An article or a review is writing for readers you have never met, such as the people who pick up a school magazine or scroll a club website. You describe something, say what you think of it, and leave the reader with a clear idea of whether to go. Check the current Cambridge syllabus page for your code (0510 or 0511) and exam year for the exact writing tasks and mark criteria.
This module comes after email communication, where the reader is one known person. Here the reader is a stranger, so your opening, structure and tone must work harder. For the wider picture, see our English as a Second Language learning guide.
What should you already know?
You should be able to write a clear paragraph with a main point and a supporting detail. You should also control basic tenses and common linking words such as because, however and although. If paragraphs still feel shaky, revise them first, because every lesson below assumes them.
One orienting example
Imagine the task: Write a review of a film you have seen, for your school magazine. Here are two openings for a review of an invented film, The Lantern Keeper.
Opening A: I am going to write a review about the film The Lantern Keeper. It is a film about a man and a lighthouse.
Opening B: Some films shout for your attention. The Lantern Keeper waits quietly by the door, and by the end you realise it has been holding your hand all along.
Opening A announces the task and describes the plot in flat words. Opening B speaks to a magazine reader, sets a mood and promises an opinion.
Nothing in B is harder grammar, only better choices. The five lessons below teach those choices one at a time.
In which order should you study the lessons?
- Write an opening suited to a public audience: start here, because a flat opening sets the tone for the whole piece.
- Organise description and judgement separately: next, so each paragraph has one job.
- Support an opinion about a fictional experience: then turn “it was good” into a reason a reader can trust.
- Maintain a consistent reader address: this keeps “you”, “we” and “people” from drifting.
- Finish with a relevant recommendation about the fictional subject: finish with an ending that answers “so should I go?”
Then test yourself with the mixed practice set. The summary selection and paraphrase studio, the writing revision compare view and the mistake log and retest queue all support that set.
What are the common traps?
- Writing to the examiner. Phrases such as “In this essay I will” belong to a school task, not a magazine.
- Retelling the whole plot. A review describes enough for the reader to understand your opinion, then stops.
- Using empty praise. Words like amazing and nice tell the reader nothing they can check.
- Switching who you talk to. A piece that begins with “you” and ends with “one should” feels unsteady.
- Ending with a new topic. The last paragraph should answer the reader’s question, not start another discussion.
How should you use the practice set?
Write your own answer to each item before opening the worked response. Compare your choice with the explanation, not just the final wording. Note the error type in your mistake log so the review points you to the right lesson.
If you would like a teacher to read your drafts alongside you, online one-to-one English as a Second Language tuition can work from your own writing.