Paper 2 Writing – Part 2
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An article
is usually written for an English-language magazine or newsletter, and the reader is assumed to have similar interests to the writer. The main purpose is to inform, interest and engage the reader, so there should be some opinion or comment.
HINTS
- Add a short title to catch the reader’s attention. Make sure it is relevant. You can use the one in the question or invent one of your own.
- Introduce the topic. Although you don’t know the readers personally, you can address them directly and ask them a rhetorical question: it helps to involve them.
- Divide your report into sections according to the input. One or two paragraphs will do.
- Develop the ideas in the task input. Remember:
- Use a personal or more neutral style, but not formal (you might use contractions).
- It is important that you show a range of structures.
- Give examples where appropriate to bring your article to life
- Use humour where appropriate.
- Give a conclusion and summary in the last paragraph.
Useful language for an article
Involving the reader
- Just imagine…
- Have you ever…?
- How would you feel if …?
- Are you one of those people who …?
- If the answer is …, you should….
- What would life be like if…
- …
Making the article lively and interesting
- I was absolutely terrified when I realised…
- More importantly, it was something I…
- Not surprisingly, it’s a good way of raising money.
- The tent was worryingly small for three people!
- It was the most amazing experience I have ever had.
- …
Developing your points
- Let’s start with …
- Another advantage of …
- On top of that, …
- …
Giving your own opinion
- I think that / In my opinion …
- It seems to me that …
- If you ask me, …
- To my mind…
- …
Model questions and answers
Article- Model question 1
TASK
You see this announcement on an English-language website.
Articles wanted
A charity event to remember
What is the most unusual way you’ve raised money for charity? How did you do it? What did you have to do? Was the event a success? Would you do it again?
Write us an article answering these questions.
We will publish the best articles on our website.
Write your article in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.
Article – Model answer 1
A charity event to remember
So why did I decided to do a 90-km walk in six days along the Great Wall of China? Well, the reason was that our local children’s hospital needed to raise money or it would be closed. However, I didn’t realise how big a challenge it would be.
Before I went, I thought that I would be walking along a flat surface but when I saw the Great Wall, my heart sank. Part of the time we would be trekking up hundreds of high steps and, worryingly, some of the paths had steep falls on either side and there was nowhere to go because we were surrounded by mountains and forests. However, after a while, I started to love the experience. I was in one of the most amazing places on earth and the views were incredible.
In the end, the adventure was a great success. The hospital was delighted because a group of us managed to raise several thousand pounds.
Would I be keen to help the hospital again next year? Yes, but I think I’ll try and find an easier challenge next time!
[+/- 190 words]
Article- Model question 2
TASK
You see this announcement in an international magazine.
Articles wanted
Life on a desert island
Imagine you were on a desert island. What important object, person or place in your life would you miss most? What would be the reasons?
Write us an article answering these questions.
We will publish the best articles in the magazine.
Write your article in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.
Article – Model answer 2
Life on a desert island
How would you feel about living on a desert island? I can’t imagine anything worse! I’d miss a lot of things but most of all, I would miss my home.
My home is a small house on the outskirts of a city. It was built about 50 years ago and has a small garden. In the summer, our country gets very hot but our house is always cool. You’d probably think our house is nothing special, but I have lived there all my life and all my friends live nearby. It’s a happy place, where I feel completely safe. Whenever I go away, I look forward to coming back, lying on my bed, reading a book and listening to my brother and sister arguing downstairs!
I love travelling and meeting new people, but if I were on a desert island, I’d be away from the place I love most: my home; and I would hate that.
[+/- 160 words]
Article- Model question 3
TASK
You see this announcement in an international magazine.
Articles wanted
Lucky winners
What would you do if you won a large sume of money. How would your life change?
Write us an article answering these questions. Give reasons.
We will publish the best articles next month.
Write your article in 140-190 words in an appropriate style.
Article – Model answer 3
Don’t throw it all away!
Have you ever dreamt of becoming rich unexpectedly? Just imagine what your life would be like! However, some people who get rich quickly are very careless with their money and end up being poorer than they were before.
That’s why I’d be very careful. I wouldn’t want a completely different kind of life, so I’d start by putting some of it away, in case everything went wrong – set up a kind of “emergency fund”. Then I would buy my hard-working parents a new home. They deserve it because they have always provided me with everything I’ve always wanted, even if it meant they had to go without. I would also give some money away to needy people who are struggling in the world and have no food. It would not be right to just spend the money on myself. Then I think I would take a year off from studying and travel round the world in great comfort. I’ve spent most of my live travelling on a limited budget and sleeping in hostels.
After that, who knows? I’ll see, but I certainly won’t be buying any luxury cars!
[+/- 190 words]
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