14 December,2023
Table of Contents
If you ever had a slice of pizza and thought, “Man, that’s yummy,” you have completed the first bit of your evaluation. Now, you have to work on the other factors that make the pizza delicious, such as the crust’s crispiness, the types of toppings, and the freshness of the cheese, to develop your entire evaluation. And with the basics ready, crafting an evaluation essay can become as easy as a pie. In this blog, we will discuss everything you need to know about how to write an evaluation essay so you develop a clear idea of such type of essay writing.
An evaluation essay is a type of writing where you need to validate the quality of a particular item, context, book, business, movie, product, etc, from the point of comparison. For example, let’s stick to the pizza theme. What are the key components of a delicious pizza? What, according to you, makes a good topping or crust? How does the pizza taste compared to your ideal pizza?
Before you learn how to write an evaluation essay, it’s important to understand the purpose of an evaluation is to present an overall view of a specific product, service, or context. Naturally, these essays are subjective as they highlight your feelings about the subject of discussion. However, you need to provide some contextual evidence to back your opinion so your essay does not seem biased or opinionated. A good evaluation is always unbiased, fact-based, and reasonable.
A lot of students tend to mix critical essays with evaluation papers as both look into the “good” and “bad” aspects of a topic. But the main difference lies with the word “analysis” itself. A critical analysis essay focuses on a topic in depth, using other texts as a supporting context. For example, when analysing a poem, you read it thoroughly and dig into different diction, metaphors, and word choices. On the contrary, an evaluation essay doesn’t demand such detailed reading. It’s pretty straightforward. For instance, if you are evaluating a poem, you’ll look for the poet’s word choice and metaphors to suggest whether the poem is good or bad.
You must consider the three notable aspects of writing good evaluations: evaluation criteria, judgment, and evidence. Criteria demonstrate what can be expected as an outcome for the evaluated component while ensuring the papers don’t become too opinionated. Judgment comes when the criteria are met. Finally, evidence is all the information used to back the judgment. Let’s take a deeper look at these three elements:
The criteria are where you choose the primary context of evaluation. They will help you to determine the ideal examples and their key characteristics. For example, your general expectation for a restaurant is good food, hygienic set-up, pocket pinch, and location. Once you have these factors, you can easily evaluate the restaurant.
In the judgment section, you establish whether the primacy benchmarks have been met. Sticking to our restaurant example, you will start evaluating factors like whether the restaurant has good food at an affordable price or meets the hygiene standards.
Evidence is vital for advocating your judgment. Taking our restaurant example, if you evaluate the food quality, you should be prepared to provide strong supportive evidence to back your conclusion.
Note: Discuss different criteria in different paragraphs while structuring your evaluation essay outline. Each section should have a complete explanation of the criterion, solid, relevant judgments, and supportive evidence.
One of the most common mistakes writers tend to make is that they assume writing an evaluation essay is similar to writing a review. Although both types of papers have some similarities, there are several significant differences between the two. Look at the table below to understand the differences:
| Differentiating Factors | Evaluation Essay | Review |
| Types of Analysis | A thorough analysis to get a detailed perspective | It gives a general view of the topic without extensive analysis |
| Opinions | Unbiased opinions and claims backed by supporting evidence | It focuses entirely on the writer’s opinion and requires no evidence. |
| Set Criteria | The use of a defined set of criteria is necessary for the evaluation. | It does not require any specific criteria, and the writer can offer their personal opinion on any aspect of the topic. |
| Evidence | Must contain relevant evidence supporting the judgments made | No evidence is required. |
| References | Citing or referencing sources may be necessary to increase credibility. | It does not require references. |
A well-written evaluation essay is well-organised, relevant, easy to read, accurately structured, and critical. Even though there’s no exact evaluation essay outline for writing an evaluation, you can follow a typical 5-paragraph essay format to develop your essay, focusing on the main components: your opinion, the criteria you use to judge a subject, and the evidence to support the subject. So, the evaluation essay outline will look somewhat like this:
1.Introduction
Hook (interesting fact, quote, anecdote, etc.)
Thesis statement (the main idea of your paper)
The list of criteria (parts of the topic that will focus on the body paragraph)
2.Body Paragraph
Your first criterion (topic sentence)
How does the subject match with the criterion?
Supporting evidence
3.Body Paragraph
Your first criterion (topic sentence)
How does the subject match with the criterion?
Supporting evidence
4.Body Paragraph
Your first criterion (topic sentence)
How does the subject match with the criterion?
Supporting evidence
5.Conclusion
Restatement of the thesis
Closing statement (is there any scope for improvement? Does your opinion address bigger questions?)
This is only a sample outline; you can twerk it according to your essay requirements. Here are a few things you should remember while writing your evaluation:
Writing the Introduction
Like any other essay, your introduction should have the attention-grabbing factor while suggesting your paper’s primary objective. The opening sentence should be engaging and tempt readers to read further. The thesis statement is critical to your essay as it highlights your overall judgment of the topic. For instance, if your evaluation essay is on movies, your thesis should point out the important details from the movie so the readers can easily determine whether they agree or disagree with your point. Check our movie evaluation essay help example to get a clear idea.
Writing the Body Paragraphs
It’s a general writing rule that each body paragraph should begin with a topic sentence. Hence, readers have basic information about the topic and can determine whether they agree with the evaluation. Each body section should include a logical evaluation description, focusing on your opinion, criteria, and evidence. Try to include specific examples instead of the general ones. Here are some suggestions to consider while crafting body sections:
1. If the context of your evaluation argument essay focuses on a book and its negative, include proof highlighting the negative elements and describe what made you feel that way.
2. Try to consider the opposite viewpoint to show that you have considered an alternative viewpoint and your opinion is not biased.
3. Include personal experience evaluating a book, movie, or service to show firsthand experience.
4. Consider referring to evaluations of other writers or researchers and evaluation essay examples to learn about different perspectives and find more points that you didn’t know earlier
If your main focus is a product or service, consider using reviews from other customers. You can talk to your family, friends, and acquaintances to learn about their views on the particular service/product.
5. Compare the elements of the chosen context with other similar kinds of work. For example, you can compare two books from the same series by one author to differentiate the elements.
6. Study the usual expectations of a subject and organise the examples to highlight the differences and reality.
Writing the Conclusion
The concluding paragraph should focus on your actual experience, like telling whether or not it met your expectations. Write a cohesive conclusion, establishing and reinforcing your arguments for the readers. Remember, your evaluation essay conclusion has two main purposes: restating the main evidence supporting your point and leaving your readers in support of your standpoint.
An evaluation essay allows a writer to see how a specific concept works. You gain insight into the criteria you wish to evaluate with your writing. It should have reasonable evidence for readers to form their opinions. Now, the question is how to start a compelling evaluation essay. Well, you don’t have to worry about how to start an evaluation essay if you consider the following points:
Pick a topic: You may write a self-evaluation or evaluation argument essay. Regardless of what it is, you must provide a critical judgment based on a series of criteria. Therefore, be careful while choosing a topic. Take time and research the topic to find valid information.
Develop your argument: Define your essay goal in your thesis statement. It should be clear and help readers to distinguish between criteria and related illustrations. Ensure you cite the quality or lack thereof of the topic you write about.
Focus on the criteria: If you need help to evaluate the chosen topic, consider reviewing multiple points of interest to ease writing.
Gather related evidence: With your essay, you are judging a topic. Hence, you should present your opinion in such a way, using suitable evidence so others can easily form an opinion of their own.
Now that you know how to begin an evaluation essay, look at the step-by-step guide on writing the entire paper.
Step 1: Develop the evaluation criteria
Understand that your readers are less familiar with the topic than you. Hence, you need to indicate what you have evaluated and why. Describing why this setting is important and how it affects you is crucial.
Step 2: Create a writing plan
Once you have researched evaluation essay topics and chosen the best one, write a plan to organise the entire process. Divide your paper and decide how much time you need to complete each section. Try to keep enough time for research. You need to obtain enough data to draw the necessary conclusion. Consider drawing a plan to determine how you would discuss them in your paper.
Step 3: Write the Introduction
Your essay introduction is the first impression your readers create of you, so your aim should be to create a strong one. It should be attention-grabbing and make readers curious to know what you want to say about the topic. Therefore, you must implement the following factors while crafting the introductory paragraph:
An interesting hook
Background information about the topic
A strong thesis statement to establish to purpose of the paper
Here’s the introduction of an evaluation essay example to help you understand how to pen down yours:
| Title: Online Education: An Innovative Measure for Shaping MindsAs advanced educational technologies are taking the industry by storm, more and more students rely on digital learning platforms to explore personalised learning opportunities. This evaluation paper will dive into the realm of online learning platforms, specifically analysing two notable platforms, “MyAssignmentHelp” and “TopHomeworkHelper.” In this fast-paced era, when technology is ruling every sector of life, understanding the benefits of online learning through these platforms is imperative. This exploration will shed light on how online education platforms nurture young minds and shape careers with innovative learning measures. |
Step 4: Complete the Body Paragraphs
Generally, the body paragraphs comprise three paragraphs, each representing a new criterion. Each paragraph should be well-connected and maintain a smooth flow so readers can easily follow the story. Here are the things you should not miss including in the body sections:
A topic sentence presenting your judgment of the topic
Supporting evidence backing the topic sentence and your stand
A balanced evaluative argument without biases
Comparison and contrast of the subject to another, showing the strengths and weaknesses
Presentation of the evaluation from multiple perspectives, including both positive and critical
Use suitable transitional words to create connections between paragraphs and maintain a coherent flow
Step 5: Finish with a Strong Conclusion
Your conclusion is the last chance for you to convince your readers of your strand of the argument. Summarise and conclude the paper and present the final evaluation. For instance, if you are evaluating a self-evaluation sample essay by a famous female poet, you should be able to restate which evaluation of her essay is most accurate and why. Therefore, to make sure the closing paragraph of your evaluation essay leaves your readers convinced, consider the following elements:
Summarise the key points and evaluative essay!
arguments from the body sections
Justify the thesis statement
Write a concrete concluding line to convince your readers
How not to conclude?
do not summarise or paraphrase the entire essay. Briefly state the argument.
Avoid using phrases like ‘in summary,’ ‘in closing,’ etc. Such phrases are useful for oral presentations, not writing.
Do not be apologetic for knowing what you know. Avoid phrases like ‘this is only one approach’ or ‘there may be better ways’ if you feel reservations about the content you have created.
Step 6: Proofread, Revise, and Edit
The final step of essay writing is proofreading and editing. Give enough time to read and re-read your content. Re-reading your essay will help you identify unintentional mistakes, and you can make the necessary edits to enhance the overall quality.
An evaluation essay usually follows the standard writing guidelines. You can use the specified formatting guideline or opt for any of the popular formatting styles like MLA, Chicago, or Harvard. If not, you can stick to these general formatting guidelines:
Font and Size: Use fonts like Times New Roman or Arial, and font size 12-pt
Margins: One-inch margins on all sides
Spacing: Double-space the entire document, including the title, headings, and body sections
Title: Create an interesting essay title focusing on the subject and the evaluation purpose; centre the title and use title case
Header: Make a header with your last name and page number in the top right corner—for example: “Last Name Page Number” (e.g., “Peterson 11”).
Citations (if asked): Include citations for sources in the specified/required citation style
Counterargument (if required): Label and present a well-reasoned counterargument
References (if asked): Include a separate page for references and list them using the right citation style
1.Carefully read the source materials and plan well before writing to avoid unnecessary rewriting before submission.
2.Read each paragraph before starting with the next one to organise your ideas. Also, this will help you to identify if you have missed any important points.
3.Avoid discussing points that are solely interesting to you. Even though you want to explore the idea you like, remember that your target readers may not be as interested in the context as you.
4.Don’t ignore evaluating the negative aspects of your topic. A good evaluation covers both advantages and disadvantages.
5.Stick to one tone throughout the essay. Do not switch from being cheerful to gloomy. If you choose an informative tone, use the same to write the entire paper.
6.If you are writing an evaluation argument essay on a book or article, always highlight the mistakes the writers have made. Refer to some evaluation argument essay examples before writing your piece.
7.Express all feelings but avoid describing minor details. Repetitive information, a lack of reasoning and retelling of the same facts will affect the quality of your paper.
8.Read the evaluation essay examples published on different academic websites. Opt for sites with high user ratings to gain access to quality write-ups with polished vocabulary, use of imaginative expressions, relevant facts, humour, and so on.
9.Concisely express your thoughts and opinions.
If you refer to evaluation essay examples online, you will find one common factor: interesting topics. Yes, a good topic plays a huge factor in the success of your paper. Hence, if you don’t have good ideas for your paper and need suggestions, refer to the following ideas. Each idea is resourceful, and you can mould them per your preference.
1. How is Artificial intelligence a double-edged sword?
2. Online teaching vs. on-campus teaching styles
3. Evaluate the Indian football team and their performance with any international team.
4. Is media a threat to cultural preservation or a source of exploitation?
5. Recorded music and live performance – Compare and evaluate
6. Evaluate how university activities impact students’ personalities
7. Write a movie evaluation essay with an example focusing on a remake of an original movie you have watched recently
8. The role of females and males in 21st-century romantic comedies – analyse the differences
9. Evaluate your favourite book, its characters, weaknesses, and everything
10. Critically evaluate gender disparities in job sectors
With this detailed explanation, you must have learned the ins and outs of writing an interesting evaluation essay. However, writing an engaging paper in the first attempt may not be as easy as you think. That is why getting professional help may become necessary. Fortunately, you can trust MyAssignmenthelp.com for any academic writing. Whether you need self-evaluation essay examples or want personalised guidance with argumentative essay writing, you can trust our professional writers for assistance with all types of essays and evaluation papers. So why wait any longer? Let us handle your writing worries and help you get the grades you have always dreamt of.
Hi, I am Mark, a Literature writer by profession. Fueled by a lifelong passion for Literature, story, and creative expression, I went on to get a PhD in creative writing. Over all these years, my passion has helped me manage a publication of my write ups in prominent websites and e-magazines. I have also been working part-time as a writing expert for myassignmenthelp.com for 5+ years now. It’s fun to guide students on academic write ups and bag those top grades like a pro. Apart from my professional life, I am a big-time foodie and travel enthusiast in my personal life. So, when I am not working, I am probably travelling places to try regional delicacies and sharing my experiences with people through my blog.
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