As we have covered in the previous episode, writing an article in an English exam context is just a way to show your examiners that you can write in a personal, direct, engaging way. What are the kind of things you will have to write about? Is there a sample article we could analyse? Can we have a glimpse of the features that will make it successful? Find out in today's episode.

ARTICLES - SAMPLE EXAM TASK

You see the following announcement on your college noticeboard.

MY BEST FRIEND

Tell us about your best friend for the college newspaper. We want to know:

• How you met this person
• Why he or she is so special to you.

We will publish the most interesting articles next week.

SAMPLE ANSWER:

AN INSEPARABLE FRIEND

Leah has been my best friend from that they when, aged seven, I climbed onto the school bus to go to my new primary School.

I wandered nervously down the bus, which was full of noisy kids shouting and laughing excitedly, and found a place beside a quiet girl with fair hair and friendly green eyes.

We were both very shy, so we didn't talk much to each other on the way to school, although we smiled at each other timidly. And when we went into class we naturally sat down at the same table. Gradually, we got to know each other: we played together in the playground, we visited each other's houses, and our parents soon became firm friends as well.

We still share each other's secrets and we have complete confidence in each other. When either of us as a problem, the other is always ready to help. We have so much in common that we spend most of our free time together. We've even been on holidays together sometimes. And we still share the same table at school 10 years later!

THANK YOU FOR LISTENING TO THIS EPISODE

Thank you for listening to this episode. I hope that it helped you discovering something about writing that you did not know, or that it helped you looking at things from a different perspective. If you enjoyed it, you might consider leaving a positive review wherever you are listening. It might seem simple, but it really helps.

If you know someone who is struggling with writing in English, you could also think about sharing this episode (or the whole podcast) with them. It might help them in their journey of becoming a better writer. Likewise, if you – or any of your friends – are taking official external exams, you will find valuable info and tricks for the writing part of your exams. You will find this especially relevant if you are taking the Cambridge Exams.