Writing: article B1

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AN ARTICLE

INDEX

GRAMMAR STRUCTURES

AIM

STRUCTURE

USEFUL LANGUAGE

EXAMPLES

ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

TASKS

WHAT IS AN ARTICLE?

In an article task you get the topic from a website or magazine and there is some information or questions that you have to write about, always from your own experience. Also, your language should normally be between neutral and informal.

STRUCTURE OF AN ARTICLE

• EACH PART SHOULD BE IN A SEPARATE PARAGRAPH

1. Beginning: Engage the reader and make them want to read more, you can begin with a question or a general opinion
2. Middle: State your main points and relate them to personal experiences and opinions
3. Ending: Summarize your main points but make an overall point to make the reader think they have learned something from reading the article

Suggested grammar structures:

1. Impersonal passive: It is said that HBO make the best movies in the world. 2. Modal verbs: It might be a good idea to take your time. 3. Conditionals: If I were you, I would watch it at the cinema. 4. Relative clauses: I know someone who lives in that area. 5. Wish: I wish I could eat chocolate every day.

EXAMPLES:

Example of a question:

• You see this post on an English language website What types of books do you most enjoy? Do you prefer reading or watching Tv and what is the best way to take advantage of your free time? Write an article about these questions. The best articles will be published on the site.

• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet
• Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet

Example answer:

Click here

Useful language: Use these key phrases to answer the questions in the task

Involving the reader • Have you ever thought about…? • How would you feel if …? • What would you think of…? • Are you one of those people who …? • If the answer is …, you should…. • What do you reckon to …? • What would live be like if… • Just think for a moment… • Just imagine…

Making the article lively and interesting (use adverbs) • importantly • surprisingly • worryingly • the most amazing • absolutely • suddenly • amazingly • fantastically • frighteningly

Developing your points • Another advantage of … • On top of all that… • What is more, … • Above all,,, • The reason I think this is… • The reason I feel this way is… • On top of that, … • Let’s start with …

Try to use extreme adjectives instead of intensifiers • Very good = awesome, excellent, fantastic • Very bad = awful, terrible, disturbing

Useful language: Use these key phrases to answer the questions in the task

Giving your own opinion • In my opinion, … • My impression is that … • In my eyes, … • I am under the impression that … • To my mind, … • It is my impression that … • Speaking personally, … • I have the feeling that … • From my point of view, … • My own feeling on the subject is that … • As for me / As to me, … • I have no doubt that … • It goes without saying that … • I gather that … • I hold the view that … • I am sure / I am certain that … • I would say that … • I dare say that … • It seems to me that … • I guess that … •My view / opinion / belief / impression / conviction is that … • I bet that ….

Justifying opinions To begin, you can use these basic (B1) phrases to justify an opinion in English: • because… • the reason is… • the reason I believe that is… • the facts suggest… • the evidence shows… • taking into account what I have seen…

EXAMPLE QUESTIONS:

• LANGUAGES: THE BEST LANGUAGE TO LEARN

• ADVICE: THE MOST USEFUL BIT OF ADVICE I HAVE EVER RECEIVED

• TV SERIES: THE MOST EXCITING SERIES I HAVE SEEN THIS YEAR

• PLACES: THE BEST PLACE I HAVE EVER VISITED

• RESTAURANT: THE BEST RESTAURANT I HAVE EATEN IN

GOOD LUCK!

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