how to write and article gcse

Newspaper Articles

A newspaper article informs readers about a topic.

What are the types of newspaper articles?

• Reporters will often write in an informative style and use a wise tone.
• The writing style will often be less formal and more engaging than that used in a news report.

Audience for newspaper articles

• E.g. The Sun.
• E.g. The Telegraph.
• Whether you are writing a newspaper article for a tabloid or a broadsheet matters in the exam.

Features of newspaper articles

• An interesting or original title and makes the reader want to find out more.
• A strapline (which is a sentence that adds some detail or colour to the title).
• Subheadings break up the article
• An introductory paragraph usually gives a brief summary of the whole article.
• Paragraphs that flow well into each other.

Tips for writing newspaper articles

• Consider your use of images – do not draw on your paper but you can draw a box and state what the image would be.
• Do not separate your writing into columns.

1 Key Terms

1.1 Key Terms

1.1.1 Key Terms - Nouns, Verbs & Sentence Types

1.1.2 Key Terms - Words, Sounds & Language

1.1.3 Key Terms - Images, Symbols & Mood

1.1.4 Key Terms - Other Techniques

1.1.5 End of Topic Test - Key Terms

2 Language Techniques

2.1 Language Devices

2.1.1 Metaphors

2.1.2 Similes

2.1.3 Metaphors & Similes HyperLearning

2.1.4 Personification

2.1.5 Pathetic Fallacy

2.1.7 Oxymoron

2.1.8 Hyperbole

2.1.9 Alliteration

2.1.10 Sibilance

2.1.11 Onomatopoeia

2.1.12 Emotive Language

2.1.13 All Language Devices

2.1.14 End of Topic Test - Language Devices

2.2 Writing Structure

2.2.1 Narrators

2.2.2 Paragraphs

2.2.3 Tense

2.2.4 Present vs Past vs Future

2.2.5 Foreshadowing

2.2.6 Structure

2.2.7 End of Topic Test - Writing Structure

3 Paper 1: Reading

3.1 Structuring Your Answer - Section A

3.1.1 Overview - Section A

3.1.2 Answering Question 1

3.1.3 Answering Question 2

3.1.4 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

3.1.5 Answering Question 3

3.1.6 Answering Question 4

3.1.7 End of Topic Test - Section A

3.1.8 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Reading

4 Paper 1: Writing

4.1 Structuring Your Answer

4.1.1 Overview - Section B

4.1.2 Answering Section B

4.1.3 Answering Section B - Checklist of Techniques

4.1.4 End of Topic Test - Writing Section

4.1.5 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 1: Writing

5 Paper 2: Reading

5.1 DAFORESTER

5.1.1 Direct Address

5.1.2 Alliteration

5.1.3 Facts

5.1.4 Opinions

5.1.5 Repetition

5.1.6 Exaggeration (Hyperbole)

5.1.7 Statistics

5.1.8 Triples (Rule of 3)

5.1.9 Emotive Language

5.1.10 Rhetorical Questions

5.1.11 End of Topic Test - DAFORESTER

5.2 Structuring Your Answer

5.2.1 Overview - Section A

5.2.2 Answering Question 1

5.2.3 Answering Question 2

5.2.4 Answering Question 3

5.2.5 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading

5.2.6 Answering Question 4

5.2.7 End of Topic Test - Section A

5.2.8 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Reading

6 Paper 2: Writing

6.1 Structuring Your Answer

6.1.1 Overview - Section B

6.1.2 Answering Section B - Punctuation & Plans

6.2 Types of Writing

6.2.1 Article

6.2.2 Essay

6.2.3 Leaflet

6.2.4 Letter

6.2.5 Speech

6.2.6 Review

6.2.7 Travel Writing

6.2.8 Diaries & Journals

6.2.9 End of Topic Test - Types of Writing

6.3 Writing to...

6.3.1 Writing to Inform

6.3.2 Writing to Inform - Example

6.3.3 Writing to Explain

6.3.4 Writing to Explain - Example

6.3.5 Writing to Persuade

6.3.6 Writing to Persuade - Example

6.3.7 Writing to Argue

6.3.8 Writing to Argue - Example

6.3.9 Writing to Persuade vs Writing to Argue

6.3.10 Writing to Advise

6.3.11 Writing to Advise - Example

6.3.12 End of Topic Test - Writing to...

6.3.13 Exam-Style Questions - Paper 2: Writing

Jump to other topics

Unlock your full potential with GoStudent tutoring

Affordable 1:1 tutoring from the comfort of your home

Tutors are matched to your specific learning needs

30+ school subjects covered

Answering Section B - Punctuation & Plans

This much I know about…a step-by-step guide to the writing question on the AQA English Language GCSE Paper 2

…and they will provide all the fun you will ever need.

All the fun will ensure that your memories will be looked back on and treasured. On average 95% of teenagers have loved their new experiences and at least 80% of them want to try multiple new ones! The memories are forever and if you have no good ones, then what is there worth remembering?

So, if you aren’t convinced by the lure of great memories, then consider going somewhere with your friends. No one can deny it – going on holiday with your friends is the best type of holiday. Imagine the possibilities, the locations you can visit with your best friends; how you will be able to do what you want and how exciting it will be. Please don’t waste your childhood, explore!

Although these holidays with friends can be great, they also have their setbacks…

The students now have a firmly embedded tool with which they can approach the 40 mark question with confidence. They can write deliberately, having understood how the Form, Audience and Purpose of a piece of writing dictate their style of writing.

This post has 10 Comments

This is great, thank you. I’ve made this the focus of our final lesson for paper 2 (crediting you on the resources!) as it reinforces the need for a plan and brings together everything they should know, with the addition of the Janus facing sentences. This should be memorable for them and I hope will avoid the ‘where did that come from?!’ when the examiner reads each new paragraph. I’m blending this with HHELMMETS resource (can’t think of the source right now) which helps them with ideas. Ideas+structure = much improvement.

• Pingback: This much I know about…why job satisfaction matters | johntomsett
• Pingback: Blog #2.1 Deliberate Practice: Practice Makes Perfect? – EDified Teaching

I didn’t like your comment about the SEND students. I am one myself and I am perfectly capable of answering question 5 on the paper. I got a 7 in my prelim for it. So please could you do something about this comment as affected me. There was no just cause for you to say this. Many SEND students are fully capable of being able to cope with GCSE’s and I am offended.

Never wanted to offend Catie. SEND students get a great deal of support and do very well in most cases at our school. I was talking about the students who have challenges but do not get any support. I was not discussing SEND students at all. Hope you get a good grade this summer! Kindest, John.

Thank you so much for this article. My daughter is not SEND but has not improved since year 7. She remains working at grade 3. Do you have any links to resources, pdf files or YouTube videos please? Thank you

brilliant <3

Just wanted to warn you that ‘fap’ is being used as slang for masturbation (i.e. Reddit’s NoFap community’). This may not mean anything o your students but may be worth renaming just in case! Wonderful materials though. I will definitely use the sentence examples table.

Very good but you need to give us explaination on how to plan question otherwise how would we knowwww but thanks anyways god bless you x

Very helpful thank you

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

Resources you can trust

Writing a magazine article

A useful overview for students learning how to write a magazine article, perfect for GCSE English Language non-fiction writing. 

This resource is designed to support students in planning for article writing activities, including coming up with great article ideas, considerations about the right target audience for their creative writing and honing their writing style.

Packed with supportive writing tips to inspire students with their article or 'story' idea, this resource helps students to focus on the appropriate language, style and tone for their readership. It can also shape their responses in terms of writing about current events in a feature article. 

Students will benefit from this step-by-step guide, particularly if they are interested in a future career as a magazine writer or blogger. It can also help students who might want to write for a local newspaper or launch a writing career in creative writing or copywriting.

More GCSE writing style resources to help develop students’ writing skills are available to browse, including additional creative writing and article writing resources.

An extract from the resource: 

Your article should include: 

An eye-catching headline which may include a pun, an abbreviation or an ambiguity. The task is to arouse the reader’s interest so a question might work. Do not make it too long.

The opening

A key sentence, which is, in effect, a summary of the main theme of the article and which will often contain the essential facts. Make it clear to the reader how you are connected to the issue and your view of the issue. You could begin by reliving an experience. Once you have stated it, you start again at the beginning of your information and work through to the end.

All reviews

Have you used this resource?

Resources you might like

• Uncategorized
• IGCSE support
• OCR A level
• EDEXCEL IGCSE
• OCR English Literature
• GCSE support
• teacher training
• EDEXCEL CERTIFICATE
• OCR NEW English Literature

English Teaching Resources

A site to share my resources for secondary English teaching.

Newspaper article for GCSE: Task and Model.

The task is a standard AQA format task from Paper 2 Q 5. The medal is by no means perfect. I am using it alongside a lesson to familiarise students with the mark scheme. Students could be encouraged to apply the scheme to this model passage or to their own work.

The model was written in 40 minutes during a writing assessment and shows this in terms of the content of the arguments, I think. It’s not an easy task. Students might be encouraged to recognise the devices and structural elements of the writing.

Example Question

Paper 2 Section B: Writing

You are advised to spend about 45 minutes on this section.

Write in full sentences.

You are reminded of the need to plan your answer.

You should leave enough time to check your work at the end.

‘Technologies such as mobile phones and computers are useful, but we use them too much. They are taking over our lives.’

Write an article for a newspaper in which you argue for or against this statement.

(24 marks for content and organisation

16 marks for technical accuracy)

All articles need a headline – provide one and offer a journalist’s name. If possible, make the headline memorable, either by imagery or emotive language.

Common Sense? Not if you’re glued to a mobile.

An Article by Hamish McCunn.

Then outline your argument and define the 3 areas you will be considering. Remember most articles are written in short paragraphs.

A recently released movie – Cyberlifesaver – is making waves because of the idea it presents: technology is vital. So vital that we should let it take over our thoughts and deeds and stop worrying about the issues raised by this idea. In this article I take issue with this premise and suggest that the message of the film is dangerous – personally, financially and morally.

Having established the 3 areas of consideration, take each in turn and explore them –sticking to your chosen pro or con side of the debater. Use the IED structure to build your point…

On a personal level, the danger of over reliance on technology comes down to the loss of common sense in areas which once we humans excelled. An example relevant to many is in the area of romance.

Romance? Consider this: over 75% of respondents to a recent poll on Twitter said that they let their dating apps find suitable matches for them. That is to say, they put their trust in technology and let it overrule the signals which for centuries have enabled humans to find partners for life.  (You don’t have to believe it, by the way, just make it sound as though you do).

Averil Cameron (23), a charming young lady with a bright future in taxidermy, is a good example of how this can cause havoc. Despite having plenty of opportunities to find romance and even love in her everyday life, Averil felt FOMO pressure to go online and to use dating websites based on a series of algorithms which seemed to offer a stress free route to her dreams. ‘It all seemed so easy and so safe’ she said. ‘I put all my faith into Lovefinders and now I am broken hearted. I can’t believe I was so stupid!’.

The truth is that all such sites take our personal information not to help us to find love but to target their advertising and to sell to the highest bidders in terms of personal information. On many sites such as this, photographs, often intimate photographs, are uploaded. These find their way to all corners of the internet.

Now move onto the next section –the second of the three ideas outlined. Maybe bring in some authoritative voice to quote in this section.

Another risk of such sites and many like them is the control that they can take over our money. Peter Jones, Senior Customer Support Officer at Barclay’s Bank takes this very seriously indeed.

‘Many people do not realise the danger of signing up to websites and entering into a legally binding agreement.’, says Jones, ‘Too often the website asks for money upfront with a requirement to cancel which in over 60% of cases is missed due to forgetfulness, misunderstanding or lethargy.’ In short, he continues, entering into these kind of arrangements, though seemingly for convenience, leads to potentially destructive downward spirals. Credit scores are affected. Loans refused. Lives ruined.

The moral argument is reflected in the attitudes of the Big Tech companies. They tell us that we can’t live without the benefit of EE total broadband, or wall to wall streaming of dubious content on Netflix or Prime, yet this is untrue.

And the third and final section before a conclusion:

Too often the glamorous pitches are linked to nothing other than making money for the shareholders. Why should they care about the individual. The one who spends hours scrolling through the content on these channels before giving up to see if there’s anything interesting on ‘real TV’. There isn’t. There’s no money left in ‘real TV’. Instead, such activities create a definite sense of failure and let down. A noted psychiatrist said:  ‘I work with teenagers. There’s so much low self-esteem these days. Although it sounds daft, much comes from the feeling that they are entitled to so much more from their online activities. It’s as though they think they have bought happiness.’

It is clear to me. Put aside the corporate hype and look at the reality of the way in which Big Tech is manipulating us and the danger is clear. Our freedom of thought, our freedom of action and our freedom to simply be human is endangered by our slavish adherence to technology.

It is time for a change. Time to put the clocks back.

Share this:

Leave a comment cancel reply.

An imposter's guide to effective schools

Your trusty Englit guide

Words, words, words... well said Hamlet! A little blog to go off on tangents within the worlds of history and literature that interest me. From the Tudors to Tom Hardy's Tess, or from the Wars of the Roses to Wuthering Heights, feel free to browse through my musings to pick up extra ideas and points for discussion!

by Geoffrey Sheehy

What can a middle aged English teacher possibly find to write about?

my ideas and thoughts on teaching Secondary School English

A blog for all things #TeamEnglish

Like the students I teach, I am always learning.

Preparing young people for the future with lessons from the past.

Thoughts and ideas about words, stories and what works best in the classroom and beyond

' . . . to make the best that has been thought and known in the world current everywhere . . .'

Crowd Sourced Advice For New Teachers

An English teacher's musings.

There's more to life than books, you know. But not much more

• Already have a WordPress.com account? Log in now.
• Subscribe Subscribed
• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• View post in Reader
• Manage subscriptions
• Collapse this bar

Writing an article

Topic outline.

The purpose of an article is often to inform and persuade the reader. 

Articles give the reader information about a certain topic, bringing together and discussing different perspectives to provide a balanced argument which lets the reader make up their own mind about the topic. 

Articles can also be used to persuade the reader that a certain viewpoint is correct. For example, articles in newspapers or magazines might express a particular viewpoint or perspective; this may be positive or negative depending on the topic. 

The ways you use language and organise your ideas when writing an article will depend on the audience and the purpose you are writing for.

• think about the audience that the article is for – w hen writing an article, you do not usually know your readers personally and so you will need to think about their likely interests and experience before you write
• how you expect, or want, your audience to react – re member that the tone of most articles should be semi-formal, so before deciding on your tone imagine your article being read out loud and how that might sound to your reader. For example, an article reviewing a film may be humorous, even sarcastic, but that would not work well for more serious readers or topics
• the purpose for the article – is th e purpose, or reason, for writing your article to persuade your readers to agree with you or to invite your readers to think about different points of view and decide for themselves? For example, do you need to sound reliable and well informed, or choose words that strongly convey a particular emotion?
• how to keep your readers interest – ima gine how boring it would be for your reader if you used the same kind of sentences and simple repetitive vocabulary all the way through your article. Try to include a range of grammatical structures and relevant vocabulary to make sure that your reader wants to keep reading.
• Plan a route through your article before you start writing it – th e structure of an article is usually in three parts. For example:
• An introduction – engage your reader’s interest and introduce your argument or the main points of the topic to be discussed.
• A middle – develop relevant and interesting points about the topic to interest and/or convince your readers to think about a particular perspective.
• An end – d raw your points together and leave your reader with a clear impression of the argument you want them to believe or the viewpoints you would like them to consider.
• Organise your ideas into paragraphs as appropriate – this will help you to develop and support your points convincingly, to build your argument and/or offer a full explanation of a particular point of view.
• Show your reader at a glance what your article is about – articles usually have a suitable headline to attract their readers’ attention and you can choose to use subheadings (a bit like mini headlines) to help break your article up and move your reader on. Do not overdo these, but well-chosen subheadings can help to catch and keep your reader’s attention, as well as sum up the main points you are making.
• Show the connections between ideas in sentences and paragraphs – for example, where a new point or idea follows on from what you have already said you might use linking words or phrases such as, 'in addition’, ‘likewise’ or ‘similarly’.
• Select activity Example of an article Example of an article

• Select activity Resource Resource

Writing: Exercise 6 (Writing an article)

This is the final exercise of Paper 1 and 2. It can be an article, a report or a review writing. We’ll look at articles here.

You will be given a topic (more like a question to ponder up on) on which you have to write your views and opinions. This can either be a two-sided article (for and against) or a one-sided article (just your opinion). It is up to you to decide.

The topics usually given for this exercise are easy enough that you can come up with points right there in the exam, but it is good if you read upon various issues from around the word (obesity, technological influences, environmental issues, animal welfare, teenager issues etc).

So here’s how to attempt this question:

• Before you start it is a good idea that you come up with a plan . Use the blank space below the question to make your plan, in pencil. In your plan write down the answers to these questions:
• The audience : this will be specified in the question (it is almost always a school magazine). So when you write, keep in mind that you need to write to that audience. Your language, tone and vocabulary should reflect this.
• Is my article going to be two-sided or one-sided?  If you know a lot about the topic and can weigh up the pros and cons, then go for two-sided. If you’re not too knowledgeable about it, stick to one-sided.
• How do I introduce the topic? Start off by saying what the topic is and how important the topic is in today’s world. Why it is such a problem? Or is it a problem?
• What’s in the body ? Write down three points . (If it’s two-sided write two pros and two cons) . You will develop your body based on these points. A few points will be given in your question paper, and you can use those!
• How will I conclude the article? You need to sum up your points and give your final opinion (even if it’s two-sided, give your final opinion on the matter).
• Organise . By now, you’ve pretty much come up with the contents of your article. Now organise your points into paragraphs.
• One-sided Article: Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Paragraph 2: First point with justification (or counter-argument)
• Paragraph 3: Second point with justification (or counter-argument)
• Paragraph 4: Opposing point which you contradict (here, you state a point said by people who have a different opinion from yours and explain why they are wrong. This is called argument and   counter-argument )
• Paragraph 5: Conclusion- summary, (solution?), repeat your opinion
• Two-sided Article: Paragraph 1: Introduction
• Paragraph 2: Advantages/’For’
• Paragraph 3: Disadvantages/’Against’
• Paragraph 4: Conclusion- Summary and final opinion
• Write . Use a variety of connecting words and argumentative phrases . Examples:
• Expressing opinions: I agree/ disagree with the above statement that
• In my opinion
• I believe that
• I am in favour of
• I am against the idea of
• It seems to me that
• I sympathize with
• Presenting and contrasting opinions: The main argument in favour/ against is
• It is often said that
• First of all I should like to consider
• Apart from that
• Even though
• Furthermore
• In addition
• Nevertheless
• Despite the fact that/ In spite of
• On the other hand
• On the contrary
• What is more
• What matters most in this case is
• It is a fact that
• There is no doubt that
• Reasoning: Because of
• As a result of
• Consequently
• On account of
• Concluding: To sum up
• To conclude
• It can be concluded that
• Thus, I am of the opinion that
• Argumentative verbs (use these instead of say/tell ):

Here’s an example of a  one-sided article . This is one-sided because, even though it weighs up both ‘for’ and ‘against’ points, in each paragraph it contradicts the ‘for’ points and alludes to the same conclusion that zoos should be abolished. This is called the argument/counter-argument format.

• Use your own points , words and phrases as far as possible. The more original your content is, the better.
• Give a suitable title
• Keep to the word limit 150-200 words. Exceeding a little over 200 is not a problem.
• Always have an introduction and conclusion
• Always organise your points into paragraphs . One para for each point (one-sided) or all advantages in one para and disadvantages in another para (two-sided) is the ideal format.
• A final opinion has to be given.
• Punctuation, spelling and grammar is very important. Check your writing once you’re done.

Time Management

For the core paper 1 take 20 minutes for this exercise

For the extended paper 2, 30 minutes should suffice to answer this question. Spend 10 minutes to come up with a plan, 15 minutes to organise and write your article. Use the 5 minutes left to read over your article, make changes and correct spelling, grammar and punctuation errors.

Notes submitted by Lintha

Click here to go to the next topic

Click  here  to go to the previous topic

Click  here  to go back to the English menu

Share this:

• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on WhatsApp (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)

46 thoughts on “ Writing: Exercise 6 (Writing an article) ”

wonderful! hope you keep updating with the new Syllabus

OMGGGG this information in awesome, thanks a lottt. Tomorrow im having a test on this!!!!!!!!

Like Liked by 1 person

Hi, this post was really helpful, but I have a question. Is it ok to take a stand (for or against) in magazine article writing? It is not a persuasive writing.

It’s preferable to remain neutral when it comes to magazine articles unless the specific topic you are addressing in the article expects you to take a stand for something, then go for it.

What Do You Think? Cancel reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed .

• Copy shortlink
• Report this content
• Manage subscriptions

Cryptocurrencies use massive amounts of power – but eco-friendly alternatives come with their own risks

Lecturer in Accounting and Finance, University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau

Disclosure statement

Dulani Jayasuriya does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond their academic appointment.

University of Auckland provides funding as a member of The Conversation AU.

University of Auckland, Waipapa Taumata Rau provides funding as a member of The Conversation NZ.

View all partners

As the urgency of climate change ramps up, focus is increasing on digital currencies to address their environmental impact.

According to industry forecasts, the global cryptocurrency market is expected to surge to US$4.94 billion by 2030 . But the process of mining digital currencies such as Bitcoin requires immense computational power – causing a significant drain on energy resources.

“Miners” use sophisticated hardware to solve complex mathematical puzzles, securing transactions and minting new coins. But this process, known as “proof of work” ( PoW ), is energy intensive.

Imagine a giant lock with a million combinations. Miners are all competing to find the right combination to unlock the block (a group of transactions) and earn rewards. The more computing power you have, the faster you can try different combinations.

But this computing power requires a lot of energy, similar to how a powerful car uses more petrol. So, miners are using a massive amount of electricity to run super-powered computers 24/7.

In 2021, police in the United Kingdom raided an industrial unit under suspicion it was housing an indoor marijuana growing operation. They were surprised to discover instead an extensive Bitcoin mining setup which was illegally siphoning electricity from a mains supply.

In 2021, Bitcoin mining consumed enough energy to rank 27th among nations, ahead of Pakistan with a population of over 230 million people. Just a year later, Bitcoin’s energy usage surpassed Finland’s national power consumption .

Alternatives have emerged to address the rampant energy consumption of cryptocurrency mining. But the question is, are these green currencies a viable alternative to the traditional options?

The emergence of green cryptocurrencies

Green cryptocurrencies use a less energy-intensive process known as “proof of stake” ( PoS ). Instead of needing a powerful computer, miners need to have a certain amount of the relevant cryptocurrency – kind of like a deposit.

If someone tries to cheat or mess with the system, they could lose some of their own cryptocurrency. This “skin in the game” keeps validators – those validating and verifying transactions – honest and secure.

A pivotal moment for those interested in green alternatives was cryptocurrency Ethereum’s migration to PoS in September 2022, through an update dubbed “The Merge”.

This shift led to a 99.9% drop in Ethereum’s energy use. Before the transition, Ethereum’s energy consumption was on par with Switzerland. Post-merge, its power usage was closer to that of a small town .

Challenges and the road ahead

In addition to Ethereum, several other cryptocurrencies are making significant strides in the realm of green finance. Notably, Cardano and Solana are gaining ground in the crypto market. They use significantly less energy, can handle larger numbers of transactions without slowing down, and claim to be secure.

Despite the benefits, the shift to green cryptocurrencies is fraught with challenges. Some users worry PoS might be less secure than PoW . And those with more coins have a higher chance of validating transactions. This could lead to a situation where a few people control the network .

Moreover, the initial distribution of coins in cryptocurrencies using PoS can be less democratic, often benefiting early adopters.

As a result, early adopters who accumulate a large number of coins can have a disproportionate influence on the network. This can be seen as less democratic because it gives more power to the wealthy, which goes against the decentralised ethos of cryptocurrencies .

Evolution of green currencies continues

PoS is not the only change attempting to address cryptocurrencies’ energy consumption. Sharding is another.

Sharding divides the network into smaller sections called “shards”, each handling its own set of transactions. This frees up individual computers on the network (called nodes) from processing everything at once, leading to significantly faster transaction speeds and lower costs.

This innovation goes beyond just efficiency. Sharding’s parallel processing approach minimises energy needs, potentially making cryptocurrencies more eco-friendly.

Ethereum’s upcoming upgrade, Ethereum 2.0 , incorporates sharding to address the network’s current limitations on speed and transaction fees. By implementing sharding in phases, developers hope to ensure a smooth transition while maintaining the network’s security and decentralisation.

While sharding seems like a game-changer, it’s not without its own hurdles. Implementing it effectively requires careful planning and rigorous testing to safeguard the network’s integrity.

Overall, sharding offers a glimpse into a future where cryptocurrencies can process transactions faster, become more cost-effective and even reduce their environmental impact.

Green cryptocurrencies show how technology and finance can support ecological sustainability, providing a model for others to follow. But there is always a risk. And as they develop, green cryptocurrencies need to address concerns over security, network integrity and accessibility.

• New Zealand
• Cryptocurrency
• proof of stake
• proof of work

Head of School, School of Arts & Social Sciences, Monash University Malaysia

Chief Operating Officer (COO)

Clinical Teaching Fellow

Data Manager

Director, Social Policy

With AI writing so much code, should you still study computer science? This new data point provides an answer.

• UC Berkeley sees a 48% jump in first-year applications to study computer science.
• Despite generative AI advances, students are eager to pursue computer science careers.
• Human developers remain essential for creating something new.

One of the most persistent concerns around generative AI is whether the technology will put workers out of a job. This idea has particularly caught on in the context of software coding .

GitHub Copilot can write a lot of code these days, so is it even worth studying computer science now? That's been a question on the minds of math-minded high schoolers since ChatGPT burst on the scene in 2022.

There's a new data point that helps answer at least part of this question: Students are still lining up in droves to take computer science in college.

An eye-popping data point

Let's take The University of California Berkeley as an example, as this college at or near the top for computer science.

First-year applications to UC Berkeley's College of Computing, Data Science, and Society CDSS increased 48% this year. There were 14,302 (non-transfer) applications for these CDSS majors in the Fall 2024 incoming class, versus 9,649 the previous year.

For context, the number of first-year applications to UC Berkeley as a whole didn't change much from a year earlier.

Related stories

This was announced last week by Professor Jennifer Chayes, the dean of Berkeley's College of CDSS. She popped these eye-popping stats during a fireside chat with Governor Gavin Newsom and Stanford Professor Fei-Fei Li at the at the Joint California Summit on Generative AI in San Francisco.

There's a role for human software developers

Afterwards, I got in touch with John DeNero, Computer Science Teaching Professor at UC Berkeley, to talk about this some more.

He's also chief scientist at Lilt , a generative AI startup, and he was previously a researcher at Google working on Google Translate , one of the first successful AI-powered consumer apps.

"Students express some concern that generative AI will affect the software engineering job market, especially for entry-level positions, but they are still excited about careers in computing," he wrote in an email to Business Insider. "I tell them that I think many of the challenging aspects of software development can't be performed reliably by generative AI at this point, and that I expect there will still be a central role for human software developers long into the future."

AI can't do new things very well

Generative AI is currently very good at replicating parts of software programs that have been written many times before, DeNero explained.

That includes computer science homework assignments! See BI's coverage on how much ChatGPT is used to cheat on homework .

What if you want to create something new? This is where smart human coders will still be needed. (This makes logical sense as AI models are trained on data. If that information doesn't exist yet or it's not part of the training dataset, the models often get in trouble).

Generative AI "requires a lot of thoughtful human intervention to produce something new, and all consequential software development projects involve quite a bit of novelty," DeNero said. "That's the hard and interesting part of computing that currently requires clever and well-trained people."

"Generative AI can speed up the more mundane parts of software development, and software developers tend to adopt efficiency tools quickly," he added.

What happens at Lilt?

This applies to what's happening at Lilt, which is building an AI platform for translators.

Google Translate first came out 18 years ago. And still, human linguists have jobs and are relied upon when translations are really important. For instance, you can use Google Translate to read a Japanese train timetable maybe, but would you use the app to translate your business's most important contract without having a human expert check it? Probably not.

"To reliably produce publication-quality translations, human expert linguists are still at the center of the process, but by using Lilt's task-specific generative AI models, those experts are much faster, more accurate, and more consistent," DeNero said. "As a result, more text gets translated at higher quality into more languages."

He expects this same pattern to play out in software development: A small team of highly trained human developers will have an even greater capacity to build useful high-quality software.

"And so, future Berkeley graduates will have plenty of opportunities to use their computing skills to improve the world," DeNero said. "Hopefully some more of them will come work for Lilt."

Watch: AI expert discusses generative AI: What it means and how it will impact our future

• Main content

• My View My View
• Following Following
• Saved Saved

Turkey to impose stocks, crypto assets transaction tax, official says

• Medium Text

Sign up here.

Reporting by Nevzat Devranoglu; Writing by Huseyin Hayatsever; Editing by Daren Butler

Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles. New Tab , opens new tab

World Chevron

Belarus to investigate death of Polish soldier on border if it receives 'specific information'

Belarus is ready for a unilateral or bilateral investigation into the death of a Polish soldier on the Belarus-Poland border if Poland provides "specific information about the circumstances of the tragedy", the Belarusian Border Committee said in a statement on Friday.

We've detected unusual activity from your computer network

To continue, please click the box below to let us know you're not a robot.

Why did this happen?

Please make sure your browser supports JavaScript and cookies and that you are not blocking them from loading. For more information you can review our Terms of Service and Cookie Policy .

For inquiries related to this message please contact our support team and provide the reference ID below.

Advertisement

Supported by

Marco Rubio Wants to Be Trump’s Vice President. He Doesn’t Want to Audition.

The last time the Florida senator lived in Donald J. Trump’s orbit he was mocked and defeated. As he returns, he’s trying to do it on his terms.

• Share full article

By Michael C. Bender and Patricia Mazzei

Senator Marco Rubio, the Republican of Florida, has not visited the courthouse in Manhattan to flaunt his support for Donald J. Trump like other potential running mates. He is not a fixture at the former president’s campaign rallies and has not become part of the furniture at Mar-a-Lago, like other Republicans craving relevancy.

Instead, Mr. Rubio has taken a low-key approach in aiming to become the next Republican vice-presidential nominee, a strategy with a clear logic: Mr. Trump is known to bristle when anyone gets too close to his limelight.

But for Mr. Rubio, it’s also a strategy with a history. When the two men competed for the Republican nomination in 2016, Mr. Trump relentlessly mocked his rival’s height, his ears and his mannerisms. Mr. Rubio hurled his own schoolyard taunts, which landed awkwardly and then backfired painfully until his defeat. Since then, the senator has been careful and discreet about how close he gets to Mr. Trump.

His behind-the-scenes maneuvering has transformed him from bitter rival to occasional policy adviser and, now, a leading contender to join Mr. Trump’s ticket, advisers to the former president said.

The son of Cuban immigrants, Mr. Rubio could help Mr. Trump appeal to Hispanic voters. Now more of a seasoned politician than the youthful “Republican savior” on the 2013 cover of Time, Mr. Rubio might also reassure Republican donors and the moderate voters who backed former Gov. Nikki Haley of South Carolina over Mr. Trump in the primary. (Notably, Ms. Haley endorsed Mr. Rubio’s presidential bid in 2016.)

Trump aides and donors also view the senator as one of several candidates who would pose little risk of creating unwanted distractions for a candidate already facing multiple legal threats. He is also known to have a strong relationship with Susie Wiles, a fellow Floridian and Trump campaign senior adviser who is coordinating the search for a running mate.

But it is unclear whether Mr. Rubio’s quiet campaign will work. The soft touch has perplexed Mr. Trump, who has privately wondered how much the senator wants the job, according to two people familiar with the former president’s thinking.

In effect, Mr. Rubio needs to show that he wants the job, without showing that he wants it too much.

Another risk is that anyone in Mr. Trump’s orbit is vulnerable to another round of public humiliation . For Mr. Rubio, the indignities have crept into the conversation.

Mr. Trump has told advisers that Mr. Rubio would have to move out of the state to avoid a potential hurdle: The Constitution potentially bars two residents from the same state from sharing a presidential ticket.

Mr. Rubio has lived near Miami for most of his life and is the father of three college students and a fourth in high school. Mr. Trump moved his residency to Florida in 2019, and has homes in New York and New Jersey. But he has told people that he would not change his address because voters in the state would be too upset to lose him as a resident, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

Mr. Rubio has told people that changing his residency would not be a problem, according to two people familiar with the conversations.

A spokesman for Mr. Rubio declined to comment. A Trump campaign spokesman said that only the former president knows whom he will pick for a running mate.

Mr. Trump told donors at an event this month that Mr. Rubio’s “name is coming up a lot.”

“People love Marco, and I love Marco — he’s a talented guy,” Mr. Trump said.

Kellyanne Conway, a former Trump White House counselor, said Mr. Trump had put Mr. Rubio on his short list in part because of the senator’s reliable support. “He can help buttress the gains Trump is making among key voter groups, be a helpful partner when it comes to governing and be ready to be president on day one,” Ms. Conway said. “He is a prodigious fund-raiser, a foreign policy expert, and facile on TV.”

In the past, Mr. Trump has been known to pit contenders against each other to inform his decision, or, as he has described it, watching allies “fighting over who loves me the most.” While Mr. Rubio has appeared wary to play along, he has started to align himself with Mr. Trump.

Mr. Rubio voted to certify the 2020 elections despite Mr. Trump’s pressure to overturn the results and, at the time, described democracy as “held together by people’s confidence in the election and their willingness to abide by its results.”

Last week, he raised doubts about whether the 2024 contest would be fair and blamed Democrats for undermining the credibility of elections.

“Hopefully, we’ll have a fair election and it will be unquestionable,” he said in a combative appearance on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”

Last month, Mr. Rubio joined several other potential vice-presidential contenders in voting against a $95 billion military aid package for Israel, Taiwan and Ukraine that Mr. Trump also opposed. Despite a record of strongly supporting military allies, Mr. Rubio argued that the money came at the expense of border enforcement and called it “moral extortion.”

“I understand that in our republic, government compromise is necessary — we have to do it all the time,” Mr. Rubio said on the Senate floor, adding that “this is not a compromise. This is legislative blackmail.”

Any discussion of Mr. Rubio’s prospects veers quickly into the brutal 2016 primary, when Mr. Trump — who at 6-foot-3 is about five inches taller than Mr. Rubio and 25 years older — frequently ridiculed the senator as “Little Marco.”

“Looks seem to be very important for Trump, and I have a hard time seeing how he will pick someone who is a foot shorter than him,” said Ana Navarro, a Republican consultant who supported former Gov. Jeb Bush of Florida in 2016 over Mr. Rubio and Mr. Trump. “How will he think that will look good standing next to him and raising their hands together?”

Mocking Mr. Rubio’s height was just one of Mr. Trump’s many insults in the weeks ahead of Florida’s presidential primary in 2016. Mr. Trump also ridiculed Mr. Rubio as a “nervous basket case” with “the biggest ears I’ve ever seen” while hammering away at his Senate attendance record and declaring him weak on illegal immigration but strong on amnesty. Mr. Rubio dished it back, describing Mr. Trump as a small-handed, spray-tanned charlatan who avoided Vietnam because of “injuries from squash.”

The result: Mr. Trump won Florida by nearly 20 percentage points , forcing Mr. Rubio to suspend his presidential campaign and instead seek a second term in the Senate. The two didn’t speak for seven months — until just before the election, when Mr. Trump and his team were nervous about winning the state in the general election, according to three people familiar with conversations.

Mr. Trump’s respect for Mr. Rubio seemed to increase after he had won the White House and Mr. Rubio collected 4.8 million voters in his Senate race, compared with the 4.6 million Floridians who backed Mr. Trump.

For months, whenever they talked, Mr. Trump regularly asked Mr. Rubio how he had won more votes in the state, two of the people said.

It was part of a charm offensive that continued during Mr. Trump’s first weeks in the White House, when he invited Mr. Rubio to dinner at the White House. Mr. Rubio saw an opportunity to influence Mr. Trump on his priorities.

Mr. Rubio continued to advise Mr. Trump on foreign policy, particularly issues related to Venezuela and Cuba, and worked with the Trump administration on expanding the child tax credit and the pandemic aid bill.

This experience could also help reassure traditional Republican voters who have been wary about supporting a second term for Mr. Trump. Mr. Rubio, who turned 53 on Tuesday, has spent roughly half his life in municipal, state and federal elected office.

But while Mr. Rubio’s youth has faded, his ambition and his political upside have not. And that combination has even some Trump critics worried, including former Representative David Jolly of Florida.

“Marco Rubio would win Donald Trump the White House in November,” said Mr. Jolly, who dropped his Republican affiliation because of Mr. Trump’s influence on the party and described himself as “not a fan of Marco.” “He’s the perfect proxy for Haley voters, he speaks to Trumpism without trying to be Trump and he’s been mature and sober. He’s a star, he’s just been a quiet star, lately.”

Michael C. Bender is a Times political correspondent covering Donald J. Trump, the Make America Great Again movement and other federal and state elections. More about Michael C. Bender

Patricia Mazzei is the lead reporter for The Times in Miami, covering Florida and Puerto Rico. More about Patricia Mazzei

Our Coverage of the 2024 Election

Presidential Race: News and Analysis

In interviews with nearly 2,000 voters who participated in previous Times/Siena polls, President Biden appeared to gain slightly  in the aftermath of Donald Trump’s conviction. Here’s what a few said about changing their minds .

Trump says he is prepared to prosecute his political enemies if he is elected this fall. Those threats put the rule of law on the ballot .

Representative Byron Donalds of Florida, who Trump is said to be considering for his running mate, suggested that the Jim Crow era had an upside .

Silicon Valley’s Shift:  The tech entrepreneur David Sacks, who will host a fund-raiser for Trump at his home in San Francisco, is hoping to portray Silicon Valley as a more MAGA-welcoming place .

Incurring Trump’s Wrath:  When Larry Hogan asked Americans to “respect the verdict,” the Trump team turned on the former Maryland governor’s Senate candidacy, jeopardizing a potential Republican pickup opportunity .

A New Approach in Montana:  Democrats in Republican states have tended toward soft-spoken moderation, but Ryan Busse and Raph Graybill are campaigning as fighters  as they try to take down Gov. Greg Gianforte.

Luring Liberals Back to Cable TV:  Jon Stewart’s and Rachel Maddow’s Monday night programs have become something close to appointment viewing  for Democrats anxious about a close election.