Role of Mass Media in Public Health – Summarize Written Text PTE Sample Test

Public health and the role of mass media are frequent topics in the Summarize Written Text section of the PTE exam. This topic allows candidates to demonstrate their ability to condense information and communicate key ideas efficiently—an essential skill in English proficiency tests.

In today’s practice, we explore the role mass media plays in spreading essential information related to public health. We’ll provide sample questions, answer examples, analysis, and vocabulary to help test takers perform well in the exam.

Summarize Written Text Sample Question 1

Question:

The role of mass media in promoting public health has been significant, especially in times of crisis. During the recent global pandemic, mass media platforms such as television, radio, and social networks played a crucial part in disseminating information about safety measures, vaccination campaigns, and emerging developments related to the virus. Mass media can reach large audiences quickly and effectively, making it an indispensable tool for governments and international health organizations. However, the challenge is ensuring that the information shared is accurate and reliable, as misinformation can lead to panic, misinterpretation, and potentially harmful actions.

Write one sentence to summarize the text.

Sample Answers:

Band 90:

The mass media has played a crucial role in promoting public health during crises by disseminating important information, though the challenge lies in ensuring the accuracy and reliability of the shared content.

• Content: Fully captures the essential points about the role of mass media and the importance of accuracy.
• Form: Fitting within the required word count for a single sentence.
• Grammar: Correct use of complex sentence structure.
• Vocabulary: Well-chosen words such as “disseminating” and “accuracy” enhance the clarity and precision of the summary.
• Spelling: No errors.

Band 75:

Mass media is important in spreading health information during emergencies, but sharing inaccurate information can cause confusion and panic.

• Content: Summarizes the key ideas but omits some minor details.
• Form: Correctly structured as one sentence.
• Grammar: Well-formed simple sentence, though could benefit from more precise phrasing.
• Vocabulary: Good use of common vocabulary such as “spreading” and “cause confusion.”
• Spelling: No errors.

Band 60:

Mass media helps people learn about health dangers, but false information can lead to problems.

• Content: Misses detail about specific examples (e.g., the global pandemic, vaccination).
• Form: Meets the single-sentence requirement.
• Grammar: Good, though simpler than required for a higher band.
• Vocabulary: More basic vocabulary such as “false information” instead of “misinformation.”
• Spelling: No errors.

Summarize Written Text Sample Question 2

Question:

Health experts and governments alike have long recognized the influence of mass media on public health. Historically, the media has been used to combat health challenges such as smoking, obesity, and hepatitis, often by raising awareness and advocating for policy changes. With the advent of social media, though, the means of distributing health information have evolved, allowing individuals to share personal experiences and opinions, which may not always align with medical advice. While social platforms democratize information, they also create a space where misinformation can flourish, making public health communication more complex and requiring careful management of credible sources.

Write one sentence to summarize the text.

Sample Answers:

Band 90:

While mass media has been instrumental in raising public awareness about health issues, the rise of social media has complicated health communication by enabling the spread of both accurate and misleading information.

• Content: Accurately conveys the evolution of mass media’s role in health communication and the issues arising from misinformation.
• Form: Fits the requirement of a single sentence.
• Grammar: Excellently structured sentence to convey multiple ideas succinctly.
• Vocabulary: Advanced vocabulary such as “instrumental,” “complicated,” and “misleading.”
• Spelling: No errors.

Band 75:

Mass media has helped promote public health, but social media has made sharing both helpful and misleading information easier.

• Content: Captures the key ideas but reduces complexity slightly.
• Form: Correct structure for a single sentence.
• Grammar: Correct but simpler structure.
• Vocabulary: Common phrases such as “misleading information,” and “promote public health” are used effectively.
• Spelling: No errors.

Band 60:

The media helps spread health information but sometimes spreads inaccurate information too.

• Content: Too simplistic; misses out on detailed elements of the text.
• Form: Single sentence, too short.
• Grammar: Correct but too basic.
• Vocabulary: Limited vocabulary such as “helps” and “spreads” repeated.
• Spelling: No errors.

Vocabulary and Grammar

Here are 10 useful words from the sample texts:

1. Disseminate /dɪˈsɛmɪneɪt/: to spread information widely.
   Example: The government used media to disseminate safety measures during the pandemic.

2. Accuracy /ˈækjərəsi/: the quality of being correct or precise.
   Example: Accuracy is crucial when sharing public health guidelines.

3. Misinformation /ˌmɪsɪnfərˈmeɪʃən/: false or inaccurate information, especially when intended to deceive.
   Example: Misinformation about vaccines can cause public health risks.

4. Flourish /ˈflʌrɪʃ/: to grow or develop in a healthy or vigorous way.
   Example: Social media has allowed both factual and misleading health information to flourish.

5. Instrumental /ˌɪnstrəˈmɛntl/: serving as a means of achieving an aim.
   Example: Mass media was instrumental in promoting the vaccination campaign.

6. Complicated /ˈkɒmplɪkeɪtɪd/: involving many different and confusing aspects.
   Example: The proliferation of online platforms has complicated public health communication.

7. Broadcast /ˈbrɔːdkæst/: to transmit information by radio or television.
   Example: Health guidelines were broadcast all day to reach the widest audience.

8. Advocacy /ˈædvəkəsi/: public support for a particular cause or policy.
   Example: Advocacy campaigns use social media to raise awareness about chronic diseases.

9. Credible /ˈkrɛdɪbl/: able to be believed, convincing.
   Example: Only credible news outlets should be trusted for health information in crises.

10. Democratize /dɪˈmɒkrətaɪz/: to make something accessible to everyone.
    Example: The internet has democratized access to health information, but quality control is needed.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding the role of mass media in shaping public health is a valuable topic in the Summarize Written Text task, which recurs often in the PTE test. Practice with real-world examples like those provided above prepares candidates to handle similar prompts effectively.

To further explore related ideas, try reading more about the Influence of mass media on society or Global health initiatives for pandemics.