WRITING 7: REVIEW

Definition:

A review is a critical assessment of a book, film, play, concert, etc.

USEFUL LANGUAGE

Things you liked:
excellent

perfect

wonderful

fabulous

Thing you didn’t like:
poor

dreadful

awful

uninteresting

Comparing and contrasting:

… much better than…

… not nearly as good as…

It was disappointing compared to…

It was surprisingly good…

Although…

Despite…

  

Recommending:

Overall, I think…

I would certainly recommend

I don’t  think I would recommend…

All in all…

I would strongly advise…

Go and visit / see / buy…

TIPS

• Use a title as a review is a kind of article.
• Make sure you mention the title of what you have seen or read.
• Don’t write too much description.
• Show that you can use a range of structures and vocabulary.
• Give a clear recommendation.

PLAN

Paragraph 1

1. Give some basic information about what you are reviewing.

Paragraph 2

1. Give the reader a brief description.

Paragraph 3

1. Tell the reader what was good and bad.
2. Give reasons for your point of view.

Paragraph 4

1. Include a recommendation, even if it’s negative.

EXAMPLE

The Blue Palace

 Do you like the British food? Well, the Blue Palace is a new restaurant that has just opened in the centre of town.  It is a fairly small restaurant and serves traditional British food.

The restaurant was very busy when I was there and is decorated in dark blue with simple wooden tables and chairs.  It has a limited menu of starters, then four meat courses and puddings.  My meal cost $27 with my drinks.

I was expecting to enjoy the evening as the atmosphere is really nice and relaxing and the staff are all very helpful.  The meat dishes were surprisingly good because they were well-cooked with delicious sauces.

However, overall, it was disappointing compared to other restaurants in the area.  The starters were very boring and too cold and the puddings had too much sugar in them.  Also the service was very slow.

I don’t think I would recommend the Blue Palace as I think you can get better value for your money in other similar restaurants, which also offer more choice.