A review needs more than a list of features. Readers want to understand what those features mean for their own experience and whether the subject is worth considering.
The review-writing guidance in Cambridge B2 First Writing Success connects description, evaluation and recommendation. Use that sequence to make your next practice review more useful.
Choose details that support a judgement
For a fictional study café, the colour of every chair is unlikely to matter. Table space, noise and opening hours may be more relevant to someone deciding where to work. Select details according to the reader described in your task.
Original review revision
Description: “The café has large tables.”
Evaluation: “The large tables give visitors room for a laptop and notebook, although the music can make concentrated reading difficult.”
Explain praise and criticism
“Excellent” and “disappointing” are judgements without explanations. Give a specific observation so that the reader can understand your view. Keep the criticism proportionate: one noisy afternoon does not establish that a place is always unsuitable.
Write a targeted recommendation
Details: Comfortable seating, lively atmosphere, limited quiet space.
Possible recommendation: “I would recommend it for meeting a study partner, but readers who need silence may prefer somewhere quieter.”
The recommendation follows from the details instead of declaring the café perfect for everyone.
Keep summary and opinion in balance
If you spend the whole response describing a film's plot, little space remains for evaluating it. Give enough context to make your comments understandable, then explain the features that shape your judgement.
For a final check, highlight description, evaluation and recommendation in different ways. If one is missing, revise the relevant paragraph rather than adding an unrelated closing sentence. Follow the specific prompt and its requested length.
Explore Cambridge B2 First Writing — Course 1 to see the course outline, current availability and enrolment options. Use the worked exercise above to identify a skill you would like to practise next.
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Cambridge B2 First Writing — Course 1
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Source: 1 b2 first.epub, Jobins Training. Examples labelled original or illustrative were written for this article. Independent exam preparation; no affiliation with or endorsement by the examining body. Practice does not predict an official score.