I think this gets the idea across that the main points are discussed without necessarily reproducing parts of the text, (which to me would imply more or less word for word).

might be another option

explain
describe
...

braincellstorm

Sample for an abstract:

English Abstract

A user at a remote computer is provided access to a computer network by a remote access device coupled to the network. The remote access device receives from the remote computer a username which uniquely identifies the user on the network. The remote access device then obtains an Internet protocol (IP) address from a server on the network, which server dynamically assigns the IP address based on the username. The IP address uniquely identifies the remote computer on the network, and it is needed by the remote computer to communicate on the network. If the user at the remote computer disconnects, or is disconnected, from the network and then subsequently attempts to re-gain access to the network by sending the same username to either the same or a different remote access device coupled to the network,
that remote access device obtains the same IP address from the server. The user at the remote computer thus is provided with the same IP address by the server on the network when the user disconnects and then later reconnects to the network even if each of the two connections is via a different remote access device.
http://patents.ic.gc.ca/opic-cipo/cpd/eng/patent/2223434/sum...

Ein Abstract ist eine prägnante Inhaltsangabe, ein Abriss ohne Interpretation und Wertung einer wissenschaftlichen Arbeit. In DIN 1426 wird das (oder auch der) Abstract als Kurzreferat (auch als Synonym verwandt) zur Inhaltsangabe beschrieben. Die Definition des American National Standards Institute (ANSI) lautet: „An abstract is defined as an abbreviated accurate representation of the contents of a document.“ („Ein Abstract ist definiert als eine gekürzte präzise Darstellung des Inhalts eines Dokuments.“)
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract

An abstract is a brief body of a research article, thesis, review, conference proceeding or any in-depth analysis of a particular subject or discipline, and is often used to help the reader quickly ascertain the paper's purpose. When used, an abstract always appears at the beginning of a manuscript or typescript, acting as the point-of-entry for any given academic paper or patent application. Abstracting and indexing services for various academic disciplines are aimed at compiling a body of literature for that particular subject.

The terms précis or synopsis are used in some publications to refer to the same thing that other publications might call an "abstract". In management reports, an executive summary usually contains more information (and often more sensitive information) than the abstract does.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abstract_(summary)


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Note added at 13 hrs (2013-01-23 07:17:30 GMT)
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to abstract eine Kurzfassung erstellen
to abstract einen Auszug machen
http://www.dict.cc/?s=abstract

1. abstract (summarize):
..powered by acapela text to speech to abstract sth etw zusammenfassen
http://de.pons.eu/englisch-deutsch/Abstract Expressionism

"Abstracting a document, storing the abstract, and retrieving it in response to a query falls as such within the category [...]
eupat.ffii.org
"Das Zusammenfassen eines Dokumentes, Speichern der Zusammenfassung und Abrufen derselben als Antwort auf eine Anfrage fällt als solche in die Kategorie [...]
eupat.ffii.org
http://www.linguee.de/englisch-deutsch/uebersetzung/abstract...

Das Summary (engl. summary = Zusammenfassung) wird häufig synonym mit dem Begriff Abstract (engl. to abstract = einen Auszug machen) verwendet, manchmal fungiert Summary auch als Übergriff zu Abstract. (vgl. Kretzenbacher 1990, S. 27). Beide Begriffe lassen sich jedenfalls, da dies auch in der einschlägigen Fachliteratur nicht einheitlich geregelt ist (vgl. Kretzenbacher 1990, S. 27), in der Praxis nicht immer eindeutig voneinander abgrenzen
:
Das Abstract stellt eine noch etwas kürzer gehaltene Zusammenfassung als das Summary dar und seine Gegenstände sind nichtfiktional. Dabei kann es sich um wissenschaftlichen Thesen oder ganze wissenschaftliche Arbeiten, um Rückblicke auf Ereignisse oder um die Darstellung von Konferenzverläufen handeln. (→Formen des Abstracts) Es dient den Adressaten dazu, sich über Quintessenz der Sachverhalte kurz und bündig zu informieren ...
:
In DIN 1426 wird das (oder auch der) Abstract als Kurzreferat zur Inhaltsangabe beschrieben. Die Definition des American National Standards Institute (ANSI) lautet: „An abstract is defined as an abbreviated accurate representation of the contents of a document.“ („Ein Abstract ist definiert als eine gekürzte präzise Darstellung des Inhalts eines Dokuments.“)
http://www.teachsam.de/deutsch/d_schreibf/schr_schule/txtwie...



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Note added at 14 hrs (2013-01-23 07:56:59 GMT)
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In case you do not like "to abstract" you can use the alternate "to summarize", not yet proposed. In case you are looking for a noun, you can use "abstract" as well as "summary".

"The summary reflects both the structure of the report and also.."

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Note added at 13 mins (2013-01-22 17:59:20 GMT)
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Example from link below:
"The structure of the summary should reflect the structure of the article, with the exception of the Discussion."
http://www.freepatentsonline.com/WO2007145650.html

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Note added at 21 hrs (2013-01-23 15:37:08 GMT)
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Additional options with examples:

1. recount -
"Rather, a summary should recount the author's main point, or thesis, and the key evidence (examples, illustrations, statistics, and so on) used to support it."
http://books.google.com/books?id=_TEaBv2MCSUC&pg=PA27&lpg=PA...

2. convey -
"The summary should convey sufficient information for the review committee to fully evaluate the project."
http://globalhealth2012.weebly.com/norval-young-award.html

3. depict -
"Each chapter summary should depict at least one minor discovery and one minor reversal ..."
http://forums.nathanbransford.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=2293

I guess that, although the summary will be slightly shorter than the original text, the candidate is expected to use their own words, in which case 'paraphrase' is a good option.

The OALD defines parapharse as follows:
paraphrase (something) to express what somebody has said or written using different words, especially in order to make it easier to understand
See: http://oald8.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/dictionary/parap...

So this seems to be what you're looking for.

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Note added at 3 days18 hrs (2013-01-26 12:09:51 GMT)
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So my suggestion for translating the phrase would be "The summary parapharses the ..."