How to Write an Evaluation/Critique/Review

The following equation is an essential road map to a successful and effective evaluation:

Evaluation= Overall Claim> Description> Criteria w/judgments> Supporting Evidence> Objective Balance> Restate Overall Claim

THE ASSIGNMENT: 

1.   Choose a subject to evaluate. A topic significant to you (a movie, a restaurant, an activity, a book, a course, a band, etc.) may help you to maintain a connection to the subject matter of the essay, making your work more interesting. Remember, this is an objective (neutral and unbiased) evaluation so choose your topic accordingly. Objectively describe your subject using the questions who, what, when, where, and why as guidelines.

2.    Establish a list of specific criteria by which you'll evaluate the subject(s) of your essay. Avoid using subjectivity in your criteria by eliminating words like "good," "attractive," or "enjoyable," and use instead specific, objective qualifications.

3.   Include an overall claim about your subject; this claim forms the basis of your thesis statement.

4.   State a judgment of your subject related to each criterion. Your judgment must be directly supported by specific evidence. Opinions do not, in this case, constitute evidence; informed observations do. The evidence that you use must come directly from the subject itself.   Be sure to balance your evaluation with both positive and negative judgments.

5.   Combine all of this information into a logical, focused essay. Your ideas should be well organized and well developed throughout the essay

Briefly, then, about the assignment:

• Identify the social occasion and context for your evaluation and select the appropriate voice and strategy.
• State an overall claim, or thesis, about your subject and provide your readers with the basic information they need to understand your claim.
• Identify fair and reliable criteria on which to base your review.
• Support your judgments with clear, sufficient, and persuasive evidence.
• Balance your claims with positive and negative judgments. Try not to sound like an advertisement.