The rise of autonomous vehicles has sparked debates on ethical, legal, and societal implications, making it a common topic in the PTE exam, particularly in the Summarize Written Text section. Understanding issues surrounding self-driving technology is crucial for students preparing for the PTE academic test to successfully tackle such prompts. The ethical discussions are broad, ranging from accountability in accidents to questions of moral decision-making by machines, making it a complex yet relevant subject matter.
In this guide, we’ll provide a valuable sample task for the Summarize Written Text portion, analyze responses across various band levels, and discuss vocabulary and grammar usage to help students practice and improve their skills. You’ll also find tips for effectively summarizing content related to autonomous vehicles.
Sample Summarize Written Text Based on “The Ethics of Autonomous Vehicles”
The text below should be summarized in one sentence comprising between 5-75 words. Your response will be great practice for the actual PTE Speaking and Writing test.
Prompt:
As autonomous vehicles become more prevalent, ethical dilemmas arise about how they should behave in life-threatening situations. One concern is the “trolley problem,” where a vehicle must choose between minimizing harm to passengers or pedestrians. Furthermore, there are questions regarding ownership of responsibility in cases of accidents caused by such vehicles. Should the manufacturers, software developers, or the vehicle owners be held accountable? In addition, the deployment of these vehicles raises concerns about the potential loss of jobs for drivers and the socioeconomic impacts on industries reliant on human-operated vehicles.
Summarize Written Text:
Band 90 (High-proficient response):
Autonomous vehicles present ethical dilemmas regarding decision-making in life-threatening situations, accountability in accidents, and the socioeconomic impacts of displacing human drivers.
Analysis:
- Content: The summary covers all the major ideas, including ethical dilemmas, responsibility issues, and socioeconomic concerns.
- Form: The response is within the required word limit and uses one complete sentence.
- Grammar: Grammar is correct with clear, concise phrasing.
- Vocabulary: The use of words like “ethical dilemmas,” “accountability,” and “socioeconomic impacts” shows good range and precision.
- Spelling: No spelling mistakes are present.
Band 75 (Proficient response):
Ethical issues surrounding autonomous cars include decision-making in dangerous situations, determining who is responsible for accidents, and concerns about job loss for drivers.
Analysis:
- Content: This answer adequately captures most of the main points; however, it lacks the mention of the socioeconomic impacts on related industries.
- Form: The answer is a single sentence and within the word count.
- Grammar: The sentence is grammatically correct, but more complex structure could enhance clarity.
- Vocabulary: Good range, although “drivers” instead of “human drivers” slightly narrows the scope.
- Spelling: No spelling errors.
Band 65 (Competent response):
Autonomous vehicles raise important ethical issues about who is responsible for accidents and how they affect jobs.
Analysis:
- Content: The summary covers some key points (responsibility and job loss), but it omits the critical aspect of decision-making in life-threatening scenarios and socioeconomic impacts.
- Form: The sentence is well-formed grammatically and within the word limit.
- Grammar: Grammar is accurate, but sentence structure is basic.
- Vocabulary: Basic vocabulary is used, missing more precise terms like “accountability” or “socioeconomic.”
- Spelling: No errors.
Band 50 (Limited response):
Self-driving cars cause ethical issues regarding accidents and jobs.
Analysis:
- Content: This summary is too brief and does not address critical points, such as the ethical decision-making aspect or broader socioeconomic concerns.
- Form: The answer is within the word limit, but it’s overly simplistic.
- Grammar: The sentence is grammatical, but lacks complexity, possibly affecting fluency.
- Vocabulary: The use of “cause” could be replaced with a more precise ethical term, and the scope of concern is limited.
- Spelling: Correct spelling.
Vocabulary and Grammar Breakdown
Here are ten key terms from the passage to enhance your understanding and language skills for the PTE exam:
-
Autonomous (ɔːˈtɒnəməs): (adj.) Independent; self-governing.
Example: Autonomous vehicles can drive without human intervention. -
Ethical (ˈɛθɪkəl): (adj.) Related to moral principles.
Example: There are many ethical dilemmas when machines make decisions involving human lives. -
Trolley Problem (ˈtrɒli ˈprɒbləm): (noun) A thought experiment focusing on decisions during moral dilemmas.
Example: Autonomous vehicles might face scenarios similar to the trolley problem. -
Accountability (əˌkaʊntəˈbɪlɪti): (noun) Responsibility; the fact or condition of being accountable.
Example: In cases of accidents, the accountability may fall on the vehicle manufacturers. -
Socioeconomic (ˌsəʊsɪəʊˌɛkəˈnɒmɪk): (adj.) Relating to social and economic factors.
Example: Socioeconomic impacts of automation might include job losses. -
Deployment (dɪˈplɔɪmənt): (noun) The action of bringing something into effective action.
Example: The deployment of autonomous vehicles may disrupt traditional industries. -
Manufacturers (ˌmænjʊˈfæktʃərərz): (noun) Companies that produce complex products.
Example: Manufacturers of autonomous vehicles may be held liable for accidents. -
Software Developers (ˈsɒftwɛə dɪˈvɛləpərz): (noun) People who create and maintain software applications.
Example: The software developers behind the vehicle’s AI could be responsible. -
Legal Implications (ˈliːɡəl ˌɪmplɪˈkeɪʃənz): (noun) The consequences of the law in certain actions.
Example: There are significant legal implications for accidents involving self-driving cars. -
Moral Decision-Making (ˈmɒrəl dɪˈsɪʒən ˈmeɪkɪŋ): (noun) The process of making decisions based on what is ethically right.
Example: Moral decision-making by AI is a contentious issue in the design of these vehicles.
Conclusion
The Ethics Of Autonomous Vehicles is a complex and highly relevant topic in both real-world debates and PTE Summarize Written Text tasks. Mastering the ability to condense such content effectively will undoubtedly help aspirants perform well in their PTE exams. By regularly practicing with such prompts, including reflecting on ethical challenges like autonomous vehicle decisions, you can improve your ability to produce concise and coherent summaries. If you found this task useful and want to explore more, consider reading about the Future of artificial intelligence ethics to deepen your understanding of emerging technologies and their impact on society.
