Review Writing
How to write a book review (title, author, publish)
When writing a book review, include specific details about the plot,
characters, and writing style. Mention what you liked or disliked and
why. Your insights can have a significant impact on other readers.
Book review example sentences:
“The author’s descriptive writing made the scenes come alive.”
“I didn’t enjoy the book because it was slow and uneventful.”
“The plot was engaging and full of unexpected twists, keeping
me on the edge of my seat throughout the entire story.”
How to write a movie review
A good movie review should talk about the story, acting, and
direction. Share your positive or negative thoughts and provide
details. This helps others decide if they want to watch the movie.
Movie review example sentences:
“The actors delivered outstanding performances.”
“The direction was sloppy and uninspired, lacking any clear
vision or creativity, which made
the movie difficult to follow and unenjoyable to watch.”
“The story was captivating from start to finish.”
How to write a product review
In a product review, describe how the product or service worked for
you. Mention any customer service experiences. Be honest and
include both pros and cons to give a balanced view. Good reviews
are clear and helpful.
Product review example sentences:
“The product worked perfectly and exceeded my expectations.”
“I had a terrible experience with customer service, they were
very unhelpful.”
“I would not recommend this product to anyone; it broke after
being used once.”
How to write a restaurant review
For a restaurant review, talk about the food, service, and atmosphere.
Would you highly recommend the food? How was the customer
service from the wait staff? Your review can help guide others
looking for a great dining experience.
Restaurant review example sentences:
“The food was delicious and beautifully presented.”
“The service was slow and unprofessional.”
“The atmosphere was noisy and uncomfortable; I would not eat
here again.”
How to write a travel review
When writing a travel review, include specific details about the
location, accommodation, and activities. Mention what you enjoyed
and what could be improved. This helps others plan their trips better.
Travel review example sentences:
“There were plenty of fun activities to do, and all within
walking distance.”
“I highly recommend this beautiful destination to other
travellers.”
“The hotel was hard to find, with poor signage and confusing
directions, and once we finally arrived, it was not worth the
effort due to its outdated facilities.”
How to write a customer service review
A customer service review should focus on the quality of service you
received. Did the staff respond to your needs? Were they helpful?
Customer reviews that highlight good or bad service can influence a
company’s online reputation.
Customer service review example sentences:
“The staff responded quickly and resolved my issue.”
“Everyone was friendly and went above and beyond to make
sure we had a good time.”
“I’m very disappointed with the service. The staff were
unresponsive, and my issue was not resolved despite multiple
attempts to get help.”
Conventions/techniques for review writing
1. PLAN your review.
2. Make sure you have at least 4 paragraphs.
3. Choose an appropriate title.
4. The introduction will talk about what’s being reviewed.
5. Use a relaxed, friendly, chatty style.
6. You can use contractions such as I’m, I’ve etc..
7. Use a new paragraph for each point you want to make.
8. In the concluding paragraph give your opinion.
Examples of sentence starter
Giving background
This show stars…
The play is directed by…
The film is about…
It‟s set in……….
The story is based on (a book…)
It‟s about…..
There are many memorable characters including ….
The main theme of the film is…..
Expressions that introduce a contrast
On the plus side,…
On the down side,…
On the one hand,…
On the other hand,…
Recommending
Overall, I‟d recommend…
All in all, the film was…
I wouldn‟t hesitate to recommend…
I wouldn‟t encourage anyone to …
I would recommend this film to anyone.
Although I enjoyed it, I would not recommend it for….
It‟s one of the best (shows) I’ve ever seen.
Although I am not normally keen on (musicals),I am glad
that I decided to go.
The (film) lifts you out of your everyday life
You see this announcement in your college English-language
magazine.
Book reviews wanted
Have you read a book in which the main character behaved in a
surprising way?
Write us a review of the book, explaining what the main character
did and why it was surprising. Tell us whether or not you would
recommend this book to other people.
The best reviews will be published in the magazine.
Step 1: Briefly analyse the given topic…
The first thing you need to do is to underline a description part -in
other words, just find what needs to be described.
Secondly, find a discussion part – in other words, try to find
the specific points you need to comment on in your text.
Finally, find the target reader so you know exactly who you are
writing for and who is going to read your review.
You see this announcement in your college English-language
magazine.(our readers)
Book reviews wanted
Have you read a book in which the main character behaved in a
surprising way?(to describe)
Write us a review of the book, explaining what the main character
did and why it was surprising. (to comment)
The best reviews will be published in the magazine.
You need to describe:
Book in which the main character behaved in a surprising way
You need to answer/discuss:
1. What did the main character do?
2. Why it was surprising?
Who is the target reader: college English-language magazine.
We know now that the target readers are students,
teachers and probably parents so the writing style should be neutral
or informal.
We don’t need to be too formal because after all some of the readers
are students, but we also don’t want to be too informal as some of
the readers are teachers and parents.
Step 2: The review should start with the title, and there are few
simple ways to write it:
imagine you’re reviewing a book you can
write: [Title] by [Author]
if you were reviewing a restaurant you could write: [name of
the restaurant] – a review
Title (book): Dark Souls by Stephen King (by)
Title (restaurant): Taco Bell in London – a review (a review)
Step 3: Introduction
Use the introduction to identify the thing you are going to be
reviewing and provide details like the genre (i.e. a science fiction
novel, a horror movie) or location (if it’s a restaurant).
The other function of your introduction is to engage the reader.
You can do it by asking a question.
Make your introduction at least 2-3 sentences long.
INTRODUCTION: What would you do if you could travel back in
time? Most people would probably meet their great-great-
grandparents or watch how the amazing pyramids in Giza were built,
but Tom Lee, the main character of the novel Time Machine by Adam
Smith finds himself in a completely unexpected situation and he has
to make a very difficult decision that will change history as we know
it.
Step 4: The body paragraphs (main content)
The body paragraphs are the main parts of your review so they
should be the longest and carry most of the information. Also, here
you describe the points you’ve found in (Step 1)
You need to answer/discuss:
1. What did the main character do?
2. Why it was surprising?
You can use idioms, and phrasal verbs – neutral/informal language
is appropriate for your target reader – students and teachers.
[Who is the main character and what did he do? – describe]
Tom, a teacher in a little town in Rotherham, finds a mysterious
time portal in the back of a ragged diner which takes him back to the
year 1935. He soon realises that every time he goes through the portal
he gets to the exact same point in the past. Eventually, he makes
the unexpected decision to stop Michael James Newton from brutally
killing President John F. Kennedy on 22.11.1963.
[Why it was surprising? – comment]
It seems to me that Tom could choose many other and more personal
things to do, but he decides to try and change history to a degree that
he cannot predict. In my opinion, that came definitely unexpected and
if I were in his position I probably wouldn’t even consider a task
this far-reaching.
Blue: own opinion
Yellow: descriptive/ interesting vocabulary
Orange: relevant details about the book
Step 5: Conclusion / Recommendations
Finally, we need to make a recommendation because after all, that’s
the only reason why anyone would read a review they want to know
what the reviewer thinks about the book, film or restaurant.
A good final paragraph of a review does exactly two things
it includes a recommendation
and a final sentence to round off the review
CONCLUSION: I definitely recommend “Time Machine” to
everyone who has already read some of Adam Smith’s novels as well
as to those who like stories with twists and turns around every corner
plus you get some modern history on top of that. For me, it was
absolutely worth reading and I’m sure you won’t be disappointed.
Checklist
Content
Have I covered all the key information required by the
task?
Have I written only information which is relevant to the
task?
Have I developed the basic points in the task with my
own ideas?
Communicative Achievement
Have I achieved the main purpose(s) of the text (for
example, explaining, persuading, suggesting,
apologising, comparing, etc.)?
Have I communicated a balance of straightforward and
more complex ideas?
Have I used a suitable style and register (formal or
informal) for the task?
Organisation
Have I used paragraphs appropriately to organise my
ideas?
Have I used other organisational features
appropriately for the genre of the text (for example,
titles, headings, openings, closings, etc.)?
Is the connection between my ideas clear and easy for
the reader to follow? (For example, have I used
appropriate linking words, pronouns, etc. to refer to
different things within the text?)
Are the ideas balanced appropriately, with suitable
attention and space given to each one?
Language
Have I used a wide range of vocabulary?
Have I avoided repeating the same words and
phrases?
Have I used a range of simple and more complex
grammatical structures?
Have I correctly used any common phrases which are
relevant to the specific task or topic?
Is my use of grammar accurate?
Is my spelling accurate?
