Passage Reference: It takes 125 recycled plastic milk bottles to manufacture one 140-litre wheelie-bin from recycled plastic.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes write plastic bottles, but this is too general and not the exact phrase used. You must copy the specific words from the passage. This is a partial truth trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: '125 recycled plastic milk bottles' = Summary: 'made from recycled ___'

Tips: When a number is given in the passage, check the noun that follows it. That noun is often the answer.

Key Vocabulary:

• recycled = used again
• manufacture = make

Question Focus: Identifying what recycled PET is mainly turned into

Correct Answer: new drink bottles

Passage Reference: Around 18,000 tonnes of these were recycled in Australia-mainly into new soft drink bottles.

Why this is correct: The note says the recycled PET was mainly turned into something. The passage tells us it was mainly into new soft drink bottles, so new drink bottles or soft drink bottles are both acceptable.

Common Mistake: Some students write plastic bottles, which sounds logical but is not what the passage says exactly. This is a synonym trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'new soft drink bottles' = Summary: 'new drink bottles'

Tips: If two answers are accepted, both come directly from the same sentence in the passage.

Key Vocabulary:

• recovered = collected
• tonnes = metric tons

Question Focus: Reason plastics need less energy for transport

Correct Answer: lightweight

Passage Reference: It takes less energy to manufacture and transport a plastic sauce bottle than a glass sauce bottle, as plastics are lightweight.

Why this is correct: The note explains why plastic bottles need less energy to transport. The passage directly says this is as plastics are lightweight, so you must copy lightweight.

Common Mistake: Students sometimes write light or lighter, but those words do not appear in the passage. This is a synonym trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'plastics are lightweight' = Summary: 'because they are ___'

Tips: For adjective gaps, look for a descriptive word after 'are' or 'is' in the passage.

Key Vocabulary:

• transport = move
• manufacture = produce

Question Focus: Location where discarded plastic has been found

Correct Answer: South pacific islands

Passage Reference: Discarded plastic has even been found on uninhabited South Pacific islands!

Why this is correct: The note asks where plastic has been found. The passage clearly states on uninhabited South Pacific islands, so the key words to copy are South Pacific islands.

Common Mistake: Some students write Pacific islands and drop 'South', but that changes the meaning. This is a partial truth trap.

Paraphrasing: Passage: 'uninhabited South Pacific islands' = Summary: 'found on ___'

Tips: For place names, copy all parts of the name exactly as written in the passage.

Key Vocabulary:

• discarded = thrown away
• uninhabited = no people live there

General Tips:

• Summary completion questions follow passage order, so always scan forward for the next answer.
• Copy the exact word or words from the passage. Do not use your own synonyms.
• Always check the word limit. Extra words mean an automatic wrong answer.
• Look at grammar clues around the gap, such as whether it needs a noun or an adjective.