SHS

English for Academic and Professional Purposes

Module 7
First Edition, 2020

Copyright © 2020
La Union Schools Division
Region I

All rights reserved. No part of this module may be reproduced in any form
without written permission from the copyright owners.

Development Team of the Module

Author: Regie F. Navor

Editor: SDO La Union, Learning Resource Quality Assurance Team
Illustrator: Ernesto F. Ramos Jr., P II

Management Team:

ATTY. Donato D. Balderas, Jr.

Schools Division Superintendent
Vivian Luz S. Pagatpatan, Ph.D
Assistant Schools Division Superintendent
German E. Flora, Ph.D, CID Chief

Virgilio C. Boado, Ph.D, EPS in Charge of LRMS

Belen C. Aquino, EPS in Charge of English

Michael Jason D. Morales, PDO II
Claire P. Toluyen, Librarian II
 Target
Writing is hard, simply because one consciously believes that he might not be
able to choose the best possible words to articulate the exact thoughts in mind and
put it in the most logical and creative way. Writing a review or a critique seems
difficult, but in some ways, doing so seems not that different from posting a status
message in Facebook, commenting on issues posted on the newsfeed, or chatting
with friends through Messenger about on-going events and trending topics in
Twitter. In practice, a review or a critique is an informed and insightful standpoint
on performance arts, play, dance, sports, film, religious or community festivals, and
art exhibit.
In your previous lessons, you are informed and guided in utilizing different
techniques in gleaning information, summarizing a text, stating thesis statement,
outlining reading texts, and using appropriate critical approaches in writing a
critique such as formalism, feminism, and Marxism.
This module will provide you with information, drills, and activities that will
help you crystallize your thoughts and you will come to know how to craft a
sounding original and insightful review or critique.
By the end of this module, you are expected to:
1. Write an objective/balanced review or critique of a work of art, an event or
a program CS_E 11/12A-EAPP-Id-f-18.

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 Module
Writing A Critique or A Review
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Jumpstart
A critique is a genre of academic writing that briefly summarizes and critically
evaluates a work or concept. Critiques can be used to convey a balanced view on a
variety of works such as creative works (novels, exhibits, films, images, poetry),
research (monographs, journal articles, systematic review, theories), media (news
reports, feature articles), and events or programs.
Remember that a critique should be accessible to the audience or readers.
Therefore, it is very helpful for them to be provided with background information. In
this manner, the writer should have a vast knowledge on a particular work or at
least have researched on it.

Now, try this!

Activity 1: #Trending
Directions: Listed below are some of the trending issues, events, news articles,
movies and mobile apps that people have talked about. Read and think carefully
how well you know each topic. Answer in a separate sheet using the codes below:

- I know the topic very well

- I know the topic just a little

X- I don’t know the topic at all

1. ABS-CBN franchise issue

2. Bird Box movie
3. Mobile Legends
4. Wattpad
5. BL Series
6. Avengers: Endgame
7. Covid-19
8. Community Quarantine
9. Paintings of Richard Gomez
10.Hello, Love, Goodbye
Activity 2: Throwback Thursday
Directions: Think of the most unforgettable movie you have ever watched. Get a
review from printed and online sources. Fill out the table below using the

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information you gathered. Use may cut reviews on printed sources like newspapers
and paste it on a separate sheet.

Title of the Movie:

Strengths Weaknesses

Remember this!
Critiques are an important rhetorical pattern in academic writing as they
present a balanced view of things. Critiques, however, are based not only on
personal perspective but should be grounded on actual observations. Here are some
tips in developing your critique.
1. Critique should provide readers or audience an overview of a work or a
concept. Therefore, it is your job to provide sufficient information such as the
central ideas of a book, concept, event /program, or movie to be critiqued.
2. Relating your critique to greater realities will also help as you ground your
critique on the wider scheme of things. For example, what subject/theme
does the movie, concept, book, or event address? Are there questions that
people constantly ask that this particular subject/theme you are reviewing
can answer?

Discover
In this section of the lesson, you will be provided with instructions on how to
do reviews. What makes a review or critique very interesting is how logical the ideas
are when presented to the readers. In general, a critique or review should be
organized in the following manner:
1. Introduction
2. Body
3. Conclusion
Take this one!
Do a product review. The product may be a gadget, a piece of clothing or
garment, or a popular item used among the young generation. Or you may choose
one topic listed in Activity 1 at the Jumpstart page. Fill out the table by answering
the questions in the second column.

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 Parts of a
Guide Questions Answers
Review

What is the product

about?
Introduction
What are its
features?

How does the product

compare with its
Body
counterparts or other
brands?

Will you recommend

consumers to
Conclusion
purchase the item?
Why or why not?

Basically, the I-B-C structure guides you to a logical critique or review.

However, it is very important to keep in mind that before you start writing, have a
thorough understanding of the work or product that will be critiqued. Here are some
tips to consider:
1. Study the work under discussion.
2. Make notes on key parts of the work.
3. Develop understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in
the work.
4. Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.
In the next lessons, you will be guided further on what to write in each part of
the review. You will also be presented samples and you will be asked to answer some
questions.
So, before proceeding to the next lessons, think carefully of the movie, film,
work of art, sports, dance, songs, product, and events or program that you will be
reviewing. Write your answer in the box below and start doing Tips 1 and 2.

Na m e or title of th e m ovie, film , work of a rt, s p orts , d an c e, s on gs , p rodu c t, a n d

even ts or p rogram you c h os e:

______________________________________________________________________________

If you have finally picked one, then, you are ready to proceed to the next
lessons. Keep in mind that you have to have a rich background of your topic. You
can do that by researching printed and online sources. Keep important notes. You
will need them in the next lessons. Remember to keep your references for your

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citations later on. Also, for your online sources, make sure that you copy and save
the links because you will be needing them when you compile and create the
reference list.

Deepen
In this lesson, you will be guided to write your own introduction, body and
conclusion. Study the sample activities and answer the questions for you to be able
to get familiar with the parts of a review or a critique.

Writing the Introduction

Typically, the introduction is short (less than 10% of the entire review). These
are tips in crafting your introduction.
1. Name the work being reviewed as well as the date it was created and the
name of author or creator.
2. Describe the main argument or purpose of the work.
3. Explain the context in which the work was created. This could include the
social or political context, the place of the work in a creative or academic
tradition, or the relationship between the work and the creator’s life
experience
4. Have a concluding sentence that signals what your evaluation will be. For
example, it may indicate whether it is positive, negative, or mixed evaluation.
Read the sample introduction below and answer the questions that follow.
Example:
News discourse is a rich area in language studies that has attracted attention
among scholars both old and new. Departing from merely examining printed texts,
the present era of globalized technologies poses serious challenges for the analysis of
news discourse, given that producers of news employ different modalities to deliver
their messages. In addition, the growing mobilities of individuals (geographical,
virtual, and social) raise interesting questions on the suitable frameworks available
for researchers to fully understanding different aspects of news discourse. Given the
present scenario, this book elucidates the challenges of studying news discourse.
Presented in nine chapters, the book conveniently deals with specific aspects
of the topic, giving readers a manageable resource for study. Chapter 1 overviews
the book, starting with definitions of news discourse, then outlining the different
approaches (sociolinguistic, corpus linguistic, critical discourse analytic, to name a
few) and methods of collecting data. Included in this section is the importance of
studying discourse, which may spark interest among beginning scholars and
readers unfamiliar with the area (Valdez, 2014).

Questions:

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1. Why was the review conducted in the first place?

________________________________________________________________________

2. What are some features of the book?

a. _________________________________________________________________

b. _________________________________________________________________

c. _________________________________________________________________

d. _________________________________________________________________
Activity 1: Show-Me More
Directions: Based on the prompts and information you gathered from sources
about the topic you picked. Fill out the table below and draft the introduction of
your review. Remember to go back to the tips in writing an introduction listed in the
previous page. If the spaces in the table are not enough, you may use separate sheet
for your answers.

Features Notes (Gathered information)

Recent developments in
the world and in the
country or even in the
community where you
belong.

General features of the

material, work, film,
etc.

Another major part of the critique in the introduction is a brief summary of

the event, book, concept, or object being critiqued. In this part, specific descriptions
are needed for the reader to have an overview of the central features of the topic.
(See paragraph 2 of the sample introduction in the previous page)

Activity 2: It’s Your Time to Shine

Directions: With the input from the previous activities, draft the introduction for
your critique. Make sure to seek feedback from your friends and teacher for
improvement. Use a separate sheet in writing your draft.

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 Writing the Body of a Review
After providing an overview in the introduction part, it is important to provide
informed insights on the central features. This is the part that connects the
introduction and the body of your review. The body of a review comprises 70% of the
entire review. This is because details and insights will be elaborated and explained
in this part. The informed insights should focus on highlights of the work or
product. For example, weakness or strengths should be based on what is observable
and comparable to other items of the same class.

Some expressions below will help you in presenting strengths and weaknesses.

Illustrating Strengths
Given its features, X may be the best among the competition because…
X does not only provide (enumerate common features found in other counterparts)
but also (enumerate unique features)
Illustrating Weaknesses
However, X may not be a wise choice if you intend to … (Cite specific activities of
features needed by a specific user or audience.)
In certain cases, X lacks some interesting points such as … (Cite specific features
or qualities.)
X may not appeal to certain users or audience as it … (Cite specific features or
qualities.)
Consider the following sample statements.
Sample 1:
The smartphone has an eight megapixel camera supported
by both Bluetooth technology and wireless applications. These features
are standard among modern phones, so that the higher price is not justified.

Sample 2:
The movie is worth seeing because it features not only talented actors but
also tells an excellent story filled with unexpected twists.

Activity 1: Tell-Me More

Directions: This is for your own review of a product or a work. Fill out the table
using the guide questions. You may use separate sheet for your answers.

Guide Questions Responses

What are the essential

features?

What are the strengths of

the features?

What are the weaknesses

of the features?

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 Explore
Identifying the strengths or weaknesses of a particular work or product is
actually part of the process called critical evaluation. Critical evaluation should give
a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements of the work,
evaluating how well the creator was able to achieve the purpose of the work or
product. For example, you would assess the plot structure, characterization and
setting of a novel; an assessment of a painting would look at composition, brush
strokes, color, and light; a critique of a research project would look at the subject
selection, design of the experiment, analysis of data and conclusions.
A critical evaluation does not simply highlight negative impressions. It should
deconstruct the work and identify both strengths and weaknesses. It should
examine the work and evaluate its success, in light of its purpose.
Here are examples of critical questions that could help your assessment.
1. Who is the creator? Is the work presented objectively or subjectively?
2. What are the aims of the work? Were the aims achieved?
3. What techniques, styles, media were used in the work? Are they effective
in portraying the purpose?
4. What assumptions underlie the work? Do they affect its validity?
5. What type of evidence or persuasion are used? Has evidence been
interpreted fairly?
6. How is the work structure? Does it favor a particular interpretation or
point of view? Is it effective?
7. Does the work enhance understanding of key ideas or theories? Does the
work engage (or fail to engage) with key concepts or other works in its
discipline?
This evaluation is written in formal academic style and logically presented.
Group your ideas into paragraphs. Start with broad impressions first and then move
into details of the technical elements. For shorter critiques, you may discuss the
strengths of the works, and then the weaknesses. In longer critiques, you may wish
to discuss the positive and negative of each key critical questions in individual
paragraphs.
To support the evaluation, provide evidence from the work itself, such as a
quote, example, or research-based facts. You can also cite evidences from related
sources. Explain how this evidence supports your evaluation of the work.
Activity 1: Support Me
Directions: Given the following ideas, write a sentence that uses a citation to
strengthen specific claims.
1. Claim/Comment: The movie is good for younger audiences.
Cited Information: Torres (1990) emphasized positive values as an indicator of
favorable viewership for younger audiences.

Revised sentence:

___________________________________________________________________________

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 ___________________________________________________________________________

2. Claim/Comment: the car can sustain higher speed for several hours. Cited
information: As seen in several lab tests, the car is not only efficient in fuel
consumption but it is quite fast compared to its competitors (Santos, 2009).

Revised sentence:

___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

Writing the Conclusion

This part usually is a very brief paragraph. It has two parts. The first part
summarizes the strengths and weaknesses. The second part includes points for
readers to consider before reading the book, watching the film, attending the event,
or purchasing the item. Also part of the conclusion, in some circumstances, is the
recommendations for improvement on the work which must be expressed with tact.
Consider the samples below:
Sample 1:
Taken as a whole, the book can be a helpful resource for teachers planning to
integrate technology in their classrooms. In addition, the sample lessons
provided ion the appendices consider different material conditions of schools
which may be reality in some settings. Since Estacio (2009) views that
technology use in the education may depend on the condition of education
institutions, the lessons in the book are a welcome addition to the growing
number of resources in different context for teachers.
Sample 2:
Considering the pros and cons of the computer system, users may want to
check other options that bear the same features, as other companies provide
top of the line features for their premium offerings but with lower price
points.

Activity 1: What Can You Say?

Directions: Read the following paragraph and answer the questions that follow. This
is taken from Valdez (2014). Use separate sheet for your answers.
The book is a valuable resource as it provides interesting theoretical and
methodological means for analyzing news discourse. For instance, analyzing
the combination of images and texts allows greater understanding of values
encoded in the news. In addition, the book adequately discusses means for
addressing methodological problems in analyzing data in different forms of
media. Moreover, since the book draws on different perspectives, readers will
find a range of options to work with when confronting their own data. To
illustrate, news may not only be seen on the national/international scene but

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 also in specific locales. Therefore, this can help in making sense of one’s data
through adequate examples.
The book is intended as suitable introduction for graduate students and
researchers interested in exploring the complexities of news discourse, as it
provides input, a list of readings and additional activities for research. It also
integrates several theoretical and methodological perspectives, giving readers
a free hand on deciding which approach to employ in analyzing their own
data. Overall, this book, which is part of the Continuum series of books
covering areas of discourse, is a valuable contribution for the enrichment of
scholarship concerning news discourse.
Guide Questions:
1. Is the recommendation of the book positive or negative? Cite specific
information to support your answer.
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________

2. What consideration did the author mention for the readers to consider in
reading the book?
___________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________
Activity 2: It’s Your Turn
Directions: Prepare a draft for the conclusion of your review. Fill out the table below
to help you in writing your draft. Use another sheet for your answers.

Point for Recommendation Responses

What are the positive and

negative features of the item?

What background knowledge is

needed for users to fully
maximize the use of item or
enjoy the event/movie?

Would you recommend it to

other people?

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 Gauge
Finally, it is time to complete your review. Here is a checklist that you may
consider in finalizing your review or critique.
Have I:
1. Mentioned the name of the work, the date of its creation and the name of the
creator?
2. Accurately summarized the work being critiqued?
3. Mainly focused on the critical evaluation of the work?
4. Systematically outlined an evaluation of each element of the work to achieve
the overall purpose?
5. Used evidence, from the work itself as well as other sources, to back and
illustrate my assessment of elements of the work?
6. Formed an overall evaluation of the work, based on critical reading?
7. Used a well-structured introduction, body, and conclusion?
8. Used correct grammar, spelling, and punctuation; clear presentation and
appropriate referencing style?
In the process of editing and reviewing your critique, it is best to ask feedback
from friends and teacher about your work. You can have them answer the
statements below. Or you may send your manuscript and have them comment on it.
1. I think the review is _____________________ because _________________________.
However, it may be good to improve the following points: ________________
__________________________________________________________________________.

2. I think the introduction ______________________________________ but may need

some revisions such as ________________________________________.

3. I think the body is ___________________________. However,

____________________
__________________________________________________________________________.
4. The conclusion is _____________________________________________________ but
______________________________________________________________________.

5. Language use is __________________________________________.

However,
__________________________________________________________________________.

Grammar and mechanics are _____________________________________________.

However, ________________________________________________________________

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References
Printed Materials:

Department of Education. (2016). Chapter 2: Writing a Reaction Paper, Review, or

Critique, English for Academic and Professional Purposes Reader (pp.45-80).
Pasig City, Philippines.

Department of Education. (2016). Chapter 2: Writing a Reaction Paper, Review, or

Critique, English for Academic and Professional Purposes Teacher’s Guide
(pp.29-54). Pasig City, Philippines

Saqueton, Grace M. & Uychoco, Marikit Tara A. (2016). Chapter 1: The Reaction
Paper, English for Academic and Professional Purposes (pp 57-68). First
Edition. Quezon City, Philippines: Rex Bookstore Inc.

Valdez, Paolo Niño M. (2016). Unit 3: Writing the Reaction Paper/Review/Critique,

English for the Globalized Classroom Series: English for Academic and
Professional Purposes. Quezon City, Philippines

Website:

Lacuata, Rose Carmelle, (2015). Review: ‘Heneral Luna’ shows human side of hero.
Retrieved on July 23, 2020 from https://news.abs-
cbn.com/lifestyle/09/06/15/review-heneral-luna-shows-human-side-hero

Tsui, Clarence. (2015). ‘Heneral Luna’: Film Review. Retrieve on July 23, 2020 from
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/heneral-luna-film-review 831202

Valdez, Paolo Niño M. (2014). “Review of News Discourse by Monica Bednarek &
Helen Caple”. Discourse Studies. 16(2) 317-318. Retrieved on July 23, 2020
from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461445613518868d

Writing a Critique. (n.d.) QUT Cite/Write. Retrieved July 22, 2020 from
https://www.citewrite.qut.ed.au/write/critique.jsp#

Zinampan, Tristan, (2015). Movie Review: Heneral Luna. Retrieved July 23, 2020
from http://www.filmpolicereviews.com/reviews/heneral-luna

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