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Home » Blog » Junior WAEC (BECE) Ghana Past Questions and Answers [Study Guide]

Junior WAEC (BECE) Ghana Past Questions and Answers [Study Guide]

Basic Education Certificate Examination (BECE) is a vital assessment exam in Ghana’s education system. Once a student completes three years of junior high school, they must take the exam, especially if they want to be selected into Senior High Schools and Technical Institutes in the country. While preparing for this exam, it is good to know the areas that the BECE questions cover.

Passing BECE is non-negotiable for any student who wants to further their education after completing junior high school. A reason for this is because competition to gain admission into senior high school is hard. The BECE result is based on Continuous Assessment (CA) and the external exam. The external exam forms 70%, while the CA forms 30% of the total assessment.

BECE Past Questions And Answers

West African Examinations Council (WAEC) administers BECE exams. Each year, students are given a new set of questions that have been tailored to test their understanding without locking most of them outside. It is moderated to allow every student to answer, at least, a question.

Knowing the importance of revising BECE ICT past papers and others, it is wise for students to look for the right and most recent papers to revise. Although there are many sites where they can download BECE past questions, not all of them make good past papers available. This is a reason why care must be taken before settling with any past BECE materials.

Nevertheless, getting both questions and answers helps you test your knowledge and how prepared you are. You can solve the questions while revising and confirm your answers’ appropriateness using the source you are working with as a guide. All these approaches will help you meet your needs effectively.

BECE Past Tests

Each subject has two papers, which every candidate must take. The first paper has an objective test, and the second has an essay test. Both are combined and taken in a sitting within a stipulated time. Majorly, the subjects available to candidates include:

• English Language
• Mathematics
• Ghanaian Language and Culture
• Information and Communications Technology
• Basic Design and Technology
• Religious & Moral Education
• Social Studies
• Integrated Science
• French (Optional)

BECE English Language Questions

The English language comprises lexis and structure, literature, essay writing, and comprehension. Paper 1 has 32 lexis and structure items and 8 literature questions, while paper 2 consists of essay writing and comprehension. Some of the questions to expect are:

1. The interview was conducted to separate the sheep from the goats. This means that the interview aimed at

A. Finding people who could rear sheep

B. Keeping the sheep in a different pen

C. Selecting only the humble candidates

D. Selecting the best candidates

2. Being the eldest child of the family, Joojo claimed the lion’s share of the father’s property. This means that Joojo had

A. All the property

B. Half of the property

C. The best part

D. The largest part

3. The students were all ears during the presentation. This means that the students

A. Did not enjoy the presentation

B. Had big ears

C. Listened attentively

D. Were very happy

4. Dallies is the pick of the bunch. This means that Dallies

A. Is a farmer

B. Is an athlete

C. Is preferred to all the others

D. Works on a banana plantation

5. Write an article for publication in a national newspaper on the topic:

• Why bushfires must be avoided.
• Your uncle wants to visit you in your school. Give him the directions.
• Describe to your friends the most interesting function you have attended

BECE Social Studies Past Questions

Questions set on Social studies cover areas like the environment, social and economic development, and governance, politics, and stability. Check out some likely questions below:

1. (a) State four benefits of staying chaste. (4 marks)

(b) Outline four effects of irresponsible adolescent behaviour. (16 marks)

2. (a) What is co-operation? (4 marks)

(b) Highlight four benefits Ghana derives from cooperating with other nations. (16 marks)

3. Explain five reasons why an individual should save towards the future. (20 marks)

BECE ICT Past Questions

Questions will also be set on ICT topics, including software and components, reasons for warm booting, and a computer’s main parts. Check out this sample:

1. The part of a computer system that performs arithmetic and logic operations on data

Is known as

A. Visual display unit.

B. Central processing unit.

C. Input/output device.

D. Memory storage device.

2. In the classification of computers, Personal computers (PC), Laptops, Notebooks and Personal digital assistants (PDA) are examples of

A. Super computers.

B. Micro computers.

C. Mainframe computers.

D. Mini computers.

3. An internal permanent store of memory which can be read but cannot normally be changed is the

4. The curser which indicates the point at which a text should be marked is found on the

A. Printer.

C. Visual display unit.

D. Keyboard.

5. The most common unit of computer storage is the

BECE Maths Past Questions

For Mathematics, questions are set on topics like operations on sets, properties of natural numbers, and numeration system. Here are some past questions that will strengthen you in the upcoming exams.

1. Of the 53 pupils of Kofikrom Junior High School, 36 take tea, 18 take coffee, and 10 take neither tea nor coffee.

(a) Draw a Venn diagram to illustrate this information.

(b) Using your diagram, determine the number that takes both tea and coffee.

2. Elias bought five books. Their main price was GHS3.25. The total cost for four of the books was GHS 11.75. What was the cost of the fifth book?

3. Three church bells start ringing at intervals of 5, 12, and 15 minutes respectively. If they ring together at 12.00 noon on a given day, when will they next ring together?

4. Given that 1/2p =1/8, find the value of p.

5. In 1995, 215 boys and 815 girls were 3 admitted into a senior secondary school. Find, correct to the nearest whole number, the percentage of girls admitted.

BECE Science Questions

Questions set on Integrated Science cover different areas, including systems, diversity of matters, and cycles. Below are samples of questions you would be asked to answer:

1. (a) What is a Living Cell?

(b) Give one function of the following components of a living cell:

(i) Cell membrane;

(ii) Chloroplast;

(iii) Nucleus.

(c) Make sketches to show the arrangement of particles in each of the three states of matter.

(d) What instrument would you use to measure each of the following quantities?

(i) Volume of a liquid;

(ii) Mass of a stone;

(iii) Time;

(iv) Speed of the wind?

2. (a) State two examples of a

(i) Carnivore;

(ii) Herbivore.

(b) What is the difference between Egestion and Excretion?

(c) Explain briefly why

(i) Gold is used to make necklaces and earrings.

(ii) Steel is used instead of iron to make car bodies.

(d) (i) What is Surface Tension?

(ii) Explain why the surface of water in a container is not flat but curved.

3. (a) Name three deficiency diseases associated with diet and state their causes.

(b) (i) What is Hard Water?

(ii) Mention three ways by which hard water can be made soft.

(c) (i) Explain how sound is produced.

(ii) State one example each, of the following instruments:

(a) Wind instrument;

(b) String instrument.

If you are committed to passing your forthcoming examination, revising the BECE questions above and others you can get your hands on will help you. Also, ensure you familiarize yourself with the important instructions before you go into the exam hall.

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BECE For Private Candidates: Topic Areas And Sample Questions

Here are official topic areas and sample questions for the private BECE candidates provided by WAEC . The Syllabus topics outlined for each of the subjects in the section have been extracted from the detailed Syllabuses developed for use in Junior High Schools by the Ghana Education Service. Teachers and prospective candidates are therefore advised to thoroughly acquaint themselves with the scope and the depth of materials to be covered, to ensure adequate preparation for the examination.

The Schemes of Examination have been outlined. For each subject, there will be two Papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2, both of which must be taken. Paper 1 will be an objective test and Paper 2 an essay test. Paper 1 and 2 will be combined and taken at one sitting. The time duration for the examination is stated for each Paper. The Schemes of Examination form the basis of the rubrics. Teachers and prospective candidates are advised to acquaint themselves with them as the contravention will lead to loss of marks. The Specimen Questions presented for each subject should also serve as a guide.

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Table of Contents

Download Topic Areas and Sample Questions For Private BECE Candidates

Download the complete topic areas and sample questions for the private BECE exams here: Topic Areas and Sample Questions

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ENGLISH LANGUAGE SYLLABUS TOPICS

Lexis and structure.

 Tenses  Concord/Agreement  Conditional Sentence  Vocabulary e.g. Phrasal Verbs, General Vocabulary  Passive and Active forms  Direct and Reported Speech  Question and Answer Tags  Phrases and Clauses  Idiomatic Expressions  Parts of speech

 Basic characters/roles  Themes  Literary Devices – symbols, imagery etc  Subject matter  Setting  Plot

Essay Writing

 Letters – formal and informal  narrative/descriptive  exposition(describing processes)  speech  argument/debate  article  report  agenda  minute writing  letters to the press The essay should not be less than 250 words.

Comprehension

Types of Passages Concepts to be taught  the use/meaning of certain words and expressions in relation to their context;  the understanding of the whole or part of the passage.

Types of Passages  Dialogue or conversation  Narrative  Descriptive  Explanation of a process  Giving directions or instructions

STRUCTURE AND SCHEME OF EXAMINATION

There will be two papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2, both of which must be taken. The Papers will be combined and taken at one sitting.

Paper 1: This will be an objective test consisting of two parts: Part A, Lexis and Structure and Part B, Literature. Part A will comprise 32 lexis and structure items and Part B, 8 literature questions. All the 40 questions will have to be answered within forty-five (45) minutes for 40 marks. Paper 2: This will consist of two parts. Part A – Essay Writing and Part B – Comprehension Test. There will be three topics in Part A and candidates will be expected to write on only one. In Part B, there will be one comprehension passage and the candidates will be required to answer all the questions on it. The paper will last one (1) hour and will carry sixty (60) marks.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS

PAPER 1: PART A: LEXIS AND STRUCTURE SECTION A

From the alternatives lettered A to D, choose the one which most suitably completes each sentence.

1. Mary is a …………… girl. A. beautiful young Nigerian B. young beautiful Nigerian C. young Nigerian beautiful D. Nigerian young beautiful

2. Kojo plays the violin very well, ……………….? A. couldn’t he B. don’t he C. doesn’t he D. can’t he

Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one which is nearest in meaning to the underlined word in each sentence.

1. My celibate friend is happy. A. single B. simple C. busy D. hardworking

2. You look very shagged . A. beautiful B. worried C. tired D. silly

In each of the following sentences a word or group of words has been underlined. Choose from the alternatives lettered A to D the one that best explains the underlined word or group of words.

1. The students were told to give a good account of themselves . This means the students were told to A. behave well. B. do well. C. work hard. D. learn hard.

2. Her room is in apple-pie order . This means her room is A. untidy. B. tidy. C. good. D. bad

From the list of words lettered A to D, choose the one which is most nearly opposite in meaning to the underlined word in each sentence. 1. My grandmother is a weak centenarian. A. troublesome B. robust C. cheerful D. inquisitive

2. When asked about the breakage, Kofi said he was innocent . A. surprised B. guilty C. afraid D. absent

PART B LITERATURE

Read the excerpts below and choose the correct answer from the alternatives lettered A to D.

‘Ama was a lioness in the fight’. 1. The literary device used in the above is A. personification. B. simile. C. metaphor. D. alliteration.

‘We are three men With a plea To be set free now To move with glee’

2. The rhyme scheme in the verse above is A. abcb B. acab C. aabc D. aaba

PAPER TWO PART A ESSAY WRITING

Answer one question only from this section. 1. Write an article for publication in a national newspaper on the topic: Why bushfires must be avoided. 2. Your uncle wants to visit you in your school. Give him the directions. 3. Describe to your friends the most interesting function you have attended

COMPREHENSION

Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions which follow: 4. One day a poor fisherman went fishing and caught nothing. He was just about to go home when he felt the net suddenly grow heavy. He thought he had caught a large fish. But when he dragged it ashore, he found only a heavy copper pot sealed with lead. He shook it and feeling sure it contained something valuable, he took his knife, cut the top of the lead and turned it upside down. For a moment nothing came out; and then it started to smoke, and this smoke slowly rose right up to the sky like a thick fog. It suddenly turned into a huge genie.

“Bow down”, said the genie, “and let me kill you.” “Why?” asked the fisherman, “Have you forgotten that I set you free?” “Yes, but I have sworn to kill you”, said the genie. “I’m a spirit that rebelled against the Creator and to punish me he shut me up in this copper pot. During the first century of my captivity, I swore to make anyone who freed me rich. During the second century, I swore I would grant him any three things. But after these centuries, in anger, I swore to kill my liberator without mercy.” “Well, die I must,” said the fisherman, “but swear that you really were in that pot. It is too small to hold even your little finger. Unless I see it, I shall not believe it.” “See then and believe,” said the genie.

He slowly changed back into smoke and entered the pot. The fisherman immediately put back the lead cover and threw it into the sea.

1. What did the fisherman catch? 2. Why did the fisherman open the lead pot? 3. State two things the genie swore to do. 4. Explain the following expression in your own words: ‘Well, die I must’.

5. For each of the following words, give another word or phrase that means the same and can fit into the passage: (i) ashore (ii) valuable (iii) genie

SYLLABUS TOPICS

Structural Items

Idiomatic expressions and other fixed expressions such as “venir de + infintif, avoir + faim/soif/âge, combien de + le pluriel” etc.

 Professions  Parts of the body  Days of the week/ months of the year/ time & date  Parts of building  Games/hobbies  Means of transport  Clothing  The weather  Sports  Geographical places

Should indicate Types of Passages and Concepts to be taught.

Grammar  Verbs;  Tenses  Le présent  Le future  Le passé  L’imparfait

Subject/verb agreement.  Pronouns  Adjectives  Adverbs  Articles  Preposition  Negations  Gender

Essay – Guided Essay-writing Emphasis on:  Content – 20 marks  Grammar – 10 marks  Overall Expression – 5 marks  Clarity – 5 marks NB: As much as possible the essay should be communication-oriented, for example, writing post cards, letters, news items (“faits divers”).

STRUCTURE AND SCHEME OF THE EXAMINATION

There will be two Papers, Paper 1 and Paper 2, both of which must be taken. The Papers will be combined and taken at one sitting. Paper 1 The Paper will consist of 40 multiple choice objective questions covering lexis, structure and comprehension, all of which must be answered in one hour for 40 marks. Paper 2 The Paper will consist of two guided essays and candidates will be required to answer one. The questions may require picture description, letter writing, narration or description. The paper shall last 45 minutes and carry 40 marks.

PAPER 1 – 1hour (40 marks) Part I – Structural Items

Below are sentences with blank spaces, followed by options lettered A- D. Choose from the options the correct answer that will fit into each blank space and shade on your answer sheet the letter of your choice.

1. Kofi est en train de ——— son devoir. A. fait B. faire C. fais D. faisant

2. Mon ———quinze ans. A. est B. a C. es D. as

3. Maman vient ———- finir le repas du soir. A. de B. C. en D. sans

4. ———–. A. a courir B. courant C. courez D. courons

5. Tu as combien ———- grandes soeurs ? A. des B. de C. du D. de la

Part II (Lexical Items)

1. La fille de ma sœur est ma ————– 2. Un manguier produit des —————– 3. Le ———— françaises. 4. de football a battu Notre-Dame JSS par deux ———-

5. Tous les ————–

A B C D 1. sœur petite fille cousine 2. pommes oranges mangues citrons 3. directeur professeur chanteur musicien 4. ballons baskets bâtons buts 5. candidats professeurs ouvriers gens

SOCIAL STUDIES

The Environment

 The Environment and Environmental Problems  Adolescent reproductive health  Our Culture  Mapping our environment  Ghana, My country  Natural features of the earth  Population growth and development in Ghana

Governance, Politics and Stability

 Ghana as a nation  Colonization and national development  Independence and nationhood  Citizenship and human rights  Our constitution  Law and order in our constitution  Meaning and prevention of conflicts  Ghana’s cooperation with other nations  Government and society  Promoting Political stability in Ghana

SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

 The use of land in our community  Our Natural and Human Resources  Production in Ghana  Managing your finance  Tourism, Leisure and Development  Education and Productivity  Entrepreneurship  Problems of development in Ghana  Sustainable national development  The youth and discipline

The will be two papers, Papers 1 and 2 both of which must be taken. The Papers will be combined and taken at one sitting.

Paper 1 will consist of 40 objective questions, all of which must be answered in 45 minutes for a total of 40 marks.

Paper 2 will be an essay-type paper consisting of three sections, A, B and C thus Two questions will be set on each section, and as follows: Section A: The Environment Section B: Governance, Politics and Stability Section C: Social and Economic Development.

Candidates will be required to answer three questions in all choosing one question from each section. The paper will last 1 hour and carry 60 marks.

SAMPLE QUESTIONS PAPER 1 OBJECTIVE

1. Which of the following conditions cannot be described as an effect of irresponsible adolescent behaviour? A. Becoming an outcast in society B. Becoming a drug addict C. Dropping out of school D. Receiving commendation from elders

2. Human interaction is specifically part of the A. artificial environment. B. natural environment. C. physical environment. D. social environment

3. Female genital mutilation should be abolished because it A. makes girls infertile. B. makes girls very ugly. C. promotes prostitution. D. violate the rights of the girls.

4. Which of the following factors can create political instability in Ghana? A. A workable constitution B. Free and fair elections C. Rigging of election D. Rule of law

5. The production of goods and services can be increased in Ghana through A. increment in salaries of workers B. long period of service. C. the acquisition of higher education. D. the application of appropriate technology

6. Which of the following conditions can result in indiscipline among the youth in Ghana? A. Good employment B. Parental guide C. Quality education D. Substance abuse

PAPER 2 ESSAY SECTION A THE ENVIRONMENT

SECTION B GOVERNANCE POLITICS AND STABILITY

SECTION C SOCIAL AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

MATHEMATICS

 Sets  Operations on Sets  Properties of Natural Numbers  Numeration System  Operations on Whole Numbers  Positive and negative Integers, Rational Numbers  Common Fractions and Decimal Fractions  Ratio and Proportion  Percentages, Rates and Taxes  Exponents (Indices)  Collecting and Handling Data (Statistics)  Probability  Algebraic Expressions  Linear Equations in One Variable  Linear Inequalities in One Variable  Mapping  Number Plane  Basic Solids  Length and Area of Plan Figures  Volume of Basic Solids  Angles  Right-Angled Triangle (Properties)  Measurement of Capacity, Mass, Time and Money  Rigid Motion  Enlargement and Similar figures  Constructions, Loci  Vectors  Investigation with Numbers

SCHEME OF EXAMINATION

There will be two papers: Paper 1 and 2, both of which must be taken. The Papers will be combined and taken at one sitting.

Paper 1: will be a multiple-choice objective paper consisting of 40 questions. The questions will be drawn from the entire syllabus and candidates will be expected to answer them within 1 hour for 40 marks.

Paper 2: will be an essay paper. It will consist of six questions and candidates will be expected to answer any four within 1 hour for 60 marks. Questions in this paper may be drawn from any part of the syllabus.

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Physical and Mental Health Effects of Bushfire and Smoke in the Australian Capital Territory 2019–20

Rachael m. rodney.

1 National Centre for Epidemiology and Population Health, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

2 Fenner School of Environment and Society, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

Ashwin Swaminathan

3 Departments of General Medicine and Infectious Diseases, The Canberra Hospital, Canberra, ACT, Australia

Alison L. Calear

4 Centre for Mental Health Research, Research School of Population Health, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

Bruce K. Christensen

5 Research School of Psychology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

Zoe Leviston

Julia reynolds, susan trevenar, sotiris vardoulakis, iain walker, associated data.

The raw data supporting the conclusions of this article will be made available by the authors, without undue reservation.

The 2019–20 bushfire season in south-eastern Australia was one of the most severe in recorded history. Bushfire smoke-related air pollution reached hazardous levels in major metropolitan areas, including the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), for prolonged periods of time. Bushfire smoke directly challenges human health through effects on respiratory and cardiac function, but can also indirectly affect health, wellbeing and quality of life. Few studies have examined the specific health effects of bushfire smoke, separate from direct effects of fire, and looked beyond physical health symptoms to consider effects on mental health and lifestyle in Australian communities. This paper describes an assessment of the health impacts of this prolonged exposure to hazardous levels of bushfire smoke in the ACT and surrounding area during the 2019–20 bushfire season. An online survey captured information on demographics, health (physical and mental health, sleep) and medical advice seeking from 2,084 adult participants (40% male, median age 45 years). Almost all participants (97%) experienced at least one physical health symptom that they attributed to smoke, most commonly eye or throat irritation, and cough. Over half of responders self-reported symptoms of anxiety and/or feeling depressed and approximately half reported poorer sleep. Women reported all symptoms more frequently than men. Participants with existing medical conditions or poorer self-rated health, parents and those directly affected by fire (in either the current or previous fire seasons) also experienced poorer physical, mental health and/or sleep symptoms. Approximately 17% of people sought advice from a medical health practitioner, most commonly a general practitioner, to manage their symptoms. This study demonstrated that prolonged exposure to bushfire smoke can have substantial effects on health. Holistic approaches to understanding, preventing and mitigating the effects of smoke, not just on physical health but on mental health, and the intersection of these, is important. Improved public health messaging is needed to address uncertainty about how individuals can protect their and their families health for future events. This should be informed by identifying subgroups of the population, such as those with existing health conditions, parents, or those directly exposed to fire who may be at a greater risk.

Introduction

During the summer of late 2019 and early 2020, extensive areas of south-eastern Australia experienced one of the most severe bushfire seasons in recorded history. Over 10 million hectares of land were burnt, and over 2,400 homes were destroyed in New South Wales (NSW) alone. Bushfire smoke-related air pollution reached hazardous levels in major metropolitan areas including Canberra, Australia's capital, in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Between 15 December and 15 February in the ACT, 27% of days ( n = 17/63 days) had air quality levels that were considered extremely poor (≥ 300 PM 2.5 μg/m 3 ) and on three quarters of days ( n = 47/63 days), air quality was classified as poor or worse (≥ 50 PM 2.5 μg/m 3 ) at one or more of Canberra's three air quality monitoring stations ( 1 ) [using thresholds defined by NSW Department of Planning, Industry and Environment ( 2 )]. On the worst days, hourly levels reached well over 1000 PM 2.5 μg/m 3 .

Bushfire is an inevitable and essential part of natural Australian ecosystems; however, the severity and duration of fire seasons are projected to increase globally with climate change ( 3 ). A recent study concluded that as a result of anthropogenic climate change, the prevalence of days of high-risk bushfire weather has increased, conservatively, by at least 30% since 1900 ( 4 ). As a result of predicted changes to bushfire patterns, the health and community impacts of bushfire are likely to increase unless effective adaptation measures are implemented. The public health impacts of bushfire extend beyond direct exposure to the fire itself, with increasing awareness of the effects of bushfire smoke-related air pollution ( 5 ). Smoke can travel long distances and affect large populations, even in urban areas geographically separated from fire ( 6 ). Bushfire smoke can have considerable impacts on health; it is estimated 340,000 deaths can be attributed to bushfire smoke globally each year ( 7 ). Fine particulate matter, i.e., particles <2.5 micrometers in diameter (PM 2.5 ), can adversely affect health via impaired respiratory and cardiac functioning, promotion of inflammation, and alteration of immune function ( 8 , 9 ). Bushfire-related air pollution has also been associated with increases in mortality ( 10 – 12 ) and the effects of smoke can be more severe in populations with particular vulnerability, such as those with pre-existing medical conditions including cardiovascular disease or respiratory conditions ( 13 , 14 ).

In bushfire events, it can be difficult to separate the health effects associated with direct displacement, loss, or exposure to fire from those of bushfire smoke. Most studies examining the effects of bushfire smoke on health have used routinely collected health data such as emergency department presentations, hospital admissions and mortality ( 5 ), which are very likely to underestimate the effects on the population by capturing only those affected severely enough to require seeking secondary or tertiary-level health care. Prior studies have also focused primarily on physical health concerns, with few studies taking a holistic approach to the assessment of health by including measures of mental health and lifestyle in addition to physical health.

The 2019–20 bushfire season affecting south-eastern Australia elicited widespread public concern due to its duration, and uncertainty about potential immediate and long-lasting health effects of prolonged smoke exposure. In addition, individuals experienced considerable uncertainty about how to protect the health and wellbeing of themselves and their families during this period ( 15 ). A preliminary evaluation of the air pollution health burden in eastern Australia estimated that bushfire smoke was responsible for 417 (95% CI, 153–680) excess deaths, over 3,000 excess hospitalizations for cardiovascular (1,124; 95% CI, 211–2,047) and respiratory (2,027; 95% CI, 0–4,252) problems, and 1,305 (95% CI, 705–1,908) presentations to emergency departments with asthma ( 16 ). The total smoke-related physical health costs during the 2019–20 bushfire period have been estimated at AU$1.95 billion ( 17 ). The 2019–20 bushfires were of particular interest in the Canberra and surrounding community, as this area experienced a severe bushfire in January 2003. During this earlier disaster, almost 160,000 hectares of land were burnt, 448 houses were destroyed (and a much greater number damaged), over 5,000 people were evacuated, four people died and hundreds of people received medical care ( 18 ).

This paper presents the findings of a cross-sectional study examining the effects of prolonged exposure to hazardous levels of bushfire smoke-related air pollution on the physical health, mental health, and sleep patterns of residents of the ACT region during the 2019–20 bushfire season and how these vary by demographic and lifestyle factors.

Materials and Methods

Study design.

This cross-sectional survey asked participants about their experiences during a “period of interest” defined as 15 December 2019 to 15 February 2020, as this was the period during which the most significant levels of bushfire smoke-related air pollution (hereafter referred to as “smoke”) affected the Canberra region.

Participant Recruitment

The survey was conducted over a six-week period in March and April 2020. The sampling frame included all adult residents of the ACT and immediately adjacent regions of NSW. Inclusion criteria were: aged 18 years or older, able to understand an online questionnaire in English, and a residential address defined by specific postcode areas constituting the ACT and immediately surrounding postcodes (2600–2612, 2614–2620, 2626, 2900–2906, 2911–2914).

Participants were recruited using three methods: (i) Letter–An invitation to complete the online survey was posted to a random selection of 10 000 addresses, selected from the ACTmapi database (“ACT Addressing” from ACTmapi ©Australian Capital Territory). Any addresses identified as non-residential (e.g., businesses, schools) were removed and replaced prior to the mail out; (ii) Panel–A representative population sample of participants recruited by an external company; (iii) General–A convenience sample of the population was recruited via social media, radio advertisements and word of mouth, including interest from local media.

Data Collection

Potential participants were invited to complete the online survey via REDCap electronic data capture tools hosted at Australian National University ( 19 ). The survey was available in English and in an online format only. Participants provided consent by submitting a completed survey. Two participants that received a letter mailout invitation and who did not have internet access completed the survey by phone with a study team member recording their responses.

The survey collected: postcode of residence, age (years), highest level of education achieved (no school qualification/ school or intermediate/ HSC or leaving certificate/ trade or apprenticeship/ certificate or diploma/ university or higher), tobacco smoking (never/past/current), rental status (renter/owner-occupier/other), pregnancy status (self/partner/none/not applicable), parental (yes/no and age of youngest child) or carer status (yes/no); previous medical diagnoses [asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD–including emphysema and chronic bronchitis)]/allergies or hay fever/other respiratory disease (e.g., pleurisy, bronchiectasis, pulmonary fibrosis)/multiple sclerosis/arthritis/diabetes/other), engagement with a professional for a mental health concern during the last 12 months (yes/no) and self-rated health (poor/fair/good/very good/excellent); prior exposure to bushfire (no previous exposure to bushfire/been in an area with fire nearby/evacuated due to bushfire/experienced loss of or damage to property/had direct contact with bushfire (e.g.,firefighter or protecting property)/other) including whether this was during the 2003 Canberra bushfire (yes/no); direct exposure to bushfire in the current season (not affected/voluntarily relocated/forced to evacuate/damage to or loss of property/family or close friend affected/had to cancel or alter travel or holiday plans/ firefighter or first responder/other); effects of smoke on physical health (eye irritation or watery eyes/throat irritation or dry throat/cough/wheeze or whistling chest/sneezing/chest tightness or pain/breathlessness/headache/diarrhea or gastroenterological symptoms/other condition not listed), sleep (disrupted or poor sleep/fatigue or feeling tired) and mental health (anxiety/feeling depressed) symptoms and whether these were attributed to smoke (yes/no/unsure); health advice sought as a result of symptoms (yes/no, hospital inpatient/emergency department/general practitioner/specialist/24 h health advice hotline/pharmacist/mental health professional e.g., psychologist/other health professional).

Data Analysis

Data management.

Summary statistics were used to describe the study's participants ( Table 1 ) using demographic, health and lifestyle variables as described in Table 2 . To explore physical health outcomes, data were divided into quartiles based on the cumulative number of physical health symptoms reported. A mental health outcome variable was created by including those who self-reported anxiety and/or feeling depressed as a result of smoke. Similarly, a sleep outcome variable was created by combining those who reported disrupted or poor sleep and/or fatigue or feeling tired. Although scaled, validated measures, especially of mental and physical health status, are generally preferable, this paper reports results of a rapid research response developed during the bushfire crisis, with the intention of reporting responses during or soon after the emergency in a way that would be helpful for future researchers and public health officials. Accordingly, our outcomes measures are brief assessments. They were developed from the research team's expertise in different contexts, and are based on our previous research ( 13 , 15 , 20 ).

Description of sample characteristics.

Details of variables used to describe the study population in regression models.

Statistical Analysis

All analyses were conducted in Stata (v15.1, College Station, TX StataCorp LLC). Summary statistics were used to describe the study sample as detailed in Table 1 . Number (%) were used to describe categorical variables and mean (SD) to describe continuous data. Descriptive statistics were calculated to examine the prevalence of self-reported physical health, sleep and mental health symptoms, overall and for men and women which were compared using Chi 2 analyses. Ordinal logistic regression was used to identify factors (as per Table 2 ) that were associated with higher physical health symptoms. Bivariate analyses including age, gender and age * gender interaction were then conducted for factors for which p ≤ 0.1. Logistic regression was used to determine factors that were associated with either disrupted sleep or mental health symptoms. Similar bivariate analyses were conducted to develop sleep and mental health models. Summary statistics [n (%)] were used to describe sources of health advice sought, overall and separately for males and females, which were compared using Chi 2 analyses.

A total of 2,095 completed responses to the survey were received; 644 (30.7%), 639 (30.5%), and 812 (38.8%) people recruited via the panel, letter and general recruitment methods respectively. This was a response rate of approximately 6.4% to the letter invitations, although many were returned to sender so it was unclear how many were undelivered. Eleven responses were excluded as the participant resided outside of the target area or did not provide a valid postcode. This resulted in a total sample of 2,084 responses that were included in subsequent analyses.

Participant characteristics are summarized in Table 1 . Of the study participants, 40.2% were male, 59.6% were female, and 0.2% identified as being of another gender. The mean age of respondents was 45 years (median 45, range 18–85 years), approximately 10 years older than the median age of ACT residents. Approximately 13% of the sample had completed a high school certificate or less, 17% a trade, apprenticeship, certificate or diploma, and 70% had completed a University degree. This suggests that the sample included a greater proportion of women, was on average older, and more highly educated than the ACT population compared with data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics ( 21 ).

Approximately a quarter of respondents were parents, 15.4% were carers for one or more non-child dependents and 22% of participants rented their place of residence. Forty-three respondents (2.1%) were pregnant during the period of interest, 11% rated their own health as poor-fair (vs 89% good-excellent), 3% were current smokers, 25% were ex-smokers and 72% had never smoked. Over half of the sample (58%) had been directly affected by fire (not just smoke) during the 2019–20 bushfire season, with 8% of the total sample reporting being affected severely. Previous direct exposure to bushfire had been reported by 67% of the sample, 10.5% severely. For most participants (43% of the total sample), this exposure had been during the 2003 Canberra bushfire event.

Physical Health

Most participants (97.1%) reported experiencing at least one specified physical health symptom during the period of interest that they attributed to the smoke ( Table 3 ). The most common symptoms were eye irritation or watery eyes (73.1%), throat irritation or dry throat (70.4%) and cough (50.6%). A considerable proportion of people also reported experiencing headaches (38.2%), breathlessness (21.9%), sneezing (21%) or wheeze/whistling chest (19.9%). A small number of people (3.2%) also reported experiencing other (non-itemized) physical or mental health impacts of the smoke including asthma, bronchitis, itchy skin/rash, runny nose, sinusitis and mental trauma. Women reported all physical symptoms more frequently than men ( p <0.001 for all other than sneeze p <0.05) and had almost three times the odds of men of experiencing a greater number of physical health conditions as a result of exposure to smoke (2.92 ± 0.344, p <0.001) ( Table 4 ). After accounting for age and gender, those participants with poorer self-rated health (2.13 ± 0.344, p <0.001), a previous diagnosis of either a physical (2.18 ± 0.266, p <0.001) or mental health condition (1.64 ± 0.206, p <0.001), or were a past (but not current) smoker (1.83 ± 0.226; p <0.001), had greater odds of experiencing more physical symptoms. Any direct exposure with fire this season increased odds of experiencing a greater number of health symptoms (1.64 ± 0.186, p <0.001). The effect was strongest in those who had experienced more severe effects of bushfire compared to those who reported mild exposure to fire (2.47 ± 0.465 vs. 1.52 ± 0.178; p < 0.001). Previous fire exposure increased the odds of experiencing more physical health symptoms, whether this was defined as any previous exposure (1.55 ± 0.182, p <0.001), mild or severe exposure (1.51 ± 0.181; p = 0.001, 1.82 ± 0.345; p = 0.001, for mild and severe respectively) or as a cumulative measure (1.40 ± 0.121; p < 0.001). Having experienced the 2003 Canberra bushfires did not statistically increase the odds of experiencing a greater number of negative physical health symptoms (1.56 ± 0.447; p = 0.124). Parental, carer, pregnancy or education status were not associated with an increase in physical health symptoms.

Proportion of surveyed ACT region residents that experienced health-related symptoms attributed to bushfire smoke during the 2019–20 bushfire season.

Difference between gender P < 0.001 for all other than sneeze P = 0.022, and other P = 0.05 .

Ordinal logistic regression examining factors associated with odds of greater number of self-reported physical health symptoms attributed to bushfire smoke exposure.

Mental Health

Over 55% of responders self-reported symptoms of anxiety (45.3%) and/or feeling depressed (21.4%) as a result of the smoke ( Table 3 ). Women were more likely than men to report negative mental health outcomes (1.99 ± 0.192, p <0.001) which reflected increased symptoms of both anxiety (54.5 vs. 31.8%) and feelings of depression (25.5 vs. 15.5%). Poor mental health outcomes were associated with younger age groups (25–54 years groups). Bivariate models ( Table 5 ) identified parents (1.27 ± 0.142; p = 0.029), individuals with an existing physical (1.35 ± 0.138; p = 0.004) or mental health diagnosis (1.30 ± 0.164; p = 0.038), and those who had obtained a higher level of education (high school or lower vs. trade/diploma: 1.46 ± 0.257, p = 0.032 vs university: 1.42 ± 0.208; p = 0.015) had greater odds of experiencing negative mental health outcomes ( Table 5 ). Direct exposure to fire in the current season was associated with increased reported symptoms of anxiety and feeling depressed, according to all measures used (p ≤ 0.001). Of note, severe bushfire exposure had a stronger effect on mental health than mild exposure (1.87 ± 0.344 and 1.46 ± 0.148 for severe and mild, respectively). Exposure to fire in a previous season, including during the 2003 Canberra fires, was not associated with mental health outcomes.

Logistic regression examining factors associated with self-reported negative mental health outcomes attributed to bushfire smoke exposure.

Half of survey respondents reported poorer sleep as a result of exposure to smoke ( Table 3 ). This was defined as either disrupted or poor sleep (37.2%) and/or fatigue or feeling tired (32.5%). Females were more likely to experience poorer sleep outcomes than men (1.75 ± 0.168, p <0.001). Odds of poor sleep outcomes were increased in younger age groups. When age and gender were accounted for, those with poorer self-rated health (2.01± 0.339; p <0.001), or a previous diagnosis of a physical health condition (1.34± 0.136; p <0.01) all had greater odds of experiencing smoke-attributed impairments in sleep ( Table 6 ). Direct exposure to fire in the current fire season increased the odds of poor sleep outcomes, irrespective of the measure used ( p < 0.001). This effect was more pronounced in those who had experienced more severe exposure (1.81 ± 0.326 vs. 1.34 ± 0.135 for mild vs. severe exposure, respectively). The odds of poor sleep outcomes were increased in the group who had experienced more severe exposures to fire in a previous season (1.82 ± 0.312; p < 0.001), and tended to be increased to a lesser extent in the group who had more mild experiences (1.29 ± 0.135; p = 0.014).

Logistic regression examining factors associated with negative self-reported sleep outcomes attributed to bushfire smoke exposure.

Medical Advice

Approximately 17% of people reported they sought advice from a health professional or medical facility in relation to their smoke-attributed symptoms ( Table 7 ). The most commonly accessed source was a general practitioner (13.2%), followed by pharmacist (3.6%) and mental health professional (2%). Females were more likely to have sought health advice than males (21 vs. 11%, p <0.001).

Proportion of surveyed ACT region residents that sought medical advice in relation to bushfire smoke attributed health conditions during the 2019–20 bushfire season.

Females were more likely to have sought health advice than males (p < 0.001) .

The extreme 2019–20 Australian bushfire season increased the burden on the health system ( 22 ). The current study indicates substantial self-reported effects of bushfire smoke on the ACT community's physical, mental health and sleep patterns, with almost all respondents reporting at least one negative health effect during this time. The most common symptoms (eye and throat irritation, cough) were consistent with other studies ( 23 ) and the known short-term effects of exposure to very high levels of PM 2.5 . Bushfire smoke-related air pollution reached hazardous levels in the ACT over a longer period and to higher levels than previously reported in other areas of south eastern Australia ( 23 , 24 ). In the current ACT study, 97% of the sample reported at least one smoke-related health symptom, whereas prevalence of similar health conditions was 65.1% in the Hunter-New England area ( 25 , 26 ), and 16.1% in a control population located in Hobart, Tasmania that was not affected by smoke.

The smoke-attributable health burden experienced in the ACT region is higher than other studies of the health effects of smoke ( 23 ). Other studies have relied on emergency presentations or hospital records to identify those experiencing negative health outcomes ( 8 , 27 – 30 ), but the current study drew on self-reported effects from community members, only ~1% of whom presented at a hospital. Presentation measures only capture medical conditions severe enough for individuals to seek clinical care, therefore underestimating the total health burden. These measures may also miss mental health conditions, for which support may be sought elsewhere. The extent to which this study documents smoke effects is significant and concerning. The prevalence of health conditions for which formal medical advice was not sought highlights the importance of interventions to better prepare people on ways to reduce exposure during periods of hazardous air pollution and when to seek help. Barriers to accessing medical and psychological care were not investigated in this study, but future studies should examine this. Further epidemiological studies that accurately measure individual smoke exposure will be able to better characterize specific health impacts of severe smoke, or thresholds for these, and give more accurate advice about how and when individuals should protect their health.

Smoke exposure is known to exacerbate existing health conditions ( 14 ). Our finding that participants with an existing health condition had greater odds of experiencing more smoke-related health issues is consistent with this. Similarly, poorer self-rated health was associated with increases in both physical health and sleep-related symptoms. Sleep problems have been associated with both physical and mental health problems ( 31 , 32 ) and physical and mental health are also strongly linked ( 33 , 34 ). Future studies ought to examine the inter-relatedness of these health outcomes ( 14 ).

Several studies demonstrate the lasting psychological effects of bushfire exposure, including increased rates of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and increased drug and alcohol use ( 35 , 36 ). A year after fires in an Australian community, twice as many people (42%) were classified as “potential psychiatric cases” than in an unexposed comparison population ( 37 ). Most people do not develop psychological conditions following a natural disaster ( 38 ), but it is important to identify those at risk of doing so and to provide the support they require. Future research should also consider community factors such as community cohesion, competence and support ( 39 ) that may influence individual wellbeing, rather than focus solely on individual-level variables.

Women and men may experience, respond to, and recover from bushfires differently ( 40 , 41 ). For example, women are more likely to report higher rates of PTSD ( 42 , 43 ), and men to report an increase in alcohol abuse after experiencing bushfires ( 40 , 44 ). In the current study, women reported higher rates of all physical health symptoms, poorer sleep, and mental health issues. Gender differences have been attributed to biological, social or situational factors ( 38 , 40 , 45 ).

Longer term mental health outcomes for communities exposed to bushfire are generally good, although a significant minority may experience persistent difficulties and vulnerability may increase with cumulative trauma exposures ( 44 ). In our study, previous exposure to fire was associated with greater odds of reporting poorer physical health outcomes and sleep disturbance, but not with mental health outcomes. More disrupted sleep for people who had previously been directly exposed to a bushfire event is possible, as the smoke may have triggered memories of that event. Direct exposure to fire is inherently difficult to understand as exposure severity and personal experience vary among individuals. To investigate this, we explored this measure in several ways–by assessing a binary (yes/no) response, a cumulative measure of the number of effects identified, or a ranking measure, in which some experiences were weighted more strongly than others. Unsurprisingly, people who were directly affected by fire had increased odds of physical, sleep, and negative mental health outcomes. For all of these outcomes, the pattern of relationship was similar, with higher odds ratios in the group ranked severe, compared to the mild group. The different ways of measuring exposure were all statistically significant, suggesting the link between direct experience of bushfire with adverse health outcomes is robust. In contrast, the cumulative measure showed consistently weaker odds ratios compared to other measures. This poses questions about the level of detail needed in measuring people's objective and subjective experience with bushfire, whether there are severity of impact thresholds for concern, and how a single measure might account for different experiences of a similar event (for example voluntary vs. forced evacuation). The complexity of this issue warrants more detailed study.

Although participants in this study were asked to focus on the effects of smoke (and not fire) specifically, it is likely some people were unable to separate the effects of smoke from other factors, such as heat stress or the direct effects of fire. Also, this study coincided with the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in Australia, and participants may have been unable to disentangle their feelings of distress and anxiety about the bushfires from the uncertainty of the developing pandemic.

During the 2019–20 bushfire season, there was community concern about whether smoke exposure would have long-term effects on health ( 46 ). This continues to be an area that is not well understood as only limited studies have explored long-lasting or delayed effects of smoke on health. Some have identified increased incidence of influenza ( 47 ) and impaired lung function ( 48 ) for months to years after a fire event. Canberra had experienced a severe bushfire in January 2003 and a survey 3 years after this disaster found that for over half the survey respondents (56.4%, n = 272) the bushfire did not have a lasting effect on their overall health and 2.5% (n = 12) reported that their overall health was better than before ( 18 ). However, 40.9% (n = 197) reported a lasting negative effect of the bushfire on their overall health. As such, we hypothesized that community members who had been exposed to the 2003 bushfires in Canberra may have been at greater risk of negative health effects during the 2019–20 fire season, particularly regarding negative mental health outcomes. However, this was not evident from our results, perhaps indicating that people were resilient and had had sufficient time to resolve any adverse reactions to the 2003 fires. Further longitudinal research is needed to understand the long-lasting, as well as the acute, health effects of bushfire and smoke exposure.

Rapid research during or immediately following natural disasters is challenging ( 49 , 50 ). Here, a survey was designed to be deployed quickly to capture a broad snapshot of a population's health in response to a bushfire smoke event. Online data collection was suitable for a wide range of the population, but not when such as electricity or internet services are interrupted. The use of multiple sampling approaches captured experiences from a broad cross-section of the population, though the sample is not representative of the whole population as some groups such as the elderly, those with no fixed address, or those for whom English is not their primary language, may have been missed or underrepresented. Further, the focus here was on rapid and easy to measure self-report items with good face validity, rather than on more sophisticated measures of key constructs such as mental health. Despite these limitations, important trends concerning health and lifestyle burdens were identified, presenting an effective way to screen for specific areas or groups requiring more detailed examination. This method should, though, be refined to focus on the most pertinent and useful information to ensure ease of completion and associated rapid delivery of appropriate support and services to communities.

Conclusions

Bushfire smoke can have considerable and underestimated effects on physical and mental health, beyond those associated with direct contact with fire and the acute effects of smoke inhalation. Greater understanding of mental health and long-term health effects is needed, particularly for at-risk groups, including parents, those with existing health conditions, or those who had previous exposure to fire and smoke. Improved public health communication is needed to strengthen individuals' ability to prevent harm and protect the health of themselves and their families for future events.

Data Availability Statement

Ethics statement.

The studies involving human participants were reviewed and approved by Human Research Ethics Committee of the Australian National University (protocol number: 2020/029). The patients/participants provided their written informed consent to participate in this study.

Author Contributions

RR, AS, AC, BC, AL, JL, JR, ST, SV, and IW contributed to the conception and design of the study. ST and RR obtained ethics approval, conducted data collection, and database management. RR was responsible for data analysis and drafting of manuscript. All authors contributed to manuscript revision, read, and approved the submitted version.

This research was funded by the Australian National University College of Health and Medicine. AC is supported by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Fellowship 1173146.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Publisher's Note

All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article, or claim that may be made by its manufacturer, is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank the community members who participated in this study.

English Paper 2 WASSCE (SC), 2017

• Subject Home

Write an article suitable for publication in a national newspaper, discussing two major problems facing your country and suggesting ways of solving them.

Observation

Candidates were required to write an article for publication in a national newspaper discussing two major problems facing his/her country and suggesting ways of solving them. The few candidates who chose this question possessed the knowledge of the formal features of an article. However, majority of the candidates could not proffer solutions to the problems they discussed..

• ENVIRONMENT

One year on from horrific fires, Australians struggle to rebuild

The fires that raged across the country last year shocked residents and left lives in tatters. Here’s where some are now.

Marco Frith at his home in Wandella, Australia, on January 16, 2020. Frith has experienced bushfires before, but says last year's were different. “My home was destroyed; that was a shock because I didn’t think it would get through a stone-wall house.”

On the evening of December 30, 2019, Ron Corby, 88, went to bed in Cobargo, a village on Australia’s southeast coast. But at around two-thirty in the morning, he awoke to a call from his daughter, telling him he had to evacuate his home immediately.

Within minutes, she was outside in her car, the fire front close behind. Her home, just a few miles down the road, had already burned to the ground.

Corby had lived in Cobargo for decades. As a farmer, he had experienced all of Australia’s weather extremes, from droughts to floods and fires, but nothing like the monstrous flames that tore through his town on the eve of 2020, destroying nearly everything in their path, including his home.

The devastated Wadbilliga National Park. New South Wales

Cobargo, Australia, on January 11, 2020. Large parts of the town were devastated by the fire on New Years Eve. Mendel made this close-up image of a torched car in the back yard of what must have been an auto repair workshop. It was a graveyard of burned cars.

One year ago, the devastating fires that swept across Australia killed 33 people, decimating thousands of homes and more than a billion animals . More than 3,000 people lost their properties. Roughly 42 million acres were razed, including rainforests and unique ecosystems, and threatened species were pushed further toward extinction. Scientists described the blazes as both unprecedented and an ominous example of the climate disasters to come.

“This fire was hotter than anything,” Corby said in a January interview. “I 
saw cars’ aluminium wheels melted and running down the gutter like a stream,” he added. “The fire came from all angles, in whirling winds and twisters .”

In part, that season was so devastating because of the extreme drought and above-average temperatures that preceded it, David Bowman, a professor of pyrogeography and fire science at the University of Tasmania said in a recent interview. “The landscape was so dry that all you needed was a spark,” he said. “Climate change delivered a fire season that was never imagined, and never could have been imagined.”

For Hungry Minds

As global warming makes such events more frequent and intense, Australians will need to take drastic adaptation measures—including rethinking where they live and how they manage the landscape—to cope with future fire seasons.

Janie Wetzler at her home in Quaama on January 21, 2020. “The fire came three ways into Quaama. When I saw the flames, I just told everyone we had to evacuate. We are still in shock. It’s not just my house; it’s the devastation of the whole area. It’s going to take a long time.”

Uncle Noel and Trish Butler at their burned home in Nuragunyu on February 28, 2020. Together, Trish and Noel, an aboriginal Yuin elder, run an Indigenous youth education center, which was also destroyed. “When we got down our driveway, what we saw was absolutely like a bombsite, there was absolutely nothing left. Not a piece of green on a hundred acre property. Twenty years of work setting up a cultural education place, living in an environment with our animals and birds. We lived with nature, we taught about nature, about how aboriginal people have been living in this country for over a hundred thousand years and how we grew up. And there was just black tree trunks, most of the trees had no leaves on at all. [There was] not a blade of grass, not a twig, just grey ash, on the whole of the property.”

Fina and Anthony Montagner, with their boys Christian (9) and Dylan (6) at their burned home in Upper Brogo on January 18, 2020. Fina works as a caregiver, and Anthony looks after their children. Fina: “The little one seems okay, because he’s only six. But Christian is having issues. He gets very angry and then he’s anxious. He’s been really sad in the last few weeks. We’re just hoping to be strong, emotionally, for the boys. They have got no one but us, so we need to show them that we are tough.” Anthony: “This [fire] was a monster; it was racing as fast as my van would go. And the noise sounded like a couple of freight trains. It was sucking air in from all directions. It was a re-breathing dragon, spitting hot flames everywhere. I haven’t been insured for 25 years. I’ve built what I had by scrounging. I don’t have one photo left to show my children what their grandmother looked like. I don’t have photos of my childhood or anything I’ve done as a teenager. It’s like I’ve never existed.”

Jenni Bruce, an artist, at her home and studio in Upper Brogo on January 15, 2020. “There’s not a single person in the entire region that is not traumatised. I hope that the underlying anger, because of mismanagement from our leaders, does not overrule the kindness and compassion that people are showing. I don’t really know what my life lesson is: I’m just very glad to be alive, and not maimed.”

An independent inquiry found in October that the federal government needed to take greater responsibility for coordinating a response to the fires at the national level, and made clear that it needed to consider climate change in its planning.

A blood-red sky

Some of the most devastating fires of the 2019-2020 season tore through the states of New South Wales and Victoria in the early hours of New Year’s Eve. Smokey haze turned the morning sky from blood-red to pitch black, sucking oxygen from the air until birds fell dead from above. The world watched as news reports showed scenes of holidaymakers left dazed and stranded on beaches surrounded by flames. The military was mobilized in one of the largest peacetime efforts, and firefighters from multiple countries, including the United States, flew to Australia to assist.

Historic villages like Cobargo, which dot the southeastern coast of Australia between Melbourne and Sydney, were among the most scarred. Early in 2020, London-based photographer Gideon Mendel visited Cobargo and other affected towns to document the intense loss by taking portraits of those whose homes were destroyed, standing among the ruins.

“We don’t want to ever see this again,” Corby told Mendel of the night he lost his home and possessions. In total, seven houses among three generations of Corby’s family were destroyed.

Melted aluminum from a torched car. Cobargo, New South Wales, 2020

A devastated tea-tree forest. Mallacoota, New South Wales, 2020

That same evening, December 30, as Corby was heading to bed in Cobargo, Jenni Bruce, an artist from Upper Brogo, 11 miles away, was driving home after visiting a friend, when she saw the menacing red glow on the horizon.

“That wasn’t a fire front, that was just a land-eating monster,” said Bruce, 65, who also served three decades with the Rural Fire Service, the state firefighting agency in New South Wales. “I’ve never seen anything like that,” she told Mendel in January.

Instead of heading home, Bruce turned her car around and drove until, by dawn on New Year’s Eve day, she had reached a shelter in Bermagui—a beach town where thousands of people had gathered with their families and pets, awaiting news of the fates of their homes and loved ones.

Two days later, when Bruce returned to her property—to where there once was a lush garden of blueberries and fruit trees and two years of her paintings—she keened. The whole thing, save for the chimney and one piece of art, a prayer wheel, had been reduced to ash. “It was just, all gone,” she said. “Obliterated.”

Jamie Robinson, a massage therapist, at his home in Yowrie on March 1, 2020. “What I thought was a prolonged sunset was the fire behind one of the mountains. Later, about half of that mountain was on fire. There were 250-foot flames and they were throwing car-sized fireballs down the valley towards me. My car was not working so I could not escape. The only reason I’m here is that my friend Andy drove into the burning night to fetch me.”

Les and Sandy Anderson at their lost home in Sarsfeld, Victoria, on March 6, 2020. Sandy: “I came back early in the morning with my fire fighting gear and there was nothing left to put out; it was all gone. I had things of my mother's and Les had things of his family's. I lost my daughter in 2008 and I had all of the memories of her which have gone, which is really sad for her children because they now don’t have anything left of their mother so that’s the hardest part for me, the memories.”

Ron Corby (88) at his home in Cobargo on January 21, 2020. Five of his children and grandchildren also had their homes burned.

Patto and Gino McDonald at their former home in Upper Brogo on January 15, 2020. Patto is a bead maker and artist, Gino an architect and builder. “It wasn’t until the third time we came back that I took everything in: It was as if we’d never been here before. We’ve lived here around 17 years. I had a lot of things—my grandmother’s and my mum’s. It’s taken me two weeks of saying, 'Oh, it's just stuff,' until my daughter said, 'Stop saying that, Mum, it’s not just stuff.' But it was; that’s been a lesson for me, not to get attached to things, because it doesn’t matter. We don’t have any insurance, so we’ll be starting from scratch again. We started off here in a tent, anyway, so I guess we’ll be going back to one.”

Isolated and forgotten

The Australian government, with its deep ties to the coal industry, has been slow to act on reducing emissions, or to acknowledge the role of climate change in the blazes , as heat-caused drought creates tinder-dry landscapes that a single spark can kindle. When the country’s prime minister, Scott Morrison, visited Cobargo in the immediate aftermath of the worst fires in January, residents heckled him and refused to shake his hand.

That was “probably deserved,” said local resident Anthony Montagner shortly after the visit.. “He walks around with a smirk on his face and thinks everything’s okay. He doesn’t seem to get it.” Montagner lost his home in Upper Brogo to the fires.

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In March, after many Australian states went into lockdown to help stop the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, bushfire victims said they felt even further isolated and forgotten. Many are still living in tents and RVs on their properties while they rebuild their homes.

This year’s bushfires are not expected to be as devastating—the forecast predicts more rain than average , especially in the eastern part of the country. But as Australia gets hotter and drier in the coming years, scientists expect there will be fire seasons like 2019-2020 again.

“Last year’s fires were unprecedented,” but could become commonplace in the years to come, Richard Thornton said this December. Thornton directs the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Center , which coordinates research into disasters across Australia. “Communities that live in fire areas, which to be frank, is most of Australia, need to become disaster resilient,” he said.

But for those who lost their homes, the implication that climate change is simply something they need to learn to live with can be infuriating. “We’ve been screaming about it for years,” Bruce, the artist, said in January. “The people that are in power,” she added, “I wish they’d listen.”

March 8, 2020: A forest shows new growth around nine weeks after the fire came through. Along the Princess Highway in Victoria State, near the border with New South Wales.

For several months, Bruce has been camping on her property while rebuilding. Though the area remains fire prone, she said she would never leave, because it would feel like abandoning a sick friend.

“The bush will come back, but it will be different,” she said in an interview earlier this month. “I won’t see it in my time,” she added, but “maybe my grandchildren might see a forest.”

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How to Write a Newspaper Article

Last Updated: April 18, 2024 Fact Checked

This article was co-authored by Gerald Posner . Gerald Posner is an Author & Journalist based in Miami, Florida. With over 35 years of experience, he specializes in investigative journalism, nonfiction books, and editorials. He holds a law degree from UC College of the Law, San Francisco, and a BA in Political Science from the University of California-Berkeley. He’s the author of thirteen books, including several New York Times bestsellers, the winner of the Florida Book Award for General Nonfiction, and has been a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in History. He was also shortlisted for the Best Business Book of 2020 by the Society for Advancing Business Editing and Writing. There are 11 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been fact-checked, ensuring the accuracy of any cited facts and confirming the authority of its sources. This article has been viewed 328,958 times.

A newspaper article should provide an objective, factual account of an event, person, or place. Most newspaper articles are read quickly or skimmed by the reader, so the most important information should always appear first, followed by descriptive content that rounds out the story. By conducting research and following the correct organizational structure, you can create an informative newspaper article in no time.

Sample Articles

Conducting Interviews and Research

• Your sources should be experts in the field your article is focusing on, such as a certified professional, a professor, or an academic. You can use sources that have extensive experience or background in a field that relates to your article.
• Sources like a witness to an event can also be useful, especially if they have first-hand experience of the topic you are covering.

• You may need to conduct more than 1 interview with your sources, especially if they are a major source for the article. You can also send follow-up questions to your sources as needed.
• You will need to transcribe your interviews by typing them up to ensure you quote your sources correctly. Having transcriptions will also make fact checking your article and backing up your sources much easier.

• Make sure you cite the information properly in your article by noting the name or organization that provided the information. You should have credible sources to back up any claims or arguments made in the article.

• If you are writing the newspaper article for an editor, they may require you to provide a list of your sources for the article to show you have fact checked your work.

Structuring the Article

• For example, you may create a headline like, “Teen Girl Missing in Okotoks” or “Congress Stalls on Family Planning Bill.”
• In some cases, it may be easier to save the headline for last, after you have written the article, so you know what the focus of the article is and can sum it up clearly.

• For example, you may write a lead like, "An outbreak of flu in San Francisco has led to 3 elementary school closings this week, according to school officials." Or, "A missing girl originally from Okotoks was found Monday in an abandoned cabin in the Minnetonka area, according to local police."

• For example, you may write, “10-12 students have been diagnosed with the flu and health officials fear it could continue to spread if it is not contained.”

• For example, you may write, “The teen girl was reported missing on Friday afternoon by her mother after she did not come home from a study date at a friend’s house. She is the second girl to be reported missing in the past 2 weeks from the Okotoks area.”

• For example, you may write, “‘The girl is shaken, but does not appear to have any serious injuries,’ stated local Police Chief Wilborn.” Or you may write, “According to a statement by school officials, ‘The shutdown will prevent the flu from spreading further and ensure the safety of our students.’”
• Avoid using long quotes or more than 4 quotes in the article, as the reader may get confused or lost if there are too many quotations.

• For example, you may write, “The girl’s mother expressed relief for her daughter and concern about her community, noting, ‘I just hope no other girls go missing in this area.’”
• Or you may write, “Local health officials are urging parents to check the municipal health and wellness website, www.hw.org, for updates on when schools are able to reopen.”

Creating the Appropriate Voice and Tone

• For example, rather than write, “The missing girl’s mother thought it had to do with school,” you may write, “The missing girl’s mother thought bullying at school may have caused her daughter’s absences.”

• For example, rather than write, “A press conference will be held by local police tomorrow to address the missing girls and the public’s concerns,” you may write, “Local police will address the missing girls and the public’s concerns in a press conference tomorrow.”

• For example, if you're writing about two political candidates running against each other in an election, present both candidates in an equal light, rather than giving extra details about 1 candidate.
• If you're writing an op-ed piece, it's okay to mix some of your opinions with the facts.

Polishing the Article

• Reading the article aloud can also help you catch any spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors.

• For example, you may ask others questions like, “Were you able to understand what happened, based on the information in the article?” “Was the language clear and easy to follow?” “Was the article well supported with sources and quotes?”

• If you are writing the newspaper article for a class, make sure it falls within the prescribed word limit for the assignment.

Carve out a niche by gravitating towards underreported stories. "I personally tend to be drawn to stories that aren't paid much attention to, or stories that aren't on people's radar."

Expert Q&A

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Expert Interview

Thanks for reading our article! If you'd like to learn more about writing as a career, check out our in-depth interview with Gerald Posner .

• ↑ https://guides.lib.vt.edu/researchmethods/interviews
• ↑ https://www.csus.edu/indiv/o/obriene/art116/readings/guide%20for%20conducting%20interviews.pdf
• ↑ https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2013/01/22/part-4-what-people-want-from-their-libraries/
• ↑ https://settlement.org/ontario/daily-life/communication/ethnic-and-cultural-media/what-is-fake-news-and-how-to-stop-spreading-misinformation/
• ↑ https://www.viasport.ca/communications-toolkit/module-4-how-write-engaging-sports-article
• ↑ https://owl.purdue.edu/owl/subject_specific_writing/journalism_and_journalistic_writing/writing_leads.html
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/735/05/
• ↑ https://www.lib.sfu.ca/about/branches-depts/slc/writing/sources/quoting
• ↑ https://lib.trinity.edu/in-text-citation-and-notes//
• ↑ https://www.csus.edu/campus-safety/police-department/_internal/_documents/rwm.pdf
• ↑ https://www2.ed.gov/rschstat/eval/tech/evidence-based-practices/finalreport.pdf

About This Article

To write a newspaper article, gather all of your sources and verify any facts or sources you plan to use. Write an opening sentence that tells the readers the most essential details of the story. Write in third person, active voice, and maintain an authoritative tone throughout the article. Keep in mind the questions “Who,” “What,” “Where,” “When,” “Why,” and “How” when you’re writing your story, and try to answer as many of them as you can. When you’re finished writing the article, craft a short, engaging headline that tells readers what the article is about. To learn how reading your article out loud can help you proofread it, keep reading! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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The 2019-20 bushfires: a CSIRO explainer

The bushfires experienced in the 2019-20 season have so far burned more than 10 million hectares of land in southern Australia, greater than the combined area burned in the Black Saturday 2009 and Ash Wednesday 1983 bushfires.

But what causes these bushfires and why has this bushfire season been so significant? The CSIRO has been undertaking bushfire research for almost 70 years. This factsheet, with advice from other specialist organisations, provides some insights.

Bushfires in Australia

What causes bushfires?

Bushfires are the result of a combination of weather and vegetation (which acts as a fuel for the fire), together with a way for the fire to begin – most commonly due to a lightning strike and sometimes human-influences (mostly accidental such as the use of machinery which produces a spark). Depending on weather conditions, embers can be transported by wind from one location to another, causing new fires or spotting.

When they are large enough, bushfires can generate local weather impacts such as lightning, tornadoes and fire-storms which, in turn, can impact on fire behaviour.The terrain of an area (or the landscape) contributes to the spread and management of a bushfire. Fires burn faster uphill and can build in intensity and speed. Fires that start in remote, rough or hilly terrain can be difficult to fight.

These factors of weather, vegetation and terrain vary widely across Australia due to its large size and distinct regional climates, requiring different fire management and firefighting techniques. 

Why has this fire season been so significant?

Of the three factors that contribute to fire behaviour, two have played a major role in this bushfire season for the eastern and southern states of Australia: weather and vegetation.

Weather relates to conditions over short periods of time. The risk of bushfires starting or advancing out of control is highest when there is ‘fire weather’ – a combination of strong winds, low humidity and high temperatures. In 2019, southern and eastern Australia experienced record low rainfall and record high temperatures which have contributed to increased frequency of fire weather days.

Vegetation including trees, grasses, bushes and leaves act as fuel for a bushfire. The more abundant and drier the fuel, the more intense the fire will burn. Nationally-averaged rainfall was 40 per cent below average for the year, making 2019 Australia's driest year since records began in 1900. Many parts of southern and eastern Australia are in drought and have been for multiple years which can impact both the rate of vegetation growth and its dryness. Fuel management including hazard reduction burns can reduce likelihood of ignition and initial rates of spread in high risk areas if carried out in an appropriately targeted manner. 

The role of climate change

Climate change doesn’t cause fires directly but has caused an increase in the occurrence of extreme fire weather and in the length of the fire season across large parts of Australia since the 1950s. In addition to 2019 being the driest year since records began in 1900, it was Australia’s warmest year. In 2019 the annual mean temperature was 1.52 °C above average 1 .

The impact of climate change has led to longer, more intense fire seasons and an increase in the average number of elevated fire weather days, as measured by the Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI). Last year saw the highest annual accumulated FFDI on record.

Living with bushfires and the role of science

Despite the fact that bushfires are a natural part of life in Australia, each season, preparing for and managing bushfires is critical to minimise the risk and potential damage of bushfires. Fire prevention measures include:

• Fuel management (including hazard reduction burns) before the fire season
• Ignition prevention (including total fire bans) before the onset of a bad fire day
• Use of fire suppression tools when a bushfire breaks out, including active fire-fighting with water and fire retardants, back burning and land clearing for fire breaks.

In the medium to longer term, where and the way we live and organise our communities, and how and where we build our houses also play an important part in how we prepare and respond to bushfire threats.

Our national science effort remains focussed on providing the information necessary to improve our overall bushfire understanding and preparation.

Australian researchers produce some of the world’s best climate, weather, fire and disaster research; and work closely with operational agencies, governments and communities to better prepare for, respond and recover from these events.

To help Australia navigate through the challenges bushfires present, CSIRO and the science community draw on a wide range of expertise, including: fire prediction; fire behaviour; fire monitoring; fire suppression; fire testing; bushfire modelling tools; understanding the link between bushfires and greenhouse gas emissions; air quality; fire impacts and recovery planning; post fire-season review and field work that informs building codes; disaster management; Indigenous fire knowledge; risk and resilience science; environmental rehabilitation; and climate research.

CSIRO will also provide recommendations to Australian Governments on how we can better prepare for and manage bushfires when they occur, including new tools driven by science and technology.

2019-20 bushfires across Australia

This information aims to explain in simple terms our scientific understanding of bushfires in Australia in context of those experienced in recent months. Much research is yet to be done to fully understand the complex interplay of factors that led to the 2019-20 bushfires across Australia. CSIRO has produced this information with input from attendees of the Bushfire Science Roundtable held on Wednesday 15 January 2020 .

Data sources

• Bureau of Meteorology Annual Climate Statement 2019; CSIRO-BoM 2018 State of the Climate report

Related to this page

• 2019-20 bushfires: a CSIRO explainer fact sheet PDF (220 KB)
• 2019-20 bushfires: a CSIRO explainer fact sheet HTML (14 KB)
• Bureau of Meteorology Annual Climate Statement 2019

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Bushfire article in the Australian that fuelled misinformation cleared by press council

Article on arson arrests published by Murdoch-owned News Corp paper during Black Summer fires was shared by Donald Trump Jr

Australia’s press watchdog has ruled an article in the Australian newspaper that fuelled misinformation that arsonists were a major cause of the Black Summer fires was not misleading.

The Australian Press Council found the article , which appeared in print and online in the middle of last summer’s unprecedented fires, had not breached the council’s general principles.

“The council concluded that the publication took reasonable steps to ensure that the report was accurate and not misleading when reporting information from various authorities,” the adjudication states.

But the adjudication also says the council “accepts that the publication’s initial representation of the data may have led readers to consider that an unusually high number of ‘arsonists’ had been arrested since the beginning of the 2019/20 fire season”.

The council considered complaints about the article, which appeared in print on 7 January 2020 and online the following day at the height of the bushfire crisis.

In print, the headline read “Firebugs fuelling crisis as arson arrest toll hits 183” with the online headline saying “Bushfires: Firebugs fuelling crisis as national arson arrest toll hits 183”.

The article’s introduction had initially claimed “more than 180 alleged arson cases have been recorded since the start of the bushfire season” but was amended to state the figure related to the 2019 calendar year, and not since the start of the bushfire season.

At the time, there was widespread commentary around the world – mainly in conservative-leaning outlets – blaming arson for the crisis, serving to counter overwhelming evidence climate change was a major driver of the fires .

The article was shared by many prominent conservatives, including Donald Trump Jr, who posted it on Twitter where he has more than 6 million followers.

Truly Disgusting that people would do this! God Bless Australia. More than 180 alleged arsonists have been arrested since the start of the bushfire season, with 29 blazes deliberately lit in the Shoalhaven region of southeast NSW in just three months. https://t.co/xP0PtMQbuD — Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) January 7, 2020

The press council said it accepted “although there might have been some discrepancies in the reported figures, the publication nevertheless took reasonable steps to be accurate and not misleading when reporting the data”.

Responding to the story at the time, police in Victoria told the Guardian there was no intelligence that suspicious activity had started two major fires there. The NSW Rural Fire Service also said at the time most of the larger fires were caused by lightning.

Subsequent analysis from NSW Rural Fire Service provided to the state’s bushfire inquiry found that of 32 significant fires, some 24 were ignited by lightning. Power lines, debris burning and equipment were other sources identified.

A NSW government inquiry into bushfires in that state said: “Lightning was the suspected, immediate cause of ignition for the vast majority of the largest and most damaging fires across NSW in the 2019-20 season.”

The report also said: “There were also instances of suspected arson during the 2019-20 season, but these were a very small proportion of the area burnt.”

One analysis of data in Victoria has suggested arson was probably responsible for 4% of the fires in that state.

The fires, now known as the Black Summer fires, began in the middle of 2019, which was later declared the hottest and driest on record for Australia.

Dr Timothy Graham, an expert on social networks at Queensland University of Technology, analysed social media content around the arson theme at the time of the fires.

He said the article in the Australian “had an important role because it was a major factor in the ‘oxygen of amplification’ for climate denial narratives online.”

The tweet from Donald Trump Jr had “catapulted” the article into a large US audience, “setting the stage for much higher engagement”.

Graham said: “Even though the story corrects the claim sufficiently to comply with the Australian Press Council’s standards of practice, it is the headline that misinforms readers.

“Therefore, the article contributes to amplifying online misinformation precisely because so many people will not read the article, and so they are potentially deceived by the headline.”

In November 2019 as the bushfire crisis was unfolding, the Australian published an opinion article from climate science denialist Prof Ian Plimer which wrongly claimed: “It has never been shown that human emissions of carbon dioxide drive global warming.”

In July 2020, the press council found Plimer’s article had breached two of its general principles.

• Australian media
• Crime - Australia
• Climate crisis

Most viewed

How to Write an Article for a Newspaper: A Step-by-Step Guide

By: Author Paul Jenkins

Posted on June 15, 2023

Categories Writing

Newspaper articles are essential to journalism, providing readers with the latest news and information on various topics. Writing a newspaper article is not like writing any other informative article. It requires a specific format, style, and tone of voice.

If you are interested in writing a newspaper article, this article will provide you with a step-by-step guide on how to write an article for a newspaper.

Understanding Newspaper Articles:

Before you start writing a newspaper article, it is essential to understand the basic structure of a newspaper article. A newspaper article has a headline, byline, lead paragraph, body, and conclusion. Each section of a newspaper article serves a specific purpose, and knowing how to write each section effectively is essential. In addition, it is essential to understand the difference between a news article and an opinion piece, as they require different writing styles.

Preparing to Write:

Once you understand the structure and purpose of a newspaper article, it is time to prepare to write. This involves researching the topic, gathering information, and interviewing sources. It is essential to have at least two to three primary sources for your article and to contact them as far in advance as possible. This will make arranging interviews with them easier.

Key Takeaways

• Understanding the basic structure of a newspaper article is essential before writing one.
• Preparation is key when writing a newspaper article, including researching the topic and gathering information.
• Writing a newspaper article requires a specific format, style, and tone of voice; knowing the difference between a news article and an opinion piece is essential.

Understanding Newspaper Articles

Definition of newspaper articles.

Newspaper articles are written pieces of information reporting current events or issues. They are published in newspapers and are meant to inform readers about what is happening in the world around them.

The purpose of a newspaper article is to provide factual information in an objective and unbiased manner.

Newspaper articles are typically organized in a specific format, with a headline, a lead paragraph, and the body of the article. The headline is a short, attention-grabbing statement summarizing the article’s main point.

The lead paragraph, or lede, is the article’s opening paragraph, which provides the most important information and sets the tone for the rest of the article.

Types of Newspaper Articles

There are several newspaper articles, each with its purpose and style. Some common types of newspaper articles include:

• News articles: These articles report on current events and are meant to inform readers about what is happening around them. News articles are typically written in a straightforward, objective style.
• Feature articles: These articles are longer and more in-depth than news articles. They focus on a specific topic or issue and provide more background information and analysis. Feature articles are often written in a more narrative style and may include quotes from experts or people involved in the story.
• Opinion articles express the author’s opinion on a specific topic or issue. Columnists or editorial writers often write opinion articles to provide a perspective on the news.
• Reviews: These articles critically evaluate a book, movie, or other cultural product. Reviews are often written by critics and are meant to inform readers about the quality of the product.

In conclusion, understanding the different types of newspaper articles and their purpose is essential for writing a good article. By following a newspaper article’s basic structure and style, writers can effectively inform and engage readers with their stories.

Preparing to Write

Before starting to write a news article, one needs to prepare themselves. This section will cover the three essential sub-sections of preparing to write: researching the topic, identifying the target audience, and outlining the article.

Researching the Topic

The first step in preparing to write a news article is researching the topic. Journalists must gather information from primary and secondary sources to write a credible, well-structured article.

Primary sources are documents or objects created during the event or by someone with direct knowledge, such as interviews, letters, or audio recordings. Secondary sources analyze, interpret, or comment on primary sources, such as books, articles, and reviews.

When researching the topic, it is essential to identify the main points and background information. Journalists must present facts and avoid expressing personal opinions. They should also cite their sources and verify the accuracy of the information.

Identifying the Target Audience

The next step is identifying the target audience. Journalists need to know who their readers are to write an article that is relevant and interesting to them. They should consider the reader’s age, gender, education level, and interests.

For example, if the target audience is teenagers, the article should use simple words, short sentences, and examples that are relevant to their lives. If the target audience is professionals, the article should use technical terms and provide relevant details to their field.

Outlining the Article

The final step is outlining the article. The outline should include a headline, a lead paragraph, and subheadings. The headline should be catchy and summarize the article’s main point. The lead paragraph should provide background information and answer the story’s 5Ws and 1H (who, what, when, where, why, and how).

Subheadings should be used to break up the article into sections and make it easier to read. Each section should have a topic sentence that summarizes the section’s main point. Journalists should use complete sentences and avoid using jargon or technical terms that the reader may not understand.

In conclusion, preparing a news article is essential to writing a well-structured and credible article. Journalists should research the topic, identify the target audience, and outline the article to make it relevant and interesting to their readers.

Writing the Article

Crafting a news article for a newspaper requires a structured approach that ensures the article is informative, engaging, and easy to read. Writing involves crafting a lead paragraph, developing the body, and writing the conclusion.

Crafting the Lead Paragraph

The lead paragraph is the most critical part of a news story. It should grab the reader’s attention and summarize the article’s main points. A good lead paragraph should be concise, engaging, and informative. It should answer the questions of who, what, when, where, why, and how.

Journalists should start with a topic sentence summarizing the article’s main point to craft a good lead paragraph. They should then provide background information, using secondary sources to support their claims. The lead paragraph should be written in short, complete sentences that are easy to understand.

Developing the Body

The body of a news article should provide details, examples, and personal opinions that support the article’s main point. Journalists should use English effectively, choosing strong verbs and avoiding passive voice. They should also use citations to support their claims and avoid plagiarism.

To develop the body of a news article, journalists should start with a clear topic sentence that introduces the paragraph’s main point. They should then provide details and examples that support the topic sentence. Journalists should use short sentences and avoid using complex words that may confuse the reader.

Writing the Conclusion

The conclusion of a news article should summarize the article’s main points and provide a personal opinion or call to action. Journalists should use the conclusion to tie together the article’s main points and give the reader a clear understanding of the topic.

Journalists should start with a topic sentence summarizing the article’s main points to write a good conclusion. They should then provide a personal opinion or call to action that encourages the reader to take action or further research the topic. The conclusion should be written in short, complete sentences that are easy to understand.

In conclusion, writing a news article for a newspaper requires a structured approach that ensures the article is informative, engaging, and easy to read. Journalists can create articles that inform and engage readers by crafting a lead paragraph, developing the body, and writing the conclusion.

Polishing the Article

Editing and revising.

After completing the article’s first draft, editing and revising it to make it more polished is essential. Editing involves checking the article for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. The writer should also ensure that the article flows smoothly and that the sentences are clear and concise.

On the other hand, revising involves changing the article’s content. The writer should evaluate the article’s structure and organization and ensure it is easy to read and understand. They should also remove any repetitive or irrelevant information and focus on the essential points.

Fact-Checking and Citations

Fact-checking is an essential part of writing an article for a newspaper. The writer should ensure that all the information in the article is accurate and factual. They should also verify the sources of information to ensure that they are reliable and trustworthy.

Citations are also crucial in article writing. The writer should give credit to their sources of information by citing them appropriately. This adds credibility to the article and helps readers find the sources to read more about the topic.

When citing sources, the writer should follow the guidelines provided by the newspaper or publication. They should also use the correct citation style, such as APA or MLA.

In conclusion, polishing an article involves editing, revising, fact-checking, and citing sources. By following these steps, the writer can ensure that their article is well-written, accurate, and credible.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you grab the reader’s attention in the first paragraph of a newspaper article.

The first paragraph of a news article is crucial because it sets the tone for the entire piece and determines whether the reader will continue reading.

To grab the reader’s attention, start with a strong lead summarizing the most important information engagingly. Use vivid language and descriptive details to create a sense of urgency and intrigue.

What are the essential elements of a news story?

A news story should include the five W’s: who, what, when, where, and why. It should also answer the H question: how. In addition, a news story should be objective, accurate, and timely. It should provide context and background information to help readers understand the significance of the events being reported.

How do you write a compelling headline for a newspaper article?

A good headline should be concise, informative, and attention-grabbing. It should accurately reflect the article’s content and entice the reader to want to learn more. Use active verbs and strong language to create a sense of urgency and importance. Avoid using puns or wordplay that might confuse or distract the reader.

What are some tips for conducting effective research for a newspaper article?

To conduct effective research for a news article, start by identifying reliable sources of information. These might include government websites, academic journals, and interviews with experts or eyewitnesses.

Be sure to fact-check all information and verify the credibility of your sources. Organize your notes and keep track of your sources to make it easier to write the article later.

How do you structure the body of a newspaper article?

The body of a newspaper article should be organized in a logical and easy-to-follow way. Start with the most important information and work down to the details.

Use short paragraphs and subheadings to break up the text and make it easier to read. Include quotes from sources to provide additional perspectives and insights.

What are some common mistakes to avoid when writing a newspaper article?

Some common mistakes to avoid when writing a news article include using biased language, making assumptions, and including irrelevant or inaccurate information. It’s important to remain objective and stick to the facts.

Avoid sensationalizing the story or injecting your opinions or biases into the article. Finally, proofread your work carefully for spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors.

Articles on Bushfires

Displaying 1 - 20 of 508 articles.

Cameras reveal wombat burrows can be safe havens after fire and waterholes after rain

Grant Linley , Charles Sturt University and Dale Nimmo , Charles Sturt University

Many people are feeling ecological grief. How can we help those whose work puts them at risk?

Anna Cooke , The University of Queensland ; Claudia Benham , The University of Queensland ; Julie Dean , The University of Queensland , and Nathalie Butt , The University of Queensland

Vastly bigger than the Black Summer: 84 million hectares of northern Australia burned in 2023

Rohan Fisher , Charles Darwin University

Gone in a puff of smoke: 52,000 sq km of ‘long unburnt’ Australian habitat has vanished in 40 years

William Geary , The University of Melbourne ; Dale Nimmo , Charles Sturt University ; Julianna Santos , The University of Melbourne , and Kristina J Macdonald , Deakin University

Why the kookaburra’s iconic laugh is at risk of being silenced

Diana Kuchinke , Federation University Australia

Crisis communication saves lives – but people with disability often aren’t given the message

Ariella Meltzer , UNSW Sydney

Hundreds of animals were rescued after the Black Summer bushfires – but how many actually survived?

Catherine Herbert , University of Sydney ; Chris Dickman , University of Sydney ; Holly Cope , University of Sydney , and Rachael Gray , University of Sydney

Can earth-covered houses protect us from bushfires? Even if they’re a solution, it’s not  risk-free

Alan March , The University of Melbourne

In a dangerously warming world, we must confront the grim reality of Australia’s bushfire emissions

Robert Hortle , University of Tasmania and Lachlan Johnson , University of Tasmania

What we know about last year’s top 10 wild Australian climatic events – from fire and flood combos to cyclone-driven extreme rain

Laure Poncet , UNSW Sydney and Andrew King , The University of Melbourne

Victoria’s fire alert has knocked Australians out of complacency. Under climate change, catastrophic bushfires can strike any time

David Bowman , University of Tasmania

Our native animals are easy prey after a fire. Could artificial refuges save them?

Darcy Watchorn , Deakin University ; Chris Dickman , University of Sydney , and Don Driscoll , Deakin University

Bushfire smoke affects children differently. Here’s how to protect them

Dwan Vilcins , The University of Queensland ; Nicholas Osborne , The University of Queensland , and Paul D. Robinson , The University of Queensland

Hard to kill: here’s why eucalypts are survival experts

Gregory Moore , The University of Melbourne

Fire is a chemical reaction. Here’s why Australia is supremely suited to it

Jason Dutton , La Trobe University

Bushfires in Victoria: how to protect yourself if the air is smoky where you live

Ryan Mead-Hunter , Curtin University

‘Fascinating and troubling’: Australians would rather save a single human life than prevent an entire species from becoming extinct

John Woinarski , Charles Darwin University ; Kerstin Zander , Charles Darwin University , and Stephen Garnett , Charles Darwin University

Climate change will strike Australia’s precious World Heritage sites – and Indigenous knowledge is a key defence

Jess Melbourne-Thomas , CSIRO ; Brenda Lin , CSIRO ; Lance Syme , Indigenous Knowledge , and Mandy Hopkins , University of Southern Queensland

Do we want a wind farm outside our window? What Australians think about the net zero transition

Lucy Richardson , Monash University and Ella Healy , Monash University

We can’t rely on the ‘dogs breakfast’ of disaster warnings to do the hard work of building community resilience

Brian Robert Cook , The University of Melbourne

Related Topics

• Black summer
• bushfires 2019
• bushfires 2020
• Climate change
• Natural disasters

Research Fellow

Senior Research Fellow - Women's Health Services

Lecturer / Senior Lecturer - Marketing

Assistant Editor - 1 year cadetship

Executive Dean, Faculty of Health

Top contributors.

Professor of Pyrogeography and Fire Science, University of Tasmania

Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra

Professor in Ecology, Charles Sturt University

Professor, Fenner School of Environment and Society, Australian National University

Emeritus professor, University of Wollongong

Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes; ARC Future Fellow, UNSW Sydney

Senior research fellow, Western Sydney University

Adjunct Senior Lecturer, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle

Associate Professor, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle

Deputy Head of School, School of Architecture and Built Environment, University of Newcastle

Research Fellow in Environmental Science, University of Tasmania

Head of Operational Climate Services, Australian Bureau of Meteorology

Professorial Research Fellow, Victoria University

Professor in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, School of Life & Environmental Sciences, Deakin University

ARC DECRA Fellow, UNSW Sydney

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Bushfire Crisis and World News

• X (formerly Twitter)

As 2020 began, Australia was already in the middle of one of the worst bushfire seasons we've ever seen. Fires were burning across the country, especially along the east coast, creating thick smoke and turning the sky orange.

KID 1: Very scary. It was so smoky. The sky was red one minute then completely black the next minute.

Many people had to evacuate from their homes and towns.

KID 2: We sort of thought that it wouldn't really come near us, but then it just started picking up, so we were like, we'll pack everything and just get out. Better to be safe than sorry.

But sadly, not everyone was able to escape the fires, and as more than 18 million hectares of land was burnt, thousands of homes, businesses and farms were damaged or destroyed.

KID 3: My home burnt down, and we think one of our cats Millie is in there.

KID 4: Half of the island basically got burnt. It got 85% of the farm ended up getting and that was really scary.

Australia's wildlife took a serious hit too.

SAM, KANGAROO ISLAND WILDLIFE PARK: Unfortunately, we estimate that we've lost about 80% of those koalas.

SCIENTIST: We're probably looking at about a billion mammals, birds and reptiles that are affected by the fires.

But, as news of the fires spread, people in Australia and beyond reached out to help.

SAM, KANGAROO ISLAND WILDLIFE PARK: We have anywhere from 10 to 15 army personnel here every day and we even have army vets.

VOLUNTEER: In two days we collected crazy amounts of food and we're here to give it to people who need it.

CELESTE BARBER, COMEDIAN: Remember that time that you guys raised 16.5 million dollars in a day and a half, I do, I'm bumping it up, I'm gonna bump it up to 20 million.

KID 5: I just think they just really need something like this to lift their spirits and just let them know they're appreciated.

In different parts of the world, people faced other natural and unnatural disasters. There was more political unrest and protesting in Hong Kong. While over in the United States, the death of a black American man at the hands of police officers sparked huge protests.

US PROTESTER: The way they treated George Floyd on the streets, man, is the most brutal, most inhumane things seen on this planet.

It led to more protests around the world and a global movement against racism.

AUSTRALIAN PROTESTERS: Black Lives Matter. Black Lives Matter.

INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIAN PROTESTER: We have since colonisation been fighting for our rights to be recognised in our own country and today, it's wonderful to see you fellas here today to say enough is enough. In some countries, people even tore down statues of controversial historical figures and demanded change. And speaking of change; the dancing stopped for this US President as the majority of Americans voted in a new president. And, the first female person of colour as vice president.

Fans celebrated some big sporting moments, and the world looked to the stars as epic journeys and discoveries opened up new possibilities for the future of humanity.

SCIENTIST: Finding water ice on the Moon could be one of the most important discoveries of the space age.

While COVID-19 was definitely the biggest story of the year it wasn’t the only one. As the year began Australia was hit by the biggest natural disaster we’ve ever seen. We look back at the Black Summer bushfires and some of the other big events that have happened in Australia and the world in 2020.

• Amelia Moseley, Reporter

BTN Classroom Episode 35, 2020

In this episode

Remembering the Pandemic

Kids Remember 2020

• Colleges of Education
• Entertainment
• CoE Past Questions
• Personal Development
• Scholarships

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Writing an article for publication in a local newspaper can be an effective way to share your thoughts, expertise, or a specific story with a wider audience.

Here is a comprehensive guide on how to write such an article, along with a sample to help you understand the structure and content.

Choose a Relevant Topic:

Select a topic that is timely, relevant, and interesting to your local community. It could be related to local events, issues, or provide valuable information or insights.

Research and Gather Information:

Collect relevant data, facts, and quotes that support your topic. Conduct interviews with experts or people involved in the subject matter to gather unique perspectives.

Craft a Strong Headline:

Create a catchy headline that grabs readers’ attention and immediately communicates the focus of your article. It should be concise and engaging.

Write an Engaging Introduction:

Start with an attention-grabbing opening sentence or a hook that intrigues readers and provides an overview of the article’s main point. The introduction should be concise and compelling.

Develop the Body:

Expand on the main point in the body of the article. Divide it into paragraphs with clear subheadings and ensure a logical flow.

Present relevant information, arguments, or examples to support your main idea. Use quotes from interviews or credible sources to add credibility and interest.

Maintain a Neutral Tone:

When writing for a local paper, it’s essential to adopt a neutral tone and avoid biases or personal opinions.

Stick to the facts and present different perspectives if applicable.

Keep It Concise and Clear:

Newspaper articles generally have a word limit, so ensure your writing is concise.

Avoid complex jargon or technical language that may confuse readers. Write clearly and use simple, easy-to-understand language.

Include Relevant Images:

If possible, provide relevant images that amplify the article’s message or help visualize the topic.

Make sure the images are high-quality and properly credited.

Conclude Effectively:

Summarize the key points of your article in the conclusion. You can also end with a thought-provoking question, a call-to-action, or a suggestion for further exploration.

Edit and Proofread:

Before submitting your article, review it for grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors.

Ensure the article flows smoothly and correct any inconsistencies or unclear statements. Edit it multiple times to enhance its quality.

A Sample Article For Publication in a Local Newspaper ;

“Community Gardens: Cultivating Connection and Sustainability”

Community gardens are sprouting up across our town, providing not only fresh produce but also an opportunity for neighbours to connect and promote environmental sustainability.

These green spaces foster a sense of community and bring together people from diverse backgrounds who share a common interest in gardening.

According to Mary Johnson, a local gardening enthusiast and founding member of the community garden initiative, these spaces serve as a haven for urban dwellers lacking access to yards or suitable gardening spaces.

The gardens, located in abandoned lots and public parks, offer individuals the chance to grow their vegetables, flowers, and herbs, contributing to a sustainable lifestyle.

Not only do community gardens provide access to fresh, organically grown produce, but they also promote social interaction.

Tom Robertson, a long-time gardener and advocate, believes that these spaces foster a sense of camaraderie among neighbors as they share gardening tips, successes, and even occasional frustrations.

The gardens become a meeting point for individuals from different age groups and cultural backgrounds, breaking down barriers and promoting cross-cultural exchange.

The benefits of community gardens ripple throughout the neighborhood, creating a positive impact on mental and physical health.

Studies have shown that spending time in green spaces reduces stress levels and improves overall well-being. Many gardener s find solace and contentment in tending to their plants, nurturing them from seedlings to harvest.

As our community faces challenges such as food insecurity and social isolation, community gardens have emerged as a powerful solution.

They offer a place for individuals to connect, grow, and learn together, while also promoting environmental consciousness.

By supporting initiatives like these, we can foster a stronger sense of community and work towards a sustainable future.

Note: Remember, each newspaper may have specific guidelines or word limits, so be sure to check those before submitting your article for publication. Good luck with your writing!

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