Writing: High-Level Professional & Academic C2
Lesson 1: Writing an Abstract and Executive Summary
Listen to key concepts for this lesson.
Before You Start: C2 Core Concepts 🧠
Key Vocabulary (Click 🔊)
Abstract vs. Executive Summary: A Head-to-Head Comparison
These two documents look similar, but their purpose and audience are completely different. A C2 writer must master this distinction.
| Feature | Abstract (Academic) | Executive Summary (Business) |
|---|---|---|
| Primary Purpose | To inform & summarize research. | To persuade & enable a quick decision. |
| Key Question Answered | "What did the researcher do, find, and conclude?" | "What is the problem, what is your solution, and what should I do?" |
| Audience | Other researchers, academics, students. | Decision-makers, CEOs, investors, clients. |
| Tone & Voice | Objective, formal, neutral, descriptive. (Often uses passive voice: "it was found that...") |
Persuasive, confident, direct, professional. (Must use active voice: "We recommend...") |
| Standard Structure | IMRaD: Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion. |
Problem, Solution, Key Benefits/Costs, Recommendation/Call to Action. |
| Ends With... | A conclusion or implication. | A recommendation or request for action. |
Your C2 Language Toolkit 🛠️ (Click 🔊)
Your choice of verbs and phrases instantly signals the type of document you are writing.
- This paper investigates...
- The methodology employed was...
- The findings indicate that...
- Results demonstrate a correlation...
- We conclude that...
- The core problem is...
- This report recommends...
- The proposed solution will deliver...
- Key benefits include...
- We request approval to proceed.
Practice Your C2 Analysis 🎯
Quiz: Identify the Document & Its Flaws
Read the scenarios and excerpts below, then choose the best answer. Click "Check Answers" when done.
1. Situation: You have written a 300-page market analysis report for your CEO, who has 5 minutes to read it before a big meeting.
What document must you write and put on page 1?
2. Excerpt:
"This paper explores the correlation between renewable energy adoption and GDP growth in developing nations. A quantitative analysis of data from 14 nations was conducted... Results indicate a positive, but weak, correlation. It is concluded that..."
What text type is this?
3. Excerpt (from a business report):
"I think we should buy the new software. I feel it is much better than the old one, and it was found by our team to be good. I would like it if we could buy it."
As a C2 writer, what is the *primary flaw* in this attempt at an executive summary?
Key Vocabulary Reference (Click 🔊)
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Abstract
A brief, objective summary of academic research (Purpose: to inform).
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Executive Summary
A short, persuasive overview of a business report (Purpose: to persuade).
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IMRaD
The standard academic structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
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Concise / Succinct
Brief and comprehensive; clearly expressed in few words.
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Persuasive
Good at convincing someone to do or believe something.
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Recommendation
A suggestion or proposal as to the best course of action.
Your Writing Mission ⭐
The C2 Transformation Challenge
Your mission is to perform a "C2 Transformation." This is one of the most difficult and valuable skills in professional writing.
- Find a real academic abstract online (e.g., from Google Scholar). Choose one that is 150-300 words long.
- Invent a business goal related to that abstract. (e.g., if the abstract is about "consumer psychology and the color blue," your goal is "to convince a client to use a blue logo").
- Rewrite the abstract as a 150-word Executive Summary. You must change the tone from objective to persuasive, remove the academic jargon, and add a clear recommendation.
This task requires you to master synthesis, tone, and purpose.