How to write a summary

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- uncertainty about the real size of gig economy

- social + legal consequences of gig economy

5. The big trade unions that have been gathering at Brighton this week for the TUC congress have largely failed to reach out to this new casualised workforce. Meanwhile, politicians are only just waking up to the fact that the orthodoxy that both Conservatives and Labour have pushed for decades – that work always pays – is wrong. In modern Britain, someone can slog their guts out and still have to go to the food bank or rely on benefits to get by.

- social + political consequences of gig economy

6. Against that backdrop, this week’s report into the gig economy by Frank Field is to be welcomed. The MP for Birkenhead has seen how his own constituency lost its industry and the stable jobs that went with it, and got back insecure and low-paid work. His intervention should shame the new business secretary, Greg Clark, into conducting his own full inquiry, but makes some sound recommendations – chief among them that gig companies should “guarantee minimum daily and weekly rates of pay”.

- example, not to be used in summary, but confirming the need to do something

7. New laws do need to be made – but the old ones could also do with being tweaked and enforced properly. HMRC needs more cash and staff so that it can investigate whether employers are paying the minimum wage. With Hermes, the tax inspectors only got going after the Guardian’s investigation. In other cases, they have been prompted by tiny unions such as the admirably scrappy Independent Workers’ Union of Great Britain. While couriers are plainly not employees, it is false to claim that they are “independent contractors” – however convenient it may be for their companies to do so. Better to have a presumption in law that they are “workers” – and to grant them rights to statutory sick pay and redress against unfair dismissal.

- need for clarity : define a legal status for these new jobs (workers/employees/contractors ?)

- which implies a need for social/work protection

What you must remember of the text after the first reading:

- the gig economy is a new, thriving sector in the UK

- it has advantages (mainly for the companies)

- it has disadvantages (mainly for those working for these companies)

- it is necessary to tackle these issues: need for more regulation/legislation

Here is an example of summary:

A new economic sector, the gig economy, is flourishing in the UK. Its main actors – Hermes, that delivers packages ; Deliveroo that delivers takeaway meals ; ride-hailing company Uber - have become household names.

If it may be trendy to work for these new business models, criticism has been mounting against them as they are accused to foster insecurity and poverty. Indeed salaries are low and the companies offer hardly any social protection.

True, these jobs are driving the British economy. However much uncertainty remains around this undocumented activity which challenges both trade unions and politicians. The job itself rarely pays, which questions the very purpose of work, and the legal status of the people who work for these companies, ranging from worker to employee to contractor, is not clearly identified.

It is therefore important the government should take action by passing new legislation and making sure the current one is respected.

152 words

The original text is composed of 686 words. So the summary should be between 171 and 228 words. My summary is shorter on purpose.

In conclusion:

- avoid reading the text more than 3 times

- once you have understood the text, use your notes, do not go back to the text so that you can concentrate on your English

- the title and subtitles are there to help you as they contain the purpose of the article, therefore your summary is just a longer version of them

- pay attention to the situation of communication : the article is an editorial so this is an argumentative text ; it is published in the Guardian so it is well-written and reliable ; you may have noticed that the topic of the article appears 6 times in total

- you can organise your thoughts freely provided you say no less and no more than the text