Public Health Systems
Lesson 4.2 develops Reading summary completion on public health systems, focusing on paraphrase.
- Choose words to complete a summary
- Spot paraphrase between summary and text
- Stay inside the word limit
Reading · Public health systems
Public health systems vary widely across the developed world. The British NHS, founded in 1948, is funded almost entirely through general taxation and provides care that is free at the point of use. In contrast, the United States relies heavily on private insurance, with significant out-of-pocket costs even for insured patients. Most European countries operate somewhere between these two models, mixing public funding with regulated private providers.
The British NHS is paid for through (1) ______ and is free for patients to use. The American system depends largely on (2) ______ insurance. European countries usually combine public and (3) ______ providers.
| Gap | Answer |
|---|---|
| 1 | taxation |
| 2 | private |
| 3 | private |
Pathway focus · Academic-style paraphrase
- 'free at the point of use' ≈ 'free for patients'
- 'funded through general taxation' ≈ 'paid for through taxation'
Strategy · Summary completion
- Read the summary title — get the gist.
- Predict the part of speech of each gap.
- Scan the passage for the relevant paragraph.
- Paraphrase, then choose the exact word from the passage.
Summary words must match the passage form exactly — singular/plural, tense, capitalisation.
Exam Strategy
- Exam Tip
Predict word class before scanning.
Independent Practice
Write 5 paraphrase pairs from the passage.
Key Takeaways
- Summary completion = paraphrase + exact word from text.