Having visited a new place like a cafe or a restaurant, watched an exciting movie, or read a great book recommended by a friend, you already have a topic for your evaluation paper. However, this type of academic paper also requires good writing and critical skills, as well as knowledge of the essay structure. Therefore, many professors prefer to give this type of essay on literature, culture, film, and theater studies.
In our article, you will find guides and tips on how to write an evaluative thesis and present information correctly. Besides, we prepare an evaluation essay example from PaperCoach experts. But the first thing that should be done is to understand the main point of the evaluation essay.
What is an Evaluation Paper?
It is the type of academic writing where you have to provide a critical analysis of the evaluation paper topic and express your point of view. However, it should be supported by objective arguments, facts in order to prove your position. You can use researches, quotes, comparisons, any kind of information that will be useful. Considering these requirements, we might say it should sound like an evaluation argument essay because you have to provide your opinion in the conclusion of the paper.
Besides, you are free to choose a writing style; for example, you can add irony or sarcasm to your evaluation essay, or a little humor. Such methods will make your judgments interesting and witty. However, if you do not possess good writing skills and are not a wordsmith, you can make it sound more serious and focus on arguments and comparisons.
7 Main Steps for How to Write an Evaluation Paper
Step 1 - Choose the topic. If the professor has not allocated a topic, then you have a great opportunity to write about what you are interested in. The benefit of the evaluation essay is the possibility to choose any topic so that you can evaluate the book, event, institution, or even device. But searching for a theme, take into account your knowledge and subject.
Step 2 - Find an evaluation essay sample on your theme. We recommend you look through paper examples on a similar topic or field before beginning to write a paper. It will help to understand the specifications of the essay and its structure better. Besides, you can find interesting ideas for presenting information in your writing assignment.
Step 3 - Develop your evaluation essay format. It means you have to determine the criteria for evaluation and its logical order. Think about the evaluation essay topic and its parts that you should cover. For example, if you write a movie evaluation essay, you can cover such criteria: plot, scenes, directing, actors.
Step 4 - Make an evaluative thesis statement. In this part of the paper, you should set the direction of your essay and give the reader understand your position on the topic. Besides, you should present information following a sequence of criteria not to confuse the reader.
Step 5 - Make an evaluation essay outline. Having written down your ideas and found evidence, you need to present them correctly by the structure of the paper. Therefore, the 5th step of writing the evaluation essay is to make a plan for your paper. Do not neglect it, as it facilitates the next step.
Step 6 - Write your paper. Having made a plan, start writing an essay. Write a clear introduction, provide a sufficient amount of evidence, and summarize the information given in your paper.
Step 7 - Revise and edit the final version of the evaluation essay. It is crucial to re-read the paper and correct all grammar mistakes to avoid a low grade. You can also give your evaluation essay to the family or friends to get a fresh look at the paper. Some students prefer to turn to professional writing companies for editing help.
How to Write Body Paragraphs of an Evaluation Essay: Criteria, Judgments, and Evidence
All writing assignments have a similar structure, which consists of three essential elements like introduction, main body, and conclusion. Therefore, the main feature of any type of paper, including an evaluation essay, is the presentation of information in the main part. Let's take a look at the structuring of main paragraphs that include criteria, judgment, and evidence.
- Criteria. These are parts of your paper on which you evaluate the topic. For example, if you are evaluating a website, you can pay attention to the following aspects: design, content, visualization, navigation. Each paragraph of your evaluation essay should present new criteria in one sentence.
- Judgments. Based on the criteria of the critical evaluation essay, you should give a judgment.
- Evidence. This type of paper is like a mix of evaluation and argument essay, as you have to prove your judgment and support it with facts and evidence. Speaking about the website, if you do not like its design or content, you have to prove it.
Evaluation Paper and Review - What is the Difference?
Unfortunately, many students do not see the difference between a review and an evaluation essay. Therefore, writing a paper, they make the main mistake of presenting the content of the book or describing the place. So, you can imagine that you are writing a critical evaluation essay to avoid this mistake and give a detailed assessment of your paper topic. Besides, you should give an evaluation paper the features of an argument essay, as you have to prove every judgment.
For example, let's compare a movie review and evaluation essay to understand their features better. In the first case, you describe the plot, the characters, and give a brief commentary. But as for the essay, you have to evaluate the plot, the game of the actors, the work of the director, and the musical accompaniment (or you can choose other criteria). Check the picture below to see all differences between review and evaluation essay format.
Tips on How to Write an Amazing Evaluation Essay
- Follow your interests. To stop procrastinating and suffering from the writing process, you should choose the topic in which you are interested in. Thus, collecting information and drafting the evaluation essay bring pleasure, which means it will be done well. However, we recommend you avoid broad topics. Otherwise, it will be difficult for you to make an evaluation and organize the information.
- Learn from the mistakes of others. Before writing an evaluation essay, find a sample of this paper. Some platforms and websites provide an example of this type of writing assignment. Besides, you can talk to friends or acquaintances who previously wrote this paper and ask to share their experience. So you will find out which aspects of the paper the professor pays more attention to.
- Provide substantial evidence. If you strive to write a good evaluation essay, then you need to give a sufficient number of facts and arguments. You have to justify your every judgment to make your paper sound convincing. Give disruptions, examples, quotes, and compares. At the same time, it should be weighty reasons, so avoid such sentences in the main body like, "The movie was great because of the interesting plot."
- Find an evaluation essay criteria sample. If you want to get a good score for the paper, you should provide at least three criteria to evaluate the topic. But if you cannot develop it on your own, then look for a list of criteria for your topic or field. It will save you time, and you will be sure not to miss anything important.
- Make a plan for your paper. It may seem like trivial advice, but unfortunately, many students neglect it. They prefer to write essays without a plan, which complicates the process and makes it time-consuming. Creating an evaluation essay outline, you can carefully think about ideas organization and what arguments are best for your topic. Despite the fact that you determine the criteria, the information should be presented logically.
Evaluation Essay Example
We decided to evaluate the Chinese restaurant Famoso Fusion, so read our evaluation essay example below.
Evaluation of the Famoso Fusion restaurant
Today, Asian cuisine is gaining great popularity in the world. Many Westerners prefer to have Chinese noodles, sushi, or raw fish for dinner, and I am one of them. So during my trip, I managed to visit a popular Chinese restaurant Famoso Fusion. They offer friendly service as well as a great atmosphere to enjoy delicious cuisine at an unusual and affordable price policy.
Opening the door, you get in the atmosphere of absolute comfort that makes you feel like you are in a Chinese house. The hall is dimly lit, and soft music plays. The restaurant is crowded, but it gives the feeling of a family reunion. It is decorated with Chinese objects such as pots, crockery, and large bamboos near the window, that convey Chinese culture perfectly.
As soon as you come to the restaurant, you will be greeted with "Welcome to Famoso Fusion" and taken to the free table. Unfortunately, it was difficult to make an order due to the business, and it took a long time to wait for the dishes. However, the waiter was friendly, and it seemed that we were talking with a friend.
The menu consists of a huge amount of sushi, noodles, soups, raw fish, seafood, rice dishes, and salads. We ordered different dishes and were completely satisfied with them. But the most amazing thing is the policy of this restaurant because you pay a fixed price and order as many dishes as you want.
Speaking of prices, you need to pay $15 in the afternoon and $25 in the evening per person, and drinks are not included. However, if you cannot finish the meal, then you have to pay the full price for it.
My experience was amazing, and I would definitely revisit this restaurant. Perhaps, they should hire more waiters not to make visitors wait. But I am sure that you would also enjoy this amazing atmosphere and delicious dishes in the Famoso Fusion.