In the PTE Academic exam, Summarize Written Text is an important item type within the Speaking & Writing section, where you are tasked with reading a passage and summarizing it into one single sentence. Public health campaigns, particularly those aimed at influencing behavior and attitude changes, commonly appear in this task. Below, we provide detailed practice questions focusing on Public Health Campaigns And Behavioral Change, including sample responses and analysis.
Practice Summarize Written Text Task 1: Public Health Campaigns and Their Effectiveness
Read the following passage and write a one-sentence summary. Your response must be based on the content provided and should contain between 5 and 75 words.
Health campaigns have long been used to encourage behavioral changes, especially regarding public health issues such as smoking, unhealthy diets, and lack of exercise. These campaigns combine expert-generated messages and media strategies that resonate with the public to alter social behaviors. However, despite these efforts, research shows mixed success, with essential shifts achieved only when interventions are adapted to specific target demographics, emphasizing education and long-term follow-up.
Write your summary:
Sample Responses:
Band 90 Response:
Public health campaigns aim to alter social behaviors through targeted messages and media strategies, but their success largely depends on tailoring interventions to specific demographics and including long-term education and follow-up.
Band 75 Response:
Although public health campaigns aim to change behaviors, their success depends on adapting interventions to the target groups.
Band 65 Response:
Public health campaigns target behavior change, but their results vary.
Analysis:
- Content: Band 90 includes all critical points, such as how campaigns use media strategies and the mixed success based on tailored approaches. Band 75 mentions adaptation but omits details about media and follow-up. Band 65 captures the gist but lacks nuances of the specific conditions necessary for success.
- Form: All responses respect the word count range and fit into a singular sentence.
- Grammar: Higher band responses demonstrate more complex sentence structures, ensuring clarity.
- Vocabulary: More advanced responses use vocabulary like “tailoring,” “demographics,” and “long-term follow-up.”
- Spelling: There are no spelling errors across the band levels.
Public health campaigns success relies on tailored interventions and long-term follow-up
Practice Summarize Written Text Task 2: The Role of Behavioral Science in Public Health
Read the following passage and write a one-sentence summary. Your response must be based on the content provided and should contain between 5 and 75 words.
Behavioral science plays a crucial role in understanding how public health interventions can influence individual and societal behaviors. By examining psychological, social, and cultural factors, experts can design more effective campaigns that promote healthy living, prevent diseases, and encourage community engagement. However, these campaigns are often met with resistance due to deeply ingrained habits and mismatched messaging styles.
Write your summary:
Sample Responses:
Band 90 Response:
Behavioral science helps design effective public health interventions that address the psychological and cultural factors affecting behavior, but resistance may arise due to entrenched habits and mismatched messaging.
Band 75 Response:
Behavioral science aids in creating public health campaigns by considering psychological factors, though resistance from habits can be challenging.
Band 65 Response:
Behavioral science helps public health significantly, but ingrained habits may pose challenges.
Analysis:
- Content: Higher band responses delve deeper into the multifaceted role of behavioral science and note both the potential advantages and challenges. Lower band responses address the core idea but lack richness in detailing obstacles like cultural mismatches.
- Form: Each response fulfills the requirement of consolidating the passage into one sentence.
- Grammar: The highest band demonstrates more frequent use of complex and varied sentence structures.
- Vocabulary: Phrases like “entrenched habits,” “mismatched messaging,” and “community engagement” add to the complexity and precision required for a Band 90 score.
- Spelling: All properly spelled and well-structured within the word-count limit.
Behavioral science impact on public health campaigns and challenges related to entrenched habits
Vocabulary and Grammar
Below are 10 challenging words featured in the task along with their meanings and examples:
| Word | Phonetic | Definition | Example Sentence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Campaign | /kæmˈpeɪn/ | A series of actions aimed at achieving a goal | The government launched a new public health campaign to combat obesity. |
| Demographic | /ˌdɛməˈɡræfɪk/ | A specific segment of the population | The campaign targeted young demographics for online health information. |
| Behavioral | /bɪˈheɪvjərəl/ | Related to behavior | The behavioral changes required to quit smoking are challenging for most people. |
| Intervention | /ˌɪntərˈvɛnʃən/ | The action of becoming actively involved in a situation | Health interventions are crucial in controlling the spread of diseases. |
| Resistance | /rɪˈzɪstəns/ | The refusal to accept or comply with something | There was significant resistance to the new health policies. |
| Entrenched | /ɪnˈtrɛnʧt/ | Firmly established and difficult to change | The entrenched habits of smoking are hard to break without targeted intervention. |
| Psychological | /ˌsaɪkəˈlɒdʒɪkəl/ | Pertaining to the mind or emotions | Psychological factors must be considered when designing health campaigns. |
| Cultural | /ˈkʌltʃərəl/ | Relating to the ideas, customs, and behaviors of a society | Cultural factors impact how public health messages are perceived. |
| Message | /ˈmɛsɪdʒ/ | A significant piece of information intended to be shared | The main message of the campaign targeted healthier eating habits. |
| Habit | /ˈhæbɪt/ | A regular practice or tendency | Changing unhealthy habits is essential for improving public health. |
Conclusion
To sum up, Public Health Campaigns and Behavioral Change is a prevalent topic in the Summarize Written Text task of the PTE exam. These exercises not only help develop your summarization skills but also familiarize you with key public health terminology. Always practice summarizing concisely while ensuring your sentence remains grammatically correct. Have any more questions? Feel free to comment below and keep practicing to perfect your technique.
