Evaluation Essays

Evaluative essays seek to prompt readers to examine their own values and to perhaps accept the view of the writer. In this sense, evaluation shares characteristics with argumentation. Evaluation can be used in book and movie reviews, to describe a work process, or to describe just about anything about which we can make an overall judgment.

Features of Evaluations An adequately described subject. An overall judgment A convincing argument; reasons and support Anticipates objections and alternative judgments

What Characterizes an Adequately Described Subject? The writer should describe the subject of the essay in some detail, according to what he or she thinks the reader should know. For example, if you are going to evaluate a book, you must inform the reader about the name of the author, date of publication, subject matter, and etc. Writers usually provide only enough information to allow their readers to accept their judgment. The emphasis, therefore, is placed on the authoritative voice of the writer.

Making an Overall Judgment The writer’s viewpoint must be asserted through a definitive judgment. This judgment should be the writer's thesis statement. The body of the essay should seek to prove the thesis, even if a writer must give a balanced appraisal by anticipating objections.

Constructing a Convincing Argument: Present an argument based on reasonable criteria. Reasonable criteria means using standards that are generally used to describe something. Writers should also provide evidence to support their argument. Evidence might include description, examples, facts, statistics, appropriate quotations, interviews, and testimony of others. A writer may also choose to make comparisons when writing an evaluation. For instance, the mystery novel could be compared to an Agatha Christie novel to help clarify its strengths and weaknesses.

Anticipating objections and alternative judgments in writing: Assume some readers will judge your subject differently from you, and try to respond to their opposing views: The writer’s response might consist of a simple acknowledgement of the disagreements Or, the writer might elect to accommodate readers’ views by conceding certain points to the opposing side OR the writer might choose to refute readers’ arguments as uninformed or mistaken.