PTE Writing Summarize Written Text: Tips & Strategies You Need to Know

summarise written text pte

In the writing summarize written text section of the PTE you will need to read a piece of information that is given to you. Then, you will need to summarize what you have read. Keep in mind that the summary needs to explain to someone who doesn’t have the original information what was written.

How Scoring Works

Let’s take a look at how you can earn the points you want for the writing summarize written text section of the PTE.

Content

2 – Good summary of the text with all important points mentioned.

1 – Fair summary of the text with most important points mentioned.

0 – Poor summary of the text with few important points mentioned.

Form

1 – Content is written in a single complete sentence.

0 – Content is written in multiple sentences or does not have the appropriate number of words.

Grammar

2 – Content has proper grammatical structure.

1 – Content has reasonable grammatical structure but not perfect.

0 – Content has poor grammatical structure that interferes with comprehension.

Vocabulary

2 – Words are used appropriately.

1 – Words are used inappropriately but content is still understandable.

0 – Words are used inappropriately and content is not understandable.

Practice With the Scoring Guidelines

One of the most important things to keep in mind is the scoring guidelines we just mentioned. If you know these guidelines you can practice summarizing content based on the most important factors.

  • You should use only words that you know and recognize how to use. This will almost guarantee you 2 points for vocabulary.
  • You should summarize all of the main points in the content you are given. This will almost guarantee you 2 points for content.
  • You should also always write in a single sentence. This will almost guarantee you 1 point for form.

The grammatical section will probably be the most difficult part of this section. That is because writing grammar properly can be difficult to figure out, even for native speakers. If you can write out the grammar in a way that makes the sentence make sense you will at least get a single point for that section.

PTE Practice

General Grammar Guidelines:

  • Capitalize proper nouns and the first word in a sentence.
  • Include commas.
  • Use third person.

Overall Tips:

  • Write out bullet points for each paragraph to start.
  • Summarize your bullet points into a single sentence.
  • Write an answer that is at least 35 words but no more than 50 words.
  • Don’t miss basic grammar (capital letters, period, etc.)
  • Do not include information that is not in the text.
  • Write in the third person.
  • Look for information in the final paragraph.
  • Don’t skip any important information.
  • Use transition words like ‘however, but, or.’
  • Write everything in one sentence.
  • Use words that you know well.
  • Follow the scoring guidelines when writing and practicing.

If you’re studying for the writing summarize written text section of your exam you should practice each of these tips above. You can practice using any piece of text you want. Use a page out of a book or a page from a newspaper or magazine and summarize the content into a single sentence. Try to get all of the important information into one short sentence so someone else would know what that page was about.

You do not necessarily need practice questions or text pieces for this section of the exam in order to prepare. You will not need to speak in this section of the PTE exam, but your written skills will reflect your knowledge of the English language.

How Can You Do Well?

Take a look at some of the practice tests and examples that we have available. You’ll be able to get a better understanding of the type of content you might see and the type of summaries you may need to make. You can also practice writing in proper sentence structure including the grammar you will need.

If you need help with other sections of the PTE you will also find sample questions and practice tests available through the website above.

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