IGCSE English Language Resource The Summary Question 1

IGCSE English Language Resource The Summary Question 1

First Steps �Read the question – twice! �Underline what the question is asking you to find in the text. �In these activities, you are looking for 10 content points, worth 10 marks. �A further five marks are available for writing. �There will be more than ten points you could make.

Second Step �Read the text. �Underline any lines in the text that you feel answer the question. �Discard / ignore the rest. �Number them so you know you have at least ten content points.

Next Step �The summary asks you to use your own words as much as possible, so look through lines you have underlined and try to change one or two words to another word. �Some are easy, e. g. ‘ 50%’ = ‘half’. �‘Rising’ = ‘increasing’. �‘Severe = ‘bad’.

Exercise 1 Read, carefully, the passage Mystery of Sydney Disaster II Solved answer the following questions: There are two parts to this question – what are they, in your own words?

Do these paragraphs contain any points? Highlight any relevant lines

How did you get on?

Identify the points in the following paragraphs

Have you highlighted similar points?

Ordering your points Choose ten points from those you have highlighted. Be aware of points that may be similar. For example, ‘the loss of the entire crew’ and ‘ 645 people were killed’ would not be credited as two separate points. Order your points so that they are grouped according to the two parts of the question (i. e. information about the sea battle and what happened to the Sydney II).

All points together: Note that the underlined words indicate parts of the point that must be present in order to be credited with the point. The sea battle: � (November 19 th) 1941 � Off Western Australia (waters) � Lasted 35 minutes � (Battle was) between Sydney II and the Kormoran � Sydney II thought Kormoran was friendly / Kormoran in disguise � Sydney II requested a secret call sign / Kormoran fired first (Sydney II returned fire) � Both ships sank � Biggest ever Australian naval disaster What happened to Sydney II: � Bridge (superstructure) destroyed / senior officers (most probably) killed by first shots / early on � Hit by torpedo (at the front) / caused flooding � Forward guns put of action / ship disabled � Sydney II limped away / sank a few hours later / after the battle � Lost entire crew / 645 deaths

Writing your draft Try to write your response in as few words as you can, using your own words wherever possible. Take a look at the grade descriptors to see what you are aiming for:

Example Response ✓ The Sydney II Disaster was a 35 minute battle that took place off the coast of ✓ ✓ ✓ Western Australia in 1941, between the Sydney II and the Kormoran, . It was ✓ ✓ Australia’s worst naval disaster, resulting in the sinking of both ships. The ✓ ✓ Kormoran, believed to have been an ally, is said to have fired the first shot. ✓ ✓ ✓ The Sydney II was torpedoed at the front, demolishing its bridge and disabling ✓ ✓ the whole ship. It sank after a few hours, killing the entire crew. (82 words)

Exercise Two- have a go yourself Read, carefully, the following extracts from the passage: 3, 200 Left on Earth and answer the questions that follow. Remember to highlight and annotate the extract before attempting to answer the question.

3, 200 Left on Earth (Part 2)

The Final Points – Part 1

The Final Points – Part 2

Final Task Based on what you have read so far in your textbook and in the available resources, produce a factsheet for fellow IGCSE students outlining your top tips for summary writing. Remember to keep it concise! Good luck : o)