Most students will look forward to garnering all 15 marks for the Secondary 2 English summary. It can be an immensely gratifying experience to have that in the bag!
And for those of you who score above 10 but never really hit the top score, please read my tips carefully!
Every tip is measured to meet the Secondary 2 English exam expectations, so please consider each one carefully.
The main point to consider is the Secondary 2 English comprehension passage. When you read the question, it only reveals the paragraphs to focus on.
So how do you ace the summary portion? There are 4 useful tips to tackling the Secondary 2 English summary.
#1 How do you Locate your Points?
The selection of points should be based on the keywords in the Secondary 2 English question.
That means you have to read the question carefully.
Focus on the points it is mentioning. Then focus on words that closely match the keywords or explain the keywords via examples and elaborations.
This is the tricky part as some explanations are convoluted and prolonged. Not every part of the example needs to be included. And you need to use a collective word to summarise the point.
The end result is that you need to answer the summary question. Did you focus on what it is asking you to do? Streamline your answers according to the demands of the Secondary 2 English question.
When you write, do not just follow the way it is presented in the text. The flow of content may be different from what the question is asking.
You may need to change the way you write the answers to match the question. It is the same as in your comprehension questions where you need to write according to the question and not simply copy from the text.
This is a crucial element and helps you to have a perfect score.
#2 How do you streamline your answers?
Apply some simple strategies. Look out for the keywords in the Secondary 2 English question.
Do you see a repetitive pattern in the text linking to these words? You need to be observant and study this pattern carefully. Once you are sure, start underlining these points.
The total number of points selected should be 8-10. I mention 8-10 because of the supplementary points that enlarge a point. This actually branches off from the main point and embellishes it.
Therefore, the selection of your points and the way you write it according to the question is the first major step in writing your summary.
#3 Paraphrase
The Secondary 2 English summary question clearly states that you should not copy the text in your answer. You need to use your own words.
That does not mean you have to substitute every word. You just have to make it look as if there are some changes.
How do you Paraphrase?
After locating the main points, target the adjectives. Adjective phrases are the easiest to change. If you only focus on these, it will look as if you have paraphrased the text completely.
Look out for adjectives that describe how the action flows or focus on the character. Aim at preserving the original meaning while substituting the words.
Your job is to keep the content as similar as possible while changing the words. The point of all this is to not only shorten the text but to reveal that you understand it fully.
When you have finished substituting the sentence/s, check to ensure that the information is valid and accurate. Does it follow the concerns of the text? When you paraphrased, did you change the original content to add something else? Is the original meaning clear?
Ask yourself these questions. Never add extra content of your own or substitute to reveal slightly different views. Keep to the text as strictly as possible.
#4 Editing
This is an add-on to the Paraphrasing portion. Editing is basically to weed out unnecessary information or reduce it while keeping the original content.
When you edit, you need to leave out several words. Not every point can be kept in its entirety. What do you leave out? What do you retain? How much do you eliminate? These should be your concerns while editing.
The main point in editing is that you need to reduce the word count to 80 words. That is one of the main prerequisites of your Secondary 2 English summary question.
Reducing to just the correct amount of words while retaining the original meaning should be your main priority while attempting your answer.
You just need to edit it a few times in order to arrive at the correct sum of points that answer the question correctly.
These are the main elements of any summary answer.
Just stick to these 3 main tips and follow through assiduously.
You will have a really good answer on your hands. Good luck! 🙂