Summarize Written Text: Youth Unemployment and Job Creation in PTE

Summarize Written Text is a vital component of the PTE (Pearson Test of English) Speaking & Writing section. It evaluates a candidate’s reading and writing skills by offering a paragraph for summary. One topic that often shows up in the test is Youth Unemployment And Job Creation. This global challenge requires complex solutions, making it popular in Summarize Written Text questions. In this article, we’ll explore this further through sample questions and responses that will help you effectively practice for the exam.

Sample Summarize Written Text Question: Youth Unemployment and Job Creation

Instructions:

Read the following paragraph. Summarize it in one sentence, including the main points of the text. You should write between 5 and 75 words.

The unemployment crisis among youth is considered one of the most pressing socio-economic challenges worldwide. Rising unemployment rates among young people have brought about negative consequences such as increased poverty, social exclusion, and mental health issues. To combat this, governments, NGOs, and businesses have begun implementing various job creation initiatives, including educational reforms, vocational training programs, and digital entrepreneurship opportunities. However, these efforts need to be scaled up globally in order to achieve significant results.

Sample Answers According to PTE Band Scores

Band 90 (Perfect Score):

To address the global challenge of youth unemployment, initiatives such as educational reforms, vocational training, and digital entrepreneurship programs have been implemented, but a global scaling of these efforts is necessary for substantial impact.

Evaluation:

• Content: All major points (unemployment crisis, job creation initiatives, scaling up) are clearly summarized.
• Form: Single sentence, between 5-75 words.
• Grammar: Well-structured with grammatically accurate clauses.
• Vocabulary: Appropriate academic vocabulary used (e.g., “initiatives”, “substantial”, “global scaling”).
• Spelling: No spelling errors.

Band 65-79 (High Score):

Youth unemployment is a growing global issue, and though measures like educational reforms and training programs have been introduced, more global effort is needed to achieve effective results.

Evaluation:

• Content: Correctly identifies solutions (educational reforms, training programs) but simplifies the description slightly.
• Form: Fits the form requirement, concise and clear.
• Grammar: Contains one less-complex sentence structure but is grammatically accurate.
• Vocabulary: Slightly less advanced vocabulary compared to the Band 90 answer.
• Spelling: No spelling issues.

Band 50-64 (Moderate Score):

Many problems face youth due to a rise in unemployment, and while some programs have been made to help, more needs to be done globally.

Evaluation:

• Content: Key ideas present but lacks specific details (e.g., types of programs, importance of scalability).
• Form: Uses a valid sentence structure.
• Grammar: Simple grammar without any complex sentence formation.
• Vocabulary: Limited academic vocabulary, lacks precision.
• Spelling: No spelling mistakes.

Band 30-49 (Low Score):

There are job creation programs being made for youth unemployment, but it’s not enough.

Evaluation:

• Content: Over-simplifies the content and misses essential details (such as the impact of unemployment, the role of governments).
• Form: Fits the form requirement but could be more informative.
• Grammar: Correct grammar but extremely simplistic.
• Vocabulary: Very basic vocabulary with no academic terms.
• Spelling: No spelling errors.

Vocabulary and Grammar Breakdown

Here are 10 essential words and phrases from the passage above with their meanings and examples:

1. Unemployment /ˌʌnɪmˈplɔɪmənt/
   Noun: The state of being without a job.
   Example: “Youth unemployment is a major challenge in developing countries.”

2. Vocational /voʊˈkeɪʃənəl/
   Adjective: Relating to an occupation or employment.
   Example: “Vocational training programs help individuals learn practical skills for work.”

3. Initiatives /ɪˈnɪʃətɪvz/
   Noun: New plans or actions aiming to solve a particular problem.
   Example: “Governments worldwide are introducing initiatives to combat youth joblessness.”

4. Poverty /ˈpɑːvərti/
   Noun: The state of being extremely poor.
   Example: “Youth poverty worsens when unemployment rates rise.”

5. Digital Entrepreneurship /ˈdɪdʒɪtl ˌɑːntrəprəˈnɜːrʃɪp/
   Noun Phrase: The process of starting businesses based on digital technologies.
   Example: “Digital entrepreneurship is increasingly seen as a viable solution for young job seekers.”

6. Scaled up /skeɪld ʌp/
   Phrasal Verb: To increase the size or scope of something.
   Example: “Job creation programs need to be scaled up to tackle global unemployment.”

7. Socio-economic /ˌsoʊsi.oʊiːˈkɑːnəmɪk/
   Adjective: Relating to both social and economic factors.
   Example: “Youth unemployment causes several socio-economic problems.”

8. Combat /ˈkɑːmbæt/
   Verb: To fight or struggle against (something).
   Example: “Efforts to combat youth joblessness are underway.”

9. Consequences /ˈkɑːnsəkwənsɪz/
   Noun: Results or effects of an action or condition.
   Example: “The negative consequences of rising unemployment are far-reaching.”

10. Mental health issues /ˈmɛntəl hɛlθ ˈɪʃuːz/
    Noun Phrase: Problems related to an individual’s mental well-being.
    Example: “Unemployment has been linked to an increase in mental health issues among youth.”

Conclusion

The topic of Youth Unemployment and Job Creation is relevant and frequently appears in the Summarize Written Text section of the PTE exam. Practicing this type of question is crucial for achieving high scores, as it requires carefully analyzing a text and condensing its main ideas into a single sentence. The sample question and responses provided above offer different levels of performance and demonstrate what you can expect in the exam.

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