Summarize Written Text in PTE: Practice with Urban Renewal and Housing Affordability

In the PTE Speaking & Writing section, Summarize Written Text requires you to condense a passage into a single sentence while maintaining its essential meaning. This exercise is particularly important because it gauges your ability to comprehend and summarize complex information. In this practice session, we will focus on the topic: Urban Renewal And Housing Affordability. This is a pertinent issue in modern societies, especially in urban cities where rising housing costs and redevelopment efforts often affect community structure.

Summarize Written Text Practice: Urban Renewal and Housing Affordability

Sample 1: PTE Summarize Written Text on Urban Renewal

Prompt:

Urban renewal, often targeted at revitalizing decaying city areas, aims to attract business investment, promote environmental sustainability, and improve infrastructure. However, increasing property prices in redeveloped areas frequently displace low-income residents, exacerbating the affordability issue. While advocates of urban renewal argue that it fosters economic growth, critics emphasize the need for inclusive housing policies to ensure displaced populations can benefit from the revitalization process.

Task:
Summarize the passage in one sentence.

Band Score Responses

5+ Score (Ideal Response)

Urban renewal can lead to economic growth by attracting business investments and upgrading infrastructure but often results in increased housing costs and displacement of low-income residents, highlighting the need for more inclusive housing policies.

Analysis:

• Content: This summary accurately captures the key points: economic growth, housing affordability, displacement, and the need for inclusive policies.
• Form: The response is well-structured, with a semicolon creating a balanced and logical structure.
• Grammar: The sentence utilizes accurate grammatical structures, including compound-complex sentences.
• Vocabulary: Vocabulary is varied and appropriate, using terms like “economic growth” and “displacement.”
• Spelling: No spelling errors.

Urban renewal's economic impact leads to both growth and displacement

3-4 Score (Moderate Response)

Urban renewal may bring economic benefits but can result in higher property prices which displace lower-income residents.

Analysis:

• Content: This sentence captures the general idea but oversimplifies the relationship between renewal and displacement, neglecting key points like inclusive policies and infrastructure improvements.
• Form: The sentence is structurally correct but lacks complexity.
• Grammar: No grammatical errors, but the sentence could be expanded for clarity.
• Vocabulary: Vocabulary is more limited, lacks variety.
• Spelling: No spelling errors.

1-2 Score (Low Response)

Increased property prices from urban renewal negatively affect low-income residents.

Analysis:

• Content: This answer is too narrow and focuses only on the displacement aspect without covering the broader consequences and benefits of urban renewal.
• Form: The sentence is too short and fails to provide enough detailed information.
• Grammar: Grammatically correct but oversimplified.
• Vocabulary: Simple vocabulary, lacking sophistication.
• Spelling: No spelling errors.

Sample 2: PTE Summarize Written Text – Housing Affordability Crisis

Prompt:

The global housing crisis is largely driven by a combination of factors, including population growth, urban migration, and economic disparities. Governments around the world face the challenge of providing affordable housing for millions of low- and middle-income families who cannot keep up with increasing prices. Some countries have turned to innovative solutions such as rent control policies, subsidized housing, and public-private partnerships to mitigate the issue, but these efforts are often met with resistance from developers and property owners.

Task:
Summarize the passage in one sentence.

Band Score Responses

5+ Score (Ideal Response)

The global housing crisis, fueled by population growth, urban migration, and economic inequality, presents challenges for governments attempting to provide affordable housing, with solutions like rent control and public-private partnerships often facing opposition from developers.

Analysis:

• Content: This summary captures the complexity of the issue, including the main causes, the response from governments, and the resistance faced.
• Form: The sentence is well-organized with clear cause and effect.
• Grammar: Strong grammatical structure, using a complex sentence.
• Vocabulary: Rich use of vocabulary, with precise terms like “economic inequality” and “public-private partnerships.”
• Spelling: No spelling errors.

Global housing crisis and government's role in addressing affordability

3-4 Score (Moderate Response)

Governments are trying to provide affordable housing as prices rise due to population growth, but they face challenges from developers.

Analysis:

• Content: The main idea is conveyed but lacks depth, omitting key factors such as urban migration and economic inequality.
• Form: Clear structure, but overly simple.
• Grammar: No grammar mistakes, but the sentence would benefit from more complexity.
• Vocabulary: Adequate, but repetitive and somewhat simplistic.
• Spelling: No spelling errors.

1-2 Score (Low Response)

The government is struggling to provide affordable housing due to rising home prices.

Analysis:

• Content: This response is too vague and does not address the factors contributing to the housing crisis or any government efforts to confront it.
• Form: The sentence structure is too brief, missing key ideas.
• Grammar: Grammatically correct but overly basic.
• Vocabulary: Simple vocabulary.
• Spelling: No spelling errors.

Vocabulary and Grammar Focus

Here are 10 useful vocabulary words from the passages, along with their meanings, phonetic transcription, and example sentences:

1. Revitalize /riːˈvaɪtəlaɪz/ – To give new life or energy to something.
   Example: The city plans to revitalize the downtown area by constructing more green spaces.

2. Displacement /dɪsˈpleɪsmənt/ – The forced movement of people or businesses from their usual place.
   Example: Urban renewal projects often lead to the displacement of longtime residents.

3. Inclusive /ɪnˈkluːsɪv/ – Including all necessary information, often used to describe policies or actions that account for diverse groups.
   Example: Inclusive housing policies ensure that no one is left behind in urban redevelopment.

4. Affordability /əˌfɔːdəˈbɪləti/ – The ability to be afforded, often in reference to costs such as housing or necessities.
   Example: Housing affordability remains a central issue in urban planning.

5. Inequality /ˌɪnɪˈkwɒləti/ – An unequal state, especially referring to economic or social status.
   Example: Economic inequality drives much of the housing crisis.

6. Public-private partnership /ˈpʌblɪk-ˈpraɪvət ˈpɑːtnəʃɪp/ – A cooperative arrangement between government and private sector investors.
   Example: Public-private partnerships have been used extensively in building affordable housing.

7. Subsidized /ˈsʌbsɪdaɪzd/ – Financially supported by the government to reduce costs.
   Example: Many cities offer subsidized housing to help lower-income residents.

8. Resistance /rɪˈzɪstəns/ – Struggle or opposition to a certain policy or action.
   Example: Developers often show resistance to policies limiting their profit margins.

9. Mitigate /ˈmɪtɪɡeɪt/ – To make less severe or serious.
   Example: Governments are searching for ways to mitigate the effects of rising housing costs.

10. Rent control /rɛnt kənˈtroʊl/ – Government-imposed limits on how much rent can increase over time.
    Example: Rent control policies help regulate housing costs in high-demand cities.

Conclusion

Summarizing written texts on topics such as Urban Renewal and Housing Affordability is essential preparation for the PTE exam. Such topics often appear due to their relevance in contemporary discussions on urban development and the housing crisis. By practicing with these examples, you can sharpen your ability to extract the main points of a text concisely, while keeping in mind the balance of grammar, vocabulary, and structure. Engage in consistent practice and feel free to leave your comments or questions for more personalized feedback.