The Summarize Written Text section in the PTE Speaking & Writing test evaluates your ability to condense large bodies of text into a single sentence while capturing the key points. Smart Cities And Future Infrastructure are popular topics often discussed in this section due to their relevance in modern society and global development. Below, we will provide a sample exercise on this topic, complete with example answers by various band scores and an analysis of vocabulary and grammar.
Sample Task 1: Smart Cities and Future Infrastructure
Task Prompt:
Smart cities are emerging as a vital concept for sustainable development. These cities use technology and data to optimize urban services, reduce energy consumption, and improve the quality of life for their residents. By integrating the Internet of Things (IoT), smart cities can create interconnected infrastructures where traffic, healthcare, energy management, and security systems operate seamlessly. Future infrastructure in smart cities will focus on green technologies, using renewable energy sources, smart grids, and sustainable materials. This will not only minimize environmental impact but also drive economic growth and innovation, ensuring cities remain both habitable and competitive as populations grow rapidly.
Summarize the text in one sentence. Your response must be between 5 and 75 words.
Sample Answers by Band Score
Answer for Band Score 90 (Excellent)
Smart cities leverage technology and IoT to create efficient, interconnected urban ecosystems while focusing on sustainability and renewable energy to enhance quality of life and economic growth.
Analysis:
- Content: Complete and precise. All key points such as IoT, sustainability, and quality of life are included.
- Form: The structure is clear and concise. The word count is within the required limit.
- Grammar: Free of grammatical errors.
- Vocabulary: Advanced, using terms like “leverage”, “interconnected”, and “ecosystems”.
- Spelling: Correct.
Answer for Band Score 79 (Good)
Smart cities combine technology, IoT, and renewable energy to improve services and promote sustainable urban living.
Analysis:
- Content: Covers most important details such as technology, IoT, and sustainability, but omits economic growth.
- Form: Correct structure and word limit.
- Grammar: No major mistakes.
- Vocabulary: Adequate, but simpler compared to the Band 90 answer.
- Spelling: Correct.
Answer for Band Score 65 (Average)
Smart cities use technology for improving services and reducing environmental impact.
Analysis:
- Content: Misses several key components, such as IoT and economic growth.
- Form: Proper sentence structure.
- Grammar: Grammatically sound but lacks complexity.
- Vocabulary: Basic words, though it could be more descriptive.
- Spelling: Correct.
Answer for Band Score 50 (Below Average)
Smart cities use technology to be better for the future.
Analysis:
- Content: Incomplete — lacks specific details such as IoT, sustainability, and economic growth.
- Form: Sentence is short and too vague.
- Grammar: Simple sentence without complex structures.
- Vocabulary: Extremely simple and lacks precision.
- Spelling: Correct.
Vocabulary and Grammar Focus
Below are 10 challenging words from the prompt that may be unfamiliar to candidates, along with their pronunciation, definitions, and an example sentence.
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Vital (ˈvaɪ.təl) – Extremely important or necessary.
- Renewable energy technology is vital for the development of smart cities.
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Optimize (ˈɒp.tɪ.maɪz) – To make the best or most effective use of a situation, opportunity, or resource.
- Cities are optimizing their services through the use of technology.
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Seamlessly (ˈsiːm.ləs.li) – Smoothly and continuously, without any visible interruptions.
- Traffic, healthcare, energy management, and security systems work seamlessly in smart cities.
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Interconnected (ˌɪn.tər.kəˈnɛk.tɪd) – Having all parts connected.
- Smart cities have interconnected infrastructures that work together efficiently.
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Infrastructure (ˈɪn.frəˌstrʌk.tʃər) – The basic physical and organizational structures needed for the operation of a society.
- Future infrastructure will emphasize green technologies and smart grids.
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Sustainable (səˈsteɪ.nə.bəl) – Able to be maintained at a certain rate or level, especially without causing harm to the environment.
- Sustainable materials are essential for the future infrastructure of smart cities.
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Renewable (rɪˈnjuːə.bəl) – Energy resources that can be replenished naturally.
- Smart cities rely on renewable energy sources like solar and wind power.
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Minimize (ˈmɪn.ɪ.maɪz) – To reduce something to the smallest amount or degree.
- Smart grids help to minimize waste and energy consumption.
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Innovation (ˌɪn.əˈveɪ.ʃən) – The introduction of new ideas, methods, or devices.
- Economic growth in smart cities is driven by technological innovation.
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Competitiveness (kəmˈpɛ.tɪ.tɪv.nəs) – The ability to compete successfully.
- Smart cities enhance their competitiveness by embracing advanced technologies.
Conclusion
Smart cities and future infrastructure are important and recurrent topics in the PTE Summarize Written Text tasks. These sample prompts, answers, and analyses can give you a better understanding of how to approach different band scores in your answers. Additionally, focusing on improving your vocabulary and grammatical accuracy will contribute significantly to your success in this section. Keep practicing and leave a comment if you have questions or need further clarification.
