Summarize Written Text

What makes this part of the PTE exam extremely easy is that most all texts follow either a cause-to-effect or an effect-to-cause pattern. I would say after over 1400 tutorials or lessons with students who have taken the PTE exam that 99% of all of Pearson’s exams use this form of essay to expose their client’s weaknesses in Reading or Writing. Pearson uses the cause and effect approach because (1) they want to see if you ‘notice’ patterns while you read and (2) if you can summarize a text in one sentence – usually to create a compound-complex sentence of 30 words or more. However, once you learn the 2 patterns of cause and effect, you should be able to make quick notes of the important facts and events for the summary you write.

The procedure: The quickest and most effective way to approach Summarize Written Text is to read the text and find the pattern. First, you locate the subject or the topic of the text. Then you ask yourself ‘What is the last event that happens to the subject’ – if you can answer this, then that is the EFFECT. If the subject does not have an immediate effect, then it is the cause and the effects of this cause will present themselves later in the text. All you have to do is write down the cause and its effects; or the effect and its causes, and then write a compound sentence. If your compound sentence is less than 30 words you will need to add either an adjective clause or a participle phrase to get over the 30-word barrier. The adjective clauses and participle phrases will be underlines in the possible answers below.

Cause and Effect – FIND THIS PATTERN!

PART 1: This section will be dedicated to finding 1 cause and multiple effects. Thus, at the end of each text, you will find ‘the cause’ and ‘the effects’ or the ‘one effect’ and ‘multiple causes’ to help you understand. Also, under the cause or effects, you will be told what type of sentence was used (compound or compound-complex). To this end, any adjective clauses or participle phrases will be underlined in all examples that follow.

Adjective clauses:

Non-identifying: a non-identifying adjective is the most common clause to use in Summarize Written Text because it asks you to add extra information. We refer to it as extra information because this form of an adjective clause does not tell you what the noun is that comes before it. With this clause, a comma and the subordinate conjunction ‘which’ are used to start the adjective clause. For example:

The documentary was about modernity, which began in the 1920s. This clause does not tell you about modernity; it just adds a little extra information.

Identifying: An identifying adjective clause states what the noun preceding it is. For example:

The documentary was about modernity which is a quality of condition of being modern. Note that the same subordinate conjunction, ‘which’, is used but there is NO COMMA before it because ‘modernity’ is defined within the clause.

Note*: in Canada and the USA the identifying adjective is written with the subordinate conjunction ‘that’ so as not to confuse the reader.

The documentary was about modernity that is a quality of condition of being modern.

You can use either ‘that’ or ‘which’ for identifying adjective clauses on the PTE exam.

Your procedure on the PTE exam should follow these steps:

1. Read the text and note the pattern
2. Take notes by paraphrasing and using synonymous language (subjects and technical terms you may use)

iii.                Write a compound sentence: Write the EFFECT in the first sentence (or the Cause as it depends on the text) and join it to a statement about the Cause in the sentence.

1. If you are short of 30 words, create a non-identifying adjective clause and place immediately following the subject – separate this clause from the rest of the text by using commas.

For example (from #2 below):

Step iii. – write a compound sentence

The Industrial Revolution helped encourage capitalism with little government interference and it aided in sponsoring individual rights for workers. (two independent clauses joined with the coordinating conjunction ‘and’ preceded by a comma – 19 words)

The cause statement with an effect: The Industrial Revolution helped encourage capitalism with little government interference

The second effect: and it aided in sponsoring individual rights for workers

Step iv. – add a non-identifying adjective clause – extra information beside the topic.

The Industrial Revolution, which started in eighteenth-century England and spread to the world, helped encourage capitalism with little government interference and it aided in sponsoring individual rights for workers. (30 words)

 

Participle Phrases: participle phrases can be used when you want to make a shortlist. These usually begin with a comma and are followed by the participles: including or according.

For example (from number 1 below):

Oral storytelling skills of African American schoolchildren help them learn reading skills faster, and this can aid them in their other school subjects as well, according to a new study. (32 words)

Cause to Effect – FIND THIS PATTERN!

1. Storytelling

The oral storytelling skills of African American preschoolers make a difference in how quickly their reading skills develop, according to a new study from the Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute (FPG) at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchers say the effect is much different for girls and boys.

“Knowing how to tell a clear and coherent story is an important skill for helping young children to develop strong reading skills, which, in turn, can help them to be successful across a number of different subjects in school,” said FPG advanced research scientist Nicole Gardner- Niblett “Prior research suggests that historical and cultural factors foster strong storytelling skills among African American children, which has implications for their development as readers.”

Two years ago, Gardner-Neblett’s own research was the first to demonstrate the connection between African American preschoolers’ storytelling abilities and their reading skills in kindergarten. That study found a link between storytelling and reading only for the African American children, from households across income levels, but not for any other demographic group.

Stark differences in reading achievement exist between Black and White elementary school children, as does a gender gap in reading outcomes, with girls outperforming boys. Because of both disparities in achievement, Gardner-Neblett and FPG advanced research scientist John Sideris wanted to better understand if and how gender plays a role in the link between African American children’s storytelling skills and reading development.

 

Gardner-Neblett, N. (2017, June 21). Oral Storytelling Skills Impact Reading Differently for African American Boys and Girls. Retrieved January 15, 2019, from https://fpg.unc.edu/node/9086

 

Possible Answer:

Oral storytelling skills of African American schoolchildren help them learn reading skills faster, and this can aid them in their other school subjects as well, according to a new study.

(32 words)

Cause: Being able to tell a story

Effects: Reading skills develop quicker (1) and aid them in other subjects (2)

Sentence Structure: Compound sentence with a participle phrase