Essential tips for writing effective articles

Capture your reader’s eye and attention

• Start with a catchy headline.
• Consider adding an attractive, unusual or interesting image to your coursework. For exam writing use boxes containing a written description of the image – there is no need to be an artist!
• Divide a longer article using sub-headings to guide your reader and add interest and clarity.

Start as you mean to go on

• Use a short or intriguing, lively and involving opening sentence.
• Directly address and involve the reader by using pronouns such as 'you', 'we' and 'our'.
• Consider the use of an initial question.

Prioritise important information but keep it interesting

• Work out what is important and interesting for your reader to know first and write about this in a concise, snappy way. Leave less important aspects and finer detail until later.
• Give relevant facts immediately by briefly answering questions such as what, who, where and when?
• Use a mix of shorter and longer sentences but always keep sentences clear and concise.
• Use mainly formal standard English but consider using a little well-placed conversational language to develop a friendly and inviting tone.
• Open each paragraph with a topic sentence that tells, in a nutshell, what the rest of the paragraph will explore in more depth.
• Use both direct and rhetorical questions to involve the reader.
• Use discourse markers to help create flow and fluency, for example, 'clearly', 'even so', 'therefore', 'following on from this'.

Gain your reader’s trust - be authoritative and convincing

• Be sincere and write in a natural, lively style. Avoid pretending you’re someone other than an interesting lively teenager.
• Remember that if your writing doesn't capture the trust of your reader, it won't be effective.
• Create a confident tone but avoid the kind of bold unsupported assertions that suggest arrogance. Words like 'could', 'might' and 'perhaps' help to keep your suggestions open.
• Consider making up an interview with an expert to add authority. (Although this is made up it needs to be believable and entirely realistic).
• Would the use of evidence from authoritative sources help the sense of trust? Your sources will also be made up but sound believable and realistic.
• Keeping the needs of your audience in mind at all times, vary your vocabulary and include appropriate technical terms. (This is a mark scheme requirement for this piece of coursework.)
• Avoid the trap of being overly personal or emotional. In the real world an article would have a wide, unknown audience so you wouldn't know your readers and they wouldn't know you. This means you must write in a way that you yourself would appreciate as a reader. Be calm, polite, mainly formal but friendly and, above all, be yourself!

 

 

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