Select only the points relevant to the summary question, guided by the focus the question sets

What this dot point is asking

The summary task gives you a passage, names a section to summarise, and sets a focus: not "summarise everything" but "summarise the reasons for X" or "the benefits of Y". The first and most important skill is selecting only the points that answer that focus. Marks come from relevant points, so a summary that includes irrelevant detail wastes words and earns nothing for them. This dot point is about reading the question to fix the focus, then picking out exactly the points that match.

The answer

Read the question before the passage

The summary question tells you what to look for, so read it first. It will name a focus (for example, "the reasons people moved to the city and the problems they faced") and usually a section of the passage (for example, "paragraphs 3 to 5"). Knowing the focus before you read means you can scan actively for relevant points and skim past everything else, which saves time and stops you summarising material that earns no marks. Reading the passage first, then the question, wastes a reading.

Let the focus decide relevance

A point is relevant only if it answers the focus the question sets. The marked section may be full of facts, but only those matching the focus count. If the focus is "the benefits of cycling", then "it keeps students fit" is relevant but "the school bought a new bike rack" is not, because a facility is not a benefit. Test every candidate point against the focus: does this actually answer what the question asked? If not, leave it out, however interesting it is.

Spot and skip the padding

Passages contain material that is not summary points: examples, illustrations, repeated ideas, the writer's asides, and descriptive detail. Examples in particular are a trap: "Exercise improves health, for instance by strengthening the heart and improving sleep" contains one point (exercise improves health) plus two examples of it. The point counts; the examples usually do not, because they illustrate rather than add a new idea. Learn to see the difference between a new point and an illustration of a point already made.

Mark up as you scan

A practical method: as you read the marked section with the focus in mind, underline or number each relevant point in the passage. This turns the long passage into a short list of points to work from, makes it easy to count whether you have enough, and stops you missing points buried mid-paragraph. The selection stage is where most summary marks are won or lost, so it is worth doing carefully before any writing begins.

Examples in context

Example 1. The example that is not a point. A passage states: "Reading widens a child's vocabulary, for example teaching words like 'reluctant' and 'gigantic' that rarely come up in speech." A summary on the benefits of reading should take the point, that reading widens vocabulary, and drop the example, the specific words. Students often copy the vivid example because it stands out, but it earns nothing: it merely illustrates a point already captured. Distinguishing the underlying point from its illustration is one of the most useful habits in summary selection.

Example 2. Two foci, two different selections. The same passage about a festival could be set with the focus "the benefits to the town" or "the difficulties of organising it". A sentence like "the festival drew thousands of visitors" is a relevant point under the first focus (a benefit) but irrelevant under the second. This is why the focus, not the passage, decides relevance: the very same fact can count or not count depending on what the question asks. Reading the focus closely is therefore the first move every time.

Try this

Q1. Explain why you should read the summary question before reading the passage. [2 marks]

• Cue. The question sets the focus, so reading it first lets you scan the passage actively for relevant points and skim past everything else, saving time and preventing you from summarising material that earns no marks.

Q2. A focus asks for "the dangers of the activity". The passage says "It is thrilling and builds confidence, but it can cause serious injury." Which part is relevant? [2 marks]

• Cue. Only "it can cause serious injury" is relevant, because it is a danger; "thrilling and builds confidence" are benefits, which do not answer a focus on dangers.

Q3. Explain how to tell a summary point from an example of that point. [2 marks]

• Cue. A point is a distinct idea that answers the focus; an example (often introduced by "for instance" or "such as") merely illustrates a point already made. Take the underlying point and leave out its illustrations, which do not add a new idea.