WRITING A REVIEW – A2 English Writing Test

1  What films and books do you like? Make a list, then compare with a partner.

2  Read the review of Paddington 2. Do you know this film? Do you agree with the writer’s opinions? Do you want to watch it?

Paddington 2 tells the story of Paddington Bear. He’s a very kind, friendly bear and lives in London with the Brown family. Paddington wants to buy a book for Aunt Lucy’s birthday, but someone steals the book while he’s in the shop. The police think Paddington stole the book, so he goes to prison. He has lots more adventures, but in the end, everything is OK. The film is sometimes sad, but also very funny. I laughed a lot! What happens in the end? Why don’t you watch it and find out? This is a brilliant film! I saw it last month and I loved it! If you like funny films, go and see it! *****

3  Look at the Key Language for a review. Find words in the review to complete it.

KEY LANGUAGE FOR A REVIEW

Saying what a book or film is about:

It’s about … , It 1………………. the story of …, It’s a story about …

Giving the story of a film or book in order:

At the beginning of the film, he … Then she … ,

When he … , She … because … , 2………………. end, everything …

Giving your opinion of a book or film:

I loved it. I really liked it. I enjoyed it a lot. I cried at the end. I 3………………. a lot! I didn’t like it at all!

Adjectives to give your opinion of the book or film:

Exciting, funny, popular, sad, scary

Extreme adjectives for giving stronger opinions:

Amazing, awful, 4………………., fantastic, terrible

Advice to other people:

5………………. and see / buy it! Why not … ?

You should certainly watch / read it.

4  Choose the correct words to complete the beginnings of three reviews.

1   I saw Spiderman: Homecoming last week. It says / tells the story of Spiderman and his …

2   Star Wars: The Last Jedi is about / of Luke Skywalker, who is …

3   The Jungle Book is a story / this story about Mowgli, a boy who lives in …

5  Read the sentences which describe the story of a film. Put them in order. What verb form do we use to tell the story of a film or book?

1 ……     A   She goes to New York because she wants to find her father.

2 ……     B   In the end, she finds her father and goes back to London with him.

3 ……     C   When she gets to New York, she sees some thieves taking money from a bank.

4 ……     D   At the beginning of the film, Stella lives in London with her mum.

5 ……     E   Then she helps the police catch the thieves.

6  We often use extreme adjectives in a review, to give a stronger meaning. Add the extreme adjectives to the table.

7  Read the examples with normal adjectives and extreme adjectives. Then complete the rules with very or really.

Some parts of the film are really funny.

It’s a really amazing story about two young boys.

The story is very exciting.

This is a really fantastic film!

1   We can use ……………………… or really with normal adjectives.

2   We can only use ……………………… with extreme adjectives.

8  Match the sentence halves giving the writer’s opinion of a film.

9  You are going to write a review of a film you liked. First, make notes, answering the questions.

•   What’s the film about?

•   What happens in the film?

•   What normal or extreme adjectives can you use to describe the film?

•   What is your opinion of the film?

•   What advice do you want to give to people?

10  Write a review of the film. Use your notes from Exercise 9.

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