Article Writing

Why this distinction matters: Cambridge Paper 2 sometimes offers a choice. Choosing 'article' when you mean 'essay' (or writing an essay style when asked for an article) loses marks.

Key differences:

Feature	Article	Essay
Headline	Yes — catchy, specific	No
Subheadings	Common (especially magazine)	Rarely
Tone	Engaging, direct, sometimes personal	Formal, academic
Opening	Hook: question, anecdote, bold claim	Introduction: context + argument
Register	Semi-formal to formal	Formal
Direct address	Often ('you', 'we')	Rarely
Examples	Real-world, relatable	Academic, evidential

Articles come in two main types for Cambridge:

1. Informational article (school magazine, newspaper): explains a topic, shares information, may describe.
2. Opinion/persuasive article (editorial, magazine feature): argues a point, shares the writer's view.

The question will make the type clear: "Write an article for your school magazine explaining why…" (informational) vs. "Write an article arguing that young people today face more challenges than ever before." (persuasive).

What makes a good Cambridge article headline:

• It names the topic clearly.
• It creates interest or curiosity.
• It is specific — not vague.
• It is concise — usually 5–10 words.

Headline types with examples:

1. The question headline: "Is Social Media Making Teenagers Unhappy?" → Engages the reader by making them want to find out the answer.

2. The bold statement: "The Sport That Could Save Your Life" → Makes a strong, slightly exaggerated claim that creates intrigue.

3. The numbered headline: "Five Reasons Your School Should Plant More Trees" → Promises specific, organised content; readers know what to expect.

4. The alliterative headline: "Plastic Problems, Possible Solutions" → Memorable and sounds professional.

5. The statistic headline: "One Billion Tonnes — And Counting: The World's Plastic Crisis" → Uses a dramatic fact to create impact.

Weak headlines to avoid:

• "My Article About Sport" — too vague.
• "Sport" — gives nothing away.
• "Why I Think Sport Is Good" — too informal and flat.

Tip: Write your headline AFTER you've planned your content. You'll know exactly what your article is about and can craft a headline that reflects it precisely.

Structure of a strong article introduction:

1. Hook — the very first sentence. Surprises, challenges, or intrigues the reader.
2. Context — brief background. What is this article about?
3. Direction — signal what the article will explore (without listing everything mechanically).

Five hook types with examples:

1. Startling statistic: "Every minute, the equivalent of one rubbish truck of plastic is dumped into the ocean. Every. Single. Minute."

2. Rhetorical question: "When did we decide that convenience was worth more than the planet?"

3. Short anecdote: "It was during a family holiday in Indonesia that twelve-year-old Tara made a decision that would change her life — and hundreds of others."

4. Bold or provocative statement: "The way we teach maths in schools is broken — and students are paying the price."

5. Surprising contrast: "In 1990, the average teenager read for 30 minutes a day. Today, that figure has fallen to under three minutes."

Then: context and direction. "The debate about social media's impact on young people has never been louder. This article examines the evidence — and asks whether the solution lies with us, or with the tech giants."

Notice: it does NOT say "In this article I will discuss..." — that is mechanical and weak. Instead, it frames the discussion engagingly.

The TEEL paragraph (see Writing Skill Techniques) applied to articles:

Topic sentence: states the paragraph's main claim. Evidence / Example: supports the claim with a fact, example, or illustration. Explanation: explains why this matters or what it means. Link: connects to the next paragraph.

Article-specific techniques to develop paragraphs:

1. Anecdote: "Consider the case of Marcus, a 15-year-old from Singapore, who gave up his phone for one week as part of a school project. By day three, he reported feeling calmer, more focused, and — surprisingly — less bored." → Makes abstract ideas concrete and relatable.

2. Expert voice / quotation: "According to the World Health Organisation, teenagers need between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night. Yet surveys consistently show most are sleeping fewer than 7." → Adds authority and factual weight.

3. Statistics (can be generalised in exam conditions): "Studies suggest that students who exercise regularly score, on average, 20% higher on concentration tests."

4. Counterargument and rebuttal (for opinion articles): "Some argue that social media keeps young people connected. And perhaps it does. But connection without depth — hundreds of followers, zero close friends — may be more isolating than it first appears." → Acknowledges the other side, then dismantles it. Sophisticated and persuasive.

Transitions between paragraphs:

• "However, the picture is not entirely negative…"
• "Yet the consequences extend beyond the individual."
• "This raises a more fundamental question."
• "What, then, is the solution?"

What a weak conclusion does: Restates everything from the article in different words. This is boring and wastes marks.

What a strong article conclusion does:

• Synthesises (briefly connects ideas rather than listing them).
• Looks forward — what next? What is at stake?
• For opinion articles: issues a call to action.
• May echo the opening (creating a circular structure — sophisticated).
• Ends with a memorable final line.

Types of strong conclusions:

1. Call to action (persuasive articles): "The technology exists. The evidence is clear. All that's missing is the will to act. The question is: will we wait until it is too late?"

2. Forward-looking (informational articles): "As these projects grow, the hope is that what begins as a small community garden can become a model for cities around the world. The future of food, it seems, may be growing just around the corner."

3. Circular structure (echoes the opening): Opening used a statistic about plastic in the ocean. Conclusion: "Every minute, another truckload of plastic enters the ocean. But so does the work of thousands of campaigners, scientists, and teenagers who have decided that enough is enough. The tide, perhaps, is finally turning."*

4. Reflective close: "It is easy to feel overwhelmed by the scale of the problem. But change has always begun with individuals — with people who refused to accept that things couldn't be different. And that, ultimately, is reason enough to start."