5 Common Mistakes in PTE Summarise Written Text

In this PTE item type, you need to write a summary of the text in one sentence after reading it.

Sounds pretty straightforward, right? However, we have seen many students make some mistakes when writing a one-sentence summary of the passage.

Today, let’s have a look at the 5 common mistakes that people make in PTE Summarise Written Text.

1.Write more than 75 words
It clearly says in the marking criteria that we can only write 5 to 75 words. If you write over the word count maximum, you’ll score 0 for the whole summary because the form is 0.

2.Forget to put a full stop at the end of a sentence
Remember, it has to be a complete sentence, which means you have to put a full stop at the end of your answer, otherwise you’ll score 0 no matter how good your answer is.

3.Write more than one sentence
It’s easy to forget the requirement on test date, especially when you’re under time pressure. However, please bear in mind that writing more than one sentence will give you 0 mark straightaway.

4.Don’t use a capital letter at the start of a sentence, or
Use a capital letter where it shouldn’t be used
In English writing, we need to capitalise first letter when writing a sentence, otherwise it’s not a complete sentence.
Also, sometimes students use upper case in the middle of a sentence, and the word is not supposed to be written in upper case.
Generally, the first letter of terms like the following is always capitalised (even if they appear in the middle of a sentence)
*dates(Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc.)
*months(December, November, October, etc.)
*countries(Australia, United States, India, etc.)
*languages(English, Japanese, Chinese, etc.)
*names(James, Mary, John, etc.)
*the first personal pronoun ‘I’
Therefore, you need to notice the way they write words in the passage.

5.Don’ have enough time to proofread
Proofreading is important, so it’s always good to have a few minutes at the end to check for grammatical mistakes and spelling errors.
When you do Summarise Written Text, at least make sure form, grammar and spelling are correct.

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Last updated on 05/01/2021

Moni PTE Magic

My name is Moni, and I am a seasoned PTE teacher with over 6 years of experience. I have helped thousands of students overcome their struggles and achieve their desired scores. My passion for teaching and dedication to my student’s success drives me to continually improve my teaching methods and provide the best possible support. Join me on this journey toward PTE success!