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10/09/2025
In IGCSE English exams, writing articles is a crucial skill since it evaluates a student's capacity to express ideas in a clear and effective manner for a particular audience and goal.
It gives a lot of the fundamental language skills that are taught in the IGCSE course like reading comprehension and analytical skills—a real-world application.
Creativity is put to the test: Students must write articles that are interesting and unique, especially when they are for a school magazine or website. This asks candidates to create an engaging text using a variety of literary devices and vocabulary, going beyond merely stating facts.
Analyses structure: A well-written article must be clearly organised, with compelling body paragraphs, a compelling conclusion, and an attention-grabbing headline and introduction. It assesses a student's capacity to employ linking words to guarantee a coherent, seamless flow and to arrange ideas logically.
Analyses communication: Transactional writing, which is what articles are, is written with a specific audience and goal in mind. In order to effectively inform, persuade, or entertain their target audience, students must exhibit a keen understanding of them and modify their style, register, and tone accordingly.
Regarding this blog:
A thorough guide to article writing for your IGCSE English exam can be found in this blog post. It will discuss:
A detailed explanation of the entire article writing process, from preparation to editing.
Useful advice on how to write an interesting article that satisfies every examiner's criteria.
Strong article openings and endings as examples to help you write your own.
Examiners expect an article written for the IGCSE to be clearly structured, with a title, an interesting introduction, well-structured body paragraphs, and a compelling conclusion.
It should also be tailored to a specific audience and purpose (inform, entertain, or persuade), and it should adhere to any formatting guidelines and word limits.
Typical guidelines include utilising your own words, arranging ideas into paragraphs, offering a concluding viewpoint (if relevant), and adhering to proper grammar, spelling, and punctuation.
Comprehending the Task
Articles may be written with the intention of informing, entertaining, persuading, or expressing an opinion. The question will frequently help you decide which goal to pursue, such as making an argument for or against a subject.
Audience: Consider carefully who you are writing for, such as students, a school magazine, or readers in general. The tone and language used should be suitable for this audience.
Word Limit: Be mindful of the word limit, which is typically between 150 and 200 for IGCSE exams.
Typical Guidelines in the Test Question
Give Your Article a Title: Make sure your article's title is both interesting and pertinent.
Put Your Name Here: Your article might ask you to sign it.
Organization:
Use an intriguing question, anecdote, or startling fact to pique the reader's interest before outlining the article's main point.
Body Paragraphs: Give each paragraph a single idea that is backed up by examples and explanations.
Give the reader a final thought or opinion by summarizing your main points.
Style and Language:
Engaging Language: Make use of language that is suitable for your goal and target audience.
Own Words: Try to use as many of your own words and phrases as you can.
Connecting Ideas: To guarantee seamless transitions between paragraphs and ideas, use connecting words and phrases (such as "Moreover," "In addition," and "On the other hand").
Presentation and Accuracy:
Correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation are essential for readability.
Paragraphs: Divide your ideas into coherent paragraphs.
Structure of an Article
An attention-grabbing title, an interesting hook and context-filled introduction, a well-developed main body with examples and topic sentences, and a memorable conclusion with a summary or call to action are all components of a typical article structure.
The reader is guided through the article's argument by the logical flow, which is established by topic sentences and transition words and guarantees seamless transitions between ideas. Paragraphing is essential for readability.
Title/Headline
To capture the reader's attention and clearly state the article's main theme.
Should be informative and engaging, making readers want to continue reading.
Introduction
Main Body
Article’s Summary
The Value of Logical Flow and Paragraphing
By dividing text into manageable sections and separating different ideas and arguments, paragraphing enhances readability.
The logical flow
Makes the transition between concepts and paragraphs seamless.
Each paragraph's topic sentences serve as a signpost, informing the reader of the paragraph's purpose and setting the stage for the information that follows.
"However," "therefore," and "in addition" are examples of transition words and phrases that serve as links between sentences and ideas, elucidating connections and assisting the reader in following the argument.
Language and Style
Depending on the requirements of the question, effective writing must change its tone from formal to semi-formal, use a variety of vocabulary and sentence structures to engage readers, and use linking devices like "however" and "in addition" to maintain clarity and flow.
A clear message that strikes a balance between artistic expression and accurate communication for the target audience is ensured by avoiding slang and repetitious words, which are essential for professionalism and wider appeal.
Planning Before Writing
Finding the precise goal and target audience for your article, coming up with a concise outline with a headline and essential points, and brainstorming ideas to explore your topic are all part of effective prewriting planning.
Effective time management is essential for exams; setting aside enough time for planning and brainstorming helps you avoid rushing through the writing process.
By establishing a logical structure and clarifying your message, this prewriting stage makes sure your final draft is well-structured, cohesive, and effectively conveys your ideas to the target audience.
Instead of writing an article, try writing a story.
Forgetting the headline.
Utilising language that is too informal.
Failing to speak to the intended audience.
Ineffective time management results in incomplete articles.
Students frequently make a number of serious errors when writing IGCSE articles, which can lower their grade. Avoiding these typical mistakes is essential if you want to write an article with IGCSE english tutor in Delhi to get high score.
Writing like a story rather than an article is a mistake.
Useful Advice for Success
A useful approach to exam success is provided by the following advice, which covers planning, writing, and final review.
Regularly practice with previous exams
Create the atmosphere of an exam. Use a timer and a quiet workspace when practicing with previous exams. This aids in your adjustment to the format and time constraints of the real test.
Recognize the patterns of questions. To determine the most crucial subjects, examine the marking schemes and reoccurring themes in previous papers. This provides a clear focus for your revision.
Determine and focus on your weak points. Keep track of your scores on various subjects across several previous exams. Spend more time studying the subjects in which you routinely receive lower grades.
For inspiration, read reputable magazine or newspaper articles.
Develop your writing abilities. You can apply various writing styles, vocabulary, and sentence structures to your own writing by reading a range of excellent articles.
Develop a broad vocabulary. Look up new words you come across and practise using them in your own sentences. Your language will become clearer and more interesting as a result.
Keep up with current affairs. Articles offer current data and a range of viewpoints on significant subjects, which can improve your essays and assist you in creating more comprehensive arguments.
Create essay-related ideas. When coming up with ideas for your own essay topics, expose yourself to persuasive arguments and perceptive analysis.
To make writing more engaging, use the active voice
Write clearly and succinctly. Your writing is easier to read when you use the active voice to make it obvious who is carrying out the action. For instance:
Active: "The project was completed by the team."
Present: "The team completed the project."
Condense your sentences. Sentences in the active voice are usually shorter and more straightforward, which enhances the writing's flow.
Make your message stronger. A more assured and authoritative tone is produced by using the active voice, and this can be especially useful when writing argumentatively.
Make deliberate use of the passive voice. Passive voice can be helpful when the action's doer is unknown or irrelevant, or when you want to highlight the action itself, as in scientific writing, even though active voice is usually preferred.
Balance of Word Count (not too long or too short)
Make a plan for your writing. Make a rough word count for each section of your response (e.g., introduction, body paragraphs, conclusion) before you start.
Steer clear of redundancy and padding. Remain true to the facts and refrain from using superfluous words or sentences that are too complicated. Being succinct without compromising clarity is the aim.
Prioritise content over quantity. It is recommended that examiners concentrate on the quality and worth of your points. If your writing becomes repetitious or irrelevant after exceeding the word limit, you may lose points.
Try writing on a timed basis. When practicing with previous papers, include timed writing sessions. This will assist you in controlling your pace and generating comprehensive responses within the allotted word count.
Check for spelling and grammar errors at the end
Give yourself a rest before proofreading. Give your writing a brief break so that you can come back to it with new insight. This helps you find mistakes you might have overlooked.
Employ a targeted strategy. Check for one particular kind of error each time you go over your text (e.g., first for spelling, then for grammar).
Out loud, read. By reading your work aloud, you can spot run-on sentences and awkward wording that your eyes might miss.
Establish a checklist. Make a note of your most frequent mistakes, such as irregular punctuation or subject-verb agreement, and look for them especially when you're doing your final proofread.
Conclusion: Get Started Right Away!
It's time to put your newly acquired knowledge of writing articles into practice with help of IGCSE English tutor in Gurugram. Write an article attempting to answer a previous paper question.
After that, either read it aloud or get feedback from a teacher. It will get easier the more you write. Keep in mind that practicing consistently is the best way to get better!
Are you prepared, then? Pick up your pen and confidently demonstrate to the examiner that you are capable of writing IGCSE English.
