Note‑making and summary (ESL)

This guide explains the skills, with an original example from our teachers. It also names the habits that turn a summary into copying.

What note-making and summary are

Note-making and summary are two linked tasks in IGCSE English as a Second Language. In note-making, you find the key points in a text and write them briefly, often under given headings. For the summary, you turn those points into clear, connected sentences in your own words, focused on what the question asks.

Both tasks test the same ability. You must read closely enough to know what really matters, then say it briefly and clearly.

These tasks are hard because they reward leaving things out. Most writing rewards adding more.

In a summary you must read a rich passage, drop most of it and keep only the points that answer the question. This feels unnatural at first, which is why it is worth practising.

The skills: choosing, rephrasing and staying short

1. Choosing points. Read with the question in mind. Pick only the points that answer it. Ignore details that are interesting but off-topic.
2. Rephrasing. Put each point in your own words. Do not copy the writer’s phrases, because the task credits understanding, not copying.
3. Being concise. Write tightly, with no repeating or padding, so you stay inside the length guidance.

The tone is neutral and plain. There is no place for a personal voice.

The aim is clarity. Length rules differ by board, so check our qualification pages.

A worked example, written by our teachers

The passage and summary below are our own writing, made for teaching.

Source (our own): The town’s old market had survived floods, fires and two changes of ruler. What nearly finished it was not a disaster or a law but simple neglect. Younger families drifted to the bright new mall on the ring road, and stalls closed one by one.

The turning point came when a group of traders refused to give up. They began opening late on Fridays with food, music and lanterns. Word spread.

Within a season the Friday market was busier than the mall’s food court, and the traders who had stayed were suddenly glad they had.

Summary in our own words: The old market declined because of neglect, not disaster. Families moved to a new mall, and stalls closed.

Determined traders then brought the market back by opening on Friday evenings with food, music and lanterns. The crowds returned, and the market was soon busy again.

The summary keeps only the points that explain the market’s decline and recovery. It uses fresh words. It cuts every colourful detail that does not serve that focus, such as the floods, fires and rulers.

What a strong response includes

• Only the points that answer the question.
• Every point in your own words.
• Tight writing with no repeating or padding.
• A neutral, clear tone.
• Points in a logical order, so the summary flows.
• Length within the board’s guidance.

Common mistakes

The most common mistake is lifting: copying the writer’s phrases instead of rephrasing them. The task does not credit this.

The second is keeping vivid details that fall outside the question, which wastes words. The third is padding, where students add their own comments or repeat themselves.

The fourth is changing the meaning while rewriting, usually under time pressure. The read, look away, rewrite habit fixes most of these at once.

How this helps your other writing

Summary is one of the most useful skills in English. Choosing what to leave out improves every essay. Rephrasing deepens your reading and builds vocabulary.

Being concise helps in reports and leaflets, where every word must be worth its place. See our skills guides and grammar guides, and try our practice tasks.

Next steps

Read the annotated model response for ESL note-making, then try the ESL note-making practice tasks. The skill guide approaching an ESL form or note task shows the steps. The report is another format that rewards short, exact writing.

Students usually get stuck in two places: they copy phrases without noticing, and they keep too many details. In 1-to-1 lessons, our teachers cover the passage, ask the student to say each point aloud, and then write it down in new words. This is part of our English as a Second Language tuition, from RM70/hr.

Bring one summary you wrote to a paid one-hour trial lesson. The teacher who would continue will go through it with you.

Next, visit our original practice tasks to write this form to a real brief. Our English as a Second Language tuition page explains how lessons run. When you are ready, the paid one-hour trial is the first step.