Summary writing is one of the questions students most consistently underperform on — and one of the questions they can most reliably improve with the right technique. The problem is almost always the same: students describe and copy rather than summarise and select.
Here’s what summary writing in IGCSE English Language actually requires — and how to do it well.
What Is a Summary Question Actually Asking?
A summary question asks you to extract the key information on a specific aspect or aspects of the text and present it concisely in your own words. The question will specify exactly what you’re summarising: “Summarise what the writer says about the dangers of social media,” or “Write a summary of the arguments both for and against the proposed development.”
Two things are being assessed: selection (have you found the relevant information?) and transformation (have you expressed it in your own words, concisely?). Copying large chunks of the source text, no matter how relevant, does not score well.
Step 1: Read the Question Carefully — Then the Text
Before you even look at the source text, read the summary question and underline exactly what you’re asked to summarise. Then, as you read the text, you’re reading with a specific filter active: you’re looking for this information and only this information.
Students who read the text first and then try to fit it to the question often include irrelevant information and miss some relevant information. The question should prime the reading.
Step 2: Find and Mark the Relevant Points
Go through the text and mark (underline, bracket, or annotate) every point that is relevant to the question. Don’t worry yet about the order or how you’ll express them — just find them all.
Most summary questions have a specified number of marks and/or a word limit that gives you a rough indication of how many points you’re expected to find. A 10-mark summary question typically expects 8–10 valid points. A 5-mark one expects around 5. If you’re finding significantly more or fewer than the mark allocation suggests, re-read the question to check whether you’re interpreting it correctly.
Step 3: Transform into Your Own Words
This is where most students lose marks. “In your own words” is not a suggestion — it is a marking criterion. A response that lifts phrases directly from the text will be penalised, even if it has correctly identified the relevant information.
For each point you’ve identified, ask yourself: if I were explaining this to someone who hadn’t read the text, what would I say? Then write that. Don’t look back at the source text while you’re writing the transformed version — it’s much harder to resist copying if the original is in front of you.
Useful transformation techniques: change the word class (turn a verb into a noun, or vice versa), use a synonym for key terms, restructure the sentence, and combine two short points into one more complex sentence.
Step 4: Write in a Neutral, Concise Register
A summary is not an essay and it is not a personal response. You don’t need an introduction that explains what you’re about to summarise. You don’t need a conclusion. You don’t need to evaluate or agree or disagree with the source text’s arguments. A summary presents the information — that’s all.
Keep sentences clear and information-dense. Avoid padding: “The writer goes on to talk about how…” wastes words. Just state the point: “Experts warn that…”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Copying from the source: even a few lifted phrases can reduce your marks significantly
- Including irrelevant information: anything not directly related to the specified question is wasted words
- Adding your own opinions: a summary reports — it doesn’t evaluate
- Summarising the whole text rather than the specified aspect: read and re-read the question
- Neglecting to check your word limit: if a limit is given, stay within it — going over is penalised
Summary writing improves quickly with practised feedback on the specific technique. At Thorogood English, every summary exercise is marked individually with written guidance. Join the waiting list for January 2027 IGCSE classes.
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