HOW TO WRITE A REVIEW

A book
FCE B2

Taken from: https://engxam.com/handbook/how-to-write-a-

review-b2-first-fce-2/#b2-first-fce-review-structure

Reviews in B2 First (FCE) exam are written for a website, a magazine or a newspaper.
You always have to do two things describe and discuss something, for example, a film, a book,
a restaurant, an experience or whatever the task might require you to talk about. Also, you have to
make a recommendation at the end of your text.
Some possibilities:

▪ place (attraction/ sightseeing spot, café, restaurant, shop, etc)

▪ arts and media (book, exhibition, magazine, album, concert, film/ movie, TV programme, etc)
▪ service (food delivery, etc)
▪ technology (e.g. app, cellphone)
▪ thing (product, dish, etc)

Unlike an essay a review should be written in an informal or neutral register, this means:

▪ you CAN use phrasal verbs,

▪ you CAN use idioms
▪ you CAN use contractions

LET’S USE THE MOCK EXAM’S REVIEW AS AN EXAMPLE

STEP 1- See to what you have to do.

1. First, find what needs to be described and underline it.

Prof. Ana Laura López Cazarré

 2. Secondly, find a discussion part – decide the specific points you need to comment on in your
text.
3. Finally, find the target reader so you know exactly who you are writing for and who is going to
read your review. This sets the tone of your review.
Now we have all three elements we need to write your review:

● You need to describe:

... a book in which the main character behaved in a surprising way

● You need to answer/discuss:

1. What surprising thing did the main character do? (description)
2. Why it was surprising? (discussion)
3. Would you recommend the book to other people? (recommendation)

● You need to write for… a college English-language magazine.

We know now that the target readers are students, teachers and probably parents so the
writing style should be neutral (We don’t need to be too formal because some of the readers
are students, but we also don’t want to be too informal as some of the readers are teachers
and parents.)

STEP 2- Title
The review should start with the title, and there are few simple ways to write it:

▪ imagine you’re reviewing a book you can write: [Title] by [Author]

▪ if you were reviewing a restaurant you could write: [name of the restaurant] – a review

Title (book): Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (by)

Title (restaurant): Taco Bell in London – a review (a review)

STEP 3- Structure
Title
Use the name of the film, book or restaurant.
Introduction
Identify what you are reviewing (book, title, author, etc..).

Prof. Ana Laura López Cazarré

 Try to catch the reader´s attention (ask a narrative question).
1st body paragraph
Describe the book, film, restaurant
2nd body paragraph
Comment on the questions you have been asked
Conclusion
Summarize your review with a recommendation

 INTRODUCTION
Use the introduction to identify the thing you will be reviewing and provide details like the title,
author and genre (i.e. a science fiction novel, a horror movie) or name and location (if it’s a
restaurant), etc.
The other function of your introduction is to engage the reader. You can do it by asking a
question.
Make your introduction at least 2 sentences long. You cannot make a paragraph of just one
sentence.

Have you ever wondered what it feels like to fall in love with a vampire? In
"Twilight," by Stephenie Meyer, Bella Swan, a normal teenage girl, falls in love
with Edward Cullen, who is not just a regular boy—he’s a vampire.

– question to catch the reader’s attention

– the “Thing”, in this case, the book “Twilight”
– details about the “thing”, in this case, the author, main character, and very
brief summary of the plot.

 THE BODY PARAGRAPHS (main content)

The body paragraphs are the main parts of your review so they should be the longest and carry
most of the information. Also, here you describe the points you’ve found in (Step 1)
You need to answer/discuss:
1. What surprising thing did the main character do?
2. Why was it surprising?
You can use idioms, and phrasal verbs – neutral/informal language is appropriate for your
target reader – students and teachers.

See the example below, in which we dedicated one paragraph to each point.

 1st Body Paragraph – description

You need to give information about the “thing” and answer:
 What surprising thing did the main character do?

Important:
 Stick to the question and don’t talk about unrelated things.
 Give some support to your answer (related details)
Prof. Ana Laura López Cazarré
  Use adjectives and adverbs to make it more interesting to read.

The story takes place in the small town of Forks, Washington, where Bella
moves to live with her father. Here, she meets Edward Cullen, a mysterious and
handsome boy who has a secret—he is a vampire. And then, Bella does
something unexpected, even after discovering that Edward is a vampire, she still
chooses to be with him. The book is full of suspense, romance, and the
difficulties of being in love with someone dangerous.

 2nd body paragraph - Comment on the questions you have been asked.
You need to answer/discuss:
 Why was it surprising?

What makes Bella’s actions so surprising is how easily she accepts the danger
of a relationship with a vampire. Most people would be afraid to be in a
relationship with a vampire, but Bella is different—she doesn’t seem worried
about the danger. Her bravery makes you wonder if she truly understands how
risky her choices are.

 CONCLUSION / RECOMMENDATIONS
Finally, we need to make a recommendation because after all, that’s the only reason why
anyone would read a review they want to know what the reviewer thinks about the book, film or
restaurant.
A good final paragraph of a review does exactly two things
 It gives your opinion and/or recommendation (it can be good or bad)
 and rounds off the review

In conclusion, Twilight is a good book for anyone who likes romance with a bit of
danger. Bella’s surprising decisions and her strong feelings for Edward make the
story exciting. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrilling love stories.

Full Review
"Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer
Have you ever wondered what it feels like to fall in love with a vampire? In "Twilight,” by
Stephenie Meyer, Bella Swan, a normal teenage girl, falls in love with Edward Cullen, who is
not just a regular boy—he’s a vampire.
The story takes place in the small town of Forks, Washington, where Bella moves to live with
her father. Here, she meets Edward Cullen, a mysterious and handsome boy who has a secret
—he is a vampire. And then, Bella does something unexpected, even after discovering that
Edward is a vampire, she still chooses to be with him. The book is full of suspense, romance,
and the difficulties of being in love with someone dangerous.
What makes Bella’s actions so surprising is how easily she accepts the danger of a
relationship with a vampire. Most people would be afraid to be in a relationship with a vampire,

Prof. Ana Laura López Cazarré

 but Bella is different—she doesn’t seem worried about the danger. Her bravery makes you
wonder if she truly understands how risky her choices are.
In conclusion, Twilight is a good book for anyone who likes romance with a bit of danger.
Bella’s surprising decisions and her strong feelings for Edward make the story exciting. I would
recommend it to anyone who enjoys thrilling love stories.

Useful language
Introduction: say what you are reviewing.

o The (film, book…etc) I would like to review is…..

o The last Film I saw / book I read was…….
o Last week some friends and I visited…

Explain: give details of what you are reviewing.

o It’s set in……….

o The story is based on (a book..) …..
o It’s about…..
o There are many memorable characters including ….
o The main theme of the film is…..
o What the film is saying is…..

Opinion: give your own opinion of what you are reviewing.

o It’s one of the best (shows) I’ve ever seen.

o It was one of the worst (experiences) of my life
o In my opinion/view, …
o For me, …
o I think/believe/feel that …
o I would say that …
o It seems to me that …

Praising something:

o It is one of the best … I have ever …

o the … was absolutely perfect
o the … was even better than I expected
o I was pleased/delighted to find that …
o It was a nice surprise to find that …

Criticising:

o The … was rather disappointing

o The advertisement said …, but in fact …
o I was a little disappointed to find …
o There weren’t enough …

Recommending:

o Anyone who likes … will really enjoy …

o Don’t miss the chance/opportunity to …
o I’m sure everyone will really enjoy …

Prof. Ana Laura López Cazarré

 o If you get the chance to see/buy/try …, you should definitely do it
o I would advise anyone to …
o I would recommend this film to anyone.
o Although I am not normally keen on (musicals), I am glad that I decided to go.

Advising someone against something:

o I would suggest finding a better … than this.

o I would strongly advise against eating/reading/ watching/buying this …
o My advice is to avoid this …
o Although I enjoyed it, I would not recommend it for….

Prof. Ana Laura López Cazarré