Summary writing

A summary gives the main points of a text briefly and in your own words. It leaves out details, examples and your own opinions.

Key facts

  • Read the whole text first, then find the main idea of each paragraph (often its topic sentence).
  • Keep: the main idea and the key points. Leave out: examples, small details, repetition, long quotations and your own opinion.
  • Replace a list with one general word: ⟦apples, pears and grapes⟧ → ⟦fruit⟧.
  • Use your own words: don't copy whole sentences from the text.
  • Check your summary is true to the text, covers all of it, and adds nothing new.

Worked examples

Example 1

Summarise in one sentence: ⟦Penguins cannot fly. Instead, they use their wings as flippers and are excellent swimmers, diving deep to catch fish.⟧

  1. Key points: they can't fly; they swim very well.
  2. Leave out the details about flippers and fish.

Answer: ⟦Penguins cannot fly but are excellent swimmers.⟧

Example 2

Replace the list with one word: ⟦He packed shirts, socks and a jumper.⟧

  1. Shirts, socks and jumpers are all clothes.
  2. One general word is shorter.

Answer: ⟦He packed clothes.⟧

Example 3

Should this go in a summary? ⟦I think this is the best invention ever.⟧

  1. It is your own opinion.
  2. A summary only gives what the text says.

Answer: No