Article Writing Format
An article in the format examiners expect: a catchy title, your name as the byline, an opening, the main points and a conclusion.
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By [your name]
[the article — opening, main points and conclusion, one paragraph per line]
What is an Article Writing?
An article is a short piece of writing on a topic of interest, written for a newspaper, magazine, school magazine or website, that informs readers and gives the writer’s view. The article writing format examiners expect is simple: a catchy title, a byline with the writer’s name, an opening that draws the reader in, a few paragraphs of main points, and a conclusion. Without the title and byline, an exam answer reads like an essay and can lose format marks; without a clear structure, readers stop after the first paragraph.
Students write articles in school English papers and for school magazines, on topics such as screen time, road safety, saving water, the value of sport or exam stress. Outside school, people write articles for newspapers, newsletters, blogs and company magazines to explain an issue, share an experience or argue for a change. A college student might write about a campus clean-up drive; a resident might write for a housing society newsletter about saving electricity. In every case the article speaks to a general reader who has chosen to read it and can stop at any time.
Article writing is a regular task in English papers, but the details differ. CBSE, ICSE and the State boards each decide whether it is set in a given class, the word limit, the marks and how they are awarded, and they revise these, so check the current syllabus and sample papers for your board and class. Exam questions often give a context and a few notes — you are a student of Class XI, writing for the school magazine — and expect you to use them. Newspapers and magazines set their own length and style rules for contributors, so read their guidelines before you submit.
An article is not an essay, a report or a speech. An essay usually has no byline and explores a topic for a teacher; an article is written for the readers of a publication. A report records an event that has happened, without the writer’s opinion. A speech is spoken to an audience in front of you. An article is free to argue a view, as long as reasons and examples back it up — and publishing it does not make its claims true, so check every fact you state.
What to put in an Article Writing
These are the details this template asks for. Anything left blank is marked in red on the preview so you can see what is still missing.
| Field | What goes in it |
|---|---|
| Title of the article | For example: Why Every School Needs a Reading Corner |
| Written by | For example: Maya Lopez, Grade 10 |
| The article | One paragraph per line — an opening, the main points, and a conclusion |
How to write an article
Choose a short, catchy title
The title is the first thing a reader sees, so it should say what the article is about and make them want to read on. Keep it to a few words and make it specific: ‘Screens Off, Books Open’ or ‘Every Drop Counts’. A question or a play on words can work too. Capitalise the main words, leave out the full stop, and type it into the first field of the form.
Add the byline
Under the title comes the byline: ‘By’ and the writer’s name. The form adds ‘By’ for you, so type only the name and, for a school article, your class — ‘Ananya Rao, Class XI-A’. In an exam, use the name given in the question, not your own. The byline tells the reader who is speaking, which matters because an article gives the writer’s view as well as facts.
Open with a hook
The first paragraph has to make the reader stay. Start with a question, a short scene, a sharp observation or a strong statement, then make clear what the article is about. ‘Walk past any bus stop at 8 a.m. and count the students who are not looking at a phone’ pulls a reader in faster than ‘In this article I will write about mobile phones’. Keep the opening to a few sentences.
Give one main point per paragraph
In the body, give two or three main points, each in its own paragraph and typed on a new line in the form. Start each paragraph with the point, then support it with a reason, an example or a fact you can stand behind — from the question’s notes in an exam, from your own experience elsewhere. Cover causes, effects and solutions if the topic suits. Never invent figures; a plain true point beats a precise false one.
End with a conclusion that looks forward
The last paragraph should pull your points together and leave the reader with something to do or think about: a suggestion, an appeal or a hopeful thought. ‘Start with one screen-free hour after dinner’ does more than repeating the title. Do not add a new point here. Then read the whole article through, check that the title still fits, and in an exam keep within your board’s word limit.
Article writing examples
Two sample articles in the exam format — title, byline, opening, main points and conclusion. Use them to see the structure, then write your own on your topic.
Article for a school magazine: screen time
Screens Off, Books Open
By Ananya Rao, Class XI-A
Walk past any bus stop at 8 a.m. and count the students who are not looking at a phone. It will not take long. Screens have become our first habit in the morning and our last at night.
The cost is more than tired eyes. Many of us lose sleep to ‘one more video’ and then struggle to concentrate in the first period. Reading suffers too: a novel that needs an hour of attention cannot compete with a clip that needs half a minute.
Yet phones are not the enemy. They help us study, stay in touch and learn new skills. The trouble is the habit of picking them up without a reason.
Small changes help. Keep the phone out of the bedroom at night, switch off notifications during homework, and give the first hour after dinner to a book. We do not need to give up screens — only to decide when we use them.
Article for a newspaper: saving water at home
Every Drop Counts
By Ravi Kumar
In many towns, summer means waiting for the water tanker. Yet on the same streets, taps drip, overhead tanks overflow and scooters are washed with a running hose. The water we waste in winter is the water we miss in May.
Saving water at home needs no new technology. A dripping tap can be fixed with a cheap washer. A bucket instead of a hose for washing a car or scooter makes a real difference. Running the washing machine only with a full load, and using the water from washing vegetables on plants, are habits any family can start today.
Housing societies can do more. A rainwater harvesting pit helps recharge the ground, and a regular check of overhead tanks stops overflows before they start.
Water does not belong to us alone; it belongs to next summer and to the next generation. Let us start with one tap, in one home, this week.
Common mistakes
- Leaving out the title or the byline, the two features that set an article apart from an essay, can cost format marks in an exam even when the content is strong.
- Opening with ‘In this article I am going to write about…’ wastes the first line, which should catch the reader’s interest rather than announce the topic.
- Inventing statistics or quoting unnamed ‘surveys’ to sound convincing weakens the article the moment a reader doubts them; true examples and the notes provided persuade better.
- Writing the article as one long block, or squeezing several points into one paragraph, makes the argument hard to follow and hides the structure an examiner is looking for.
- Turning the article into a report, a plain record of what happened at an event with no view or suggestion, answers a different question from the one set.
Frequently asked questions
What is article writing?
Article writing is the skill of writing a short, structured piece on a topic for the readers of a newspaper, magazine, school magazine or website. An article informs readers and gives the writer’s view, supported by reasons and examples. In the school format it has a title, a byline with the writer’s name, an opening, the main points in separate paragraphs and a conclusion. It is a common writing task in English exams in India.
What is the format of article writing?
The article writing format has five parts: a short, catchy title; a byline, such as ‘By Ananya Rao, Class XI-A’; an opening paragraph that hooks the reader and introduces the topic; two or three body paragraphs, each with one main point and its support; and a concluding paragraph with a suggestion or appeal. In an exam, follow the layout and word limit in your board’s current sample papers.
How do you write an article?
Read the question carefully and note who you are and who will read the article. Write a short, catchy title and a byline. Open with a question, a scene or a strong statement that introduces the topic. Give two or three main points in separate paragraphs, each backed by a reason or an example. End with a conclusion that suggests what readers can do, then read it through and check the word limit.
What is the article writing format for Class 10 and Class 12?
The structure is the same in both: title, byline, opening, body paragraphs and conclusion. A Class 12 answer is generally expected to develop the argument further, with causes, effects and solutions, and to use a wider vocabulary. Whether article writing is set in your paper, and the word limit and marks, are decided by your board and can change between years, so check the current CBSE, ICSE or State board syllabus and sample papers.
What is the difference between an article and an essay?
An article is written for the readers of a publication, so it has a catchy title and a byline, speaks directly to readers and often ends with a suggestion or an appeal. An essay is written for a teacher or examiner, usually without a byline, and explores a topic in a more formal, rounded way. Both need an introduction, a body and a conclusion, but an article is more direct about the writer’s view.
How do you write a catchy title for an article?
Keep it short and make it tell the reader what the article is about. A question (‘Are We Reading Less?’), a call to action (‘Switch Off to Switch On’), a contrast (‘Screens Off, Books Open’) or a play on words can all work. Avoid full sentences and vague titles such as ‘My Article’ or ‘An Important Topic’. Capitalise the main words and leave out the full stop.
What are some article writing topics?
Common article topics in school papers include screen time and social media, saving water and electricity, road safety, plastic pollution, the value of sport, reading habits, exam stress, cleanliness drives, the role of libraries and the importance of volunteering. Choose a topic you can support with reasons and examples, and write for the readers the question names, such as students, parents or the readers of a local newspaper.
This page explains general practice and is not legal advice. Requirements differ between countries and, in some cases, between states — check what applies where the document will be used.