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Cambridge (CIE) IGCSE English Your notes

Language
Question 1: Summary
Contents
How to Answer Question 1: Summary
Question 1 Skills: How to Summarise
Question 1 Summary: Model Answer

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How to Answer Question 1: Summary

Your notes
How to Answer Question 1: Summary
Paper 1: Reading is the compulsory exam in the CIE IGCSE, and CIE examiners recommend that you
complete the questions in the order they are set. Question 1 is split into two tasks: a comprehension task
and a summary task. The summary task will be based on Text B in your reading insert.
The following guide will provide you with the information you need to answer Question 1: Summary to a
high standard.

Overview
For this task, you will respond to one question about Text B. The question will test you on your ability to
understand explicit and implicit meanings and ideas in a text, and to select and use information for specific
purposes. It will also assess your ability to organise and structure your ideas in writing, use a range of
suitable vocabulary and sentence structures and write accurately, with correct spelling, grammar and
punctuation. The question is worth 15 marks in total and is broken down as follows:

Question Assessment Objective tested What this means Marks

1(f) - reading R1: demonstrate understanding Base your answer on both explicit and 10
objectives of explicit meanings implied information in Text B

R2: demonstrate understanding

of implicit meanings and
attitudes

R5: select and use information

for specific purposes

1(f) - writing W2: organise and structure Write an answer of no more than 120 words. 5
objectives ideas and opinions for
deliberate effect
Summarise, in your own words and in
continuous form (not note form), what you
W3: use a range of vocabulary learn about the focus of the question in the
and sentence structures text
appropriate to context

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W5: make accurate use of Your notes

spelling, punctuation and
grammar

The question, taken from the June 2022 exam paper, looks like this:

Steps to success
Following these steps will give you a strategy for answering this question effectively:
1. Read the question and highlight:
The command words (what you are instructed to do)
The focus of the question (the words or phrases you have to look for in the text)
When highlighting, take note of the word count guidance and make sure you are using the correct
text (Text B)
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2. Scan Text B and highlight the evidence that answers the question:
In the above example, this would be anything that tells you why Jayden Dee wanted to take part in Your notes
the Tough Mudder event
Disregard any information or extra details which are not directly relevant to the focus of the
question:
In the above example, the focus of the question is on “reasons why” - you should therefore
ignore any “reasons why not”
3. Plan your answer before you start writing:
Use bullet points for this
Make sure each idea in each bullet point is distinct and complete (you are not repeating yourself)
4. Write your answers according to the question instructions:
Do not just copy whole paragraphs from the text, or use quotes from the text
You must summarise using your own words as much as possible
Remember, not all of the information will be explicit (obvious):
You will have to make some inferences or read between the lines
5. Re-read your answer when you have finished to check whether:
It answers the question
It makes sense
It is accurate (correct any obvious spelling, grammar or punctuation errors)
You are advised to spend no more than 20 minutes on this question (including reading time).

Exam tips
Read the command words and the question carefully:
This will allow you to demonstrate a thorough understanding of the requirements of the task
Make sure that you demonstrate that you understand a range of ideas in the text, as relevant to the
focus of the question
Write your answer in paragraph form, expressing yourself clearly, fluently and concisely:
Explain the ideas in a way that someone who had not read the text themselves would understand
Do not just copy from the text or use quotes - this is not a language analysis question

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Try not to repeat the same idea - the examiner can only credit you once
When summarising, you should use Standard English: Your notes
Therefore, if Text B is written using a more informal register, adapt this to a more formal style
suitable for a written summary
Start your answer with a focus on the question:
Do not waste time on unnecessary introductions
As you read Text B, highlight a range of ideas from different parts of the text:
Then re-organise them more efficiently for the reader
You do not need to work through the ideas in the order they appear in the text
It is a very good idea to make a brief, bulleted plan of your answer before you start writing:
This will help you structure your response concisely
Ensure you do not write too little or too much:
120 words is approximately half a page of A4 in average handwriting
The full June 2022 exam paper is available here.
For more advice on how to apply the skills required for success in this question, please see our Question 1
skills: How to summarise revision notes. For a model answer to this question, please see Question 1
Summary: Model answer.

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Question 1 Skills: How to Summarise

Your notes
Question 1 Skills: How to Summarise
Question 1(f): Summary on Paper 1 of your IGCSE tests you on your ability to understand and use explicit and
implicit information in a text, and to summarise that information in your own words.
The sections below will explain what summarising is and how to summarise information successfully.

What is summarising?
Summarising is an important literacy skill, useful not just for your IGCSE in English Language. When you
summarise, you are expressing the most important facts or ideas from a text in shortened form, using your
own words. A summary should effectively explain all of the important information in a text in a clear and
concise way, taking only the information that is directly relevant and ignoring less important details.
The key elements of a summary are:
Objectivity: a summary sticks to the facts and is unbiased
Concision: a summary should condense the important information, leaving out unnecessary detail
Structure: a summary should be well-organised, preferably in chronological order, so that it is as clear
as possible
Accurate: the information provided in a summary needs to be correct and reliable
The summary you have to produce in your exam for Question 1(f) needs to get across the information the
examiner requires in a clear and accurate way. This means that you need to distinguish between the
important information and the irrelevant information in the text. However, while summarising as a skill
normally allows direct repetition of the words in a text, for this task in the exam you are asked to write in your
own words as far as possible. In this way, this task is actually a combination of summarising and
paraphrasing, which means rearranging a text and putting it into your own words.

How to summarise in the exam

To complete this task effectively in the exam, it is essential that you understand exactly what you are being
asked to summarise. Let’s consider what exactly you are being asked to summarise in this example of
Question 1(f) from the June 2020 exam paper:

Exam question What you need to do

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According to Text B, what made Lyuba such a remarkable and Here, there are two things you are
precious scientific specimen and what did scientists hope to being asked to summarise:
Your notes
discover by studying her?
What made Lyuba such a
remarkable and precious
specimen
What scientists hoped to
discover by studying her

Once you have broken down the question, it is possible to go back to the text and identify the information
directly relevant to the two bullet points above. Working through the text in logical order will help you to
structure your summary. Let’s look at how to do this, using the first three paragraphs of the text:

Text Important information

(relevant to the focus
of the question)

Only a handful have been found before. But none like her. Her name is Lyuba. What made Lyuba such
A one-month-old baby mammoth, she walked the tundra about 40,000 a remarkable and
years ago, then died mysteriously. Discovered on a riverbank in Siberia, she’s precious scientific
the most perfectly preserved woolly mammoth ever discovered. Lyuba has specimen:
mesmerised the scientific world with her arrival - creating headlines across
the globe. Only a handful of
mammoths have
“Waking the Baby Mammoth”, a new television programme, tells the tale of ever been found
this single accidental discovery of a frozen baby mammoth in the Siberian
tundra and how the discovery has enriched our understanding of these Most perfectly
extinct magnificent beasts. preserved woolly
mammoth ever
The programme begins with the incredibly fortunate discovery of Lyuba by a discovered
reindeer herder who feared that disturbing the remains of the dead might
lead to a curse. Too often with such findings, the preserved creature would be Discovered by
dug up and sold, leading to irreversible decomposition and the loss of a accident
treasure trove of valuable information. However, the herder had enough The man who found
foresight to contact authorities, and scientists began the careful retrieval her did not disturb
process. Everyone wanted to know how Lyuba had died. What could she tell her remains or try to
us about life during the Ice Age and the Earth’s changing climate? sell her
Scientists were able
to carefully retrieve
her, avoiding
damage

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What scientists hope to

discover by studying
her: Your notes
Better
understanding of
these extinct beasts
How she died
What life was like
during the Ice Age
Information about
climate change

Summarising in continuous form

Normally, when you summarise from a text, you can choose the most appropriate format in which to
present your information, such as bullet points. However, in the exam, you are asked to use continuous
writing and your own words. Therefore, you need to structure your answer into clear paragraphs, ensuring
that you still convey the important information listed above.
A good way to start this is by using the wording of the question. For example:

You then need to start with the first point from the text, but consider how to modify the words in order to
make them your own. For example:

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It is also useful to make good use of connectives in order to link your points, to give a sense of overall
coherence to your answer. For example:
Your notes

Examiner Tips and Tricks

Ensure that you cover all of the important points, and avoid any unnecessary information, such as
Lyuba being the subject of a new television programme. This won’t get you any marks.

A full model answer to a sample Question 1(f) can be found in the Question 1 Summary: Model answer page.

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Question 1 Summary: Model Answer

Your notes
Question 1 Summary: Model Answer
Question 1 is split into two tasks: a comprehension task and a summary task. The summary task will be
based on Text B in your reading insert, and is designed to test your ability to secure meaning from what you
read, and write fluently and concisely in your own words.
The following guide will demonstrate how to answer the Question 1: Summary question from the June 2022
exam paper.

Text B (June 2022)

The following text is Text B taken from the June 2022 exam paper. It is about a sporting event called Tough
Mudder, which is a long race with obstacles in it.

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Your notes

Question 1(f): Summary model answer

Below is Question 1(f) from the June 2022 exam paper:

Based on the above question, the following model answer demonstrates how to use continuous writing to
summarise information in your own words. It is an example of a full mark answer (15/15):

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Your notes

Unannotated model answer

Model answer:
Jayden Dee wanted to take part in this particular event because he likes to show people that he is
hardworking and dedicated. He saw the Tough Mudder event as something challenging and original
which appealed to his competitive nature. He saw it as different from other endurance events and had
become obsessed with the idea of taking part by watching last year’s event on television. He got hooked
again on these events by competing in the Ironman competition, and because he felt really fit he thought
the timing was right. He was inspired by the fact that a lot of people he looks up to take part in the event,
and he wants to become an inspiration himself, representing Redmond and inspiring children from his
hometown. Ultimately, he wanted to take part in Tough Mudder because he believed he could win.

Commentary

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The answer demonstrates understanding of both the text and the task
It remains focused on the task throughout (no unnecessary detail) Your notes
It provides a concise overview of all the main points in the text that answer the question
The response is well-organised, clear, fluent and written accurately
It uses the candidate’s own words with well-chosen vocabulary
Whilst the response goes slightly over the 120 word limit, it is still concise and covers all of the points
required

Summary
Remember to read the question carefully and highlight:
The instructions (what you have got to do)
The focus of the question (what you are being asked to write a summary about)
Remember that up to five marks are awarded in this question for the quality of your writing:
Therefore, make sure you re-read your answer before moving on to the next question
It is important that you are able to summarise mostly in your own words - do not just copy and paste
from the text, or directly quote from the text
This answer should be written in paragraph form - do not use bullet points or single words
The full June 2022 exam paper is available here.

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