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Summary Writing
Quick questions on Paraphrasing for summary explained: O-Level English
5short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What are replace the key content words?Show answer
The mistake to avoid is changing only the small, unimportant words while keeping the loaded phrase intact. If the passage says "costs had spiralled" and you write "the costs had spiralled, leading to...", you have changed nothing that matters. The words that must be reworded are the content words carrying the meaning: the important nouns, verbs and adjectives. "Spiralled" becomes "rose sharply"; "furious" becomes "very angry"; "abandoned" becomes "given up".
What is some words can stay?Show answer
"As far as possible" genuinely allows some words to remain. Proper nouns, technical terms and very common words with no natural synonym ("school", "river", "money") can be kept; forcing an awkward substitute for them can even distort the meaning. The rule applies to the content words that can be reworded, not to every word. Use judgement: change what carries the meaning and can be changed cleanly, and leave the genuinely unsubstitutable words alone.
What is q1?Show answer
Explain what "lifting" means in a summary and why it loses marks. [2 marks]
What is q2?Show answer
Paraphrase this point, keeping the meaning: "Residents were delighted by the new park." [2 marks]
What is q3?Show answer
Explain why you must keep the strength of a word when paraphrasing, with an example. [2 marks]
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