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• Writing Levels 1 and 2
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• Speaking and Listening Entry 1-3
• Speaking and Listening Levels 1 and 2

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Skills for Life Writing Levels 1 and 2 – Articles

 

Task Description

An article is a piece of writing that is going to be published in, for example, a newspaper or a student magazine, and read by different people.

 

	Language	Who you are, why you are writing and who you are writing to will determine the style, register and language you will use.
		Style	This could be serious or light-hearted, depending on the topic, but it should be consistent throughout.
		Register	The relationship between the writer and the reader will determine the register used. Again, it must be consistent.
		Functions	Most articles will have language of description, exemplification and opinion but this will depend on why you are writing and the topic.
		Vocabulary	This should be directly related to the topic.
	Organisation	You want to attract the reader from the beginning and a good layout and organisation can do this.
		Title	Give the article a title which tells the reader about the subject and makes him/her want to read it. Some articles use sub-headings.
		Paragraphs	Don’t forget an introduction, body and conclusion.
			Introduction	The first paragraph should be linked to the title and introduce the subject.
			Body	Paragraphs should be clearly defined, not too short and not too long, with suitable linking devices.
			Conclusion	This should end the article.

 

Understanding the Task

To understand better how candidates need to approach this task, it may help you to do the activity yourself and analyse what you had to do to find the right answer.

 

Look at the sample article task on pages 6-8 of this Skills for Life Writing Level 1 sample paper. Complete the task, thinking about how you are doing it.

Sample writing paper

Things to consider

Now look at these questions about how you approached the task and consider your answers.

1. Who are you?
2. Who are you writing to?
3. What are you writing about?
4. What format/style would you use?
5. What register would you use?
6. What functional language would you use?
7. What vocabulary would be suitable?