Tips for Summary Writing

1 ) Read the text once through and try to get a gist of what the text is all about.

2 ) Read the question and determine the task; look out for words like
feelings, response, what you saw and did, benefits, problems, advantages and
disadvantages.

3 ) Do not try to rephrase if you are not very good in English. It is better to
select intelligently and join the sentences with connectors.

4 ) Content = 10 marks Language = 5 marks

So, it is better to go for content. If the sentences are lifted intelligently,
you will get about 2 marks for language.

5 ) Memorise some synonyms as they are useful to replace single words. This will
help you get more marks for language.

6 ) Do keep within the word limit as points after 130 words are not taken into
account.

HOW TO IMPROVE YOUR WRITING?

1 ) Use it or lose it
There are times when I wish I have a magic pill that I could give to students. The fact is, there are
no shortcuts. To learn a language, one has to use it. Start today. Speak to your friends.
If you are shy, start with a few words or phrases in your conversation. Practise speaking in front of
the mirror.

2 ) Read it
Read the newspapers. I would recommend the sports pages if you are a sports enthusiast, or the
letters to the editor. You will learn how to give opinions, to complain and to elaborate your ideas.
Go to your school library and borrow a book.
Make use of pockets of time during school such as in between classes. I am quite sure you are
able to squeeze ten minutes a day for reading. Do not get bogged down if there are words that
you do not know. Just read the easier stuff first.

3) Write it
My students are required to keep a journal in my classes. What is a journal? Is it like a diary? A
diary is a record of your daily experiences but a journal is more than that. It is a collection of your
thoughts, responses to events in your life and it may also include any interesting article, poems or
even a song. I keep a journal of articles and quotations that are motivating.
There are many types of journals which you can keep. Check out the bloggers on the Internet for
more examples. Search also for examples of journals to help you get started. (To read all about
journalling and how to get started, go to www.wakimbo.com/htdocs/tools/jrn/pyp/jar.html)
I would like to invite you to join my students in a journalling programme. I have provided seven
prompts below to help you get started. Get a notebook or any old diary and begin your writing
journey with me. Make the notebook special by decorating it. Just use the prompts (questions) to
help you get started.
Read the prompt and respond instantly with the first thing that comes to your mind. Do not stop at
one sentence or two. Write for as long as you want without worrying about your grammar.
We will come to errors later. Apart from writing, you can also add pictures, photographs, poems,
drawings. Be creative. See you next week with more prompts. Remember, use it or lose it. Bye.

Day 1: What is something that you like about yourself?

Day 2: Write about three fears of your life.

Day 3: Which quality do you dislike most about yourself? Is it laziness, selfishness, or childishness
and why?

Day 4: What is something that makes you happy? Why?

Day 5: Do you have a favourite subject in school and one that you dislike? Write about these
subjects.

Day 6: Do you have a favourite teacher?Write about his/her class qualities. What makes you look
forward to his/her class?

Day 7: Have you ever had a crush on someone? Write about your experience(s). If you have
never had a crush, what do you think about falling in love? Is it advisable? Is it a waste of time?

POWER WRITING
WRITING BETTER PARAGRAPHS
What is a paragraph?
A paragraph can be divided into three different sections. The first section is the topic sentence
which is usually at the beginning of the paragraph, the body and the closing.

The Topic Sentence

This topic sentence tells you what the paragraph is going to be about, and how it relates to the
subject of the essay and the previous paragraph.

Body Sentences
Body sentences support the topic of the paragraph. There are supporting details and elaboration
in these sentences.

Closing Sentence
This sentence completes the idea expressed in the paragraph. It should also set up a connection
to the next paragraph.

1. A good paragraph has only one main idea and one or two supporting details.
Example:
First and foremost, I would buy a house for my parents, preferably a bungalow, in a quiet town. I
would equip the house with the latest technology so that it would be a smart home. My mother
would have a state-of-the-art kitchen as she loves cooking. There would also be a robot to clean
and vacuum the house. I will certainly make sure that my family is comfortably settled in this
house.

The main idea of the sentence is buying a house for my parents and I go on to describe in detail
what the house would be like.
2. How to elaborate or add supporting details?
To support a topic sentence, consider some of these possible ways:
Add examples
Supply further details or explanation
Tell a story that illustrates the point you're making
Discuss a process
Compare and contrast
Example:
Most word processing software gives you several options for printing. You can print a copy or
several copies of the same document with different fonts. Besides that, you can also print a range
of pages. What is more, you can even preview a document before printing it out. You can finally
say goodbye to the good old typewriter.

Topic sentence: word processing software several options for printing.

Body sentences (Supporting details): print a copy, several copies, different fonts, a range of
pages, preview.
Note that I have given examples and explanation to support my main idea.
Closing sentence: I end the paragraph by implying that now that you have the software, you can
say goodbye to the typewriter.

3. Choice of words

i. Do not use tired words like beautiful or nice. Use: magnificent, breathtaking, inspiring,
fantastic, and so on.
i. Do not pepper your essay with words that are superfluous. If a sentence means the same thing
with a word taken out, take it out. Using extra words and phrases which do not add anything to
what you are saying will imply to the examiner that you are running out of things to say.
Example:
Do not write:
Ever since Mr Tan came into my class, he transformed it, changing it so that it was altogether
different from what it has been like before.
Write:
Mr Tan transformed my class. (Here, give examples of how he did it.)

ii. Do not use words or phrases that are either unheard of or too bombastic.
Chin Yit, a student from Pahang wrote to ask whether using beatiful words will gain her more
marks. She had taken these words from a thesaurus. Her teacher is right. She will not gain more
marks as she is testing the examiner and boring her readers.

Example: propitious (favourable), ebullient(cheerful),affray(scuffle,fight), edacious.

Writing a narrative essay

THE NARRATIVE COMPOSITION

A narrative is a story with a sequence of connected events. It could be about a personal
experience or an imagined event or events.

Lets look at some typical exam questions:

1. Write a story of a man who returns to his home after many years.
2. The day I lost my temper.
3. Write a story ending with, I shall never forget this day for the rest of my life.
4. Write about an occasion when you got into trouble.
5. Write a story beginning with, I could not believe my eyes.

How do I write a narrative essay for the exam?

ACTION PLAN: (1 hour)

A. Planning = 15 minutes
B. Writing = 35 minutes
C. Checking = 10 minutes
This plan is for those who are quite weak in English. For those who are proficient, you may only
need 10 minutes for planning.

This is how we do it.

A. PLANNING
Lets say you have chosen question 3, - Write a story ending with, I shall never forget this day for
the rest of my life.

1. Read the question carefully and underline important phrases. Pay particular attention to the
ending.
2. Brainstorm for ideas and jot down notes. For exam purposes, the simplest way is to divide it
into three parts:

B. WRITING THE ESSAY

Now that you have got the skeleton of your story, it is time to begin writing. Use linkers and
phrases which link the events to move your story in a chronological order. Some phrases that are
suitable are:
It was very dark.
I will never forget ..
A few minutes later.
Suddenly,
When the disaster happened, ..

Use sensory details to reveal the events and to get the reader involved. Do not merely tell but
show the events through words and phrases.

Example:
a. I went into the restaurant.
b. I walked into the restaurant.
c. I sauntered into the restaurant.
Sentence a. merely states that I went into the restaurant and sentence b. gives a little more
information as to how I went into the restaurant. Sentence c. uses a more specific word to show
clearly the idea of how I went into the restaurant. Sentence c. allows the reader to see what I am
doing. The word sauntered means to stroll. It gives the image of a person walking slowly into the
restaurant. Thus, sentence c. is more effective in narrative and descriptive writing.

C. Checking
Read your essay once through and check for the following things:
Is the spelling accurate?
Is the punctuation appropriate? Did you use too many commas in a sentence?
Did you vary the sentence structure? Are your sentences too long?
Does one thought follow the next in a logical order?
Did you stick to the topic? Did you use words so that your reader could experience the incident?
Did you use the appropriate tense of the verb throughout?
Make any corrections neatly.