Advice On How To Write Articles In The English Language Paper 2 Exam

English language Paper 2: Section B(Writing)

Articles

If you are asked to write a newspaper or magazine article in the exam you will be required to show some understanding of the form of this type of writing. Some of the ingredients of article writing are: headlines, subheadings, appropriate register of language and use of language techniques.

Preparing to write

Before you start writing your response to the exam question read the question carefully. Underline key words in the question that guide you to create a strong response. This will involve the focus of your writing, information about your audience/reader and the form in which you will write.

You will then need to plan out your response, this need not be a lengthy plan but some notes that you will write on your answer booklet. Your plan should indicate the level of formality you will use in your writing (informal/colloquial or formal) and the ideas you might explore. Take note of the purpose of your writing, if you are asked to explain your viewpoint on a subject you will be writing to argue or persuade. It is important to write a plan as this creates a positive impression in terms of the examiner, they can see your work has a sense of direction. After you have done this you can then start to write your response.

Writing your article

Firstly, it is important to remember that you are expected to follow some of the conventions of article writing BUT the examiner does not expect you to draw images or demonstrate where photographs would be in the article!

Headlines - A headline is a way of conveying to the examiner that you have understood the form of writing needed, sometimes it is better to choose your headline after you have written your article (but try not to forget to do this!). Your headline should suit the tone/level of formality of your writing. Broadsheet newspaper headlines should contain formal language and not include any informal language. Tabloid newspaper headlines and some magazine headings (particularly magazines aimed at a younger audience/less formal readership) should reflect the style of the publication. Tabloid newspapers such as The Sun and Daily Mirror often use chatty language and puns (word play) to convey their message. E.g. Boris the Proroguer . Note the word play on prorogue and the idea of a rogue .

Subheadings After your headline you should use a subheading to structure your article. This need not be long or complicated but it does need to indicate the subject that you will be introducing in your article. E.g. A subheading of Violence breeds violence but peace is still elusive may lead to an exploration of a viewpoint concerning violence and attempts to find peaceful solutions.

Please note that subheadings should not be overused. Use them to help structure your article into ideas, usually no more than three subheadings should be used. Subheadings should be meaningful and convey the sorts of ideas that will come next, often they are a brief summary of the ideas to follow.

Language techniques Almost always, the writing task for English language Paper 2 is focused on assessing students skills at writing to argue and persuade. The examiner needs to see enough evidence of persuasive language techniques to give you a good mark. The sorts of techniques you should use (and use in plentiful amounts with effect) are: rhetorical questions, lists of three, emotive language, repetition, alliteration, rebuttal, direct address ( you this is applicable in speeches and some forms of writing but would be not appropriate in a broadsheet article) and powerful adjectives/verbs. As I said earlier, there needs to be enough evidence of a variety of these techniques to award a high mark, candidates who only use one or two of these language devices perhaps once

in their article run the risk of a low mark.

Structure your article will follow the usual structure of this form of writing (i.e. headline first followed by a subheading) and will also show evidence of effectively structured ideas. A strong introduction and conclusion will demonstrate that you have control over your writing.

Discourse markers discourse markers are the bread and butter of academic and persuasive writing. The marking criteria for this task asks examiners to reward candidates with extensive and varied use of discourse markers . Discourse markers help to link ideas together, introduce key points in your argument and add to the fluency of your writing. Again, you need to show evidence of a range of discourse markers in your work, every paragraph should contain several discourse markers.