Summary Writing Guide for Communication Studies Exam

Summary writing or concise writing is a skill often tested for in many subjects, especially Communication Studies. In this blog you will learn:

• What is the purpose of a summary
• What makes a good summary
• Summary writing tips and tricks

Understanding the Purpose of a Summary

A summary condenses the original text, presenting the main ideas in a concise form. For the Communication Studies exam, this skill is critical for demonstrating comprehension and the ability to distill key information effectively.

Key Components of a Good Summary

Brevity: Summaries should be short, typically 1/3 of the original text.

Clarity: Avoid vague language and clearly present the main points.

Objectivity: Only include information from the source without inserting personal opinions or interpretations.

Accuracy: Ensure that the original meaning of the text is retained.

Steps to Writing an Effective Summary

Step 1: Read and Understand the Text

• Read the passage carefully at least twice.
• Identify the main ideas and supporting details.
• Pay attention to the topic sentences of paragraphs, as they often summarize the key point.

Step 2: Identify Key Information

• Eliminate any unnecessary information like examples, anecdotes, or opinions.
• Focus on the "who, what, where, when, why, and how" of the text.

Step 3: Create a Draft

• Use your own words to rewrite the key ideas.
• Ensure you are preserving the meaning but shortening the content.
• Avoid using direct quotes unless necessary.

Step 4: Revise for Conciseness

• Make sure your summary is brief while covering all essential points.
• Revise for grammatical correctness, coherence, and fluidity.

Step 5: Edit for Accuracy

• Compare your summary to the original text. Ensure all the important ideas are included and no significant points are omitted.

Common Pitfalls in Summary Writing

Too much detail: Including minor points or examples that should be left out.

Paraphrasing too closely: Rewriting the text too closely to the original wording.

Missing the main idea: Focusing on secondary points rather than the primary argument.

Adding personal opinions: The summary should reflect the author’s ideas, not your views.

Practice Tips

Timed Practice: Practice summarizing under exam conditions, where time is limited. Set a timer for 10-15 minutes and work to condense a text within that timeframe.

Vary Text Types: Practice with a variety of texts such as articles, essays, and speeches. This helps in becoming adaptable to different writing styles and content structures.

Peer Review: Swap summaries with classmates for feedback. Others may notice details you missed or highlight where you might be too vague or too detailed.

Free Online Resources for Practice

Summary Writing Exercises:

Purdue Online Writing Lab (OWL): Provides exercises on summarizing and paraphrasing, along with examples.

  - Summary Writing Guide

Khan Academy: Offers exercises that involve reading comprehension and summarization of texts.

  - Khan Academy Practice

Reading Passages for Summary Practice:

CommonLit: A free collection of texts with questions that help in understanding main ideas, perfect for practicing summaries.

  - CommonLit Free Texts

Newsela: Provides articles at varying reading levels with options to practice writing summaries.

  - Newsela Practice

Summary Writing Worksheets:

Education.com: Offers free worksheets and printables for practicing summary writing skills.

  - Education.com Worksheets

Conclusion

By incorporating these steps and using the free resources, you can improve your summary writing skills and be better prepared for any exam, especially a Communication Studies exam.

You may also want to read:

Main point vs. Purpose

Listening Comprehension Tips

Pre-Writing: Planning

1. Read the questions carefully to understand what you are being asked to do.
2. Listen actively. Keep your purpose for listening in mind by referring to questions.
3. During the first reading jot down notes on significant devices of the passage based on the questions.
4. During the second reading, check to see if your jottings from the first reading are supported by the entire passage.
5. Give the answer the question asks for.
6. Write your answers in complete sentences
7. Use your summary writing skills. A long answer is not necessarily a better answer.

Writing

1. A main idea should not be a purpose. It should read:

"The main idea of the passage is that..." NOT "The main idea of the passage is to tell..."

2. When commenting on the effectiveness of a device used by the writer, you are to tell how the use of the device helps the writer to achieve his purpose for writing. 

Weak Answer: "The writer uses a metaphor to describe the beauty of the sunset and how night fell." or "The writer uses a metaphor to bring his point across."

Better Answer: "The writer uses a metaphor to convey his admiration for the magnificent sunset and to show how suddenly night fell upon the landscape."

Post-Writing

1. Check your responses against the questions on the exam to ensure that you have answered all the parts of each question with exactly what has been asked.
2. Edit your work to get rid of grammatical errors, expression errors and unclear sentences.

Good Luck!