WRAC Online
Essays
Critique
A critique, also known as a review, an assessment, or an evaluation, is much
less personal than a response paper, although it does entail responding to a
text. In a critique, you evaluate the quality or merit of a text, based on a
set of clearly defined criteria. These criteria will vary depending on the type
of text you are evaluating. For example, you may evaluate the effectiveness
of an argument by considering its structure, clarity, and use of evidence. Then
again, you might critique a dramatic film on the basis of its visuals, storyline
and acting. Whichever criteria you use, the important thing is to be specific,
and provide your reader with enough examples and explanation to be able to understand
why you give that particular text a “thumbs up” or “thumbs
down.”
Like other academic essays, the structure of a critique is traditionally three-part:
an introduction in which you present your source text and your evaluation of
that text based on specific criteria, body paragraphs in which you support and
explain your evaluation of each of those criteria, and a conclusion that wraps
up your paper and leaves your reader with something to think about.
Please see below for an example of a Critique Essay written by a Chabot student.
