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FCE: Phrases for Articles and Essays

Style

For the FCE, articles and essays are very similar, but there are a few differences.

Articles are for magazines so they can be bit informal and they can use the word 'you'.
Essays are for teachers so they need to be more formal and they can't use the word 'you'.

So the first paragraph of an article might look like this:

Could you live without your TV? For most people this would be impossible. TV has become a part of our lives. Although this has had a few drawbacks, it has also had some tremendous benefits.

An essay would have to have a different first sentence:

It is very difficult to find a family nowadays in Europe that does not have a television.

To change topics in articles you can use questions:

So what are the benefits? They include ..............

In an essay, though:

As for the benefits, these include ................

In articles you can be more personal:

In my family we often fight about which channel to watch. Ever since I was a little boy I have believed that ........

In essays, though:

In many families there are fights about .......... I firmly believe that .............

Structure

Basically, there are two different plans for articles and essays. To choose the right one you need to read the question very carefully.

A. If the question clearly asks for your opinion, make your point of view clear in the first paragraph:

Hunting is now a sport that is very popular with many men in Greece. They enjoy going out at the weekends and hiding in the bushes waiting to shoot little birds or rabbits or wild pigs. For them it is just another sport, but for me it is a crime against nature.

Paragraph 2: give the strongest argument for your point of view

Paragraph 3: present the opposite side of the argument and say why these people are wrong

Paragraph 4: emphasise how important the matter is and what should be done. E.g.:

It is about time the government realised that preserving the wildlife of the country is much more important than letting men enjoy killing small animals. There is no doubt in my mind that hunting ought to be banned. However, I am pessimistic because it is obvious that the politicians are going to pay more attention to the hunters than to the wildlife because hunters have the vote and animals do not.

B. Some questions want you to discuss two sides of an issue. Here, you should be more impersonal and leave your opinion until the last paragraph.

Introduction:

On any winter weekend in Greece the countryside is full of the sound of shooting. The men with the guns are not soldiers but hunters. They are out with their friends and their dogs in the fresh air enjoying their favourite pastime. For the hunters this is just another sport, like bowling and golf, but for ecologists this is an activity that should be banned.

Paragraph 2: The hunters argue that .................. They also believe ..............

Paragraph 3: On the other hand, ecologists insist that animals have rights. This means that .....

Conclusion:

On balance, it seems to me that the arguments of ................ outweigh those of .......... I agree that ................. , and for this reason the government should ...........