English (CAPS)

Grade 10

Summary writing
Summary writing
Lesson objectives
• Understand the concept and importance of summarization in comprehension and
analysis.
• Learn effective strategies for identifying main ideas and key details within texts.
• Practice synthesizing information from various sources to create concise
summaries.
• Apply critical thinking skills to evaluate the relevance and significance of
information when summarizing.
• Demonstrate mastery by creating and presenting clear and concise summaries of
different types of texts.

What are we doing when we summarise?

We strip away the extra words and examples. We focus on the heart of the matter. We
try to find the key words and phrases that still manage to capture the meaning of what
we've read. We are trying to capture the main ideas and the crucial details necessary
for supporting them.

Benefits of summaries

• Summarizing is how we take larger selections of text and reduce them to their
essentials: the gist, the key ideas, the main points that are worth noting and
remembering.
• Summary skills equip you to find the most relevant information in a passage and
reproduce it in another format.
• This skill will equip you to study better in all subjects and to read with a purpose.
• Summarizing teaches you to be brief and get straight to the point.
• The exercise of summarizing forces you to analyze and simplify your material.
• Summary writing goes hand in hand with analytical skills. With practice, both
techniques will benefit.

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How it appears in the examination

SECTION B: SUMMARY

QUESTION 2: SUMMARISING IN YOUR OWN WORDS

TEXT C provides insights into the science behind using hand gestures. Summarise in
your own words why hand gestures are a crucial element in communication.

NOTE: 1. Your summary should include SEVEN points and NOT exceed 90
words.
2. You must write a fluent paragraph.
3. You are NOT required to include the title for the summary.
4. Indicate your word count at the end of your summary.

�Some tips

• Ignore unnecessary or trivial information

- Statistics that are NOT relevant to the topic sentence.
- Comments made by people.
- Examples or questions.
- Opinions.
- Information that does not link back or meet the requirements of the topic
sentence.
• Create one category name for lists of items - for example: substitute the word
"family" for the words: mom, dad, brother, sister, cousin, etc.)
• Substitute an overall term for components of an action - for example: substitute,
"They finally went to school." for "They went down the walk and got in the car, they
drove down Elm Street and made a right on Oak Street, they could see the school
ahead of them. The car pulled up to the front of the building, and they scrambled
out of the car. They were at school as last."
• Remember the magic words - for example: Who, What, When, Where, why, and
how. Answer only them!
• Make sure your summary is logical.

How to simplify sentences

Eliminate the following:

• Repetition (she is a stunningly beautiful, gorgeous girl – she is a beautiful girl.)
• Unnecessary detail (The tall dark man with a white coat told me to go to school -
the man told me to go to school)
• Figures of speech (He was a big as a house – He was big)

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• Quotations
• Minor detail
• Examples or illustrations
• Colloquialisms and slang
• Change direct speech to indirect speech.
• Make sure your summary is logical.

How to write a summary

1. Skim through the text for the main idea.

2. Re-read the text carefully, to understand its purpose and structure.

3. Underline the main points that support the central idea (topic sentence) and circle
statements (linking words) that show movement from one point to another.

4. Decide what you are going to include in your summary and what you are going to
leave out.

5. Write an outline. Group the essential information and ideas – main points and sub-
points – in an order that shows the relations of the ideas. It doesn’t have to be the
same order in which the ideas are presented in the article.

6. To keep the same text as that of the original text, Use your own words, but do not
introduce your own opinions (unless asked for).

7. Remember that the summary should be considerably shorter than the original
text (about one third). Avoid giving examples e.g. instead saying mum, dad, sister,
cousin, brother etc. your simply say, my family.

8. Revise and “polish” your summary and check that you have covered the whole text.
Be consistent with the tenses – the present tense is the most common.

9. Useful words: to refer to what the author says, e.g. says, states, discusses,
suggests, argues, believes, asserts; to express the author’s development of ideas,
e.g. begins, continues, goes on to, concludes.

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Practical example: Original text
Summary topic: Why hand gestures are a crucial element in
communication
The fascinating science behind 'talking' with your hands
If someone has ever made fun of you for making elaborate hand gestures while
talking - or you've seen footage of yourself speaking, only to be horrified by your
flailing forearms - don't be too concerned. According to psychologists, those
gestures are probably helping you express your thoughts more effectively.

'Hand gestures are really a powerful aspect of communication, from both the
speaker's and the listener's end,' says Dr Carol Kinsey Goman, body language
expert. Last year, a study analysing human gestures found that the most popular,
prolific speakers used an average of 465 hand gestures, which is nearly twice as
many as the least popular speakers used. Other research has found that people who
'talk' with their hands tend to be viewed as warm, agreeable and energetic, while
those who are less animated are seen as logical, cold and analytical.

Gesturing is a healthy and normal aspect of human communication. Hand gestures

help us take what's in our mind and make it intelligible to others. 'Gesture is really
linked to speech, and gesturing while you talk can really power up your thinking,'
Kinsey Goman said. Gesturing can help people form clearer thoughts, speak in
tighter sentences and use more declarative language. A brain region known as
Broca's area is connected to speech production but is also active when we wave our
hands.

We gather information from others' body language, as well as from their specific
words because gestures often underscore the important points someone is making.
Furthermore, hand motions can reveal information that may be absent in our
speech. Research demonstrates that the movements we make with our hands when
we talk constitute a kind of second language, adding information that's absent from
our words. Gesture reveals what we know. It also reveals what we don't know.

A child's use of hand gestures early in life can be a sign that she will later develop a
strong vocabulary, as well as skills related to sentence structure and storytelling,
according to a study published last year in the Journal of Child Language. From
cradle to grave, body language is crucial in helping communicate our emotions and
motivations to others.
[Adapted from www.huffingtonpost.com]

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Summary topic: Why hand gestures are a crucial element in
communication

The fascinating science behind 'talking' with your hands

Examples were given

If someone has ever made fun of you for making elaborate hand gestures while
talking - or you've seen footage of yourself speaking, only to be horrified by your
flailing forearms - don't be too concerned. According to psychologists, those
gestures are probably helping you express your thoughts more effectively.

'Hand gestures are really a powerful aspect of Comment communication,

was made
from both the
speaker's and the listener's end,' says Dr Carol Kinsey Goman, body language
expert. Last year, a study analysing human gestures found that the most popular,
Irrelevant statistics given
prolific speakers used an average of 465 hand gestures, which is nearly twice as
many as the least popular speakers used. Other research has found that people who
'talk' with their hands tend to be viewed as warm, agreeable and energetic, while
those who are less animated are seen as logical, cold and analytical.
Does not link to topic sentence
Gesturing is a healthy and normal aspect of human communication. Hand gestures
help us take what's in our mind and make it intelligible to others. 'Gesture is really
linked to speech, and gesturing while you talk can really power up your thinking,'
Comment was made
Kinsey Goman said. Gesturing can help people form clearer thoughts, speak in
tighter sentences and use more declarative language. A brain region known as
Broca's area is connected to speech production but is also active when we wave our
Does not link to topic sentence
hands.

We gather information from others' body language, as well as from their specific
words because gestures often underscore the important points someone is making.
Furthermore, hand motions can reveal information that may be absent in our
speech. Research demonstrates that the movements we make with our hands when
Does not answer topic sentence
we talk constitute a kind of second language, adding information that's absent from
our words. Gesture reveals what we know. It also reveals what we don't know.

A child's use of hand gestures early in life can be a sign that she will later develop a
strong vocabulary, as well as skills related to sentence structure and storytelling,
according to a study published last year in the Journal of Child Language. From
cradle to grave, body language is crucial in helping communicate our emotions and
motivations to others.
[Adapted from www.huffingtonpost.com]

Original Summarised
1. gestures are probably helping you 1. Hand gestures help express thoughts
express your thoughts more more effectively.
effectively.

English (CAPS): Summary Writing Page | 6

 2. people who 'talk' with their hands 2. People who use their hands while
tends to be viewed as warm, talking are viewed as warm,
agreeable, and energetic, while agreeable, and energetic.
those who are less animated are
seen as logical, cold, and analytical. 3. Hand gestures help make thoughts
3. Hand gestures help us take what's in intelligible to others.
our mind and make it intelligible to
others. 4. Gesturing helps people form clearer
4. Gesturing can help people form thoughts and use more declarative
clearer thoughts, speak in tighter language.
sentences, and use more declarative
language. 5. We can gather information from
5. We gather information from others' body language and determine the
body language, as well as from their importance of what is being said.
specific words because gestures
often underscore the important 6. Hand motions provide information
points someone is making. that is absent while speaking.
6. Hand motions can reveal information
that may be absent in our speech. 7. Body language helps us
7. Body language is crucial in helping communicate our emotions and
communicate our emotions and motivations to others.
motivations to others.

Final Summary
Hand gestures help express thoughts more effectively because people who use their
hands while talking are viewed as warm, agreeable, and energetic. Hand gestures
help make thoughts intelligible to others because gesturing helps people form
clearer thoughts and use more declarative language. We can gather information
from body language and determine the importance of what is being said by using
hand motions to provide information that is absent while speaking. Body language
helps us communicate our emotions and motivations to others.

Word count: 80

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Practice
Activity 1: NSC November 2022

SECTION B: SUMMARY

QUESTION 2: SUMMARISING IN YOUR OWN WORDS

TEXT C provides insights into the science behind using hand gestures. Summarise in
your own words The Gift of The Gab.

NOTE: 1. Your summary should include SEVEN points and NOT exceed 90
words.
2. You must write a fluent paragraph.
3. You are NOT required to include the title for the summary.
4. Indicate your word count at the end of your summary.

THE GIFT OF THE GAB

You are standing in an auditorium packed with friends, family, colleagues and peers.
You are about to walk onto the stage and address them. If you are shaking and
looking for the exit, you are normal. Nowadays, being able to address a crowd is no
longer the domain of the brave – if you want to get ahead in your career, you need
to master it.

You do not have to write out your speech word by word but get the headline, three
key points and the concluding sentence on paper and put bullet points under each.
Then run through it and note which of your bullet points are relevant and can be
included in your speech. Adapt your notes and try again. Without this kind of
preparation, you will not have a structured speech.

If you film yourself, you will be able to see the points of your speech that need
attention. Having a camera on hand is useful. This is how you will see the points that
need work and how you can improve your delivery. It will also teach you this: most
of the information the audience will take away will be from your energy, a little will
be from your tone and a fraction will be from your words. Once you have sorted out
the words, focus on how to exude the right energy. Do you need confidence, gravitas
or humour?

Five minutes before a talk, try to recall a success you have had, focusing on the
details of that success. Being confident about the delivery of your speech will assist
to bring that feeling of competence to life.

We cannot speak without breath, yet it is the first thing we let go of when we are
nervous. Settle your breathing before you start. If you lose control of your breath in
the middle, say, 'Let's take a moment to think about the last point.' That gives you a
pause point to collect your breath and no one will be any wiser.
The only way to get over a fear of public speaking is to do it, again and again. You
will have good experiences and bad ones but, if you do it enough, you will realise
that occasionally, it is fun.

[Adapted from Psychologies, December 2019]

TOTAL SECTION B: 10

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 Answers to activity 1

SECTION B: SUMMARY

QUESTION 2: SUMMARISING IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Use the following main points that the candidate should include in the
summary as a guideline.

Any 7 valid points are to be credited in paragraph-form.

(Sentences and/or sentence fragments must be coherent.)

NO QUOTATIONS NO POINTS
1 'You do not have to write out your 1 The planning for the
speech word by word but get the speech must include a
headline, three key points and the headline, key/main points and
concluding sentence on paper and put a conclusion.
bullet points under each.'
2 'Then run through it and note which of 2 A public speaker should
your bullet points are relevant and can be focus on including important
included in your speech.' and relevant points in the
speech.
3 'Adapt your notes and try again.' 3 In order to be effective, a
speaker should make
changes to her/his notes
and rehearse again.
4 'If you film yourself, you will be able to 4 It is important to observe
see the points of your speech that need oneself objectively in order
attention.' to improve the content of the
speech.
5 'Once you have sorted out the words, 5 It is important to work on an
focus on how to exude the right energy.' effective delivery of the
speech.
6 'Five minutes before a talk, try to recall a 6 Public speakers should focus
success you have had, focusing on the on past success to build
details of that success.' confidence and competence.
7 'Being confident about the delivery of 7 A confident delivery of a
your speech will assist to bring that speech indicates
feeling of competence to life.' competence.
8 'Settle your breathing before you start.' 8 A speaker should control
her/his breathing prior to
speaking.
9 'If you lose control of your breath in the 9 A speaker should regulate
middle, say, "Let's take a moment to her/his breathing by taking
think about the last point." That gives you unobtrusive pauses.
a pause point to collect your breath
and no one will be any wiser.'
10 'The only way to get over a fear of 10 Greater exposure to
public speaking is to do it, again and speaking opportunities boosts
again.' one's confidence.

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 PARAGRAPH-FORM

NOTE: What follows is merely an example. It is not prescriptive and must be used
very carefully.

A public speaker should work toward a clear structure which includes a headline,
main points and a conclusion. The key to an effective delivery is making notes and
adapting them. Self-observation assists one to identify points on which to work and
improve. Practise the effective delivery of a speech. In order to build confidence and
competence, focus on past successes and take opportunities to address groups of
people. A speaker should control her/his breathing prior to speaking. Public
speakers should regulate their breathing by taking unobtrusive pauses. (87 words)

Marking the summary:

Marking is on the basis of the inclusion of valid material and the exclusion of invalid
material.

The summary should be marked as follows:

• Mark allocation:
o 7 marks for 7 points (1 mark per main point)
o 3 marks for language
o Total marks: 10

• Distribution of language marks when candidate has not quoted verbatim:

o 1–3 points correct: award 1 mark
o 4–5 points correct: award 2 marks
o 6–7 points correct: award 3 marks

• Distribution of language marks when candidate has quoted verbatim:

o 6–7 quotations: award no language mark
o 4–5 quotations: award 1 language mark
o 2–3 quotations: award 2 language marks

NOTE:

• Word Count:
o Markers are required to verify the number of words used.
o o Do not deduct any marks if the candidate fails to indicate the number of
words used or if the number of words used is indicated incorrectly. If the word
limit is exceeded, read up to the last sentence above the stipulated upper limit
and ignore the rest of the summary

TOTAL SECTION B: 10

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Practice
Activity 2: NSC November 2021

SECTION B: SUMMARY

QUESTION 2: SUMMARISING IN YOUR OWN WORDS

TEXT C provides insights into the science behind using hand gestures. Summarise in
your own words, the research undertaken on fake news.

NOTE: 1. Your summary should include SEVEN points and NOT exceed 90
words.
2. You must write a fluent paragraph.
3. You are NOT required to include the title for the summary.
4. Indicate your word count at the end of your summary.

WHY FAKE NEWS ON SOCIAL MEDIA TRAVELS FASTER THAN THE TRUTH

False news is more novel than true news, and that may be why we share the false much faster
and more widely. Prominent responses to false news include surprise, fear and disgust. True
news tends to be met with sadness, joy, anticipation and trust. Humans are more likely than
automated processes to be responsible for the spread of fake news.

Researchers have studied what they term 'rumour cascades'. A cascade starts with a Twitter
user making an assertion about a topic – with words, images or links – and continues in an
unbroken chain of retweets. The researchers analysed cascades about news stories that six
fact-checking organisations agreed were true or agreed were false. The study found that
'falsehood diffused significantly farther, faster, deeper and more broadly than truth in all
categories of information'. Of all categories of fake news, false political news reached more
people faster and went deeper into the networks than any other category of false information.

The study compared the emotional content of replies to true and false rumours by using about
32 000 Twitter hashtags and a lexicon of about 140 000 English words that are associated with
eight basic emotions: anger, fear, anticipation, trust, surprise, sadness, joy and disgust. Were
automated processes, or 'bots', the main culprits in spreading falsity? No – the researchers
found that humans were responsible for spreading false news.

The researchers were more interested in identifying the factors that spread true and false news;
they included interviews with users, surveys, lab experiments and neuro-imaging. The
researchers' paper points to some obvious reasons to look deeper. False news can drive
misallocation of resources during terror attacks and natural disasters, the misalignment of
business investments, and misinformed elections.

More openness by the social media giants and greater collaboration by them with suitably
qualified partners in tackling the problem of fake news is essential. Traditional journalists are
potential partners too. Since they find, check and disseminate news, they are well placed to
assess the reliability of the reports that they receive. They also attract masses of comments
online and generate discussions on social media platforms – they have a clear incentive to
maintain trust in their own contributions to democratic life.

[Adapted from theguardian.com]

TOTAL SECTION B: 10

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 Answers to activity 2

SECTION B: SUMMARY

QUESTION 2: SUMMARISING IN YOUR OWN WORDS

Use the following main points that the candidate should include in the
summary as a guideline.

Any 7 valid points are to be credited in paragraph-form.

(Sentences and/or sentence fragments must be coherent.)

NO QUOTATIONS NO POINTS
1 'Researchers have studied what they 1 Researchers focused on the
term 'rumour cascades'. A cascade starts chain reaction caused by a
with a Twitter user making an assertion point made by a Twitter user.
about a topic – with words, images or
links – and continues in an unbroken
chain of retweets.'
2 'The researchers analysed cascades 2 Organisations were
about news stories that six fact-checking appointed by the researchers
organisations agreed were true or to verify the authenticity of
agreed were false.' the stories.
3 'The study found that 'falsehood diffused 3 Research revealed that false
significantly farther, faster, deeper and news spread more rapidly
more broadly than truth in all and pervasively than
categories of information.' authentic news.
4 'Of all categories of fake news, false 4 Fabricated political news
political news reached more people spreads faster than any other
faster and went deeper into the kind of untrue news.
networks than a n y other category of
false information.'
5 'The study compared the emotional 5 Researchers analysed replies
content of replies to true and false to rumours by studying
rumours by using about 32 000 Twitter hashtags and emotionally-
hashtags and a lexicon of about 140 000 charged words.
English words that are associated with
eight basic emotions: anger, fear,
anticipation, trust, surprise, sadness, joy
and disgust.'
6 'Were automated processes, or 'bots', 6 People, not robots, are
the main culprits in spreading falsity? No responsible for spreading
– the researchers found that humans were fake news.
responsible for spreading false news.'
7 'The researchers were more interested in 7 Various methodologies were
identifying the factors that spread true used to isolate the factors
and false n e w s ; t h e y included causing the spread of fake
interviews with users, surveys, lab news.
experiments and neuro- imaging.'
8 'False news can drive misallocation of 8 False news can lead to
resources during terror attacks and devastating financial and
natural disasters; the misalignment of political consequences for

English (CAPS): Summary Writing Page | 12

 business investments, and misinformed society.
elections.'
9 ‘More openness by the social media 9 It is essential for social media
giants and greater collaboration by them giants to work together with
with suitably qualified partners in all concerned to deal with
tackling the problem of fake news is fake news.
essential.’
10 ‘Traditional journalists are potential 10 Research indicates that
partners too. Since they find, check and journalists can be useful in
disseminate news, they are well placed checking the reliability of
to assess the reliability of the reports they news items.
receive.’
11 ‘They also attract masses of comments 11 Journalists have to maintain
online and generate discussions on social trust in their own
media platforms – they have a clear contributions as they
incentive to maintain trust in their own generate online discussions.
contributions to
democratic life.’

PARAGRAPH-FORM

NOTE: What follows is merely an example. It is not prescriptive and must be used
very carefully.

Researchers focused on the chain reaction caused by Twitter users. Subsequently,

organisations were appointed by the researchers to verify the stories' authenticity.
Research revealed that false news, particularly fabricated political news, spreads
more rapidly and pervasively than authentic news. Researchers analysed replies to
rumours by studying hashtags and emotionally charged words. Various
methodologies were used to isolate the factors causing the spread of fake news:
people, not robots, are responsible for spreading fake news, which can lead to
devastating financial and political consequences for society. /It is essential for social
media giants to work together with all concerned to deal with fake news.
Journalists, too, have to ensure the authenticity of the news that they receive and
share.
(84/ 33 words)

Marking the summary:

Marking is on the basis of the inclusion of valid material and the exclusion of invalid
material.

The summary should be marked as follows:

• Mark allocation:
o 7 marks for 7 points (1 mark per main point)
o 3 marks for language
o Total marks: 10

• Distribution of language marks when candidate has not quoted verbatim:

o 1–3 points correct: award 1 mark
o 4–5 points correct: award 2 marks

English (CAPS): Summary Writing Page | 13

 o 6–7 points correct: award 3 marks

• Distribution of language marks when candidate has quoted verbatim:

o 6–7 quotations: award no language mark
o 4–5 quotations: award 1 language mark
o 2–3 quotations: award 2 language marks

NOTE:

• Word Count:
o Markers are required to verify the number of words used.
o o Do not deduct any marks if the candidate fails to indicate the number of
words used or if the number of words used is indicated incorrectly. If the word
limit is exceeded, read up to the last sentence above the stipulated upper limit
and ignore the rest of the summary

TOTAL SECTION B: 10

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