How to Write a Critique for an English Class

Your critique can be a valuable source of feedback for the author.

At some point during your high school or college career, your English teacher might ask you to write a critique of an essay, article or book. Writing a critique involves careful reading of a particular work, reacting to it, and backing up your reaction with concrete evidence. You will need to maintain respect for the author throughout your critique even as you point out the weaknesses of his piece. A thoughtful, well-supported critique can be a valuable source of feedback for the author, and you stand to benefit from the experience of analyzing and writing about another author's work.

Instructions

1. Read and understand your assignment. Know what your teacher or professor expects from your critique. Determine if he wants you to focus only on content, or if he expects you to analyze other aspects of the work, such as how the author organized and presented his information.

2. Read the essay, article or book carefully. Approach the work with the intention of being even-handed and fair. Reread the work -- if it is practical to do so -- to ensure that you have made every effort to understand the author's main points and overall approach. If you make a genuine attempt to understand the author's goals and appreciate his unique voice, you are more likely to offer helpful criticism.

3. Jot down your initial thoughts about the work. Group your personal reactions to the work under broad categories such as content, organization, style and correctness. Include both positive and negative comments. This is a pre-writing exercise to help you identify and organize your initial thoughts and impressions about the work.

4. Sort through the thoughts you have recorded, and begin to form a general impression about or overall reaction to the work. This will ultimately become your thesis statement which, in turn, will determine the direction of your critique.

5. Write an introduction that includes identifying details about the work, such as the title, author's name and the date of publication. Write one or two sentences to create a context for your thesis statement, and then close the paragraph with a good working thesis statement that clearly and strongly states your overall assessment of the work. As you develop your thesis statement, realize that you will need to support it with evidence and expect to tweak it as your critique unfolds.

6. Bring proof or evidence to support your thesis statement. Every paragraph in the body of your critique should contain a specific point you are making, evidence to support your point and an explanation of why the evidence supports your point. As proof, you might choose to refer to the author's credentials or lack thereof, his use of or failure to use credible references, his ability or inability to "speak" to his intended audience, his willingness to deal with challenges to his position and the logic of his argument.

7. Write a conclusion. Subtly refer your reader back to your thesis statement, but avoid restating it word-for-word. This is your final opportunity to express your thoughts about the work and to point out why it was or was not an effective piece of writing.

Tips & Warnings

• Be confident as you write your critique. Realize that as the reader, your critique is valid as long as you bring evidence to support your position.

• Keep in mind that it is preferable to begin by noting the strengths of the essay before pointing out the areas that need improvement. Point out what you appreciate about the work before commenting about what is lacking.

References

• Chesapeake College: Helpful Hints for Writing a Critique
• Goshen College: General Critique Guidelines
• College of DuPage: Guildelines for Writing a Critique