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WRITING · TECHNIQUE GUIDE

Summarize Written Text

Find the few ideas that carry the passage, preserve their relationship, and remove detail that does not change the message.

Adapted from the skim-and-select workflow used during PTE preparation.

RECOGNITION RULES

See the clue. Make the decision.

01

Problem → solution

Look for issue/challenge language followed by an action, response or proposed fix.

problem + response + important outcome
EXAMPLEThe passage identifies a shortage and explains how a policy could address it.
02

Cause → effect

because, due to, leads to, results in and causes reveal relationships worth preserving.

cause → central effect
EXAMPLERising temperatures accelerate ice loss, which contributes to sea-level rise.
03

Compare / contrast

however, whereas, unlike and in contrast often signal the passage is weighing two sides.

A versus B + meaningful difference
EXAMPLEWhile one method is faster, the other produces more reliable results.
04

Argument / evaluation

argues, suggests, claims, questions and critiques can reveal the author’s central position.

claim + strongest justification
EXAMPLEThe author argues that the policy is ineffective because it ignores implementation costs.
01

What to look for

  • The main topic or claim
  • Two or three ideas essential to understanding the passage
  • Relationships such as cause/effect, problem/solution, contrast or evaluation
  • A consequence only when it materially completes the main message
02

Decision process

  1. Skim for the passage topic and structure
  2. Select the main idea plus the strongest supporting ideas
  3. Drop examples, repetition and minor detail
  4. Combine retained ideas without changing their logical relationship
  5. Check the current task requirements, grammar and punctuation before submitting
03

Common traps

  • Copying too much of the passage
  • Keeping a connector after removing the idea it refers to
  • Forcing the passage into a memorized structure that changes its meaning
04

Apply it

For a cause/effect passage, retain the cause, the central effect and an essential consequence; omit examples that merely illustrate them.

Now try it on your own sentence.

Paste text into the Grammar Analyzer and map the structure before deciding what is wrong.

Analyze a sentence →