The Summarize Written Text section of the PTE speaking and writing tasks can be quite challenging, especially when handling topics that relate to environmental and sustainability concerns. This article will focus on a critical issue in today’s world: the zero-waste lifestyle and the challenges it entails. Through detailed practice questions based on this topic, you’ll be able to grasp both content comprehension and key PTE skill-building techniques.
Understanding Summarize Written Text
The Summarize Written Text task in the PTE exam involves creating a concise one-sentence summary from a given passage ranging from 150 to 400 words. Your response needs to maintain the word limit (between 5 and 75 words) and cover the essential points without losing the core meaning.
A critical and recurring theme in PTE exam tasks is sustainability, including the growing trend of living a “zero-waste” lifestyle.
Practice Question: Zero-Waste Lifestyle and Its Challenges
Below is a practice Summarize Written Text question that mirrors the format of real PTE exams. Try to extract key points while avoiding unnecessary details.
Practice Question
The zero-waste lifestyle aims to reduce or eliminate waste by engaging in practices like reusing, recycling, and composting. Advocates of the zero-waste movement believe that these practices can significantly reduce environmental impact and conserve natural resources. However, despite its growing popularity, adopting this kind of lifestyle presents significant challenges. Consumers often struggle with limited access to products that are sustainably sourced or packaged in zero-waste materials, and businesses need to invest heavily to meet zero-waste standards. Additionally, society’s deeply ingrained behaviors, such as using single-use plastics, pose hurdles to widespread adoption. Experts note that a cultural shift, combined with supportive policies from the government, are essential for the zero-waste movement to succeed on a larger scale. While the movement holds promise, overcoming these practical and systemic challenges remains a key issue for all involved.
Task: Summarize the passage in one sentence.
Sample Responses:
Response with 90 Band Score:
The zero-waste lifestyle aims to reduce environmental impact through practices like reusing and recycling, but faces significant challenges such as limited access to zero-waste products, businesses’ high investment costs, ingrained societal habits with single-use plastics, and the need for governmental support for its widespread adoption.
Analysis:
- Content: Covers all key ideas including the purpose of the movement, challenges (product access, business investment, societal habits), and the need for governmental support.
- Form: Adheres to the one-sentence requirement and contains 46 words.
- Grammar: Grammatically sound with strong sentence structure.
- Vocabulary: Appropriately advanced vocabulary such as “investment costs,” “ingrained habits,” and “widespread adoption” is used.
- Spelling: No issues.
Response with 79 Band Score:
The zero-waste movement seeks to eliminate waste through reuse and recycling but faces difficulties such as limited product availability, high costs for businesses, societal dependence on single-use plastics, and the need for policy support for wider adoption.
Analysis:
- Content: Inclined towards the major obstacles and solutions, though the explanation of challenges is slightly simplified.
- Form: One-sentence structure with 40 words.
- Grammar: Clear and grammatically correct.
- Vocabulary: Good use of collocations like “policy support” but lacks some complexity seen in higher scoring responses.
- Spelling: Perfect spelling.
Response with 65 Band Score:
The idea of zero-waste, which encourages reducing waste, is promising, but difficulties such as product limitations, expensive implementation, and societal habits make it hard to pursue on a large scale.
Analysis:
- Content: Includes most key ideas but lacks detail on the governmental support aspect, and doesn’t mention recycling in actions to reduce waste.
- Form: One concise sentence with 31 words.
- Grammar: Correct but lacks relative clauses, which could improve sentence complexity.
- Vocabulary: Simple vocabulary; phrases like “expensive implementation” could be enhanced.
- Spelling: No issues.
Key Vocabulary and Grammar Analysis
Here are 10 essential vocabulary words featured in the passage, along with their meanings and usage examples:
-
Advocate /ˈædvəˌkeɪt/:
Meaning: A person who publicly supports or recommends a particular cause or policy.
Example: Environmental advocates strongly support the zero-waste movement. -
Conserve /kənˈsɜrv/:
Meaning: To protect from loss or waste; to save.
Example: Recycling helps conserve natural resources and reduce pollution. -
Sustainability /səˌsteɪnəˈbɪləti/:
Meaning: The ability to maintain ecological balance without depleting resources.
Example: Sustainability is a core value in the zero-waste philosophy. -
Ingrained /ɪnˈɡreɪnd/:
Meaning: Fixed deeply and firmly; difficult to change.
Example: Ingrained habits, such as using single-use plastics, are hard to break. -
Composting /ˈkɑmpoʊstɪŋ/:
Meaning: The process of collecting and storing plant material to create fertile soil.
Example: Composting organic waste significantly reduces landfill use. -
Eliminate /ɪˈlɪməˌneɪt/:
Meaning: To completely remove or get rid of something.
Example: The goal of the zero-waste movement is to eliminate waste entirely. -
Single-use /ˈsɪŋɡəl ˌjuːz/:
Meaning: Items meant to be used once and then discarded.
Example: Single-use plastics are one of the largest contributors to environmental pollution. -
Cultural Shift /ˈkʌltʃərəl ʃɪft/:
Meaning: A significant change in societal behaviors and attitudes.
Example: A cultural shift in consumer habits is necessary for zero-waste to become mainstream. -
Sourcing /sɔrsɪŋ/:
Meaning: The act of finding and acquiring necessary goods, typically referencing their origin.
Example: Sustainable sourcing of materials is essential for zero-waste businesses. -
Implementation /ˌɪmpləˈmɛnˌteɪʃən/:
Meaning: The process of putting a plan into effect.
Example: Successful implementation of zero-waste policies requires cooperation from multiple sectors.
Conclusion
The zero-waste lifestyle remains a compelling topic in both daily life and in high-stakes exams like the PTE. The framework provided here helps you better understand how to summarize complex issues surrounding environmental sustainability, while also honing your summarizing skills for the PTE Summarize Written Text section. Make sure to practice frequently with new topics and formats to improve your ability to capture the essential points effectively.
Let’s keep the discussion going! Are there other topics you’d like to practice? Feel free to leave a comment below to share your thoughts or request another sample question!
