How to Write a Good Critique Paper: 25 Killer Tips + Examples

(votes: 22)

It has happened, perhaps for the very first time in your university education. You have
been given an assignment and now you are wondering how to write a critique. You feel
the panic rising because you aren’t sure you can pull it off.

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Here’s the thing:

Writing a critical essay is really no big deal! When learning how to write a critique paper,
you will find it is nothing more than a critical analysis of a specific topic. As long as you
take it step-by-step, you will get through it just fine and you’ll see there is nothing to
worry about.

But before we get into the ins and outs of writing a good critique, bookmark Custom-
writing.org and let’s take a quick peek at the history of the critique.

CONTENTS (clickable)

1.  History of Critique Writing

2.  The Modern Critique

3.  Tips for writing a critique

4.  Dos and Don’ts of Critique Writing

5.  How to Write a Critique

6.  Critique Example

7.  Final Thoughts

1.     History of Critique Writing

The critique began during the Renaissance, when the arts began to criticize the Church.
One of the masters of comedic drama, Jean-Baptiste Molière, was one of the few
people to continue creating dramatic works even though the Church labeled is as anti-
Christian. After Molière wrote his comedy Tartuffe (aka. the Hypocrite), which deeply
criticized the Church, the priests targeted Molière and his work. Even the king couldn’t
protect Molière once this comedy hit the stage.

But this was just the beginning:

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It wasn’t until German philosopher Immanuel Kant brought critique into the realm of
theory that we came close to our modern method of critique. In his aesthetic work called
Critique of Judgment, he examined the viability and logic behind “judgments of taste.”
Based on his aesthetic theory, a lot of works on writing critiques came into being and
the critique carried on to make a name for itself in the 21 st century, a time that turned
aesthetics into commerce and shaped critiques into what we know them as today. Now
it’s time to learn how to write a critique today.

2.     The Modern Critique

The best way to explain the how to write a critique today is to provide a critique
definition. Now, if you are getting ready to bury someone’s work, you truly
do not understand what you are expected to do.

A critique is really nothing more than a critical analysis and the word “analysis” does not
have a negative meaning. “To analyze” just means to understand something better and
that is all you are doing when you write a critical essay, trying to understand it and
present an evaluation. Critical essays are objective evaluations of or a critical response
to an author’s work, and as such, they can be either positive or negative, as the work
deserves. Queensland University of Technology offers a great explanation of a critique.

3.     The Following Are General Tips When Writing a Critique

1. A critique is often assigned to analyze a work of literature, such as an essay, a
book, poetry, etc. However, paintings, movies, and so on can also be the subject
of your critical analysis.
2. When writing a critique, you can also introduce your opinion on a subject and
make your own judgment.
3. Always provide reasonable and convincing arguments. Your assertions and
judgments are worth nothing if they are not backed up with supporting
arguments.
4. Be sure to use an impartial tone.
You can evaluate the chosen piece of literature in several ways. Pick the one you feel
more comfortable with from the following:

 Descriptive critical essays examine texts or other works. Their primary focus is
usually on certain features of a work and it is common to compare and contrast a
given work to a classic example of the genre to which it belongs.
  Evaluative critical essays provide an estimate of the value of the work. Was it as
good as you expected based on the recommendations or do you feel your time
would have been better spent on something else?
 Interpretive essays provide your readers answers that relate to the meaning of
the work in question. To do this, you must select a method of determining the
meaning, read/watch/observe the work according to this method, and put forth an
argument.

There are also different types of critiques and Goshen College provides a great

explanation of each of these. The University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill also
discusses the types of critique and appropriate critique language.

You should also take these tips into consideration:

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5. A critique can be somewhat confusing when you don’t know how to link it to your
thesis. If you see that your writing is taking you nowhere, consider consulting with
someone, or choose another object for your investigation.
6. Even if you disliked the work you have chosen to analyze, be polite. Your reader
will want to get a sophisticated point of view.

4.     Dos and Don’ts of Critique Writing

Essentially, your paper has to do justice to the author’s or creator’s work. You will be
providing a detailed examination of the main theme and organization of a book, article,
movie, artwork or whatever you are assigned to critique. In your critique, you will
summarize, analyze, interpret and evaluate the work.

Do address these issues in your critique:

7. Has the author/creator chosen a good topic and done an adequate job collecting
evidence?
8. What techniques were used by the author/creator to convey the primary
message of the critique? Were these techniques successful?
9. Does the author’s/creator’s style adequately suit the topic being covered?
Don’t:

10. Pay an unwarranted amount of attention to the topic presented by the

author/creator. For example, the article’s topic might be positive thinking, but this
is not the focus of the paper. The topic should be stated briefly in the summary,
but the primary focus is how the topic is dealt with by the author.
11. Express your personal bias or opinion throughout the paper. You are permitted to
give your opinion, but only in the critical response section (it is preceded by
summary and analysis).
12. Manufacture false evidence so you can discuss the author’s work in a negative
light. Remember, critical essays can be either positive or negative, whichever is
more suitable.

5.     How to Write a Critique

Now we get down to the real work. Critical essays are a regular assignment in English
classes. Some teachers prefer to provide the topic and sometimes even specify the
thesis; others leave the choice up to you. It doesn’t matter if you are wondering:

 How to write an article critique

 How to write a literature critique
 How to write a journal critique
 How to write a critique of a research paper
 How to critique a quantitative research study
 How to write a critique on a movie
 How to write a critique on a book
 How to write a critique on a play
 How to write a critique essay of any other type

The same general guidelines apply to all of them. No matter what the requirements are
the complete list of guidelines on essay writing below will help you to succeed in writing
a good critique.

But first things first:

Before getting started on writing a custom critical essay, you need to do a couple of
important preparation steps:
 13. Read the book that you’ve chosen (make sure it’s something you like), preferably
twice. If you don’t have time or desire to read the book twice, study it once, but
thoroughly and take detailed notes.
14. Mark the places you will talk about in your critical response essay. Bookmarks or
sticky flags can be very handy.

The main parts of good critical response essays are:

 Summary: This should be brief and to the point. Only the author’s/creator’s main
ideas and arguments should be included.
 Analysis/interpretation: Discuss what the author’s/creator’s primary goal was and
determine whether or not this goal was reached successfully. Use the evidence
you have gathered to argue whether or not the author/creator achieved was
adequately convincing (remember there should be no personal bias in this
discussion).
 Evaluation/response: it is at this point that your readers are ready to read your
objective response to the work. Your response should be professional, yet you
should include your critical responses in a way that they are entertaining to read.
Do not hesitate to use strong language. You can say that the work you analysed
was weak and poorly-structured if that is the case, but keep in mind that you
have to have evidence to back up your claim.
These main parts of a critique are laid out in a certain format, as follows:

Let’s take a look:

The introduction is how to start a critique paper. It launches the critique, setting the
stage for your analysis. Here are some tips to follow when writing your introduction:

15. Here you will provide the reader with a brief synopsis of the main points of the
work you are critiquing, which will be followed by a careful analysis of the
meaning of the work.
16. State your general opinion of the work, as this will act as your thesis statement.
The ideal situation is that you identify and use a thesis that is controversial.
17. Remember that you will uncover a lot of basic information about the work you are
critiquing and it is important that you don’t make use of all of it, providing the
reader with information that is unnecessary in the context of your critique. If you
are writing about Shakespeare, you don’t have to waste your or your reader’s
time going through all of his works.

The body of the critique contains the supporting paragraphs. This is where you will
provide the facts that prove your main idea and support your thesis. Follow these tips
when writing the body of your critique:

18. Every paragraph must focus on a precise concept that is present in the work and
your job is to include arguments to support or disprove that concept. Concrete
evidence is required.
 19. A critical essay is written in the third-person and ensures the reader is presented
with an objective analysis.
20. Discuss whether or not the author/creator was able to achieve their goals and
adequately get their point across.
21. It is important not to confuse facts and opinions. An opinion is a personal thought
and requires confirmation, whereas a fact is supported by solid data and requires
no further proof. Do not back up one opinion with another opinion.
22. Remember that your purpose is to provide the reader with an understanding of a
particular piece of literature or other work from your point of view. Be as specific,
as possible.

You will need to write a conclusion for your critique. The conclusion reasserts your
overall general opinion of the ideas presented in the text and ensures there is no doubt
in the reader’s mind as to what you believe and why. Follow these tips when writing
your conclusion:

23. Summarize the analysis you provided in the body of the critique.
24. Summarize the primary reasons you provided the analysis.
25. Where appropriate, provide recommendations on how the work you critiqued can
be improved.

For more details on how to write a critique, check out the information provided
by Bowling Green State University and the University of Calgary. You will also find a
great critique template provided by Thompson Rivers University.
If you want more information on essay writing in general, take a look at the Essay
Checklist and the Secrets of Essay Writing.

6.     Critique Example

With all of the information and tips provided above, your way will become clearer when
you have a solid example of a critique essay. Here is a critical response to The Yellow
Wallpaper, written by Charlotte Perkins Gilman:

When speaking of feminist literature that is prominent and manages to touch on

incredibly controversial issues, The Yellow Wallpaper is the first book that comes to
mind. Written from a first-person perspective, magnifying the effect of the narrative, the
short story by Charlotte Perkins Gilman introduces the reader to the problem of the
physical and mental health of the women of the 19th century. However, the message
that is intended to concern feminist ideas is rather subtle. Written in the form of several
diary entries, the novel offers a mysterious plot, and at the same time, shockingly
realistic details.

What really stands out about the novel is the fact that the reader is never really sure
how much of the story takes place in reality and how much of it happens in the
psychotic mind of the protagonist. In addition, the novel contains a plethora of
description that contributes to the strain and enhances the correlation between the
atmosphere and the protagonist’s fears: “The color is repellent, almost revolting; a
smoldering unclean yellow, strangely faded by the slow-turning sunlight” (Gilman).

Despite Gilman’s obvious intent to make the novel a feminist story with a dash of thriller
thrown in, the result is instead a thriller with a dash of feminism, as Allen (2009)
explains. However, there is no doubt that the novel is a renowned classic. Offering a
perfect portrayal of the 19th century stereotypes, it is a treasure that is certainly worth
the read.

7.     Final Thoughts

Seeing an example of a critique is so helpful. You can find many other examples of a
critique paper at the University of Minnesota and John Hopkins University. Plus, you
can check out this video for a great explanation of how to write a critique.
 Before you start writing, it is important to have a thorough understanding of the work
that will be critiqued.
 Study the work under discussion.
 Make notes on key parts of the work.
 Develop an understanding of the main argument or purpose being expressed in the
work. 
 Consider how the work relates to a broader issue or context.
There are a variety of ways to structure a critique. You should always check your unit
materials or blackboard site for guidance from your lecturer.  The following template,
which showcases the main features of a critique, is provided as one example.
Introduction
Typically, the introduction is short (less than 10% of the word length) and you should:
 Name the work being reviewed as well as the date it was created and the name of
the author/creator.  
 Describe the main argument or purpose of the work.
 Explain the context in which the work was created.  This could include the social or
political context, the place of the work in a creative or academic tradition, or the
relationship between the work and the creator’s life experience. 
 Have a concluding sentence that signposts what your evaluation of the work will be.
For instance, it may indicate whether it is a positive, negative, or mixed evaluation.
Summary
Briefly summarise the main points and objectively describe how the creator portrays
these  by using  techniques, styles, media, characters or symbols.  This summary
should not be the focus of the critique and is usually shorter than the critical evaluation.
Critical evaluation
This section should give a systematic and detailed assessment of the different elements
of the work, evaluating how well the creator was able to achieve the purpose through
these.  For example: you would assess the plot structure, characterisation and setting of
a novel; an assessment of a painting would look at composition, brush strokes, colour
and light; a critique of a research project would look at subject selection, design of the
experiment, analysis of data and conclusions.    
A critical evaluation does not simply highlight negative impressions. It should
deconstruct the work and identify both strengths and weaknesses. It should examine
the work and evaluate its success, in light of its purpose.
Examples of key critical questions that could help your assessment include:
 Who is the creator? Is the work presented objectively or subjectively?
 What are the aims of the work? Were the aims achieved?
 What techniques, styles, media were used in the work?  Are they effective in
portraying the purpose? 
 What assumptions underlie the work? Do they affect its validity?
 What types of evidence or persuasion are used? Has evidence been interpreted
fairly?
 How is the work structured?  Does it favour a particular interpretation or point of
view? Is it effective?
 Does the work enhance understanding of key ideas or theories? Does the work
engage (or fail to engage) with key concepts or other works in its discipline?
 This evaluation is written in formal academic style and logically presented. Group and
order your ideas into paragraphs. Start with the broad impressions first and then move
into the details of the technical elements.   For shorter critiques, you may discuss the
strengths of the works, and then the weaknesses. In longer critiques, you may wish to
discuss the positive and negative of each key critical question in individual paragraphs.
To support the evaluation, provide evidence from the work itself, such as a quote or
example, and you should also cite evidence from related sources. Explain how this
evidence supports your evaluation of the work.
Conclusion
This is usually a very brief paragraph, which includes:
 A statement indicating the overall evaluation of the work
 A summary of the key reasons, identified during the critical evaluation, why this
evaluation was formed.
 In some circumstances, recommendations for improvement on the work may be
appropriate.