Two skills that look similar — and aren't
Summary = compress the main ideas of a single text in your own words.
Synthesis = combine ideas from two or more texts into a single shared insight, with brief evidence from each.
Paper 2 Q2 specifically asks for synthesis: "Use details from both sources to write a summary of the differences between…". You will lose marks if you summarise each text in turn instead of weaving them together.
Summary technique — the gist plus two anchors
A good summary states the main idea in one sentence, then anchors it with one or two specific details. Compare:
Weak (retelling): "First the writer talks about the train station, then he talks about the people on the platform, then he describes the noise."
Strong (gist + anchors): "The writer presents the train station as overwhelming, layering visual details ('a crush of bodies') and sound ('the squeal of brakes') to immerse the reader in sensory excess."
The strong version organises the text rather than retelling it.
Synthesis technique — points of comparison, not parallel descriptions
The big trap in synthesis is parallel description — describing each source in turn:
Paragraph 1: "Source A says… Source A also says… Source A finally says…" Paragraph 2: "Source B says…"
That isn't synthesis. Synthesis means a single point of comparison per sentence.
The shape to use:
"Both writers present cities as overwhelming, but where the 19th-century writer of Source A leans on the visual ('thronged, smoky'), the 21st-century writer of Source B foregrounds sound ('a wall of voices')."
Notice:
- One sentence covers both sources.
- A connective (where… leans on… foregrounds…) does the comparing.
- Each source is anchored with a brief embedded quotation.
A worked synthesis example
Source A (1854) — London: "the streets thronged, smoky, deafening — every face a stranger, every step half-blocked." Source B (2018) — Lagos market: "a wall of voices, scents and bodies; everyone too close, everyone moving."
Synthesis paragraph (model):
"Both writers present urban life as a sensory assault, even though the cities and centuries are far apart. Where Source A piles up adjectival sound effects ('thronged, smoky, deafening') to depict London as relentlessly oppressive, Source B uses a tactile and olfactory register ('voices, scents and bodies', 'everyone too close') to convey Lagos as a market of bodies in motion. The shared idea is overwhelm; the difference is the dominant sense each writer chooses to make the reader feel it."
Three things to copy:
- Opens with the shared idea.
- Embeds brief quotations from both sources in the same paragraph.
- Closes by naming the difference in method.
How to plan a synthesis answer
- Read both sources. Underline points that overlap (shared theme) and contrast (different angle).
- Write a list of comparison points, e.g.: both = sensory; A = visual + sound, B = tactile + sound; A = oppressed, B = energised.
- Build each paragraph around one comparison point.
Q2-style task tips
The Q2 prompt usually asks for differences or similarities of two specific things (the writers' attitudes / experiences / situations). Stick to those two things; don't drift into language analysis (that's Q3 territory).
The Q2 mark scheme rewards:
- Clear inferences supported by both sources.
- Synthesis — comparison in the same sentence/paragraph.
- Evidence from both sources, not just one.
⚠Common mistakes— Common errors
- Parallel description. A whole paragraph on Source A, then another on Source B.
- One-source quoting. Forgetting to include evidence from the second source.
- Over-quoting. Long quotations that don't leave room for inference.
- Drifting into language analysis. Q2 is about what the writers say, not how they say it.
AI-generated · claude-opus-4-7 · v3-deep-english