Article Writing

Writing exam tasks often tell you to write a magazine or newspaper article. It is important to try to imagine
that you are a journalist and that your article is going to be published to have a clear picture of a target
audience. But it is crucial to plan the structure of your text carefully. It is a good idea to read many articles
and try to imitate the style.

What’s the difference between an article and an essay?

- An article is informal, whereas an essay is formal and neutral

- An essay has a very clear organization, whereas an article may not
- In an article, you need to continuously express your opinion

Tone: Articles could be light or serious (but should be consistent), depending on the target reader. You
may use contractions if you’re using a lighter tone.

Structure of an article

1. Title: think of an interesting title which will make people want to continue reading. The title should
be [1] informative (give an idea of the subject); [2] attractive (make the reader want to read it); [3]
short (2-5 words), and [4] clear – there is no need for a complete sentence. Examples: Friendships –
One of Our Pillars; How to Keep Friends; Why Keeping Friends Matters; Keep in Touch with Friends,
etc.

2. Introduction: The start of the article should be linked to the title, but not repeat it, be brief,
introduce the topic and engage the reader. An article often begins with a question that introduces
the topic to be discussed in the article, a quotation, or a proverb. Some tips for your introduction:
(1) Keep your first sentence short, (2) say something unusual; (3) Use the word ‘you’ at least once.
(4) Use a stat or fact to convey importance. Examples:
‘A friend in need is a friend indeed’, the proverb says. But what do you do when you no longer need
a friend? Well, the answer is, you just keep it!’
As you get older, you’ve surely asked yourself, ‘Can I keep so many friends? And there is only one
possible answer: of course you can!’
‘When you start a friendship, it becomes a part of you, and one of the hardest things is to let go of it
when it doesn’t bring anything to you. What do you do then? Well, you just keep your friends!’
‘Statistics show that in the past two decades people are losing more friends than they used to,
keeping an average of 1.5 per person. But how many friends are too many friends? Well, I say 1.5 is
definitely not enough!’
3. Body of the text – paragraphs 2 and 3: Each should be clearly defined, not too long, and clearly
linked. (1) Describe issues in detail and use one paragraph per issue. (2) Use linkers, sequencing and
sophisticated vocabulary. Examples:
One of the coolest things about staying friends with many people is that you can…
However, the greatest perk of having many friends is how you can…
First of all, you must keep in touch regularly.
You should at least meet…
4. Conclusion: As an ending you can state your opinion again, give the reader something to think
about, summarise the article in one or two sentences or even end with a quotation.
If you keep your friends, you’ll always have a shoulder to cry on when the going gets tough. And
isn’t being happy your main goal in life? Mine is.
The more friends you keep, the least likely you are to get depressed when things go wrong. Who
does not want to be supported? I definitely do, and I know my friends will be there for me.