Lecture 14

Evaluation Essay


Recap
•

•

•

How to Write an Argumentative/ Persuasive
Essay?
Well Written Argumentative/ Persuasive
Essay
Steps for Writing a Argumentative/
Persuasive Essay

•

Topic Selection

•

Dos and Don’ts

•

Common Mistakes

Evaluation Essay
•

Evaluation essays are just like reviews.

•

They judge whether something is:

•

•

–

good or bad,

–

better or worse than other similar things.

We are familiar with this sort of writing in book
or movie reviews.
Evaluation papers can be serious, or funny.
3


Evaluation Essay
We all love to read the review of a really

bad movie or restaurant experience. If you
like to write satire, this can be a great paper
to try out your humor. Chances are, you will
have a great time, and so will your reader.


How to Write Evaluation
Essay?
•

•

•

People make judgments all the time about
everything that surrounds them.
Each day we face various facts and scenes,
and to act adequately we need to develop
our assessment of them.
This type of critical writing gives fair and
sound supporting evidence, so that the
reader can form their opinion about the
subject.


Steps for Writing Evaluation
Essay

Step # 1: Choose a topic that you would like
to

write about. Since you will need to
make a value judgment, based on a set
of criterion, you should know your
subject well.
Step # 2: Formulate your thesis. The thesis
of an
evaluation essay is its overall
purpose
and should be stated clearly.


Steps for Writing Evaluation
Essay
Step # 3: Think of the criterion that you
are going to

use to make your judgment.

It is difficult or
evaluate

something

even impossible to
immediately,

allocate several touchstones

so


to make

this process easier.
Step # 4:

Find supporting evidence to


Steps for Writing Evaluation
Essay
Step # 5:

Make a rough draft of your

paper. In

this draft, organize the criterion

and

the evidence that you find.


Steps for Writing Evaluation
Essay

Step # 6: Write the paper, following the
classic
structure of an introduction, main
body part, and conclusion.

»

»

»

In the introduction, introduce your value judgment
about the chosen topic.
In the main body part, present your supporting
evidences.
In the conclusion briefly summarize your material
and restate your final judgment.

Step # 7:
essay

Thoroughly proofread your


Topic Selection
•

In order to evaluate something, you need to
compare it with the best example of that
particular thing.

•

So, to help you develop your topic into an essay,
there are two important questions to ask when

you are choosing your topic to evaluate:
•

What category of a thing is it?


What are you Evaluating?
•

What sort of a topic you are evaluating?
–

For instance:
•

•

If it is a movie, then what genre?
–

Horror?

–

Romance? Disney?

–

Family Movie?


Then you need to decide what would make
an excellent movie in that genre in your
opinion.
–

For example:


Evaluation Essay
•

Some possible topics of an evaluation
essay are listed below:
–

Evaluate a vacation spot, or your favorite
park.

–

Evaluate activities that kids are involved in
after school. Should kids be in organized
activities or be allowed time for free play?

–

Evaluate a class you are taking, or evaluate
how well your high school prepared you for



Key Points to Consider
•

Remember,
that
no
matter
how
enthusiastic or negative your attitude is
towards the chosen topic, the general tone
of your essay should be reasonable.
–

In some cases humor is acceptable, but, since
it is still an academic writing, try to write it in
an appropriate scholarly manner.


Key Points to Consider
•

You

can

use

quotations,

personal


experience, descriptions or comparisons
with similar objects as evidence.
•

An evaluation essay isn’t about giving an
unbiased point of view – you come up with
an evaluative thesis and provide evidences


Key Points to Consider
•

The more controversial the subject you
have chosen for your essay, the more
supporting arguments you might need.

•

It is also useful to present the opposite
point of view. In this way you will show that
you are aware that other opinions on the


How to Write an Evaluation
Essay
1.

Present the Subject in an Interesting
Way:

–

Give the Right Amount of Detail

–

Help Reader Decide their Evaluation

–

More Review than Summary
•

Summary should not be more than 1/3 portion of
essay


How to Write an Evaluation
Essay
2.

Make a Clear, Authoritative Judgment
(2/3 of paper)
–

Thesis sentence should tell exactly what you
think.

–


Define the audience

–

Create a Three-Column-Log
•

•

to help you make notes for your paper.
Separate them into three columns like this:
Criteria – Evidence – Judgment


How to Write an Evaluation
Essay
3.

Argue for your Judgment
•

•

•

As you state each of your judgments, you need to
give reasons to prove that they are specific,
interesting and convincing.
Evidence can be describing the subject, quoting,
using personal anecdote or comparing and

contrasting with a similar subject.
Sometimes you may want to counter-argue, if you
disagree with what most people think.
–

For example, if your subject is very popular and you
think it is terrible, you may want to state what most
people think and tell why you disagree.


Dos
•

When choosing your topic, mind that
some subjects may be of an interest for
one group of people, but, at the same
time, completely uninteresting for another
one.


Dos
•

Do pick at least 4-5 criteria to make an
assessment.
–

The more criteria you come up with, the more
exact and clear your viewpoint becomes for
your readers.



Dos
•

Do make sure that your evidence is
balanced between the criteria.
–

Your essay will look much better if you find
convincing arguments for each of your
criterion.

–

Avoid situations when you use one strong
evidence for one criterion, and none for


Dos
•

Do find the conventional standard within
the topic you’ve chosen to use it as a
model for distinguishing your own points,
and writing an essay.

•

Do


use

proper

grammar

and

punctuation, and proofread your essay


Don'ts
•

Don’t forget to state clearly your value
judgment, otherwise it will be difficult to
understand what your paper is about.

•

Don’t be afraid to be concrete in your
assessments.
–

Use catching verbs and lively nouns in your


Don’ts
•


Don’t be afraid to give both positive
and negative assessments to the same
object in one paper.
–

For example, when describing a restaurant:
•

you might write that cuisine was delicious and the
atmosphere was very sophisticated, but at the
same time the service quality could be better, and


Don’ts
•

Don’t be too informal.
–

Of course, your style of writing will be better if
kept within some limits.

•

Don’t use topics that are overused.
–

People will not be motivated to read your
essay, if it is going to cover the same ground.