Structured Practice

Precis practice: Economic indicators and lived experience

Precis

Precis 20 marks 35 minutes 120 words

Read the following original passage and write a précis of approximately one-third of its length. Supply a suitable title.

National averages are useful but can conceal the distribution of progress. Income may rise while employment becomes insecure, public transport deteriorates, or housing consumes a larger share of household budgets. Conversely, a temporary fall in output may occur alongside improvements in health or education that strengthen long-term welfare. Good policy therefore uses a dashboard rather than a single headline number. It combines growth, productivity, employment, prices, inequality, human development, environmental costs, and regional differences. Measurement is not neutral: what a government chooses to count influences what it chooses to improve.

Practice workspace

Write notes or your response

35:00

Suggested approach

Identify the central claim, remove examples and repetition, preserve logical relationships, write in your own words, and add a concise title.

Self-assessment rubric

Accuracy 40%; compression 20%; coherence 20%; language 15%; title 5%.