Climate change is one of the most critical challenges humanity faces today, impacting various aspects of our planet. One of the most significant repercussions is its effect on freshwater resources, which is essential for both human survival and ecosystem stability. In this article, we’ll explore a practice question for the Summarize Written Text task in PTE, focusing on how climate change affects freshwater systems.
This task will not only help you practice for the PTE exam but also provide insights into the broader issue of water resource management. Given the growing concern about the Climate change effects on freshwater resources, this topic becomes increasingly important in real-life scenarios and standardized tests.
Sample Question: Climate Change Effects on Freshwater Resources
The provided text below discusses the impact of global climate change on the planet’s freshwater resources. Summarize it in one sentence.
Global climate change has significantly affected freshwater resources, with rising temperatures causing the reduction of glacier-fed water supplies, altering rainfall patterns, and increasing droughts and floods. Glaciers worldwide are shrinking at alarming rates, affecting millions of people who rely on them for fresh water. Moreover, climate change has led to erratic weather patterns, severely altering regional water availability. Areas that were once fertile and moist are becoming drier, while regions often deemed arid are experiencing flash floods. Additionally, excessive greenhouse gas emissions lead to ocean acidification and rising sea levels, which further threaten freshwater ecosystems by introducing saltwater intrusion into coastal aquifers. The cumulative toll that these factors are taking on the planet’s freshwater sources is posing possible threats to agriculture, public health, and biodiversity.
Summarize the text in one sentence.
Sample Responses
Band 79+ Response:
The text explains that climate change significantly disrupts freshwater resources by shrinking glaciers, altering rainfall patterns, and increasing droughts and floods, which endanger agriculture, public health, and biodiversity.
Content: This response covers all major points, including changes in glaciers, rainfall patterns, droughts, floods, and the effects on agriculture, public health, and biodiversity.
Form: The length is appropriate (one sentence).
Grammar: Complete sentence without any errors.
Vocabulary: Advanced vocabulary such as “disrupts,” “endanger,” and “altering.”
Spelling: No spelling mistakes.
Band 65-78 Response:
The passage discusses how climate change is causing glaciers to shrink, changing rainfall, and causing droughts and floods that threaten freshwater resources and agriculture.
Content: It addresses the main ideas but misses the details about ocean acidification and biodiversity.
Form: Sentence is concise and to the point.
Grammar: Grammatically correct.
Vocabulary: Less advanced vocabulary but effective, such as “causing” and “threaten.”
Spelling: No spelling errors.
Band 50-64 Response:
Climate change is affecting freshwater by shrinking glaciers and causing more droughts and floods.
Content: This response covers only a minimal portion of the text, omitting critical issues like public health, agriculture, and biodiversity.
Form: Although it’s one sentence, the sentence is too simplistic.
Grammar: No grammatical errors, but lacks sentence complexity.
Vocabulary: Very basic, such as “affecting,” “causing.”
Spelling: No spelling mistakes.
Band Below 50:
Freshwater is shrinking because of climate change.
Content: It only briefly mentions freshwater, without covering any other important details from the text.
Form: Extremely short and lacking sufficient information.
Grammar: Correct but overly simplistic.
Vocabulary: Very basic and too vague.
Spelling: No errors, but far too simplistic.
Vocabulary and Grammar
To successfully answer the Summarize Written Text task on topics such as climate change, mastering specific vocabulary is crucial. Below are 10 advanced words used in the above text:
-
Glacier /ˈɡlæsjər/: A large mass of ice, typically found in polar regions or high mountains.
Example: The shrinking of glaciers is leading to a fresh water crisis. -
Acidification /əˌsɪdɪfɪˈkeɪʃən/: The process by which something becomes more acidic, especially in the context of the oceans.
Example: Human activities are causing ocean acidification, which negatively affects marine life. -
Erratic /ɪˈrætɪk/: Unpredictable or irregular.
Example: Climate change has created erratic rainfall patterns, disrupting water supplies. -
Aquifer /ˈækwɪfər/: A body of permeable rock that can contain or transmit groundwater.
Example: The aquifer in our region is drying up due to years of drought. -
Biodiversity /ˌbaɪəʊdaɪˈvɜːrsɪti/: The variety of plant and animal life in a particular habitat.
Example: The loss of freshwater is threatening biodiversity across the globe. -
Intrusion /ɪnˈtruːʒən/: The act of entering a place or situation unnaturally or unwelcome.
Example: Saltwater intrusion is compromising coastal freshwater reserves. -
Drought /draʊt/: A long period of abnormally low rainfall.
Example: The severe drought has left thousands without enough water. -
Emissions /ɪˈmɪʃənz/: The release of substances, especially gases, into the atmosphere.
Example: Reducing carbon emissions is essential to mitigate climate change effects. -
Fertile /ˈfɜːrtaɪl/: Capable of producing abundant vegetation or crops.
Example: Over time, fertile land may become barren due to climate shifts. -
Greenhouse gases /ˈgreenhaʊs ˈɡæsɪz/: Gases that contribute to the greenhouse effect by absorbing infrared radiation.
Example: The increase in greenhouse gases is causing global temperatures to rise.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Summarize Written Text task in PTE requires you to understand key ideas in a passage and condense them into a coherent single sentence. As shown, climate change’s effects on freshwater resources, including shrinking glaciers, altered rainfall patterns, and saltwater intrusion, are becoming increasingly discussed in both academic and exam contexts.
Practice makes perfect, and to improve further, use various sources on related topics like Public health and clean water access or Water resource management in drought regions for more practice resources.
