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You'll definitely have to write an article at some time during your school course and very likely also in your exam, in Paper 2, Section B. And it's worth a lot of marks, so a lot is at risk. This kind of writing is also called an 'opinion piece', which means you are using it to persuade your reader to see things your way.

Here are some typical questions:

Write a persuasive article for…
    ...your local newspaper / a teenage magazine / your school magazine / a travel guide

on the topic of…
    ...adventure holidays / the benefits of exercise / keeping a pet / eating healthily / cycling to school.

WHAT IS THE EXAMINER LOOKING FOR?

In an article written for the exam, technical accuracy is worth many marks so spelling and grammar are important. Marks are also awarded according to the how well your writing shows that you have considered the following key aspects:

AUDIENCE
This is far more important to the marks you will receive than most students realise. The examiner will be looking closely for evidence that you have considered your audience in the style of writing you use.

• What style of language will attract and suit the type of reader you are writing for?

• Would a formal style be best? Or a more informal – even chatty style? Or a subtle combination?

• You absolutely must capture and hold your reader's attention! And this means being lively and interesting - most especially when you begin writing (a flat sounding... y-a-w-n ...opening to any article is a sure mark loser!).

    The chances are you will need to adopt a quite formal style but... these days, most modern newspaper and magazine articles often intersperse a little chattiness or informal features as a way to soften the formality and create a friendly, conversational tone; in girl's and women's mags especially, the tone or 'voice' can sometimes seem to be that of a slightly older, rather wiser friend.

PURPOSE
What style of writing will achieve the aims of your article? Are you writing to persuade, inform or explain? The Englishbiz pages on these kinds of writing should help.

GENRE
What style and form (i.e. format) of writing would satisfy the genre conventions you need to follow for an article?

• Think what you would expect to see and read in such an article: catchy or witty headlines – maybe using a pun (i.e. a witty play on words) or alliteration, a by-line to show who the writer is, sub-headings to aid clarity and reading, use of bullet points, lists, images, tables, etc.
   

• Would the writing need to be very lively, even chatty or perhaps much more formal - perhaps a mixture of the two styles (which is an increasingly common aspect of the style of articles these days)?

CONTEXT

• Where and in what situation is the article likely to be read and understood - the situation or context of your reader?

• What language choices will help in such a context?

• What tone of voice needs be adopted to suit such an audience in such a context?

Often an article is not read ‘in depth’, pored over and studied because full concentration is often not possible when a newspaper or magazine is read, so... a catchy lively style which does not demand too much of your reader and which follows a clear and logical structure is almost certain to be a good choice for many articles.

WRITING THE ARTICLE

YOU WILL NEED TO WRITE IN A WAY THAT…

...captures your reader’s eye and attention

How can you achieve this? A catchy title or headline? A suitable image or photo? Become the reader for a moment: what would catch your eye and attention?

...hooks your reader's interest

How can you hook your reader to want to read on? Make the opening sentence intriguing, lively, ‘catchy’! Give the outline facts immediately – answering briefly: What? Who? Where? When?

...is lively and interesting

How can you achieve this? A short opening sentence? A mix of shorter and longer sentences? Use clear succinct paragraphs that open with a topic sentence, one that gives, in a nutshell, what the rest of the paragraph will explore in more depth. Try hyperbole (exaggeration for effect - but use with care!).

...gives the most important facts and information first

How can you achieve this? Work out what is most important and interesting and write about this first? Leave the less important aspects and the finer detail till later?

...sounds authentic and gains your reader’s trust

How can you achieve this? Aim to create a sincere 'voice' – write in a natural, lively style. Remember that if your writing doesn't capture the trust of your reader, it won't succeed!

...sounds authoritative and is believable and persuasive

How can you achieve this? Write confidently; include made-up interviews with “experts”; use made up statistics and evidence for authoritative sources (but keep all this reasonable and believable). Use a mixture of vocabulary including a few more complex words and a few technical terms.

...avoids being overly emotional or too personal

    An article has a wide and unknown audience – you do not know them and they do not know you. Write in a way you would expect to be written for: be calm; be polite; be you!

• As you write, try to develop the mind-set of your potential future reader. Stop after each sentence and briefly re-read what you have just written – but as a future reader might read your work.
  

• Is the writing lively? Clear? Interesting? Convincing?

• Would you want to read this article? If not, now's your chance to make adjustments, neatly!