Summarize Written Text Practice for PTE Exam: Renewable Energy’s Impact on Electricity Prices

Overview of Summarize Written Text in PTE Exam

Summarize Written Text (SWT) is one of the crucial sections in the PTE Academic exam that assesses your ability to understand a passage and summarize its key points in one sentence. In this section of the Speaking & Writing module, candidates are tasked with providing a summary of a given text within a 10-minute timeframe. Your summary should be one sentence long, between 5-75 words, and convey the main idea of the passage.

The topic of Renewable Energy’s Impact on Electricity Prices has become increasingly common in standardized exams like the PTE due to its significance in the global energy transition. Understanding how renewable energy sources impact electricity prices is an essential skill for summarizing diverse information in your exam.

Practice Summarize Written Text: Sample Passage on “Renewable Energy’s Impact on Electricity Prices”

Here is a sample task to help you practice. Summarize the following paragraph into one sentence.

Renewable energy, such as solar and wind power, is becoming the cornerstone of global energy policies, supporting the shift towards a more sustainable future. Economically, the increased integration of renewables has led to lower wholesale electricity prices due to its minimal marginal costs compared to fossil-based power. However, while renewable energy reduces the average price of electricity in the long run, it can contribute to price volatility because of its weather-dependent nature. Policy measures like energy storage solutions and grid enhancements are essential to stabilize prices and ensure a smooth transition toward greener energy systems.
Write your response in one sentence.

Sample Responses

Response for Band Score 90:

Renewable energy, despite reducing long-term electricity prices through low marginal costs, can cause short-term price volatility due to its reliance on weather, making energy storage and grid improvements crucial for price stabilization.

Effect of renewable energy on electricity prices and market volatility

Evaluation:

• Content (5/5): This summary captures all the main points, including the cost benefits of renewable energy, the issue of price volatility, and the proposed solutions.
• Form (2/2): The response is a single, well-structured sentence without errors.
• Grammar (2/2): Correct use of complex sentence structures and accurate grammar.
• Vocabulary (2/2): Includes key terms like “volatility,” “energy storage,” and “price stabilization” without being repetitive.
• Spelling (2/2): No spelling mistakes.

Response for Band Score 80:

While renewable energy lowers average electricity prices, it can also create volatility in the short term due to weather changes, and improvements in energy storage and grid technology are essential.

Evaluation:

• Content (4/5): The response summarizes main points but could be more detailed regarding “marginal costs” or “policy measures.”
• Form (2/2): One sentence as required.
• Grammar (2/2): Minor grammatical variations, but correct structure overall.
• Vocabulary (1.5/2): A good variety of vocabulary, but simpler than needed for a top band score.
• Spelling (2/2): No spelling errors.

Response for Band Score 70:

Renewable energy brings lower prices but causes price volatility, which requires improvements to energy storage to resolve.

Evaluation:

• Content (3/5): The summary is overly simplistic and misses some essential points such as fossil energy comparisons and grid enhancements.
• Form (2/2): The response is within the length requirements.
• Grammar (2/2): Simple but accurate grammar.
• Vocabulary (1/2): Limited use of advanced vocabulary terms.
• Spelling (2/2): No spelling errors.

Response for Band Score 60:

Renewable energy reduces electricity prices but leads to price fluctuation.

Evaluation:

• Content (2.5/5): This response lacks details, such as the causes of volatility and potential solutions.
• Form (2/2): Follows the one-sentence requirement.
• Grammar (2/2): Basic sentence structure, no grammatical errors.
• Vocabulary (1/2): Limited vocabulary, repetitive language.
• Spelling (2/2): No spelling mistakes.

Response for Band Score 50:

Renewable energy makes electricity cheaper.

Simplistic understanding of renewable energy's impact

Evaluation:

• Content (1.5/5): This is an insufficient response with no comprehensive understanding of the passage’s key points.
• Form (2/2): Fits the required one-sentence structure.
• Grammar (2/2): No grammatical issues, though simple.
• Vocabulary (0.5/2): Extremely limited and generic word usage that doesn’t show an understanding of the topic.
• Spelling (2/2): No errors in spelling.

Key Vocabulary and Phrases

Here are 10 challenging words or phrases from the passage, along with their meanings and usage examples:

1. Cornerstone (/ˈkɔːrnəˌstoʊn/) – A fundamental element or basis.
   Example: Education is a cornerstone of a strong society.

2. Marginal costs (/ˈmɑːrdʒɪnl kɔːsts/) – The cost of producing one additional unit of a product or service.
   Example: Renewable energy has extremely low marginal costs compared to fossil fuels.

3. Volatility (/ˌvɑːləˈtɪlɪti/) – The tendency to fluctuate widely.
   Example: The volatility of energy prices is a major challenge for the energy market.

4. Integration (/ˌɪntɪˈɡreɪʃən/) – The process of combining or adding to make a whole.
   Example: The integration of renewable energy into the grid has caused changes in market dynamics.

5. Sustainable (/səˈsteɪnəbl/) – Capable of being maintained over the long term.
   Example: Renewable energy is part of a sustainable solution to global power needs.

6. Wholesale (/ˈhoʊlseɪl/) – The sale of goods in large quantities for redistribution.
   Example: Increased renewable energy has reduced wholesale electricity prices.

7. Weather-dependent (/ˈweðər-dɪˈpɛndənt/) – Relying on or affected by weather conditions.
   Example: Solar energy is weather-dependent, functioning best in sunny climates.

8. Policy measures (/ˈpɒlɪsi ˈmɛʒəz/) – Actions taken by governments or institutions to address specific issues.
   Example: Policy measures are needed to encourage energy storage adoption.

9. Grid enhancements (/ɡrɪd ɪnˈhɑːnsmənts/) – Improvements to the electrical grid system.
   Example: Grid enhancements ensure stable energy distribution even during peak demand.

10. Transition (/trænˈzɪʃən/) – A process of change from one state to another.
    Example: The transition to renewable energy requires significant infrastructure changes.

Descriptive representation of the renewable energy transition process

Conclusion

Summarize Written Text is a critical skill in the PTE exam that requires you to identify key information and express it concisely. The topic of Renewable Energy’s Impact on Electricity Prices can frequently appear due to its global significance, and practicing with such complex topics will prepare you for various contexts. Make sure to practice regularly and focus on using accurate grammar, appropriate vocabulary, and clear sentence structure.

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