CRITICAL RESPONSE ESSAY TEMPLATE (400-500 WORDS)

I. Introduction

- Background / general information to introduce the topic area

- Introduce the article: Title, Author, Date

- Briefly summarize the main overall view of the author (one sentence)

Giống câu intro trong summary

- Thesis statement (e.g. This essay will respond to….. This essay is a
response to …… )

II. Body: Mỗi phần 1 đoạn văn

1. Summary: (about 100 words)
No need to mention full name author and title again
Ex: - Looking at the content of the article, the writer has two main ideas
- The writer has divided his article into three main parts. Firstly,....

2. Evaluation: phần in đậm bắt buộc phải có

                   + author (knowledgeable or not, expert in the field or not/ wide

knowledge on the topic or not), source of the article (reliable, official
Ex: The writer is an expert in writing... => cần evaluate
+ arguments (convincing or not; agree/disagree?)
Ex bài television: Using television in gyms has a lots of
disadvantages
+ evidences, (Facts, statistics, expert testimony, observation?
Ex: The writer use wide range of evidences especially the writer uses expert
testimony very sucessfully. The writer uses quotation from famous people. For
example,.... ( chỉ ra ví dụ về những người đó) => Phải tìm ra types of evidence
(chủ yếu 3 cái đầu )
- sufficient ( enough evidence or not)/ representative( mang tính chất
đại diện – typical or not)/ relevant( relate to article or not)/
accurate( exact or not) => not obligatory ( k bắt buộc )
(What kind of appeals does the writer use?)

                   + language (formal/informal?) => not obligatory ( k bắt buộc )

Ex: nếu formal => high levels of vocabulary, wide range of linking words like
therefore although, have complicated structure
+ style (level of formality, level of sentence complexity, word
choice/ sentence structure, text organization ( có thể compare and
contrast article, causes and effect? => optional
1
 + overall tone? => chỉ ra mang sắc thái nào, explain why u think that
the article have the tone like this) phải có example về phrase => bắt
buộc
+ writing strategies? (rhetoric question( câu hỏi tu từ như why
iuwouldn’t want a wife), intentional repetition ( điệp ngữ),
comparison and contrast?, etc.) => k bắt buộc, nếu thấy thì cho vào

3. Synthesis: Putting things together: combining specific ideas given in the

article with the knowledge provided in “The Bedford guide for college writers”;
III. Conclusion

- Restate the author’s main ideas.

- Give a brief summary of the main strengths and weaknesses of the

author and (based on this) which is stronger overall.

+main strengths: khen: a must read article, the writer is very sucessful
in persuading/convincing the reader....by using wide range of
evidences

+ điểm yếu: vd là title chưa hấp dẫn

- Considering the views of the author, give your own comments on the
topic. ( I would highly recommend the article for people who would
like to know more about same sex marriage

This can include your opinion/ recommendations/ final thoughts on the

topic.

Phải có references: link bài báo và trích dẫn sách đã học