How to write an article?

Writing an article

To demonstrate your writing skills in an exam, you could be asked to write an article. Knowing how to do this could be very useful for you, not just to sit an exam, but also in the future, especially if you research and publish your results in scientific journals, books, etc.
When you are about to write an article, one of the most important things is to decide on the topic you want to deal with and on the main ideas you think are relevant enough to be part of it. To do so, you should try to look for pieces of information that would enrich your writing.

Some advice:
Spend some time planning and organising your ideas before you start writing.
Think of a little and also of a first sentence that could catch the reader’s attention.
The first paragraphs should act as an introduction to the ideas that you going to deal with throughout the text.
The central paragraphs (from 2 to 4 paragraphs) should be used to develop your main ideas and all the points mentioned in the introduction.
The last paragraph must act as a conclusion in which you summarise the main ideas and write about the results and conclusions.
Use connecting words and expressions to start new paragraphs or to introduce new ideas. This will make your text flow better and it will be much easier for the reader to understand all the ideas that are part of it.
You should take a fresh look at your article some time after writing it. It will help you notice any mistakes you didi not detect when you wrote it.
Do not use very long sentences, as this could make the whole text be less clear and not very appealing to readers.
You can mention any personal experience that could be related to the contents included.

To summarise, your article should comprise the following sections:
Headline. The catchier it is, the more the reader will be interested in reading it.
Introduction. It is used to include the issue/s you will deal with and discuss in the article. You can write about your personal experience or your own findings in relation with the main topic/s.
Body. Separate paragraphs to extend the points you have mentioned in the introduction and to extend all the content.
Conclusion. Conclusive and final ideas on the topic.
Bibliography / Electronic Resources. It is very important to acknowledge all your sources in order to avoid plagiarism.

Bear in mind that you should use linking words when writing an article because this generally raises cohesion and quality:

Linking words/expressions to add more details or extra information:
Also
And
Apart of
As well as
Besides
Furthermore
In addition
In addition to
Moreover
Not only, but also,
Too

Linking words/expressions to express contrast:
Although
But
Despite
Despite the fact that
Even though
However
In practice
In spite of
In spite of the fact that
In theory
Nevertheless
Nonetheless
Unlike
Whereas
While

Linking words/expressions to give reasons:
As
As part as … is concerned …
Because
Because of
Due to
Due to the fact that
Owing to
Owing to the fact that
Since

Linking words/expressions to organise your ideas:
Firstly, Secondly, Finally, Lastly
The following idea I would like to …
The first point is …
The former, … the latter …

Linking words/expressions to summarise:
In brief,
In conclusion,
In a nutshell,
In short,
In summary,
To summarise,
To sum up,
To conclude,