前面已经介绍过段落的写作方法。掌握如何遣词造句，如何转承衔接及紧扣主题发展段落的最终目的是写出一篇自然流畅，能吸引读者、合乎要求的文章。按《大学英语》教学大纲的要求，四级和六级的英文写作要在限定的时间内（一般为半小时）写出一篇句子通顺，思想连贯，中心突出，没有严重语法错误的文章。要达到这个要求，除了必要的写作训练之外，还必须对篇章写作的有关情况作一些相应的了解。
篇章写作的基本要求
篇章写作的基本要求，是指篇章写作过程中必须具有的几点要素。
一、完整性
篇章是一个有机的整体，它要表达的是一个完整的信息，这就要求习作者在写文章时，必须考虑到文章意义的完整。完整性的另一个内涵是文章结构的完整。
试看下面的短文：
The Population and Economy
Today there is a serious social problem—population explosion ．
There is about a number of 5100 million people on the earth．And the population tends to increase．At the same time，the distribution is not in balance，which affects the development of economy and causes a lot of social problems．
In the developed countries，the birth rate is low．The work force is getting older．The absence of young workers delays the developing speed of economy in these countries．To solve this problem they have to hire young workers from other counties．
On the contrary，in the developing countries，with improvement of medical care，the population increases very fast．The increase of population is faster than that of economy．This causes a lot of troubles．For instance，young people cannot find jobs．The land resources and food supply are GREatly reduced．So it's necessary for these countries to control the population and perform birth control policy．
在这篇文章中，引言段指出了人口的数目、增长趋势以及不均衡的分布现状，从而自然地点出主题“人口增长的不均衡影响着经济的发展，并带来了许多社会问题”。发展段说明了发达国家由于出生率低导致缺乏年轻工人，从而影响经济的发展速度。结尾段从相反的方面说明发展中国家，由于人口猛增，经济的发展同样受到影响，同时也带来了许多的问题。最后得出结论，这些国家必须控制人口增长。总的来说，这篇文章无论从意义上，还是从结构上，都是比较完整的。
二、唯一性
唯一性是指文章主题的唯一，也就是说一篇文章只有一个主题而且主题要鲜明，中心要突出。
试看下面的短文：
Video games have become very popular in recent years．Wherever you go，you can always see youngsters or even adults indulged in the games．When they play the games in clubs or in homes，they concentrate all their attention on them ，with their hands busy operating．Obviously， video games give them GREat pleasure and excitement．
Video games are a kind of wonderful entertainment．They bring GREat pleasure to youngsters，train them to respond quickly，stimulate their imagination and interest in electronics and computer science．In short，video games play an important part in the development of youngsters'intelligence．
Just as a coin has two sides，video games also have some disadvan- tages．Some young people，especially school children，spent too much time playing them，which would do harm to their eyes and affect their school achievements．Only if one has enough self-control can he benefit from video games．
上面的文章，其主题鲜明且唯一。第一段谈了游戏机的流行的程度；第二段进一步深化主题，谈了游戏机的优点；第三段从另一方面谈了游戏机的弊端，并在文章最后指出：“只有具有足够的自控力，才能从游戏机上获益”。整篇文章结构完整，主题唯一。
三、连贯性
文章的连贯性是指对中心思想的阐发，要合乎逻辑地、前后连贯地展开。为使文章连贯，写作时常用一些过渡性承接词或过渡性转承手法。
试看下面的短文：
Some people like living in the country．They find country life most enjoyable．Different from the hustle and bustle of city life，country life is normally peaceful，quiet and slow-paced．There you can enjoy more privacy than in town；there you don't have to hurry to catch a crowded public vehicle as you often do in the city．Moreover，the country people are often acquainted with each other．You can never fail to receive a friendly nod or a kind word from anyone you chance to meet．And the towns-people，on the other hand，are often strangers to each oth- er．What's more，while the city dwellers are constantly troubled by traffic jams，noises and pollution of different sorts，people in the rural areas，being much closer to nature，are somewhat free from all these headaches．
Simple as it is，country life is indeed pleasant and enjoyable．
However，other people prefer to live in the city．They say the city is a nice place to live in．It offers people various conveniences of life．
Much of housework there is done by machines．All means of transportation and communications are available．The latest exhibitions，films， plays or concerts are always within easy reach．
Shopping，too，is always a pleasure．Besides，the city residents，the young in particular，have much more chance of receiving education and making job choice．Evidently，all this is hardly available to our country folks．Isn't it grand to make your home in town？
Everything，as we know，tends to be two sided．Either country life or city life has its own advantages and disadvantages，country born and city-bred，I，personally，prefer to live in the suburbs and work or study in the city properly，In this way，I would be able to enjoy the advantages of both as fully as possible．
上面文章中第一段的最后一句起到了“承”的作用。第二段中，开头用转折词However，起到“转”的作用。第五段中，用了句子Everything tends to be two sided一句，起到了“合”的作用。全文无论从意义上还是从结构上来看，都非常连贯。
