Handout

Writing A Review

Key Features
context, audience, purpose

* the question is likely to propose a general context (e.g."a recently released film... which you love /
hate...") - but the review itself should contain informative context (invented) about the specific subject of
the review

* the audience will usually be decided by where the article will be published: e.g. 'your school magazine'

* the prime purpose of a review is to stimulate interest ... then to inform ... and finally to offer some kind
of judgement (although this is likely to be a continuation of the purpose of stimulating interest)

register and tone -

* will adopt a semi-formal register

* will use a tone and style intended to engage the reader

conventions -

* will have an attractive, catchy title

* will use a style which will attract and interest the reader

Approach discussed
A review will be appropriate if the task requires you to comment on a work of art of some sort (a film, an album,
a play, a restaurant, a concert, computer games, etc). The term 'comment' is assumed to include (i) describing
the work, (ii) analysing how it works, and (iii) providing some sort of judgement on how successful it is (which
elements are successful and which are not). The audience can be assumed to be the general public, although
the task may specify a section with particular interests.

Not to be confused with.... 'article' or 'opinion column' or 'blog' ... an 'article' is principally intended to inform:

there should be detailed and interesting information about a defined subject; and the information should be
explained in a clear, fair and reasonably objective way. So, a 'review' can be seen as a type of article - the
important approach of a 'review' is that it is expected to give an opinion, an argued assessment. An 'opinion
column' will usually be focused on one particular issue, which should be explained convincingly (although there
is no 'duty to inform'), and above all should have a clear overall opinion, argued reasonably, if
subjectively.  A 'blog' is intended to present a set of your personal ideas in a lively entertaining way to a general,
undefined audience - who you want to hook by your interesting, even provocative, opinions and experiences, so
again, you don't have to be fair or objective

- address: lively, direct communication that will interest the audience. [This is likely to involve a semi-
formal register (for clarity and concise explanation) with dashes of informality to convey the personal tone
+ vivid comment / rhetoric.]

- Angle: the script has a clear overall point of view / attitude, and this informs the structure of the argument