Understanding the Mental Health Crisis Issue
The mental health crisis among youth has emerged as a critical issue globally. The complexity and rising concerns surrounding this subject make it a popular choice in PTE exams. It’s essential for students to practice summarizing such pressing global phenomena efficiently. Given the increasing rates of depression, anxiety, and other mental health disorders among young people, understanding how to convey this issue in concise yet comprehensive forms is vital. For more comprehensive practice, combining resources like those tackling youth unemployment and job creation could enhance your PTE preparation related to societal issues.
Let’s move on to the sample tasks to sharpen your summarizing abilities.
Sample Summarize Written Text Tasks
Task 1
The mental health crisis among young people has escalated significantly over the past two decades. Various factors contribute to this issue, including academic pressure, social media influence, financial instability, and family dynamics. Growing evidence suggests that mental health disorders such as depression and anxiety are prevalent among youth aged twelve to twenty-four. Governments, schools, and families are striving to raise awareness about the importance of mental health by establishing support systems, including counseling services and mental health education programs. Despite these efforts, many young individuals are reluctant to seek help due to the lingering stigma associated with mental health issues. Immediate action is necessary to address this burgeoning problem and prevent long-term consequences for both individuals and societies.
Summarize the text in one sentence.
Sample Answers:
Band 90:
The mental health crisis among young people, exacerbated by various factors such as academic pressure and social media, demands immediate action from governments, schools, and families to prevent long-term damage.
Band 65:
Growing evidence shows that the mental health struggles of young people need more attention from governments and societies despite ongoing efforts to reduce stigma.
Band 50:
Many young people face mental health problems but are hesitant to get help because of stigma.
Analysis:
- Content: The Band 90 answer addresses all key aspects from the original text, including causes, contributors, and solutions, in a well-rounded sentence.
- Form: All sentences are below the 75-word limit.
- Grammar: The Band 90 and Band 65 responses showcase complex structure, while the Band 50 uses a simpler structure.
- Vocabulary: The Band 90 response uses sophisticated lexical choices like “exacerbated” and “long-term damage”.
Mental health youth crisis due to external and societal influences
Task 2
Globally, suicide rates among young people have increased at an alarming rate, and this is primarily attributed to untreated mental health issues. Young adults today face unique stressors such as the competitive job market, societal demands, and the omnipresent influence of digital technology. Social isolation worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic has further heightened these concerns. Mental health awareness campaigns are being promoted, but support systems are still inadequate. The stigma surrounding mental well-being continues to hinder many from seeking help, thus endangering their health and well-being.
Summarize the text in one sentence.
Sample Answers:
Band 90:
The alarming rise in suicide rates among young people is linked to untreated mental health issues aggravated by societal stressors, social isolation, and inadequate mental health support.
Band 65:
Many young adults face mental health struggles, and social isolation worsened by COVID-19 has intensified this, though mental health awareness is rising.
Band 50:
Social isolation and stress are making mental health worse for young people.
Analysis:
- Content: The Band 90 answer captures the full scope of the original text, clearly mentioning suicide rates, stressors, and inadequate mental health systems.
- Grammar: The Band 90 response uses a complex sentence, while the Band 50 answer uses rudimentary grammar.
- Vocabulary: The Band 90 answer uses advanced vocabulary like “inadequate” and “aggravated”.
Task 3
In recent years, the mental health crisis among young people has become more visible as the conversation around mental well-being has shifted significantly, moving from secrecy and taboo to public awareness. Many young people nowadays deal with numerous challenges, including academic pressures, difficulties in forming social connections, and an increasing addiction to technology. These crises have led to heightened levels of anxiety and depressive disorders. Although more resources are available now than ever, the demand for mental health services far exceeds the supply. It is essential to develop new strategies to provide adequate support and address the core issues affecting youth.
Summarize the text in one sentence.
Sample Answers:
Band 90:
The increasing visibility of the mental health crisis among youth is caused by pressures such as academics and technology, with current mental health resources failing to meet growing demands.
Band 65:
Mental health struggles among young people are becoming more visible, but the existing support system is insufficient to handle the problem.
Band 50:
Many young people struggle with mental health, but there are not enough services to help them.
Analysis:
- Content: The Band 90 response succinctly summarizes the main points, with a clear mention of the causes (academic pressure, technology) and the issue of inadequate resources.
- Grammar: Band 65’s response uses moderate complexity, but Band 50’s sentence is too simple to achieve a higher score.
- Vocabulary: Band 90 stands out for using precise vocabulary like “increasing visibility” and “failing to meet demand.”
Vocabulary and Grammar
Here are ten important words from the provided text with their phonetic transcriptions and meanings:
-
Exacerbate /ɪɡˈzæsərbeɪt/ (v): To make a problem or situation worse.
Example: Social media can exacerbate mental health issues among youth. -
Stigma /ˈstɪɡmə/ (n): A mark of disgrace associated with a particular circumstance or quality.
Example: The stigma around mental health prevents many from seeking help. -
Aggravate /ˈæɡrəveɪt/ (v): To make an unpleasant situation worse.
Example: Financial pressure can aggravate depression in young people. -
Inadequate /ɪnˈædəkwɪt/ (adj): Lacking the quality or quantity required.
Example: The support system for mental health remains inadequate. -
Prevalent /ˈprɛvələnt/ (adj): Widespread in a particular area or at a particular time.
Example: Depression is becoming more prevalent among youth. -
Omnipresent /ˌɒmnɪˈprɛzənt/ (adj): Present everywhere at the same time.
Example: Digital technology has become omnipresent in the lives of young people. -
Isolation /ˌaɪsəˈleɪʃən/ (n): The process or fact of being set apart from others.
Example: Social isolation can increase anxiety in individuals. -
Taboo /təˈbuː/ (n): A social or cultural prohibition or restriction.
Example: Mental health used to be a taboo topic in many societies. -
Awareness /əˈweə.nəs/ (n): Knowledge or perception of a situation or fact.
Example: Raising awareness about mental health is crucial. -
Demands /dɪˈmændz/ (n): The needs or desires of a situation that must be met.
Example: The demands for mental health services are growing.
Conclusion
In this article, we examined various Summarize Written Text tasks centered around the mental health crisis among youth. This topic is increasingly frequent in the PTE exam due to its relevance. By practicing with these examples and refining your sentence structure, you will improve your performance in this task. Regular practice will equip you to summarize complex topics succinctly and accurately. Don’t forget to explore related issues like youth unemployment and job creation to further enhance your understanding of broad societal challenges.
