Common Areas of Concern in Summary Writing for CXC



 CXC highlights that summary writing involves two processes: information gathering and
information giving. Information gathering includes reading, identifying, interpreting and 
selecting what is necessary. Information giving includes combining, organizing and writing
the ideas that have been selected.


Over the years, CXC has made several observations about the summaries that students have 
produced. These are areas of concern that you should do all you can to avoid. They have
been outlined below.

AREAS OF CONCERN

*   The information is misinterpreted by some students. Where students misinterpret the content of the original extract, they write a summary that includes details that were not in the given extract. 

*    Although paraphrasing is required when writing a summary, some students lift chunks of texts according to CXC. This means they use sentences or phrases verbatim (word for word) from the passage.This is a definite no-no and you will be penalized.

*   A limited vocabulary hinders some students from understanding the given passage and paraphrasing the points they have selected for their summary.

*   Some students struggle to organise their summaries in a sequential(organised) and coherent (clear) manner. This results in summaries that read in a very choppy and awkward manner. The summary you produce at the CXC level should not be a series of disconnected sentences, but a carefully written paragraph that presents information that is easy to follow. The paragraph should be able to stand on its own.

*    Several summaries go over the recommended word limit.

*    Some students do not attempt this section.

KEY TAKE-AWAYS

1. Do not include information in your summary that is not in the original passage.
2. Do not change the meaning of the original passage.
3. Do not use sentences or phrases from the passage in your summary. Paraphase (Use your own words.
4. Do not write more than the 120 words that are recommended.
5. Do not start writing your summary unless you understand what the passage is about and what you are expected to do.
6. Do not write a summary that is a series of random paragraphs. Limit your summary to ONE paragraph.

       Summary writing is an important skill that has to be consistently cultivated if you are to increase your ability to do well in it. Do all you can to improve this skill. 




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