Review

TASK:
➔ Write a review about a book/story/TV series/show/restaurant.
➔ You decide what you will review.
➔ Follow the organization.
➔ It can be a positive, negative, or balanced review. You have to make a
recommendation at the end, which could be positive or negative.
➔ 140-190 Words.

STRUCTURE:
➔ Film/book/TV review:
- Introduction: Name of the film or book, who the author or director is,
when it was released.
- 1st Paragraph: A brief synopsis but no spoilers.
- 2nd Paragraph: Things you liked and/or disliked.
- Conclusion: Indicate if your overall impression is positive or negative.
Make a recommendation positive or negative.
➔ Restaurant/hotel/shop review:
- Introduction: Name of the restaurant or hotel, where it is located, who is
the head chef, the cuisine served.
- 1st Paragraph: Service
- 2nd Paragraph: Menu, food.
- Conclusion: Indicate if your overall impression is positive or negative.
Make a recommendation positive or negative.
USEFUL PHRASES:
➔ Introduction:
- The film/book is directed/written by…
- It is set in (place) in the (year).
- It tells the story of…
- The main character is…
- It stars (actor) as (character)
- The story begins with…
- The plot focuses on
➔ Giving an opinion
- One of its strengths/weaknesses is…
- It is full of humour/action/suspense
- The (acting, ej) is outstanding/disappointing.
- The best/worst part of the … is when…
- My favourite thing about… is…
- The only criticism I would make is that…
- One thing I wasn’t keen on was…
➔ Characteristics:
 -
The film/series has an all star cast.
-
The acting is believable/excellent/disappointing/unconvincing.
-
The plot is
gripping/dramatic/fascinating/predictable/dull/unimaginative.
- The film/book is brilliantly written/directed.
➔ Making a recommendation:
- It is definitely worth seeing.
- I would recommend it to…
- It will appeal to…
- … are sure to enjoy it.
- I strongly advise you (not) to…
- Everyone should see/read immediately!

EXAMPLE:

Article
• Talk about a topic that we like or that we are familiar with, but it must also entertain
the reader.
•Personal piece of writing, so you can speak in the first person.
•You can also address the reader directly in the second person (you, your) and can
make jokes if you think they are appropriate.
•Your tone must be relaxed, making use of phrasal verbs and other colloquial
expressions.
•Use rhetorical questions and exclamation marks to engage the reader. }
•Put a title.
•Organize your ideas into paragraphs.
•The word limit is 140-190 words
•Spend 40 minutes on the task:
- 5 minutes to plan
- 30 minutes to write
- 5 minutes to check your work.

STRUCTURE:
➔ Title: Capture the reader's attention.
➔ 1st Paragraph: Introduction → Present the topic in a general way, make it
interesting. You also need to make it clear what the article is about
➔ 2nd Paragraph: Subtask 1 → Develop your main point with reasons and
examples.
➔ 3rd Paragraph: Subtask 2 → Develop your final key point with reasons and
examples. You can include a recommendation here or in the conclusion.
➔ Conclusion: Summarize your main points and make a recommendation if you
haven’t already. Speak directly to the reader by using a question to keep them
thinking about your message.

USEFUL PHRASES:
➔ Rhetorical questions:
- Have you ever …?
- Do you ever wonder…?
- Are you one of those people who…?
- What would you say if it told you that…?
- Imagine a world in which…
➔ Introduction new ideas:
- To begin with, …
- Let 's start with…
- The coolest thing about… is…
- What attracts me most about… is…
- Another thing to consider is…
- Secondly…
- In addition to…
- Moreover,
➔ Giving your own opinion:
 - I think that/In my opinion…
- It seems to me that…
- If you ask me that…
- If you ask me, …
- To my mind…
➔ Concluding the article:
- In conclusion,
- On the whole,
- To sum up,
- To conclude,
- All in all,

EXAMPLE:

Informal Letter
•You may have to give advice, or provide information about a certain topic.
•Informal writing → contractions are fine, but avoiding slang expressions.
•140-190 words.

STRUCTURE:
 ➔ Opening formula: Hi…
➔ Introduction: Thank you for your letter- it was nice to hear from you! …
➔ Paragraph 1: Subtask 1 → Deal with the first point included in the question with
reasons and examples.
➔ Paragraph 2: Subtask 2.
➔ Paragraph 3: Subtask 3
➔ Closing paragraph: Before saying goodbye, make up an excuse to ‘leave’
➔ Friendly close: All my love,
➔ Signature: Your name.

USEFUL LANGUAGE:
➔ Greetings:
- Dear …,
- Hello…,
- Hi …,
➔ Introduction:
- How is it going?
- How are you doing?
- It is great to hear from you!
- Sorry I haven’t written for ages, but…
- I’m really sorry it’s taken me so long to get back to you.
➔ Reacting to good/bad news:
- I’m glad to hear that…
- Geat news about your…
- I’m very happy/sorry to hear about…
- Sorry to read about…
➔ Introducing paragraphs:
- Well, first things first
- One more thing.
- As for…
- Oh, by the way,
➔ Giving advice:
- Why don’t you…
- How about…
- It might be an idea to…
- You could always…
➔ Ending the letter:
- Well, I have to go now.
- Anyway, I should get going.
- Make sure you write soon
- Look after yourself
➔ Closing the letter:
- All my love,
 - Lots of love,
- All the best,

EXAMPLE:

Story
• Use colourful adjectives and adverbs, as well as many different verb tenses.
• Direct and reported speech → Direct: “I don’t know”, whispered John.
Reported speech: John whispered that he didn’t know.
• 140-190 words

STRUCTURE:
➔ Paragraph 1: Set the scene and introduce the main character.
➔ Paragraph 2: Introduce a twist to the story, for example a problem that the
protagonist must resolve
➔ Paragraph 3: The solution to the problem or a surprising ending → don’t end
your story with “Then Kate woke up and it was all a dream”.
USEFUL PHRASES:
➔ Time Expressions:
- Before/After/Later
- At first
- During/While/Meanwhile
- By the time
- Eventually
- Gradually
- Just then
- Suddenly
- As soon as
- Finally/In the end
➔ Adverbs:
- Fortunately/Luckily
- Thankfully
- Unfortunately
- Sadly
- Unexpectedly
➔ Different ways to say:
- Good → great - fantastic - excellent - brilliant - awesome.
- Bad → terrible - awful - rubbish - dreadful
- Interesting → fascinating - captivating
- Say → shout - whisper - exclaim - ask - suggest - warm - offer - promise.
- People’s feelings → enthusiastic - nervous - optimistic - puzzled -
relieved - determined.

EXAMPLE: