Summary writing (papers before 2024): past paper questions
Real questions on summary writing (papers before 2024)
The newest 20 of 43 written questions. Open one to see it on the real paper.
- 0511/11 · October/November 2023 · Q13[12]
Read the article about going to a two‑day music festival. Write a summary of the advice the writer gives for going to the music festival. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 6 marks for the content of your...
See it on the paper → - 0511/13 · October/November 2023 · Q12[12]
Read the article about a girl who took part in a TV cookery competition. Write a summary about the rules for entering the competition AND what the judges are looking for to decide on a winner. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible....
See it on the paper → - 0511/21 · October/November 2023 · Q14[16]
Read the article about growing your own fruit and vegetables. Write a summary about the advantages of growing your own fruit and vegetables and advice on what you should do to get started. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. Yo...
See it on the paper → - 0511/23 · October/November 2023 · Q13[16]
Read the article about snail racing. Write a summary about the recommendations for holding a snail race. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 8 marks for the content of your summary, and up to 8 marks for...
See it on the paper → - 0511/11 · May/June 2023 · Q11[12]
Read the article about bonsai, which are trees usually grown in pots so they are very small in size. Write a summary about how to care for bonsai. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 6 marks for the content...
See it on the paper → - 0511/12 · May/June 2023 · Q12[12]
Read the article about cleaning beaches. Write a summary about how to organise and run your own beach-cleaning event. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 6 marks for the content of your summary, and up to 6...
See it on the paper → - 0511/13 · May/June 2023 · Q12[12]
Read the article about sailing. Write a summary about the skills you can gain from learning to sail. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 6 marks for the content of your summary, and up to 6 marks for the st...
See it on the paper → - 0511/21 · May/June 2023 · Q12[16]
Read the article about light pollution. Write a summary about what the harmful effects of light pollution are AND what people can do to reduce light pollution. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 8 marks...
See it on the paper → - 0511/23 · May/June 2023 · Q13[16]
Read the article about traditional handmade items. Write a summary about why people buy AND make traditional handmade items. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 8 marks for the content of your summary, an...
See it on the paper → - 0511/21 · October/November 2022 · Q13[16]
Read the article about biofuels which are used to power some vehicles. Write a summary about the advantages AND disadvantages of biofuels. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 8 marks for the content of yo...
See it on the paper → - 0511/22 · October/November 2022 · Q13[16]
Read the article about crop rotation – growing a series of different crops on the same piece of land, one after the other. Write a summary about the advantages of crop rotation for home gardeners. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as poss...
See it on the paper → - 0511/23 · October/November 2022 · Q13[16]
Read the article about extreme weather conditions. Write a summary about how to protect yourself in extreme cold weather such as blizzards AND what to avoid doing in extreme hot weather. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You...
See it on the paper → - 0511/11 · October/November 2021 · Q12[12]
Read the article about an environmentally friendly football club called Forest Green Rovers. Write a summary of what the football club is doing to help the environment. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 6...
See it on the paper → - 0511/12 · October/November 2021 · Q12[12]
Read the article written by a man who went away for an adventure weekend. Write a summary about the preparations that he made for the adventure weekend AND the benefits he got from this adventure. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possib...
See it on the paper → - 0511/13 · October/November 2021 · Q12[6]
Read the article about a girl called Ana who spent a day in a flight machine that pilots use to practise flying. Write a summary about what Ana enjoyed about the day. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 6 m...
See it on the paper → - 0511/21 · October/November 2021 · Q13[16]
Read the article about the Butterfly Highway project in North Carolina, USA. Write a summary of what the Butterfly Highway project is doing to encourage people to help butterflies and other insects. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as po...
See it on the paper → - 0511/22 · October/November 2021 · Q13[16]
Read the article about a man called Marco who lives and works alone on a tiny island off the coast of the UK. Write a summary about the duties Marco is required to carry out as part of his job. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as possibl...
See it on the paper → - 0511/23 · October/November 2021 · Q13[16]
Read the article about the positive effects of singing on the body. Write a summary about the benefits that singing can bring to people’s physical health. Your summary should be about 100 words long (and no more than 120 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive up to 8 marks for t...
See it on the paper → - 0511/11 · May/June 2021 · Q12[12]
Read the article about a teenager who enjoys geocaching, an activity which involves searching for hidden objects outdoors. Write a summary about what is good about geocaching. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as possible. You will receive...
See it on the paper → - 0511/12 · May/June 2021 · Q11[12]
Read the article from a school magazine about a popular chain of stores called The Body Shop. Write a summary about what the student learned during their business studies lesson about The Body Shop. Your summary should be about 80 words long (and no more than 90 words long). You should use your own words as far as poss...
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What examiners said
There was a full range of marks awarded on the summary question. All the content points proved accessible, and most candidates were able to identify at least five relevant details successfully. The task had two aspects, namely what are the harmful effects of light pollution and what people can do to reduce it. The most successful responses conveyed all relevant detail, demonstrated good use of own...
— Examiner report, May/June 2023, 0511/21 Q12 (Cambridge)
In this question, there was a significant number of candidates who lost both content and language marks because they wrote over the required 120 words. Responses also featured lifted language from the article, with little attempt made to rephrase. Some responses featured lengthy introductions that did not contain Content points meaning that some points were made after 120 words and could not be c...
— Examiner report, October/November 2022, 0511/21 Q13 (Cambridge)
The summary proved to be a good discriminating exercise and there was a full range of marks awarded. All the content points proved accessible and most candidates were able to identify at least five relevant details successfully. The task was to write a summary about the advantages of crop rotation for home gardeners. The most successful candidates were able to convey relevant detail, attempted to...
— Examiner report, October/November 2022, 0511/22 Q13 (Cambridge)
Past papers, syllabus and examiner reports © UCLES (Cambridge University Press & Assessment). Questions are matched to topics from the official syllabus. AssessPro is independent and not endorsed by Cambridge.