Originally Posted by Toru

It is disappointing to see that you have been distracted by the use of my illustration than the point I was trying to make. As far as as your comment is concerned:

Firstly, you should be mindful of the fact that you, or any of us, are no authority over what the examiner cares about. That is a purely exclusive domain. So you needn't even mention it.

Secondly, the reason why people fail precis/essay is in the very fact of clarity -- which again is subjective. Candidates obviously make an attempt to be as clear and logical as possible, but it so happens that they aren't (by the examiner's standards), thereby resulting in failure.

Thirdly, there is no science for a precis which puts marks or weightage -- that too by way of importance, on the five points mentioned. From an examination perspective, particularly css, clarity is highly subjective -- though on the face of it seems unlikely. When I say subjective, I mean the examiner's views regarding the attempt. And I can refute your argument by asserting that there is ''equal value'' for the points, thereby contributing a fifth of the total mark.

Lastly, adherence to word limit is a ''scientific rule'' for a precis. There is no subjectivity in this fact whatsoever. Let me also clarify what science means lest you don't understand/misunderstand: It is a universal truth; with universal application. So you shouldn't have even bothered putting that on the list you want to believe holds weight.