How to Write an Article (WJEC Eduqas GCSE English Language)

How to Write an Article

Writing an article or guide is another common option given as one of the two writing questions in Component 2, Section B. If you are given an article or guide to write, the purpose will normally be to inform, entertain or advise.

The following guide to writing an article in your Eduqas GCSE exam includes:

• Key features of an article

• Article structure

Key features of an article

The language and tone of an article will be determined by the task and subject. You may be asked to write an article or guide for your school or college magazine, or an article intended for publication in a newspaper. The following are the basic features of an article which you could include in your response. You should not include layout features such as columns, pictures or hyperlinks.

Because an article is intended for publication, it is important to use Standard English and to vary your sentence and paragraph lengths to keep your audience engaged. The heading, strapline and opening paragraph of an article can employ lots of persuasive devices to hook your reader and introduce your point of view. For example:

Article structure

As for any Section B writing task, you should spend 3–5 minutes planning your main points or arguments, before writing your response in a maximum of 25 minutes. 

There is no set structure for an article, but you should aim to write 4–5 paragraphs, including an introductory paragraph which is focused and outlines your main ideas. The concluding paragraph should sum up your ideas and give the reader something thought-provoking to consider.

If you have been asked to write a guide, you might want to consider how best to set out your information or advice so that it is easy to read. Guides lend themselves more to subheadings, as these direct the reader to the most appropriate information. You could also use bullet points to offer “top tips”, but limit this to only one set of bullet points. Examples of previous guide tasks include:

As with any type of transactional or persuasive writing, your paragraphs should always begin with a topic sentence and should be logically linked using appropriate connectives.

Rеmеmbеr that to produce an effective response, you should aim to develop your points carefully in each paragraph, using language features and techniques to highlight ideas and emphasise your points. 

You can find a full worked example in our Article Model Answer page.