How to Write a Review (Edexcel IGCSE English Language A)

Question 6 or 7 will ask you to write for a specific purpose and in a specific format. It is important to use the correct conventions of the format and directly focus your writing to its purpose, as the mark scheme rewards adapting tone, style and register for different forms, purposes and audiences. 

This means: 

• The tone (the sound of the writer’s “voice”) is appropriate and convincing 

• The register (vocabulary and phrasing) is appropriately formal or informal, and suitable for the purpose

• The style of the writing (sentence structure and overall structure) is dynamic and effective 

The following guide will detail how to structure your response in the style of a review. It is divided into:

• Key features of a review

• Review structure

Key features of a review

A review is a format of writing in which you consider an event, experience, service or something watched or read, describe it and provide opinions or judgements about it. A critic might write reviews for a living, and we may decide to watch or read something because they persuade us to do so.

A review has different purposes, but its primary aim is to inform and describe. It may also:

• Entertain, in that it provides opinion in a way the reader enjoys

• Analyse, weighing up whether the thing being reviewed is good or bad

• Advise, recommending to the reader whether or not they should view, read or experience the subject of the review for themselves

Some of the key features of a review include:

Because a review is intended for publication, it is important to use Standard English and to vary your sentence and paragraph lengths to keep your audience engaged.

Review structure

As this is a longer writing question, and you should allocate 45 minutes to complete it. Spend about 5 minutes planning your answer, 35 minutes writing and 5 minutes at the end to re-read to check for any obvious errors.

To plan a range of points, you can:

• Mind-map or write a list of points and techniques to use:

  • It can also be helpful to number your ideas to structure your answer in a specific order

  • It is important to use the bullet points given to you in the task to structure your response

• Mention the name of the author/director (if a film, TV programme or book) or anything specific, and clearly name the thing being reviewed in the title and first paragraph

• Ensure you have conveyed the main theme or idea of the thing you are reviewing in your introduction:

  • Your reader should immediately know what it is about

• Consider the wider aspects of what you are reviewing:

  • Consider things such as actors, sequels, music or similarities to other things

• Include what you like or dislike about it

• Try to use a few short “quotes” or examples to illustrate your points

• Justify your views

• Organise your response into clear paragraphs

• Finish with a conclusion, suggesting whether or not your intended audience will like the thing you are reviewing

Rеmеmbеr that to produce an effective response, you should aim to develop your points carefully in each paragraph, using language features and techniques to highlight ideas and emphasise your points. 

You can find a full worked example on our Review Model Answer page.