How to write an article – B1 Preliminary (PET) Exam

How to write an article – B1 Preliminary (PET) Exam

Writing an article for the B1 Preliminary (PET) exam may seem challenging, but with a clear structure and some handy expressions, you can write a great text. Here’s an example of an exam question that we will use to guide you through the process of writing a great article:

Some general information about this type of task:

• As you can see in this example, you are asked to write about a common topic: travel. Other common B1 topics include education, entertainment, work, shopping, healthy lifestyle, etc. 
• The article you must write is usually meant for a magazine or website. This means that you need to make the article fun and full of helpful information for your readers.

Structure of the Article

A good article should follow a clear structure. We recommend this four-part structure:

1) Title

The title gives a glimpse of what your article will be about. It doesn’t need to be overly creative, but it should be interesting. For example, the following titles are OK:

• “The Best Place to Watch a Movie”
• “Books or TV? My Favourite Activity”

But we can make them a little more interesting and catchy:

• “Where Does the Magic of Movies Happen?”
• “Books or TV: The Ultimate Leisure Debate.”

This is the title we suggest for the exam task above:

2) Introduction

The introduction is important because you need to catch your reader’s attention from the beginning. A perfect way to engage the reader right away is to start your introduction with a question or an imagined situation. For instance:

• Have you ever wondered the best way to spend your free time?
• How often do you find yourself reaching for a remote or a book?
• Imagine sitting on your sofa with a bowl of homemade popcorn.

You can find more useful expressions for your introduction at the end of this post.

Here’s the introduction we have come up with for our task:

3) Body

The body of your article is where you answer the task questions. You can do it in one or two paragraphs, and it’s essential that you include all the required information. Some important points to take into account:

• Support your answers with factual information, personal experiences and opinions.
• Use relevant vocabulary, useful expressions and a variety of B1 grammar structures.
• Organise and link the text using appropriate connectors.

We have used two paragraphs for the body of our task:

4) Closing Line

Round up your points and give a final thought. A straightforward ending, a compelling suggestion, or even a humorous remark can leave a lasting impression.

• In the end, whether it’s movies or reading, it’s about personal preference.
• So next time you have free time, will you grab a remote or a book?

This is the closing line we have chosen for our task:

Full article with tips and comments

➪ Use connectors to link your ideas and improve the coherence of your text.

➪ Use a variety of B1 grammar structures: modal verbs, possessive ‘s, superlative adjectives, present perfect, second conditional, etc.

➪ Use opinion and advice expressions.

➪ Use the singular first and second persons to make the text more personal and engaging.

Useful language

Capturing the reader’s attention

• Have you ever wondered…?
• How often do you…?
• Are you one of those people who…?
• Imagine if…
• Did you know that…?
• Picture this…
• What if I told you…
• What would you do if…?

Expressing reason, contrast and purpose

• Contrast: although, however, despite, while
• Reason: to, in order to, so that
• Purpose: because (of), as, since, due to

Here’s a grammar lesson about this topic.

Introducing a topic

• When it comes to…
• Regarding…
• On the subject of…
• With respect to.

Sequencing and adding new points or ideas

• First of all/First/Firstly
• Secondly
• Finally
• Furthermore,
• In addition,
• Moreover,
• Not only… but also,
• What is more, …
• On top of that, …

Giving your opinion

• In my opinion/view,
• I believe/think/feel that…
• From my perspective,
• Personally, I think…
• It seems to me that…

Giving advice or making suggestions

• You might want to…
• Have you considered…?
• I’d recommend…
• Why not try…?
• It could be beneficial to…

Introducing a conclusion

• In conclusion,…
• To sum up,…
• To conclude,…