Precis (Summary) Writing – 13

Creative Writing – 52

Tips on writing good precis

Step by step guide

1. Read the whole passage mindfully to acquaint yourself with the subject matter.

2. Read any one random line and count the number of words in it. This is the average number per line.

3. Count the number of lines. Multiply it with the average number of words per line to arrive at the total number of words in the passage.

4. Divide the total number of words by three to arrive at the desired number of words in the précis / summary. You can exceed it by a maximum of five words for your answer. You might lose marks if you exceed the word limit beyond this.

5. List out or underline the crucial facts or information that must be contained in your précis /summary.

6. Write your draft summary. You might find that you have exceeded the word limit quite substantially.

7. Start pruning your answer by intelligently compounding, eliminating, or simply omitting words, but be careful not to omit the crucial facts of the original passage.

8. While doing this, your vocabulary skill will be of great help.

9. Write your final answer after all modifications and corrections of your draft answer.