Guide on How to Write an Evaluation Essay: All Things Considered

What is an Evaluation Essay

An evaluation essay aims at the presentation of a point of view or opinion on a particular piece of work or a subject. In many aspects, an evaluation essay is similar to a review. To write a comprehensive evaluation paper, you should analyze both the advantages and disadvantages of the subject and provide a reasonable judgment. The evaluation paper writing implies that you can assess the product, program, or movie and deliver the understanding of the subject to the readers. Thus, a proper evaluation paper has to be based on the strengths and weaknesses of the piece of work and be reasonable and unbiased.

Requirements for an Evaluation Essay

There are three general requirements that are crucial for an evaluation essay. For a paper to be evaluative, unbiased, and reasonable, you should follow the CJE guidelines. These are the Criteria, Judgement, and Evidence.

Criteria provide the desire to present the possible outcomes of the evaluated component. If you set the concise criteria, it will prevent the evaluative essay from seeming like the type of writing where you express your own opinion. To be able to write this kind of essay correctly, you should determine the subject that you are going to evaluate. Criteria could be parts of the evaluated subject. For instance, while writing an evaluative essay on the movie, you can choose to focus on the plot, scenery, and actors.
The judgment establishes whether or not the specific criterion is met. For example, if you evaluate the criterion of the plot, the judgment indicates whether or not the movie captivates the viewers’ attention and exceeds their expectations.

The evidence is all the data that supports the judgment. If your judgment states that a particular movie has a controversial plot, you should provide a wide range of examples to prove that such a judgment was reached.

Topics for Evaluation Essay Writing

You may ask: “How to choose an evaluation topic to write my essay from scratch?”. When you select a topic for an evaluation essay, it is necessary to focus on a particular product, business, or service. This implies that you need to evaluate a specific class instead of a range of similar classes. Moreover, it is better to write about a subject you know. Such an approach will make the process of criteria, judgment, and evidence establishment easier.

The general subjects for an evaluation essay topic selection are sports, performing arts, restaurants, and social as well as ethical problems. However, there are a lot of other spheres from which you can choose the topic for your paper. For instance, you can evaluate the recent scientific research, the building of a new shopping mall, or the major event in your educational institution. The main advice for a topic selection is the understanding of the subject and the ability to provide the necessary criteria, judgment, and evaluation.
Here are some of the topics that can be used for an evaluation essay:

1. The Recent Season of the English Premier League Football Team;
2. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse”: The Impact on Contemporary Animation Development;
3. What Is Your Favorite Video Game?
4. How Do Self-Driving Cars Influence Modern Life?
5. The Diversity of Food in American Restaurants;
6. In Which Way Is the Cultural Heritage of the Country Described in Foreign Movies?
7. Discussion of the Music Concert You Attended;
8. Evaluate the Taste, Service, and Atmosphere of the Best Pizzeria in Your City;
9. Evaluate the Coverage of Any Major Sports Event;
10. Provide the Evaluation of Your Favorite Event in High School.

Pre-Writing Tips from Our Expert Writers

Determine what you are going to evaluate. First and foremost, concentrate on the brainstorming of possible topics and make a list of them. For instance, you can make a list of the movies you watched or the books you read. After that, you can choose the topic and proceed to search for more information about it.

Define the audience. You should be aware of the people you are targeting with the evaluation essay. It is important to take into account the audience that is interested in the paper. The next step is the definition of what your audience already knows. The understanding of the reader’s expectations will help you to write an essay properly.

Define the subject. Before evaluating, find a sufficient amount of background information about your topic. For instance, when evaluating a movie, provide a brief plot summary and describe the characters to prepare the evaluation context for the audience.

Define the proper criteria. To evaluate a topic and to be able to determine whether or not it meets the evaluation requirements, you should specify the criteria that will be assessed. While writing an evaluation essay on a movie, you can focus on the plot, cinematography, and characters. Moreover, it is essential to determine the most illustrative example for each of your criteria. By analyzing the examples, define the good and bad points of the topic.

Evaluate the criteria. Finally, proceed to the criticizing of the chosen criteria. This step is the continuation of the previous one. You should check whether the body of an essay will address the effective and ineffective features of each criterion. In order to do this, support your criteria judgment with the examples and provide an argument according to your thesis.

The Structure

An evaluation essay generally consists of the introduction, the body paragraphs, and the conclusion. In the introductory paragraph, you have to provide the hook sentence, present the subject, and write the thesis statement. As for the body paragraphs, each of them should include one criterion and the judgment along with the evidence. The conclusion has to highlight the main points in your evaluation essay and create a final impression on your audience.

Introduction

The introductory paragraph in your evaluation essay should provide general information about what you are going to evaluate. The proper introduction will help the readers to understand the idea of the writing and captivate their attention.

Hook sentence. The first and very important aspect of the introduction is the hook. It is the sentence that opens your essay. The hook has to be designed in a way that intrigues the audience. The successful hook sentence for an evaluation essay may include some interesting facts or peculiar features of the specific subject.

Presentation of the subject. The introductory paragraph of an evaluation essay should provide general information about the subject. You can do this by describing an overview of the issue, discussing its impact on society, and the worthiness of the evaluation. In addition, in the introduction, it is necessary to establish the criteria that will prove your thesis.

Thesis statement. The thesis is the central aspect of your evaluation essay; it presents the key features of the whole writing. It should be written at the end of your introductory paragraph. To create a proper thesis statement, you should develop the overall judgment and the supporting reasons.

Do not make your thesis too general and unspecific. Providing the central claims in the thesis statement is crucial for a proper evaluation essay. Moreover, a bad thesis will lead to the readers’ negative perception of the whole paper. For instance, if your evaluation essay is about a TV series, an incorrect thesis statement would be: “The Simpsons” is a great TV series, as it has a good plot, characters, and cinematics.”

On the contrary, if you make a thesis statement more specific and add more details about the show, it will become a great thesis. The example of a proper thesis statement is the following: “Being an impressive satire, “The Simpsons” directly influenced American society, particularly with the help of vivid characters and professional cinematics.” Such a thesis statement provides information about the subject, states the judgment, and presents criteria for further evaluation.

Body Paragraphs

Body paragraphs are the most substantial part of an evaluation essay. The general requirement for each body paragraph is that it should contain only one criterion. Moreover, each paragraph has to begin with the topic sentence about a certain criterion. The proper organization of your evaluation essay is a central aspect of the readability and understanding of the topic.
Generally, there are three body paragraphs in the evaluation essay, and they should be structured in the following way:

First reason. The first body paragraph has to present your judgment of the first criterion. The topic sentence has to be connected with your introduction with the help of transitional words. For instance, the topic sentence of the first body paragraph could be the following: “First and foremost, “The Simpsons” provides a funny and captivating plot.” Such a topic sentence implies that the paragraph is devoted to the evaluation of the TV series’ plot. Then, you should prove your argument by presenting valid supporting evidence. However, it is also crucial to address the counterarguments and be able to refute them.

Second reason. In the second body paragraph, you are to provide a topic sentence for the second criterion. Considering the thesis example, it could be the following: “Secondly, the wide range of characters makes “The Simpsons” unique and captivates the viewers’ attention.” After that, you should present some character examples from the TV series to support your judgment.

Third reason. The final body paragraph should focus on the judgment of the third criterion. As the thesis example provides the cinematics as the last criterion, the topic sentence could be: “Thirdly, the frames and the camera angles in “The Simpsons” often provide some ridiculous yet interesting scenes.” In this paragraph, you can present the most memorable scenes from the TV show and refer to the excellence of the animation. Once again, remember to answer the controversial aspects of the cinematics to make your judgment more reasonable.

Finally yet importantly, it is vital to realize that an evaluation essay is based on the facts, not your opinion. Therefore, always try to avoid bias and focus on providing reasonable supporting evidence for your judgment.

Conclusion

The conclusion is where you summarize your criteria, judgment, and evidence. In this paragraph, you have to restate your thesis and the aim of your paper in other words. In this part, the important aspect is the substitution of the words so that they do not copy the introduction. Furthermore, in conclusion, you can provide statements that may impress the audience. It is necessary because this will create a positive perception of your evaluation essay. This implies that the readers will like your writing and will be more likely to recommend it to others.
The main demand for the conclusion is that it should be connected with the introductory paragraph. For instance, if you describe the subject in the introduction, you have to state what the audience should have expected from it in conclusion. Such an approach will shape your evaluation essay, and the readers will understand the subject better.

Post-writing Tips

The work on your evaluation essay does not end with the last sentence. After you have finished your paper, it is important to proofread and revise an essay. Pay attention to grammar, punctuation, and style. Then, reassure yourself that the sources are credible and you have cited all of them. These are general tips not only for an evaluation paper but also for all other types of writings.

While proofreading an evaluation essay, there are several key aspects that you have to take into account. Firstly, check whether your evaluation is not a summary. The major part of an essay should be devoted to the critical analysis of the subject. Secondly, revise the structure of your paper. Does your introduction have a hook sentence, enough background information, and a clear and proper thesis statement? Do all of the body paragraphs describe the relevant criteria? Does the conclusion summarize the whole essay and is it connected with the introductory paragraph? The structure is crucial for the evaluation paper, so you have to make sure that the writing is done appropriately.

Finally, when revising an evaluation essay, remember about the CJE guidelines. In your paper, find each criterion and the judgment to the criterion. Next, reassure that the evidence you have provided is sufficient and relevant to the judgment. Such a proofreading approach will help you to improve the quality of an evaluation essay. If you take these evaluation essay tips into account, it will enhance your writing skills and, as a result, make your papers more appealing to the readers.

References
Evaluation Essays: Thesis Statements. Retrieved from http://webs.anokaramsey.edu/stankey/Writing/Evaluate/SampThes.htm
Kearney, V. (2018). How to Write an Evaluation Paper with Sample Essays. Retrieved from https://owlcation.com/academia/How-to-Write-an-Evaluation-Review-essay
Philpott, S. (2017). How to Write an Evaluation Essay. Retrieved from https://penandthepad.com/write-evaluation-essay-2480.html
Quick Guide to an Evaluation Essay. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.unr.edu/Documents/liberal-arts/writing-center/Quick%20Guide%20to%20an%20Evaluation%20Essay.pdf
The Evaluation Essay. (2018). Retrieved from https://www.aims.edu/student/online-writing-lab/understanding-writing/evaluation.php