PTE Writing: Summarize Written Text

Summarize Written Text gives you an academic-style passage, around 300 words, and asks you to summarize it in exactly one sentence, between 5 and 75 words, within about 10 minutes. Because it requires reading comprehension of the passage and written output in response, it is integrated -- contributing to both your Reading and your Writing scores.

The single-sentence constraint is enforced strictly: a response containing more than one sentence, or falling outside the 5-75 word range, is scored as zero for content regardless of how well it captures the passage's meaning. This makes sentence construction itself part of the skill -- you'll typically need to combine two or more ideas using subordinate clauses or connecting words (for example, "although," "which," "because") rather than writing several short, separate sentences.

The other core skill is identifying the passage's actual main idea, as opposed to its supporting details. A strong summary captures the overall point the passage is making, not just one interesting fact mentioned along the way; copying long strings of exact wording directly from the passage, rather than paraphrasing it, also limits how well the response can be assessed on vocabulary and grammar.

Below is an original practice passage. Read it, then think about what a single, well-constructed sentence capturing its main idea would need to include -- the questions that follow test whether you've identified the passage's real point and key supporting relationship, not just isolated facts.

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Passage (original, academic style -- vertical farming):

Vertical farming -- growing crops in stacked layers within controlled indoor environments -- has expanded rapidly in the past decade, driven by advances in LED lighting efficiency and hydroponic nutrient delivery. Proponents argue that indoor vertical farms use dramatically less water than traditional field agriculture, since water is recirculated in closed systems rather than lost to evaporation or runoff, and that year-round production close to urban centers can reduce the distance food travels before reaching consumers. Critics counter that the energy required to power artificial lighting and climate control is substantial, and that this energy cost can offset some of the environmental benefits unless the facility is powered by renewable sources. Economic viability remains a further open question: initial construction costs for a vertical farm are considerably higher than for an equivalent-output field farm, and profitability so far has been strongest for high-value, fast-growing crops such as leafy greens and herbs rather than staple grains. Researchers generally agree that vertical farming is unlikely to replace conventional agriculture entirely, but may play a growing role as one part of a more diversified food production system.