Write a Review People Will Trust?

B1 English | Writing | 80–90 minutes

Your challenge
Imagine that a friend is coming to your town for the weekend.

They want to go somewhere good to eat, but there are so many choices that they don't know where to go.

They message you:

I'm looking for somewhere good to eat. Where would you recommend?

You decide to help.

Your task is to write a review that gives your friend everything they need to make a decision.

But there is one important thing to remember:

- You are not writing for your teacher. You are writing for a real reader.

- Your reader has their own preferences, so you need to decide what information is useful to them.

- By the end of this activity, you will have written, reviewed and improved a 100–130 word review.

 
1. Which review would you trust?

Read the three reviews below.

Olena
I went to Bella Italia last Saturday. The food was good and the staff were friendly. The restaurant was nice. I enjoyed it.

Javier
I went to Bella Italia last Saturday with two friends. The pizza was delicious and the staff were very friendly. The restaurant was small but comfortable. I really enjoyed the evening.

Zeynep
If you're looking for a relaxed evening with excellent food, Bella Italia is worth trying. I went there last Saturday with two friends and was immediately impressed by the atmosphere. The pizza was fantastic, although the service was quite slow. It isn't the cheapest restaurant in town, but the portions are generous and the staff are friendly. I'd definitely go back.

1. Talk about the reviews - Work with a partner.

1. Which review would make you most interested in visiting the restaurant?
2. Which review gives you the most useful information?
3. Which review sounds the most personal?
4. Which review would help you decide whether the restaurant is right for you?
5. Now find three things that make the third review more effective.

Write them here:

1.________________________

2.________________________

3. ________________________

 
 2. What makes a review useful?
Think about the reviews you read online.

When you want to try a new restaurant, café, hotel or activity, what do you want to know? What information do you look for?

Choose the most important questions.

• 1. What is the place like?
  2. Is it expensive?
  3. Is the food good?
  4. Is the service fast?
  5. Is it suitable for families?
  6. Is it quiet or noisy?
  7. What did other people enjoy?
  8. What problems did they have?
  9. Would they go back?
  10. Would they recommend it?

Now compare your choices with a partner.

• Add one more question:

Think about this: A useful review does not tell the reader everything. It tells the reader the right things.

 3. Read like a writer
Now read the example review again.

This time, don't read it just to understand it. Read it to discover how the writer has built the review.

Find:

1. The introduction - Where does the writer introduce the place?
2. The experience - Where does the writer describe what happened?
3. The opinion - Where does the writer tell us what they think?
4. The reason - Where does the writer explain why?
5. The specific detail - Which detail helps you imagine the experience?
6. The recommendation - Where does the writer tell us whether they would recommend the place?

Compare your answers with a partner.

Then complete this idea:

A strong review should tell the reader what the place is like, what the writer __________, and whether the writer __________ it.
 
4. Make your English more specific
Look at this sentence:

The food was good. It's correct. But what does it actually tell the reader? Not very much.

Compare it with:

The homemade pizza was full of flavour, especially the spicy tomato sauce.

The second sentence gives the reader something they can imagine.

Now improve these sentences.

1. The staff were nice.
 
2. The restaurant was nice.
 
3. The food was good.
 
4. I liked the place.
 

Try to make each sentence more specific. You could mention: the atmosphere | the service | the food | the price | the location | the people | the surroundings

There are many possible answers.

The important thing is to give your reader more information.

 
5. Give an opinion and explain it
A strong review doesn't simply tell the reader what you think, It tells them why.

Compare:

The restaurant was fantastic.
with: The restaurant was fantastic because the atmosphere was relaxed and the staff were extremely friendly.
The second sentence is more useful because it gives the reader a reason.

Complete the sentences.

I really enjoyed ____ because ___. What I liked most was ____because ___. I was impressed by ___ because ___. The main problem was ___ because ____.

Now choose your strongest two sentences.

 6. Don't make your review too perfect

Would you trust a review that said:

Everything was amazing. The food was perfect. The staff were perfect. The restaurant was perfect. - Probably not.

Real experiences usually have good points and less good points.

Look at these examples:

1. The food was excellent, although the service was quite slow.
2. The restaurant is quite expensive. However, the portions are very large.
3. I loved the atmosphere, but it was quite noisy.

Now complete the sentences.

1. The food was __, although __.
2. The restaurant was __. However, __.
3. I really liked _____, but ______.

Choose one sentence to include in your review.

7. Meet your reader
Your review is going to be read by one of these people.

Choose one.

Danylo
Danylo is a student. He has €15 to spend and wants a large meal with good value for money.

María
María is visiting the town with her family. She wants somewhere comfortable and relaxed.

Emre
Emre loves trying new and unusual food. He doesn't mind paying more for a good experience.

Ayesha
Ayesha is going on a first date. She wants somewhere comfortable, quiet and not too expensive.

Taras
Taras hates waiting. He wants good food and fast service.

 
Get to know your reader

1. Write the name of your reader:  ___________

2. What is important to them?___________

3.  What information will they want?___________

4. What information probably isn't important to them?___________

 Now complete this sentence:

The most important thing my reader needs to know is...
 
Remember: The same place can be a great choice for one person and a terrible choice for another.

Your job is to help your reader decide.

 8. Choose your place
Choose a restaurant, café, takeaway or other place you know.

It can be real or imaginary.

1. Name of the place?:______________

2. Where is it? ______________

3. When did you go? ____________

4. Who were you with? __________

Your experience

1. What was the best thing about it?
2. What was one problem?
3. What did you think about the food?
4. What did you think about the atmosphere?
5. What did you think about the service?
6. Would you go back?

 9. Choose your best information

You probably have lots of ideas. You don't need to include all of them. Think about your reader.

Choose the three most useful details.

My reader needs to know:
1. ________________________

2.________________________

3. ________________________

Now you have a clear purpose for your review.

 10. Build your review
Before you start writing, think about the journey you want your reader to take.

Start with the place
Introduce it and give the reader a reason to continue reading.

You could write:

1. I recently visited...
2. If you're looking for...
3. There's a great little restaurant in...
4. If you're visiting my town, you should definitely try...
5. Describe the experience

Tell the reader what happened.

You could write:

When I arrived...
The first thing I noticed was...
The atmosphere was...
The food was...
Give your opinion

Tell the reader what you thought.

You could write:

What I liked most was...
I was particularly impressed by...
The main problem was...
Give your recommendation

Finish by helping the reader make a decision.

You could write:

I'd definitely recommend it to...
It's worth visiting if...
I'd definitely go back because...
I wouldn't recommend it if...

You don't have to use these phrases.

Use them when they help you express your own ideas.

 11. Write your review
Your task
Write a 100–130 word review of your chosen place.

Your review should:

introduce the place
describe your experience
give your opinion
explain your opinions
include specific details
mention at least one negative point
use linking words
make a clear recommendation
be written specifically for your reader

Before you start - Remember:

Don't write what you think your teacher wants to read. Write what your reader needs to know.
 
12. Your first reader
Finished?

• Don't give your review to your teacher yet. Give it to another student.
• Your partner is now your reader, not your editor.
• Read their review carefully. Then answer these questions.

Would you visit this place?
Yes / Maybe / No

Why?

1.  What was the most useful information? 
2. What information was missing?
3. Which sentence did you like best?
    
   Copy it:

 Complete this sentence for the writer:
Your review would be even better if you...
 
Don't correct every grammar mistake.

Your job is to tell the writer whether the review works for you as a reader.

  13. Make your review better
Get your review back.

• Now read your partner's comments.
• Choose one thing to improve.

You could:

add a useful detail
replace a repeated word
give a stronger reason
connect two short sentences
make your recommendation clearer
add information your reader needs
correct a grammar mistake
Now look at your weakest sentence.

For example:

The restaurant was good.
Change it to: - The restaurant was small but cosy, with quiet music and comfortable seats.

Or:

I liked the food. - Could become:

What I liked most was the homemade pasta, which was fresh and full of flavour.

Rewrite your own weakest sentence:

 14. The final check
Before you finish, read your review one last time.

Content

1. Have I introduced the place?

Yes / No

2. Have I described my experience?

Yes / No

3. Have I given my opinion?

Yes / No

4. Have I explained my opinions?

Yes / No

5. Have I included specific details?

Yes / No

6. Have I mentioned one negative point?

Yes / No

7. Have I made a clear recommendation?

Yes / No

Language
1. Have I avoided repeating good, nice and bad?

Yes / No

2. Have I used linking words such as but, although or however?

Yes / No

3. Have I checked my verb tenses?

Yes / No

4. Have I checked spelling and punctuation?

Yes / No

5. Most importantly - Would my reader find this review useful?

Yes / No

If the answer is no, change something.

 
15. The final decision
Now read the finished reviews from your classmates.

• Imagine that you have one free evening.
• You can choose only one place.
• Read at least three reviews.
• Choose the place you would visit.

Then answer:

1. I would choose: ________________
 
2. The review that persuaded me was written by: ____________________
 
3. It persuaded me because:  ____________________
 
 
One last question
Think about the activity.

Complete the sentence:

A review is worth reading when...............
 
Now discuss your answer with the class.

Remember - A good review doesn't simply describe a place. It helps someone make a decision. And a good writer doesn't simply think: “What can I say?”
A good writer thinks: “What does my reader need to know?”