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Writing Effective Summaries

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Writing Effective Summaries

A netball tournament is approaching, and the team needs a clear update for supporters. Read the short article, then practise selecting key ideas, improving summaries and writing one in your own words. A strong summary is brief, accurate and focused on the main ideas.

Read the article

A fair-play tournament The annual Harbour Netball Tournament brought eight youth teams to the courts on Saturday. Organisers changed the schedule after heavy rain made two outdoor courts slippery. Matches were moved to the indoor courts, and each game was shortened by five minutes so the tournament could stay on time. Levi’s team lost its first match but used a quick team talk to agree on a new plan: pass into open space instead of crowding around the ball. The change helped them win their next two games. In the final, Harrison’s team won by one goal. After the match, both teams thanked the officials and shook hands. Organiser Nikau said the tournament raised $640 for new equipment for a local youth sports programme. Players also collected reusable drink bottles and sorted rubbish into recycling bins. Nikau said the event showed that teamwork, adapting to change and respecting opponents matter as much as the final score.

Find the important ideas

Answer using details from the article. Focus on what a reader needs to understand the whole event.

1.Which sentence best expresses the article’s main idea?

The tournament combined netball, teamwork, adaptability and community-minded actions.
Levi’s team lost its first match because the courts were slippery.
Reusable bottles are better than disposable bottles.
Harrison’s team won the final by one goal.

2.Select the three details that best support the main idea. Choose three.

The schedule changed when rain made outdoor courts slippery.
Levi’s team changed its passing plan and won its next two games.
The article names the tournament’s weekday.
The tournament raised money for youth sports equipment.
The article gives the exact colour of the courts.

3.Which detail is least important in a short summary of the article? Explain why.

4.True or false? A summary should include every match result and every action described in the article.

TrueFalse

Edit and improve

A summary uses your own words, keeps the meaning accurate and leaves out less important information.

5.Match each summary problem with the best fix.

A. It retells every small event and is nearly as long as the article.
B. It uses a sentence copied word for word from the article.
C. It focuses only on the final score and misses the wider message.
D. Its ideas jump around, so the reader is confused.

2. Remove minor details and keep only key ideas.
1. Check the article again for its main point.
3. Put the ideas in a clear order.
4. Express the idea in your own words.

6.Rewrite this copied sentence in your own words without changing its meaning: “The change helped them win their next two games.”

7.Choose the strongest opening sentence for a summary of the article.

On Saturday, eight youth teams took part in a Harbour netball tournament that tested their ability to adapt and work together.
Levi’s team lost its first match.
The tournament was held on Saturday, and there were eight teams, two indoor courts and several officials.
Harrison scored the winning goal, which was the most important thing that happened.

8.The draft below includes too many details. Cross out or list two details you would remove from a concise summary, and explain briefly. “Eight teams attended the tournament on Saturday. Rain made two outdoor courts slippery, so matches moved indoors and were shortened by five minutes. Levi’s team lost its first match, had a quick team talk and changed its passing plan. It won its next two games. Harrison’s team won the final by one goal. The event raised $640 for youth sports equipment, and players sorted rubbish into recycling bins.”

Write a concise summary

Use the article. Aim for about 45–65 words: include the main idea and a few key details, use your own words, and do not add opinions or information that the article does not give.

9.Write your summary of “A fair-play tournament”. Check that it explains what happened, includes the most important supporting ideas and is much shorter than the article.

10.Self-check your summary: name one key idea you included and one detail you deliberately left out because it was not essential.