Education

1. English for Academic and Professional Purposes
Senior High School Applied - Academic
Unit 7: The Critique Paper
Lesson 1
Features and Structure of a
Critique Paper

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There are many
sources available
to us, but not all
of them are
useful to our
research. We use
a critique paper
to evaluate a
work. How do we
write one? What
are its features?
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3. Learning
Objectives
At the end of the
lesson, you should
be able to do the
following:
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● Understand the use and purpose of
a critique.
● Identify the features and structure of
a critique paper.
● Use specific sources to support
claims in a critique.

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1. What should we look for when
critiquing a work?
2. What are the important features
of a critique?
Essential
Questions
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What Is a Critique?
● A critique is a form of academic writing that
critically evaluates a work or text.
● It uses formal academic language and has an
introduction, body, and conclusion.
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● The purpose of a critique is to gauge the
contribution of the work to its field.
● It will help us develop further understanding of
the work’s subject area.
What Is a Critique?
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● It will help us be able to gauge the work’s
strengths and weaknesses, which parts were
effective or useful, and which parts were
lacking.
What Is a Critique?
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8. Tips
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A critique can be used to analyze
any number of works and texts.
These include, but are not limited to,
novels, movies, poems, journal
articles, news reports, and feature
articles.

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● A critique paper does not have to be restricted
to written works.
● It can be used to analyze paintings, exhibits,
music, and many more non-written works.
What Is a Critique?
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Example
Sample elements you can look at when analyzing
a painting:
● composition
● brush strokes
● use of color and light
What Is a Critique?
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How to Critique
● First, study the work being discussed.
● Identify its main idea, and find the key
evidence or elements used to support it.
● Take note of how the work connects to a
broader issue or context.
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● Analyze the categories of content, organization,
style, and correctness.
● In content, consider the topic.
○ Is it an appropriate, important, or interesting
study, especially considering the field it is
in?
○ How is the topic developed?
How to Critique
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● For organization, look at how the work is
begun and concluded.
○ Are the introduction and conclusion talking
about the same idea?
○ How is the work structured or ordered in
order to develop the idea?
○ Is it successful or confusing?
How to Critique
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● Style can refer to a number of things.
○ You can analyze the tone of the work.
○ You can also look at how the paragraphs are
written.
○ It can also refer to individual sentences.
How to Critique
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● Correctness refers to the following:
○ grammar
○ punctuation
○ spelling for written works
○ elements
○ form for other works
How to Critique
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16. Remember
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Depending on the form of the work,
some of these questions might not
be applicable. In the course of
analyzing a work for a critique, you
might have to omit some questions
or add some of your own.

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Features of a Critique
● As stated previously, a critique also follows the
structure of having an introduction, body,
and conclusion.
● Within the body, the summary and the critical
evaluation can be found.
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Introduction
Typically, the introduction should do the following:
● Name the work, the date it was made, and the creator’s
name.
● Describe the main idea or purpose of the work.
● Explain the context of the work being critiqued.
● Have a concluding sentence that hints at what your
evaluation of the work will be.
Features of a Critique
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Example 1
Juan dela Cruz, a senior high school student,
conducted an experiment comparing the effects of
rubbing alcohol, plain soap, and antibacterial soap
when used to wash hands. He wrote a paper titled
“Washing Our Hands: Which Method Is the Best?”
wherein he talked about the findings of his experiment,
and it was published on March 16, 2020.
Features of a Critique
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He wanted to find out which of the three would be most
effective in removing germs and bacteria from our
hands, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Overall, the research paper effectively discusses the
pros and cons of these handwashing techniques, and it
was written in a time when it is very relevant.
Features of a Critique
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Body
● The body of the critique is where the summary
and critical evaluation are located.
● This should also contain the bulk of your
critique.
Features of a Critique
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● The summary briefly enumerates and explains
the main points and objectively describes how
the creator portrays these by using varied
techniques, styles, media, characters, or
symbols.
Features of a Critique
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● The critical evaluation should give a
systematic and detailed assessment of the
different elements of the work.
● Evaluate how well the creator was able to
achieve their purpose through these elements.
Features of a Critique
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● Be sure to support your claims and arguments
with other sources.
● Quote or paraphrase information from other
sources that could prove why the work you are
critiquing has certain strengths or weaknesses.
Features of a Critique
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25. Remember
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A critical evaluation should not only
highlight the weaknesses of a work.
Pay attention to all the details of the
work and assess its strengths as
well. It should examine a work and
evaluate its success in light of its
purpose.

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● The critical evaluation should be written in a
formal academic style.
● A good logical order to follow would be to start
with broad and general impressions first before
moving on to the details of the more technical
elements.
Features of a Critique
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● To support your evaluation, be sure to provide
evidence from the work itself, using quotes and
examples from it as necessary.
● You should also cite ideas and supporting
evidence from related works, and then explain
how the evidence supports your evaluation of
the work.
Features of a Critique
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Here are some examples of key critical questions that you can
ask when writing your critical evaluation:
● 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, or media were used in the work?
Are they effective in portraying the purpose?
Features of a Critique
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● 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 favor a
particular interpretation or point of view? Is it
effective?
Features of a Critique
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● Does the work enhance understanding of key
ideas or theories?
● Does the work engage with key concepts or
other works in its discipline?
Features of a Critique
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Example 2
Dela Cruz presents the results of his experiment
succinctly and clearly, ensuring that many readers can
easily access and understand his research. This is
important, as his work aims to inform as many people as
possible on what type of soap should be used when
washing hands, especially in the time of a pandemic.
Features of a Critique
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Dela Cruz also presents his methodology and findings fairly,
avoiding any sort of bias toward a particular method of
handwashing. However, he is not able to explain how he
chose these three particular methods of handwashing for
testing. It is not clear if it is because they are the three most
effective methods, the only methods available to the public,
or the only ones that can be properly tested.
Features of a Critique
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The results of his experiment prove that ordinary or plain soap
is best used for washing hands. Despite antibacterial soap
appearing to be more powerful and effective on the surface, it
has many disadvantages that ultimately place it as less useful
than plain soap. The results of dela Cruz’s experiment can be
backed up by research. A study by Jane Doe states that
antibacterial soap has no proven additional benefits to plain
soap (2019).
Features of a Critique
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Dela Cruz’s results show that using antibacterial soap
does not eliminate more germs or bacteria than
regular soap. In addition, Doe also states that
antibacterial soap contains chemicals such as
triclosan that can be harmful to both the human skin
and the environment (2019).
Features of a Critique
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The experiment also reveals that antibacterial
soap becomes weaker as it is constantly used. In
a similar experiment, Dr. Mark Santos has proven
that germs can develop immunities to repeated
use of antibacterial soap (2017).
Features of a Critique
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Meanwhile, plain soap or even antibacterial soap is more
effective than rubbing alcohol, since it is not capable of killing
all kinds of germs, as proven by dela Cruz’s experiment.
Furthermore, in an infographic released by the World Health
Organization (WHO), rubbing alcohol and hand sanitizers are
only quick alternatives to handwashing. If people can wash
their hands instead of using rubbing alcohol, it would be much
more ideal (2018).
Features of a Critique
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Conclusion
This is usually a very brief paragraph and should include the
following:
● a statement indicating the evaluation of the work
● a summary of the key reasons why this evaluation was
formed
● recommendations for improvement on the work if
appropriate
Features of a Critique
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Example 3
Overall, dela Cruz’s paper was well-crafted, as he was able to
intensively explain why using plain soap is the most effective
handwashing method. His experiment was detailed and focused, his
analysis of the results was backed up by reliable data, and his paper
was very relevant to its context. If it could still be improved, one
recommendation would be to explore more methods of
handwashing, or at least explain why the three methods discussed
were specifically chosen.
Features of a Critique
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1. Go back to the short story or poem that you
chose for the Explore section in the study
guide.
2. Write a short (at least 100 words) introduction
paragraph of a critique for it.
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Questions
1. What does the critique paper have in common
with other forms of academic writing?
2. How long should the introduction of a critique
paper be?
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Why is it important to also analyze the elements
of a work for a critique paper?
Question
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42. Wrap Up
A critique paper is a form of academic
writing that critically evaluates a work
or text.
When writing a critique, analyze the
categories of content, organization,
style, and correctness.
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43. Wrap Up
The features of a critique paper are the
introduction, the body, which includes
the summary and the critical
evaluation, and the conclusion.
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44. Wrap Up
Support your claims and arguments
by quoting or paraphrasing information
from other articles, journals, or works.
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45. Bibliography
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Essay Critique Guidelines. Goshen College. Accessed April 15, 2020.
https://www.goshen.edu/academics/english/essay-critique-guidelines/.
Hunt, Patricia. How to Write a Good Critique Essay. The Classroom. Accessed April
27, 2020. https://www.theclassroom.com/write-good-critique-essay-4488.html.
Writing an article critique. Ashford University. Accessed April 27, 2020.
https://writingcenter.ashford.edu/writing-article-critique.
Writing a critique. Queensland University of Technology. Accessed April 15, 2020.
https://www.citewrite.qut.edu.au/write/critique.jsp.
Writing critiques. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Accessed April 27, 2020.
https://writingcenter.unc.edu/esl/resources/writing-critiques/.