ARTICLE WRITING

1. Content
All of the content in the writing should be aimed at answering the question. It
should be easy to understand and also take into account who is reading it.

2. Organisation

The organisation aspect of the evaluation refers to how clearly you present your
ideas. If it is a letter, it must resemble a letter. You need to do it with
paragraphs, the paragraphs must not be too short and they need to be set into
separate topics. If you write a story it can be all in one paragraph but it needs to
include a beginning, middle and end.

Structure of an article:
Separate each part in to a separate paragraph.

 Beginning:

Engage the reader and make them want to read more, you can begin with a
question or a general opinion

Middle:

State your main points and relate them to personal experiences and opinions
Ending:

Summarize your main points but make an overall point to make the reader think
they have learned something from reading the article

3. Language
This part of the assessment focuses on the use of vocabulary and grammar.
You need to show flexibility in their use and also include cohesive devices (X5)
such as because, as, but, however, for example, like, and, in addition etc. To
get a good grade in this part your grammar and vocabulary need to be accurate,
appropriate and easy to understand.

4. Communicative achievement
They are looking at communication of ideas; it must be clear, relevant to the
question and the target reader, use good simple language with some complex
grammar.

 Example:

The most interesting way to spend your free time

Have you ever thought about the best way to spend your free time? If you want
to know the key to making the most of your leisure time, this article is a must
read.

Instead of turning on the TV every time you get home, why not try picking up a
book. Reading is a great way to relax and it is also a fantastic way to open your
mind. There is nothing like looking forward to getting home and reading a book
that you are into. It helps you unwind, improve your imagination and it can even
help you to learn a foreign language.

I have no doubt that reading will improve your life. If I were you,I would choose
a new book today!

 
Useful language: Use these key phrases to answer the questions in the task
 

Involving the reader

 Have you ever thought about…?
 How would you feel if …?
 What would you think of…?
 Are you one of those people who …?
 If the answer is …, you should….
 Just think for a moment…
 Just imagine…
 

Try to use extreme adjectives instead of intensifiers

 Very good = awesome, excellent, fantastic
 Very bad = awful, terrible, disturbing
 

Making the article lively and interesting (use adverbs)

 importantly
 surprisingly
 worryingly 
 the most amazing 
 absolutely
 suddenly
 amazingly
 fantastically
 frighteningly
 

Developing your points

 Another advantage of …
 On top of all that…
 What is more, …
 Above all,,,
 The reason I think this is…
 The reason I feel this way is…
 Let’s start with …
 
Giving your own opinion
 In my opinion, …
 To my mind, …
 As far as I am concerned, …
 Speaking personally, …
 From my point of view, …
 As for me / As to me, …
 My view / opinion / belief / impression / conviction is that …
 I hold the view that …
 I would say that …
 It seems to me that …
 I am of the opinion that …
 My impression is that …
 I am under the impression that …
 It is my impression that …
 I have the feeling that …
 My own feeling on the subject is that …
 I have no doubt that …
 I am sure / I am certain that …
 I think / consider / find / feel / believe / suppose / presume / assume that
…
 I hold the opinion that …
 I dare say that …
 I guess that …
 I bet that ….
 

Justifying opinions
To begin, you can use these basic (B1) phrases to justify an opinion in English:
 because…
 the reason is…
 the reason I believe that is…
 the facts suggest…
 the evidence shows…
 taking into account what I have seen…
 SO….WHAT SHOULD I CONSIDER?

Title

Every good article has a title. When you read a newspaper, magazine or
website you always find titles (and sometimes even subheadings) at the top of
an article.

Try to make the title interesting so the reader wants to see what you have
to say. For example, in our task from earlier we could choose one of the
following ideas:
1. Films I like (and how I watch them)
2. How to best watch the films you love
3. Home or cinema – How do you watch your favourite films?
You can see that the topic is clear and it creates some interest for the
reader. However, don’t feel stressed. If you just use the title “Films”, you
won’t lose any marks. It is more important to give your article some kind of
title.

Main paragraphs

The main paragraphs are the most important pieces of your article and you
should always think about these two things:

1. Does the paragraph talk about about one of the main questions in
the task?
2. Do I use good language (neutral/informal, linking words, good
grammar and interesting vocabulary)?

One of the most important things in the PET Writing exam is that you have to
answer the questions in the task very clearly. Don’t talk about things that
are unrelated, but focus on the topic. An example for one of the main
paragraphs could look like this:
I know many people who love animated or romantic films, but for me, there is
nothing better than an amazing drama or adventure movie like ‘Indiana Jones’
because I’m a big fan of stories with a fascinating plot.

In my opinion, watching a film at home isn’t the same as going to the cinema to
enjoy a great movie on a huge screen with popcorn and cola. If it wasn’t so
expensive, I would go every week.

You can see that I answered the question about what films I enjoy. I
only focused on the question and gave some examples.
In the first paragraph I talk about film genres (animated, romantic, drama,
adventure) as well as one specific film (Indiana Jones). I also tried to include
some interesting grammar (I know many people who…, nothing better than)
and vocabulary (amazing drama, I’m a big fan of…, fascinating plot). On top of
that, I used different linking words to connect my ideas (who, but, because).

In the second paragraph I say how I prefer watching a film (going to the cinema)
and I explain why (huge screen, popcorn and cola). I also included a conditional
sentence for good grammar (If it wasn’t so expensive, I would go every week.).
This sounds like a lot of information, but is you practise regularly, it will become easier
and easier for you to do the same.

Final sentence

As soon as you finish your main paragraphs, you should end your article with a nice
final sentence. It can be a little bit funny or surprising, but you can also just
summarise your article. Remember, the more interesting your article is, the better
it is for your marks.
So, if you want to give me some money to go to the cinema more often, or to tell me
which you prefer – the cinema or the TV screen, leave a comment.
In my final sentence I try to be funny (I’m not a very good comedian 🙂 ) and I
speak directly to the reader. This is a good way of making your article more
interesting because the reader feels as if they are part of the text.

Summary
Word count: around 100 words
Main characteristics: title, interesting/engaging language
Structure: introduction, main paragraphs, ending
Language: interesting adjectives & adverbs, questions