📖 Introduction
Imagine reading a two-page story and then explaining it to a friend in just three or four sentences. You wouldn’t include every single detail—you would only mention the most important events. This is called summarising.
Summarising helps readers understand what they have read by focusing on the main ideas instead of every detail. It is a valuable skill for studying, revising lessons and sharing information clearly.
In this lesson, you’ll learn how to identify the key points in a passage and write clear, concise summaries.
🎯 What You’ll Learn
By the end of this lesson, you should be able to:
- explain what a summary is.
- identify the main ideas in a passage.
- leave out unnecessary details when summarising.
- write a clear and accurate summary in your own words.
💡 Let’s Explore
What Is a Summary?
A summary is a short version of a passage that includes only the most important ideas.
A good summary tells what the passage is mainly about without copying every sentence.
Why Is Summarising Important?
Summarising helps you:
- remember important information,
- understand what you read,
- prepare for examinations,
- organise your ideas,
- explain information clearly to others.
Steps for Writing a Good Summary
1. Read the Passage Carefully
Read the entire passage to understand its meaning.
2. Find the Main Idea
Ask yourself:
“What is this passage mostly about?”
3. Identify the Important Details
Choose only the details that explain the main idea.
Ignore:
- small examples,
- repeated information,
- unnecessary descriptions.
4. Write in Your Own Words
Do not copy long sentences from the passage.
Use simple, clear sentences.
5. Keep It Short
A summary is much shorter than the original passage.
Include only the key information.
🌟 Example
Original Passage
Ella joined the school’s gardening club. Every week, she planted flowers, watered vegetables and removed weeds. After several months, the school garden became colourful and provided fresh vegetables for the school kitchen. Ella learned that teamwork and patience can produce wonderful results.
Summary
Ella worked with the school’s gardening club to improve the school garden. Through teamwork and regular care, the garden became successful and taught her the value of patience.
Notice that the summary includes only the most important ideas.
🌍 Real-Life Example
After reading a chapter about the Solar System, Daniel did not rewrite every paragraph in his notebook.
Instead, he wrote a short summary explaining that the Solar System consists of the Sun, eight planets and other objects that move around the Sun. His brief notes helped him revise quickly before his science test.
Summarising made it easier for Daniel to remember the key ideas without reading the whole chapter again.
💡 Tips for Writing Good Summaries
✔ Read the passage more than once if necessary.
✔ Identify the main idea first.
✔ Include only important supporting details.
✔ Leave out minor facts and repeated information.
✔ Write in your own words.
✔ Check that your summary is clear and much shorter than the original passage.
✨ Quick Tips
📖 A summary gives the main ideas only.
📝 Use your own words whenever possible.
🎯 Leave out unnecessary details.
🌟 Good summaries are clear, accurate and concise.
🎯 Let’s Practise!
Read the passage before answering Questions 1–8.
The Community Garden
A group of neighbours decided to turn an empty piece of land into a community garden. They planted vegetables, fruits and flowers and worked together every weekend to care for the plants. As the garden grew, it provided fresh food for families and created a pleasant place where people could meet and work together. The project also encouraged children to learn about nature and healthy eating.
A. Choose the Correct Answer
1. What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Flowers are beautiful.
B. A community worked together to create a garden that benefited everyone.
C. Children enjoy playing outside.
D. Vegetables grow faster than flowers.
2. Which detail is important enough to include in a summary?
A. The exact day the neighbours worked.
B. The community garden provided fresh food for families.
C. The colour of every flower.
D. The size of each vegetable.
3. What should you avoid when writing a summary?
A. Including the main idea.
B. Writing in your own words.
C. Adding every small detail from the passage.
D. Mentioning important information.
B. True or False
4. A summary should be much shorter than the original passage.
5. A good summary includes every detail from the passage.
C. Short Answer
6. What is a summary?
7. List four steps for writing a good summary.
8. Write two or three sentences summarising the passage.
Answers: 1 B 2 B 3 C 4 True 5 False