A summary is a fairly brief restatement--IN YOUR OWN WORDS--of the contents of a passage.
(In this test you say things in German, so you are automatically saying things in your own words.)
Remember: This is NOT a translation. It is a summary of the main ideas of the text in German.

Here are some useful suggestions for summarising an English text in English:

Strictly speaking, you simply report back what the other writer has said. It is not your job to make value judgments about the "rightness" or "wrongness" of what (s)he says. That would be a different kind of paper--a summary-response, a critique, or a position paper.

While it is hard to give concrete guidelines for length, many good summaries are about 1/4 to 1/3 the length of the original.

What are the steps in writing a summary?

I. Read through the whole piece--carefully. Annotate (underline, highlight, asterisk, star, flag things; comment in the margins) as you read.

II. When you finish, look back for the 1-2 sentences that state the author's main point. Write it/them down or place some special annotation in the margin of your book. This is the article's thesis statement. While it may appear early in the essay--the first paragraph or two (as you are taught to locate yours), it may not, in fact, be stated until the end of the piece (almost as if it were a conclusion).

III. Reread the selection, dividing it into sections of thought. Each section may be one paragraph, but, more likely, each section will incorporate several paragraphs.

IV. Write a sentence or two summarizing each section of thought. If you have trouble doing this, you might try writing a summary sentence for each paragraph and then revising where you see yourself repeating ideas.

V. Write a first draft of your summary, including the following items:

A. In the first sentence or two--

1. the author's name.
2. the article's or chapter's name (perhaps even the magazine's or book's name in which the article or chapter appeared).
3. the author's thesis statement.

***Here's an example: "In our excerpt from The Idea of a University, John Henry Newman argues that the real purpose of a university education is to help students become wise, enable each one to understand as much as possible of the world in which (s)he lives and to see clearly how each piece of knowledge relates to each other piece of knowledge."

B. Next, your summary sentences for each paragraph or section. Put them in the same order that the author presents the essay, because you are, after all, simply reporting back what (s)he says.

C. You should make every effort to put the author's ideas into your own words--to avoid plagiarism. However, you may occasionally want to quote a point directly from the author. That's okay; just be sure to place quotation marks around what you have borrowed and cite your page number.

D. Occasional supporting details, if and only if they are the most significant ones.

VI. Check your draft against the original piece for accuracy.

VII. Revise the summary to "smooth out" its choppiness. In other words, link your section summary sentences together with good transitional words or phrases (like in addition, moreover, on the other hand, however, finally).

VIII. Proofread and spellcheck.

Why is obesity such a problem?


Updated 26 October 2004, 14.54

Source: BBC.co.uk

Why is obesity such a problem?
One in every 25 children are now obese, which means they're so fat it's bad for their health.

But why do you think it's such a big problem?

Do you think it's because of celebs advertising fast food?

Or do you reckon it's because children spend too much time watching TV and gaming?

Could it be because you just don't know what's good for you and what's bad?

Let us know now!

I am overweight and I didn't notice it until I started to get picked on. I exercise at times but my problems are school dinners that are really unhealthy and my childminder who only has chocolate and sweets for me to eat. It would be great if I like had my own personal trainer who told me what to eat and helped me to exercise more.
Sarah, 12, Belfast

I think obese children can not help it - it is either their parents or they eat out of boredom.
Sophie, 10, Wrexham

I think that healthy foods should be made more appealing to kids and really unhealthy foods should be made more expensive so that people don't want to waste their money on it.
Adam, 13, Bournemouth

They should make healthy food look and taste better, then more people will want to eat it.
Sophie, 12, Swansea

Obesity is a big problem around the country. My dad has diabetes because of an unhealthy diet. I think celebrities should stop advertising junk food to children.
Thomas, 10, Yeovil

I think I would rather pay less for unhealthy food because it's so much more fun than healthy food. They should make healthier food taste better then more people would eat it.
Vickie, 12, Bristol

I think it's a bit rich everyone telling you to eat healthy when they don't provide any healthy food. At my local leisure centre, they only sell chocolate, cakes and doughnuts- we have to eat it or go hungry!
Helen, 13, London

I think that celebrities should start advertising healthier food because lots of children copy what they do. I also think that schools should do more P.E as lots of children don't exercise when they're outside of school.
Jennifer, 11, Liverpool

Ok, I do think that there are too many fast food places to eat at, but at the end of the day can we really blame the fast food companies for making us overweight. After all we have free will and it is our own decision whether to eat it or not!
Harriet, 13, Suffolk

I think that it's partly because as kids get older, they seem do less PE. Also because celebs are advertising it, so the kids think it's cool to eat loads of fast food.
Charmaine, 13, Bristol

I think it is partly because unhealthy food is usually much cheaper than healthy food. If the government puts a tax on healthy food but makes things like salad cheaper, if you have little money on you instead of buying a chocolate bar you will buy an apple or something healthy.
Rachel, 10, Billericay

Similar interview answers

This is, how your German summary could start:

In dieser Online-Umfrage äußern sich britische Kinder zu der Frage, warum Fettleibigkeit ein so großes Problem sei.

In ihren Antworten benennen die Kinder mehrere Ursachen: es gebe zu wenig Sportunterricht, Prominente würden für Fast Food werben, gesundes Essen sei......

Sie machen aber auch Vorschläge dazu, was gegen das Problem getan werden kann. So empfehlen sie unter anderem, dass....