Types of essay

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Image by Lola la Torre. Tagxedo
This post is to clarify some doubts concerning the difference between an article and an essay.  As you know, one of the tasks in the Writing Paper may include an article to be published in a magazine or a newspaper. Remember to read the instructions for the task carefully and ask yourself these two questions:
  • What is the aim of the task?
  • Who is going to read my article?


 What is an article?
  • An article is a piece of writing intended for publication in a magazine, a journal or a newspaper. 
  • An article is another label for an essay.
  • It can be formal or informal, depending on the target audience.

How many different types of article or essay are there?
There are very many different types depending on the purpose (to entertain, to inform, to persuade....) and the audience (general public, specialised audience, children, young people...).

Depending on the purpose an article can
  • present an opinion (opinion essay)
  • compare and contrast (advantages and disadvantages / pros and cons essay)
  • offer suggestions and/or solutions (problem-solution essay)
  • provide information (report)
  • describe an experience, a place, a person (descriptive essay)
  • offer advice
For a list of different types of essay click on  Types of essay on this page from Birbeck college.

I hope you find this page useful. Let me know how you get on.

Good luck tomorrow, and please, do not panic!

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