English · Summary Writing
Summary and Precis — The Difference
What separates a summary from a precis, and what each one is marked on.
The two overlap and boards often use the words interchangeably, but a precis is stricter: it must be about one third of the original, in your own words, with a title, and it may not add anything at all. A summary allows slightly more freedom in length and phrasing. When the question says precis, follow the stricter rules.
The format
Where the two overlap
Both ask you to shorten a passage in your own words while keeping its meaning, and Bangladeshi boards often use the words interchangeably. If a question says "write a summary" and gives no further instruction, following the stricter precis rules will never cost you a mark.
Where they differ
The practical differences
| Summary | Precis | |
|---|---|---|
| Length | shorter, often about a third | strictly about one third |
| Title | sometimes required | normally required |
| Own words | expected | strictly required |
| Adding anything | not allowed | absolutely not allowed |
| Order of ideas | may be reorganised slightly | follows the original |
| Tone | may be slightly freer | neutral and impersonal throughout |
What a precis must never do
A precis is a compression, not a commentary. It may not add an example, an explanation, a criticism or a conclusion of your own, and it may not omit a step in the argument on the grounds that it is obvious.
- No opinion, no evaluation, no “the writer is right to say”.
- No new information, even if it is true.
- No direct quotation from the passage.
- No addressing the reader.
Which rules to follow in the exam
Read the instruction. If it says precis, follow the strict rules and write a title. If it says summary and gives a word limit, obey the limit. If it says summary and gives none, aim for a third and write a title anyway — it can only help.
Model answer
Worked example
Original passage (about 120 words)
It is often said that the young of today have no patience, and that the fault lies with the devices they carry. This is too simple. Patience is not a quality people are born with in fixed quantities; it is a habit, and habits are formed by what a person practises. A generation that has grown up able to satisfy curiosity in four seconds has had very little occasion to practise waiting, and so has not formed the habit. The remedy, if one is wanted, is not to take the device away but to arrange occasions on which waiting is unavoidable and worthwhile — a long book, a garden, an instrument. The capacity is not missing; it has simply gone unexercised.
Precis (about 40 words) — Title: Patience as a habit
Blaming devices for young people's impatience oversimplifies. Patience is a habit built by practice, and a generation whose curiosity is satisfied instantly has had little chance to practise it. The remedy is to create occasions requiring worthwhile waiting rather than to remove the devices.
Note
The three examples — book, garden, instrument — were compressed into "occasions requiring worthwhile waiting", because a precis keeps the point and drops the illustration. The order of the original argument was preserved exactly, as a precis requires.
What earns and loses marks
- When in doubt, follow the precis rules — they are stricter, so an answer that satisfies them also satisfies the summary rules.
- Write a title unless you are told not to. It costs one line and is often a mark.
- Keep the order of the original in a precis. Reorganising is a summary liberty, not a precis one.
- 🚨 Never quote. A precis containing quotation marks has already broken the central rule.
- Read the instruction for a word limit before you read the passage — it changes how you mark it up.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nearly, and boards often use the terms interchangeably. A precis is the stricter form: strictly about one third of the original, in your own words, with a title, in the original order, and with absolutely nothing added. If you follow the precis rules you will satisfy a summary question too.
Normally yes, and you should write one unless told not to. Make it a phrase of three to six words that names the subject of the passage. It takes a line, it is frequently worth a mark, and omitting it is one of the easiest ways to lose one.
In a summary, slightly, if it makes the result clearer. In a precis, no — it should follow the sequence of the original argument. Since the stricter rule is safe in both cases, keeping the original order is the sensible default.
Keep going
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