A summary is short, neutral, present tense, own words.
a)Use your own words.
b)Write in the past tense.
c)Give your own opinion at the end.
d)Leave out examples and details.
e)Use quotes to prove your points.
f)Write about a third of the original length.
Text about school uniforms: „Uniforms reduce bullying about clothes."
2Main idea or detail? Write M or D.
Main ideas are arguments; details are examples, numbers, names.
a)„At Oakfield School, the uniform is a blue jumper and grey trousers."
b)„Critics say uniforms are expensive for families."
c)„A jumper costs 24 pounds."
3Shorten the sentence to its core.
Cross out relative clauses, examples, adjectives.
a)Many experts, including several well-known psychologists from British universities, believe that too much homework, especially in the lower years, can be harmful.
b)The school, which has about 800 students and was built in 1970, introduced a new timetable in September.
4Write the introductory sentence of a summary.
The article „…" by … deals with …
a)Text: „Why Teens Need More Sleep" by Dr Sarah Kim, an article about the effects of early school starts
1Summary rule or not? Write yes or no.
A summary is short, neutral, present tense, own words.
a)Use your own words.yes
b)Write in the past tense.no
c)Give your own opinion at the end.no
d)Leave out examples and details.yes
e)Use quotes to prove your points.no
f)Write about a third of the original length.yes
Text about school uniforms: „Uniforms reduce bullying about clothes."
2Main idea or detail? Write M or D.
Main ideas are arguments; details are examples, numbers, names.
a)„At Oakfield School, the uniform is a blue jumper and grey trousers."D
b)„Critics say uniforms are expensive for families."M
c)„A jumper costs 24 pounds."D
3Shorten the sentence to its core.
Cross out relative clauses, examples, adjectives.
a)Many experts, including several well-known psychologists from British universities, believe that too much homework, especially in the lower years, can be harmful.Experts believe that too much homework can be harmful.
b)The school, which has about 800 students and was built in 1970, introduced a new timetable in September.The school introduced a new timetable in September.
4Write the introductory sentence of a summary.
The article „…" by … deals with …
a)Text: „Why Teens Need More Sleep" by Dr Sarah Kim, an article about the effects of early school startsThe article „Why Teens Need More Sleep" by Dr Sarah Kim deals with the effects of early school starts on teenagers.
Text (invented, 210 words): Cities around the world are experimenting with „15-minute neighbourhoods", in which everything a resident needs — shops, schools, doctors, parks — lies within a quarter of an hour's walk or cycle ride. Paris has been the most prominent example since 2020, when the mayor made the idea part of her re-election campaign. Supporters argue that such neighbourhoods reduce traffic, cut emissions and bring back a sense of community that car-based planning destroyed. Local shops profit because people no longer drive to out-of-town centres. Critics, however, raise two objections. First, the concept works well in dense inner cities but poorly in suburbs, where distances are large and public transport is thin. Second, some fear that the model divides cities into islands and makes it harder for poorer residents to reach jobs elsewhere. In Oxford, a related traffic plan even led to protests in 2023, partly fuelled by online conspiracy theories claiming that residents would be „locked in". Urban planners reply that no one is prevented from leaving their neighbourhood; the aim is simply that they should not have to. Whether the idea spreads will depend less on planning than on politics: the 15-minute city is cheap to draw, but expensive to build.
1Preparation: Find the key information.
Underline key words, cross out examples, quotes and repetitions.
a)Topic in one phrase:
b)Three arguments of the supporters:
c)Two objections of the critics:
d)The author's concluding point:
2Summary rules: Which sentences break a rule? Write the rule.
Rules: own words, present tense, no details or examples, no opinion, no quotes, about a third of the length.
a)„The mayor made the idea part of her re-election campaign in 2020."
b)„In my opinion, this is a good idea."
c)„Cities are experimenting with 15-minute neighbourhoods," says the author.
d)The text was written in the past tense.
3Write the summary (60 to 80 words).
Logical order, linking words (while, however, according to), present tense.
a)Introductory sentence: The text „…" by … deals with …
Text (invented, 210 words): Cities around the world are experimenting with „15-minute neighbourhoods", in which everything a resident needs — shops, schools, doctors, parks — lies within a quarter of an hour's walk or cycle ride. Paris has been the most prominent example since 2020, when the mayor made the idea part of her re-election campaign. Supporters argue that such neighbourhoods reduce traffic, cut emissions and bring back a sense of community that car-based planning destroyed. Local shops profit because people no longer drive to out-of-town centres. Critics, however, raise two objections. First, the concept works well in dense inner cities but poorly in suburbs, where distances are large and public transport is thin. Second, some fear that the model divides cities into islands and makes it harder for poorer residents to reach jobs elsewhere. In Oxford, a related traffic plan even led to protests in 2023, partly fuelled by online conspiracy theories claiming that residents would be „locked in". Urban planners reply that no one is prevented from leaving their neighbourhood; the aim is simply that they should not have to. Whether the idea spreads will depend less on planning than on politics: the 15-minute city is cheap to draw, but expensive to build.
1Preparation: Find the key information.
Underline key words, cross out examples, quotes and repetitions.
a)Topic in one phrase:(text)
b)Three arguments of the supporters:15-minute neighbourhoods as a model for city planning
c)Two objections of the critics:less traffic and emissions; more community; local shops profit
d)The author's concluding point:doesn't work in suburbs; could isolate poorer residents from jobs
2Summary rules: Which sentences break a rule? Write the rule.
Rules: own words, present tense, no details or examples, no opinion, no quotes, about a third of the length.
a)„The mayor made the idea part of her re-election campaign in 2020."a detail / example — leave out
b)„In my opinion, this is a good idea."no own opinion
c)„Cities are experimenting with 15-minute neighbourhoods," says the author.no quotes — use your own words
d)The text was written in the past tense.summaries are written in the present tense
3Write the summary (60 to 80 words).
Logical order, linking words (while, however, according to), present tense.
a)Introductory sentence: The text „…" by … deals with …e.g. The text deals with the concept of 15-minute neighbourhoods, in which residents can reach everything they need on foot or by bike. Supporters say the model reduces traffic and emissions, strengthens local shops and community. Critics object that it fails in suburbs and might cut poorer residents off from jobs, and in Oxford a similar plan even provoked protests. The author concludes that the idea's success depends on political will, as it is costly to implement.
Text (invented, 190 words): The argument for a four-day working week used to rest on employee wellbeing; now it rests on productivity. Trials in Iceland, Britain and Japan reported that output stayed the same or rose when hours fell by a fifth, mostly because meetings shrank and people stopped pretending to work on Friday afternoons. Companies also found it easier to hire. Yet the evidence has a selection problem: the firms that volunteer for such trials are exactly the ones whose work can be compressed — offices, software, consulting. A hospital ward or a bakery cannot cut a fifth of its hours without cutting a fifth of its service or hiring more staff, which costs money that the productivity gains elsewhere do not pay for. The risk, then, is a two-tier labour market in which well-paid knowledge workers gain a free day while nurses and bakers gain nothing but the sight of it. Supporters answer that the same was said of the weekend a century ago. Perhaps. But the weekend was won by unions across whole industries, not by pilot schemes in the ones that could most easily afford it.
1Structure the argument before summarising.
A summary of an argumentative text must show the argument's logic, not just its topics.
a)Thesis of the supporters and the evidence:
b)The author's objection (the „selection problem") in your own words:
c)The consequence the author fears:
d)The supporters' reply and the author's answer to it:
2Write the summary (70 to 90 words).
Present tense, neutral, own words, no examples (Iceland, bakery are examples — keep the category, drop the instance).
a)Introductory sentence, then the argument in logical order with linking words that show the relations (however, because, therefore).
3Check a fellow student's summary. Find five problems and correct them.
Tense, opinion, detail instead of category, misreading of „Perhaps", missing thesis.
a)„The text was about the 4-day week. In Iceland and Japan it worked great. But I think hospitals can't do it. The author says a bakery can't cut hours. Supporters say the weekend was also criticised, and the author agrees that this is perhaps true."
Text (invented, 190 words): The argument for a four-day working week used to rest on employee wellbeing; now it rests on productivity. Trials in Iceland, Britain and Japan reported that output stayed the same or rose when hours fell by a fifth, mostly because meetings shrank and people stopped pretending to work on Friday afternoons. Companies also found it easier to hire. Yet the evidence has a selection problem: the firms that volunteer for such trials are exactly the ones whose work can be compressed — offices, software, consulting. A hospital ward or a bakery cannot cut a fifth of its hours without cutting a fifth of its service or hiring more staff, which costs money that the productivity gains elsewhere do not pay for. The risk, then, is a two-tier labour market in which well-paid knowledge workers gain a free day while nurses and bakers gain nothing but the sight of it. Supporters answer that the same was said of the weekend a century ago. Perhaps. But the weekend was won by unions across whole industries, not by pilot schemes in the ones that could most easily afford it.
1Structure the argument before summarising.
A summary of an argumentative text must show the argument's logic, not just its topics.
a)Thesis of the supporters and the evidence:(text)
b)The author's objection (the „selection problem") in your own words:A four-day week raises or keeps productivity; trials in several countries showed this, and hiring became easier.
c)The consequence the author fears:Only firms whose work can be compressed take part in trials, so the results say nothing about jobs where hours equal service.
d)The supporters' reply and the author's answer to it:A divided labour market: knowledge workers gain a free day, service workers gain nothing.
2Write the summary (70 to 90 words).
Present tense, neutral, own words, no examples (Iceland, bakery are examples — keep the category, drop the instance).
a)Introductory sentence, then the argument in logical order with linking words that show the relations (however, because, therefore).e.g. The text discusses the four-day working week, which supporters now defend with productivity gains shown in trials. However, the author argues that these trials only involve firms whose work can be compressed, whereas service jobs would need more staff and money. He therefore fears a divided labour market in which only well-paid office workers benefit. He rejects the comparison with the weekend because that was achieved for all industries by unions rather than by selective pilot schemes.
3Check a fellow student's summary. Find five problems and correct them.
Tense, opinion, detail instead of category, misreading of „Perhaps", missing thesis.
a)„The text was about the 4-day week. In Iceland and Japan it worked great. But I think hospitals can't do it. The author says a bakery can't cut hours. Supporters say the weekend was also criticised, and the author agrees that this is perhaps true."1 „was" → present tense. 2 „worked great" — colloquial and a detail; say: trials showed stable or higher productivity. 3 „I think" — no own opinion. 4 „a bakery" — example instead of category (service jobs). 5 „the author agrees" — misreading: „Perhaps." is followed by „But", so the author rejects the comparison. Also missing: the fear of a two-tier labour market.
The rules
Own words, present tense, no quotes, no details or examples, no opinion, about a third of the length. Begin with the source: The text „…" by … deals with …
Method
Underline key words, cross out examples and repetitions, write the main idea of each paragraph in one line, then connect the lines with linking words that show the logic (however, because, therefore).
Argumentative texts
Summarise the argument, not just the topics: thesis, evidence, objection, reply, conclusion. The reader should understand why the author thinks what he thinks.