had to fashion tools
from wood and stone. Modern
machinery has freed people from
that primitive existence.

DISADVANTAGES AND ADVANTAGES TO PEOPLE’S WORKING LIVES AND
BEHAVIOUR.
factories far less tedious, with
machines performing the
dull, repetitive tasks previously
carried machines performing the
dull, out by human hands
 The computer, too, advantages in
printing processes. No longer has
each individual letter of every word
to be set by hand in wooden
blocks, ready for printing press to
“read”. Such is the speed of a
computer to a book and see it
printed on the printer that an author
can put the finishing touches to a
book and see printed on the same
day. The motor car has been blamed
for its polluting effects and its
demands for more and roads, but it
has banished the time-consuming
and uncomfortable journeys
endured in horse-drawn vehicles.
Technology has also made work in
previously carried machines performing
the dull, out by human hands
•. The computer, too, advantages in
printing processes. No longer has each
individual letter of every word to be set by
hand in wooden blocks, ready for printing
press to “read”.
•Such is the speed of a computer to a book
and see it printed on the printer that an
author can put the finishing touches to a
book and see printed on the same day. The
motor- car has been blamed for its
polluting effects and its demands for more
and roads, but it has banished the time-
consuming and uncomfortable journeys
endured in horse-drawn vehicles.
DISADVANTAGE
S
PARAGRPH 7 ADVANTAGES

DISADVANTAGES & ADVANTAGES FOUND IN
PARAGRAPH 3
People seem to be in a
rush.
People also seem to be
we need to acquire the
right "look” as quickly
as possible
 you can buy denim
jeans pre-washed,
pre-faded and maybe
pre-patched at the
knees.

PARAGRAPH 4
Many people become
obsessed with saving time
Multi-tasking reduces work
efficiency drastically.
Thinking speed is confused
with intelligence.

PARAGRAPH 5
We are so accustomed to constant
activity that we find it difficult to relax
Or even do just one thing at a time
We are no longer have the patience
to listen quietly to a story on the
radio
letting imagination take us into another
world

PARAGRAPH 6
 We no longer need to
use our bare hands
for hard manual
tasks.
 We no longer suffer
from hunger.
 Modern machinery
frees us from
primitive existence

PARAGRAPH 7
 Factory machines free us
from dull and repetitive
tasks.
 Computers revolutionised
the printing process
 An author can put the
 finishing touches to a book
and see it printed on the
same day.
 Motorcars make travelling
less time-consuming.
 Also make travelling
comfortable

SUMMARY WRITING
 Edit
 For these
 mistakes
PUNCTUATI
ON
TENSES
SENTENCE
STRUCTU
RE

SUMMARY STEP
. From POINTS to SENTENCES
From SENTENCES
to
SUMMARY PARAGRAPH Onwards to the
150-WORD SUMMARY

People seem to be in a rush... you can buy denim jeans pre-washed,
pre-faded and maybe pre-patched at
the knees
People also seem to be increasingly
impatient
we need to acquire the right "look” as
quickly as possible.

Many people become
obsessed with saving time.
.
Multi-tasking reduces work
efficiency drastically.
Thinking speed is confused
with intelligence

We are so accustomed to constant
activity that we find it difficult to relax
Or even do just one thing at
a time.
We no longer have the
patience to listen quietly to
a story on the radio,
letting imagination take us
into another world.

We no longer need to use our
bare hands for hard manual tasks.
We no longer suffer from hunger.
Modern machinery frees us from
primitive existence.

. Factory machines free us from
dull and repetitive tasks
Computers revolutionised
theprinting process
An author can put the finishing
touches to a book and see it
printed on the same day.
Motorcars make travelling less
time-consuming.
Also make travelling comfortable.

SUMMARY STEP 6 DRAFT ONE
Modern technology has affected our lives so much that we seem to be
increasingly impatient and in a hurry. We strive to acquire the right
“look” as quickly as possible. Many become obsessed with saving
time. Multi-tasking reduces work efficiency drastically. Thinking speed
is confused with intelligence. We are so accustomed to constant
activity that we find it difficult to relax or even do just one thing at a
time. We no longer have the patience to listen quietly to a story on the
radio, letting imagination take us into another world. However we no
longer need to use our bare hands for hard manual tasks or suffer
from hunger. Machines free us from primitive existence and dull and
repetitive tasks. Computers greatly simplify the printing process. An
author touches up his book and gets imprinted on the same day.
Motorcars make travelling less time-consuming and more
comfortable.

SUMMARY STEP 7
USE YOUR OWN WORDS
1.At the O level, it is important to USE
YOUR OWN WORDS, as far as possible.
2. However, do not change the meaning or
add new meaning to the original text as a
result of using your own words.

SUMMARY STEP 7
USE YOUR OWN WORDS
3. Use your own words can also be
attained through sentence
restructuring.
4. Use your own words should be
carried out when editing your Draft
One to establish your Draft Two.

3 WAYS TO REPHRASE YOUR SENTENCES
CONNECTOR
S
SYNONYMS
OR
SYNONYMOU
S PHEASES
SENTENCE
STRUCTUR
E

SUMMARY STEP 7 EDITING DRAFT ONE TO
ESTABLISH DRAFT TWO FOR HANDING
1. In. Modern technology has affected our lives so much that we seem
to be increasingly impatient and in a hurry. We strive to acquire the
right “look” as quickly as possible. Many become obsessed with
saving time. Multi-tasking reduces work efficiency drastically.
Thinking speed is confused with intelligence. We are so
accustomed to constant activity that we find it difficult to relax or
event just do things one by one. We lose our patience to listen
quietly to a radio broadcast, letting imagination take us into
another world. However we no longer need to use our hands for
difficult manual tasks or suffer from hunger. Machines free us from
primitive existence and dull and repetitive tasks. Computers greatly
simplify the printing process. An author edits and prints his book
on the same day. Motorcars make travelling less time-consuming
and more comfortable. [132 words]

LEARNING POINTS
 Let's review the summary writing skills we have
learned together!
 Summary Question
 Read the question properly.
 Pick out the key instruction words.
 Check the area of text to be summarised.
 Keep to the word limit laid down for the
summary.
 Use the opening words provided in the question.


Summary writing o level

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Summary writing o level