Five Things You Need to Know about Writing Articles

Exam English

In Cambridge First or Cambridge Advanced, you may be asked to publish an article. But did you know why is an article different from other types of writing?

1 your reader is identified
An article is much like a direct conversation with the reader. The exam question might let you know who your readers are. For example, the learning students at a school, or perhaps the people staying in a town or folks who are thinking buy an essay about sports. Anything you write must speak to that particular reader and engage their interest from the comfort of the first sentence.

2 It has to get attention
If you’re anywhere on the web these full days, you will be bombarded with articles with headlines that pull the reader in. It’s called “click baiting” and all the writer is wanting to accomplish is make the page is opened by you to see their article. You ought to think like a journalist when you’re writing your article.
Glance at the heading plus the first line of this article. How did I get your attention?*

3 It offers to be interesting
For an article to operate, it has to enough be engaging to see most of the way through. Remember how bored the examiner must be after reading fifty exam papers. Ensure it is easier for them to get a good impression about your writing by entertaining them. Add humour, actual life or made up examples, or make up quotes.

4 It offers to be very easy to read
Use subheadings to break the text up and make clear paragraphs. Write in a semi-informal, conversational style. While making sure there is organisation to your thinking. The look stage is essential with this. Spend 5-10 minutes ideas that are brainstorming choose the best 3 or 4. Think what your subheadings could be and then write a short introduction that lets the reader know very well what you may anticipate.
Keep in mind that you would like the reader to help keep reading, so don’t inform them exactly what they’re going to read. This isn’t an essay! In an essay you usually restate the question, explain how you would answer it and possibly say why it is necessary. In a write-up, that may kill your reader’s interest.
Look back only at that paragraph. What sentence style have I used which makes it semi-informal and speak directly to the reader?**

5 Write a good ending
In an essay you sum within the points which have gone before and draw a conclusion from that. But in a write-up, it’s better to provide the reader something to think about, perhaps by asking them another question or providing them with a call to action. Often, the very best endings link back into the starting place in some way.
Listed below are two endings I could use because of this article:

• Glance at your internet browsing history through the day that is last. Which articles got your attention? Is it possible to observe how they achieved it?
• So, so now you learn how to write an article, why not write one giving suggestions about something you understand about?

Common mistakes students make in articles

• The language is just too formal and more suitable for essays. Avoid words like: to sum up, some social people say, nevertheless, on one hand etc.
• They don’t really use quotes or examples
• They either use not enough, or way too many, questions. The questions, called rhetorical questions because they don’t require a response, should never be more than one per paragraph. Good examples are:

  * A title which makes the niche immediately clear. For some reason, people like reading lists! And a primary, rhetorical question in the first paragraph to make readers want to find the answer out.
  ** I’ve used the important to give instructions. E.g. Think??¦Keep in mind??¦Write??¦Spend??¦

  Article contributed by Nicola Prentis that is a teacher and materials writer, situated in Madrid and London. She actually is the writer of Speaking Skills (B2+) – a self study book with Collins.