In this article, we’ll explore the topic of Youth Activism And Climate Change through practice prompts that closely resemble the real PTE Summarize Written Text tasks. Climate change is one of the most pressing issues of our time, and youth activism has played a vital role in pushing for higher accountability and action from governments and corporations. Understanding the structure and format of the Summarize Written Text challenge will prepare you better for the actual PTE exam.
Test Prompt 1: The Role of Youth in Climate Activism
Summarize the written text in one sentence. Your response should be between 5 and 75 words.
Climate change is undoubtedly a global crisis, and young people have taken leadership roles in addressing environmental issues through protests, raising awareness on social media, and mobilizing for global sustainability efforts. Movements such as Fridays for Future, led by youth climate activists like Greta Thunberg, show how youth can influence policy changes globally by demanding governmental responsibility and corporate transparency.
Sample Answers:
Band 70+ Response
Young people have become instrumental in global climate activism by participating in protests, raising awareness online, and pressuring governments and corporations through movements such as Fridays for Future to take political and environmental action.
- Content: Excellent – Covers all major points discussed in the prompt.
- Form: Follows the word limit; complete sentence.
- Grammar: Perfect sentence structure and tenses.
- Vocabulary: Advanced use of terms like “instrumental,” “pressure,” and “environmental action.”
- Spelling: Correct.
Band 50-60 Response
Youth protests and social media movements like Fridays for Future, led by activists like Greta Thunberg, are pressuring governments and companies to act on climate change issues.
- Content: Good – Covers most points but lacks the emphasis on “sustainability efforts.”
- Form: Follows word limit; complete sentence.
- Grammar: Mostly accurate but sentence could be more varied.
- Vocabulary: Good, though simpler than the higher-band response.
- Spelling: Correct.
Band 30-40 Response
Greta Thunberg and Fridays for Future movement use protests and social media to fight governments and companies for the environment.
- Content: Fair – Missing depth about raising awareness and sustainability.
- Form: Follows word limit; complete sentence.
- Grammar: Limited variety, slightly repetitive.
- Vocabulary: Basic use of language, lacks complexity in describing the movement.
- Spelling: Correct.
Youth activists protesting for climate change awareness
Test Prompt 2: Youth Influence on Environmental Policy
Summarize the written text in one sentence. Your response should be between 5 and 75 words.
Young activists are influencing global environmental policies by shaping public opinion and encouraging political leaders to adopt environmentally friendly legislation. Numerous global platforms and social media campaigns, often started by youth-led organizations, are pressuring lawmakers to prioritize renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and environmental protection, which has led to several countries setting stricter climate goals.
Sample Answers:
Band 70+ Response
Through public opinion and global platforms, young activists are successfully pushing policymakers to prioritize renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and environmental protection, resulting in stricter climate goals worldwide.
- Content: Excellent – All key details covered.
- Form: Follows word limit; concise and clear sentence.
- Grammar: Perfect structure and connectivity.
- Vocabulary: Advanced, such as “prioritize,” “renewable,” and “stricter climate goals.”
- Spelling: Correct.
Band 50-60 Response
Youth activists are pushing lawmakers to adopt renewable energy and sustainability policies through social media and public pressure, resulting in tighter climate goals in some countries.
- Content: Good – Main points covered, but less detail on different policy aspects (e.g., agriculture).
- Form: Meets criteria, though not as polished.
- Grammar: Strong but less varied sentence structure.
- Vocabulary: Good usage but could be more advanced.
- Spelling: Correct.
Band 30-40 Response
Young activists use social media to pressure governments to make rules for renewable energy and the environment around the world.
- Content: Fair – Lacks specifics and complexity about the policies mentioned.
- Form: Follows word limit; basic sentence.
- Grammar: Simple, lacks logical development.
- Vocabulary: Basic with limited expression.
- Spelling: Correct.
Youth activists influencing environmental policy through global platforms
Vocabulary and Grammar
In this section, let’s examine some of the challenging vocabulary found in the prompts above that might help in both the PTE test and general English proficiency.
-
Instrumental /ˌɪnstrəˈmentl/ – Adjective – Essential or influential in causing something to happen.
- E.g., Young activists are instrumental in raising global awareness of climate change.
-
Sustainability /səˌsteɪnəˈbɪlɪti/ – Noun – The ability to maintain or improve natural resources for future generations.
- E.g., Their focus on sustainability is crucial for long-term environmental policy.
-
Transparency /trænˈspærənsi/ – Noun – Openness, accountability.
- E.g., Governments must show transparency regarding their climate actions.
-
Renewable /rɪˈnjuːəb(ə)l/ – Adjective – Energy that comes from resources that naturally replenish.
- E.g., Many countries now focus on renewable energy sources.
-
Mobilize /ˈməʊbɪlaɪz/ – Verb – To organize or prepare something, especially for a goal.
- E.g., Youth movements aim to mobilize millions to fight against climate change.
-
Legislation /ˌlɛdʒɪsˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ – Noun – Laws, considered collectively.
- E.g., Public activists are pushing for stricter environmental legislation.
-
Agriculture /ˈæɡrɪkʌltʃər/ – Noun – The science or practice of farming.
- E.g., Sustainable agriculture is key to combating climate change.
-
Adopt /əˈdɒpt/ – Verb – To accept or begin to use something new.
- E.g., Many countries have adopted greener policies due to youth pressure.
-
Prioritize /praɪˈɒrɪtaɪz/ – Verb – To give importance to something.
- E.g., Governments must prioritize climate change to protect future generations.
-
Accountability /əˌkaʊntəˈbɪlɪti/ – Noun – Responsibility or obligation to be answerable for actions.
- E.g., Youth movements demand accountability from nations on climate action.
Conclusion
Successfully summarizing texts involving youth activism and climate change in the PTE exam requires strong knowledge of sentence structure, grammar, and vocabulary. By practicing the provided prompts and answers, candidates can train themselves to capture the main idea of a text in a concise and accurate manner, which is crucial for scoring high in the Summarize Written Text section. Youth movements such as those led by Greta Thunberg demonstrate the strength of activism in influencing global policy, highlighting the relevance of this topic to the modern world and the PTE exam.
At the same time, the impact of young voices on large societal changes highlights how they are not only shaping climate policies but also recommendable areas like Social media influence on youth, which could offer further insight in another context.
Practice, review, and persistence will lead to excellent performance in the PTE’s Summarize Written Text!