CAE - REVIEW

A review may be about a book, magazine, newspaper, website, film, play or concert; it may
also be about product or a service. The main purpose is to describe and express a personal
opinion about something which the writer has experienced (e.g. a film, a holiday, a product, a
website, etc.) and give the reader a clear impression of what the item discussed is like.
Description and explanation are key functions for this task, and a review will normally include a
recommendation to the reader.

REVIEW STYLE: NEUTRAL TO INFORMAL

PERSONAL: I think that ...I was pleasantly surprised when, nowadays to see, it is important
to notice that…
Use: Both IT is and I think

TITLE
(Usually the name of the place or thing being reviewed)

1st Paragraph – INTRODUCTION

(Say what you are reviewing / some background):

This book deals with the problem of searching for one’s roots
film looks at / investigates issue
programme describes
series focuses on
is devoted to
tackles the subject of searching for one’s roots

This website contains useful information on writing reviews

includes advice on preparing for exams
covers common errors made in English

2nd and 3rd Paragraphs – (Development)

Review some of the positive aspects:

The band was fantastic… What I liked is... I was impressed by

Mention some weaker points:
The book is terribly / beautifully written / What I didn't like was...because… I think the book is…

What I liked

 What I liked most was …

 The thing I liked most was …
 I was pleasantly surprised by …
 … would appeal to …
 If you get a chance to …
What I disliked

 What I disliked most was …

 I was disappointed by/with …

Reviews of books

 main character
 is set in
 Fiction: science fiction / thriller / fantasy / mystery / historical / romance …
 Non-fiction: cook book / travel book / textbook / manual / coffee-table book …
 atmosphere / plot
 author
 written by
 chapter
 factual
 unbelievable
 bestseller
 ending

Reviews of concerts

 artist / band / musician / (bass/lead/rhythm) guitarist / (backing/lead) singer / drummer /

soloist / trio / orchestra
 auditorium / hall / venue / lyrics / (catchy) tune / score / gig

Reviews of exhibitions

 painting / sculpture / handicrafts

 gallery / catalogue / display

Reviews of films

 lead role
 star role
 star
 star actor/actress
 starring
 secondary role
 He plays a …
 written by …
 cast / director / producer
 is set in …
 based on a true story …
 believable
 true to life
 not very believable
 far-fetched
 (As for fiction books +): animation / adaptation / comedy
 Costumes / design / photography / script / special effects / soundtrack
 ending

Reviews of plays

 scene / act / set / stage / interval

Reviews of TV programmes

 Chat shows / current affairs programme / debate / documentary / series / soap opera/
sitcom (situation comedy)
 Host / presenter

Reviews of hotels, restaurants, etc.

 location
 service
 setting
 attractive / disappointing setting
 owned by
 run by
 head chef (restaurant)
 waiters (restaurant)
 staff …
 staff at reception …(hotel)
 hotel facilities ….
 reasonable prices …
 good/excellent/poor value for money …
 (a bit/somehow) expensive
 overpriced
 not worth the money
 always fully booked
 book in advance

Criticism

 The script seemed rather conventional/predictable to me.

 The plot struck me as completely bizarre/absurd/incomprehensible
 The characters are appealing and true to life
 The dancers were quite brilliant/amateurish
4th Paragraph - CONCLUSION
Conclude with your overall opinion

To conclude, concluding, All in all, All things considered…

So if you haven't joined it yet, I would highly recommend you...
If you ever get the chance to…you will not regret it.
If you are looking for a good…
EXAMPLES
Where to buy clothes
Our readers are interested in clothes shops to visit when on holiday or travelling. We invite you
to write a review for visitors to your town comparing two clothes shops. Please describe what
sort of clothes they sell, comment on the quality of the service, the value for money and how
fashionable they are, and give recommendations.

Shopping in Linz
Buying clothes might not be the first thing you think of when visiting Linz, but there are some
attractive boutiques in the old town and you can come away looking fashionable and stylish.
Here are my favourites.

Melanie’s
Melanie’s sells clothes for women and while it is a small shop, it has a wide range of styles. If
you want to look really fashionable, it’s certainly worth a visit. The shop has a selection of
formal and casual clothes from some of the world’s top designers, so they’re not cheap.
However, you can occasionally pick up a bargain. The staff are attentive and they’ll help you to
combine clothes and accessories so that you’ll leave the shop looking like a million dollars, even
though it may cost you a fortune!

The Parallel
If you don’t feel like spending so much, the Parallel is a good alternative. This shop belongs to
some local designers and sells their unique range of clothes for women at competitive prices.
The clothes tend to be in distinctive bright colours, but the quality is generally good, so the
shop represents value for money. You’ll have to look after yourself as, apart from the security
guard, the only staff you’ll find are on the cash desk. While they’re polite and friendly, they
don’t have time to give much help.

My recommendations
To sun up, for something really special, go to Melanie’s, but be careful or your credit card will
suffer. For bright clothes at reasonable price, the Parallel is a better bet.
Hotels near me
We’d like to know what local people think of different hotels in their area, so we’re opening a
section written by local people to help visitors to choose the hotel which suits them best. Send
us a review which recommends two hotels in your area for two different types of visitor and
says what sort of visitor each hotel would suit and why.

Two hotels in St. Petersburg

St Petersburg is an important business as well as tourist destination. However, business people
often don’t like sharing their hotels with tour groups and require different facilities. Equally,
holidaymakers want a break from the serious atmosphere of a business hotel each of the hotels
I recommend caters for a different type of visitor.
Situated on Nevski Prospect not far from the Hermitage Museum, Nevisnki Hostel is a compact,
moderately-priced hotel which would suit backpackers and tourists on a tight budget. The
rooms are clean and airy, though quite basic, with two beds and en-suite bathrooms.
Nevski Prospect is the main shopping street, so it wouldn’t suit light sleepers as you should
expect some noise both from the constant traffic and perhaps from other boisterous guests.
Unfortunately, the hotel lacks a restaurant, so you’ll have to find your own breakfast in one of
the many cafés nearby. However, the staff are friendly and helpful. An added attraction is that
the hotel has bicycles available for its guests to explore this beautiful city at their leisure.
Peter the Great Hotel is an elegant, moderately-sized business hotel situated in aa converted
neoclassical palace not far from the statue of the Bronze Horseman, with fabulous views across
the Neva River. As its five stars indicate, the hotel offers luxurious, spacious rooms at a price. It
contains a range of well-equipped conference rooms together with a gourmet restaurant
allowing business people to entertain clients in style. The management and staff are competent
and professional, as you’d expect, and will organize trips and events to make your stay not only
productive but pleasurable too.
Whichever hotel you stay at, St Petersburg won’t fail to delight you.
We receive a lot of letters from readers asking us to recommend novels to read. We believe
that they should read novels that they will find interesting and we’d like to publish reviews of
novels which other readers have particularly enjoyed. Send us a review which describes the
novel, says what you liked about it and explains why you recommend it.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier

Cold Mountain is a historical novel set in North Carolina during the America Civil War. It tells
the story of the main characters, Inman and Ada, Inman is a deserter from the army who makes
a hazardous journey across the country to join Ada, the woman he loves. The novel switches
between Inman’s journey and Ada’s life on her farm, where she struggles to survive after her
father’s death.
The novel contains a gallery of interesting characters. Inman is the thoughtful, observant hero
who is desperate to escape the war and stay alive. He is motivated by love, but also capable of
extreme violence. Ada, the heroine, comes from a well-off, sheltered background and at first
seems incapable of surviving in harsh conditions, but as the novel progresses she becomes self-
sufficient and decisive. She is helped by Ruby, a tough but lovable country girl. Also, during his
journey, Inman meets many extraordinary minor characters who are trying to stay alive in
unusual ways in wild, remote places.
I was fascinated by the vivid description of American rural life at the time. I was also caught up
in the suspense of each dangerous situation that Inman and Ada encounter during the story. If
you enjoy historical novels, you will really love this book with its wonderful dialogues and its
detailed observations and descriptions of life in nineteenth-century America. You will be
transported into a world where love and kindness contrast with horror and cruelty to create a
novel which is unlike any novel you have ever read before.
A sports website has asked for reviews of sports facilities in your area. Write a review of some
sports facilities you have used. Your review should explain who the facilities are most suitable
for and describe your own experience of using them. You should also recommend at least one
way in which these facilities could be improved.
Write your review.

Sports facilities in my area

Undoubtedly sports facilities have substantial importance in my area, first of all because people enjoy
playing sports, and secondly because of the social side: it is easy to meet up with other people who want
to practise a physical activity.

The sports centre in my area is a new building with all the latest sport facilities: it is a huge place with
outdoor athletics tracks and some football pitches. There is also a big gymnasium to practise some
indoor activities such as volleyball, basketball and handball. I greatly enjoy going there during sports
competitions because the gallery is always full of people supporting our team (I play for my city’s
volleyball club). I think this kind of facility is important above all for children and teenagers that need to
have more space to exercise and practise some kind of sport.

In our sports centre, there are also indoor squash and tennis courts that I use occasionally and a big
swimming pool perfect for people who love aquatic sports such as swimming or water polo. I go
swimming twice a week, enabling me to enjoy myself and relax at the same time. At the moment, this
facility lacks showers so people always need to wait at least ten minutes before having one.

Our sports centre is a huge structure for all local city residents who want to practise some sport
activities whenever they want. For the gymnasium I suggest putting up a scoreboard to display game
information (scores, time faults) and for the swimming pool, it is necessary to increase the number of
showers because of the new enrolments.
You have attended the first music festival ever held in your region, which ran for ten days with
various events in different parts of the area. Write a review for your local newspaper. Be sure to
say whether you felt the festival was a success and what, if anything, might be done differently
next year.

SENIGALLIA SUMMER JAMBOREE FESTIVAL

“The hottest rocking summer festival”, that’s how the popular jamboree festival has been labeled. The
international event, which takes place every summer in the beach town of Senigallia, on the Adriatic
cost of the Marche region, is dedicated to 40s and 50s American music and culture. This year the event
attracted more than 300,000 visitors: an absolute record for the Italian town!

Music is, of course, the centre of the Festival with its rock and roll, swing, rhythm’n’blues and boogie
concerts, shaking the town for ten days. This year, the event’s organiser paid special attention to
guitarists and women. Among the performers, the biggest attraction was the Grammy Award-winning
guitarist Duanne Eddy, whose famous Rebel Rouser song featured in the movie Forrest Gump. Another
crowd-pulling event was the stage performance of the English swing band Ray Gelato, who entertained
the audience with its blues guitarist and singer.

In addition to these live events, other artists such as dancers from different school dances performed in
different venues in the enchanting historic centre of Senigallia which, for the occasion, turned into a sort
of American movie set of the 50s.

The atmosphere of the festival was electric: music fans from all over the world arrived in Senigallia with
their vintage clothes and cars, coloured skirts and bell-bottom jeans: a real blast from the past!

The festival was really a huge success in economic terms too: hotels, bed and breakfasts and restaurants
were full for the entire period. We hope, for next year, to reach the same result because these kinds of
events are of great importance for the popularity and the economic growth of the Marche region.
New Book Group

We need your help to compile a reading list of books titles for our new book group! So far, we
have 20 members; men and women ranging in age from 17 to 58. Please send us your review of
a novel that you think will appeal to our group members, giving reasons for your choice.
Thank you

The awakening of Miss Prim

“The Awakening of Miss Prim” is a novel set in a remote French town during an unspecified
period. What draw me into the novel is the main character, Prudencia Prim, a young woman of
intelligence and achievement, with a deep knowledge of literature.
I was fascinated by the plot of the book: at a certain point / stage in her life, Miss Prim decides
to leave her city, London, and her prestigious job in a bank to accept a post as a private librarian
in the small village of San Ireneo de Arnois. Her employer, a book-loving intellectual, is a
mysterious man: dashing and polite but at the same time very critical. The relationship between
them is quite ambiguous: they often disagree and argue about subjects such as the meaning of
love and the idea of having a family.
The novel contains a gallery of unusual minor characters: the neighbors, for instance, are
always described as polite and sensitive but also determined as they want to preserve their life
and little community from the modern world outside. With them Miss Prim will discover, for
the first time, the meaning of friendship.
The book is well worth reading and it becomes more interesting at the very end when Miss
Prim finally realizes the reason that pushed her into this new life. During the reading, the reader
will experience joy, discovery and passionate debates about life and love. “The awakening of
Miss Prim” is a distinctive and pleasant tale of literature, philosophy and also the search for
happiness.
Your favourite magazine has advertised a contest for readers to write a review of a concert they
have seen recently. “Superstar Magazine” is seeking reviews from readers!

Have you seen a great concert recently?

Have you seen a terrible one? We want to know!

Write the best review and win a trip to see your favourite band perform!

Write your review.

AMAZING CONCERT BY ARA MALIKIAN

Two months ago I had the pleasure to see Ara Malikian in [Link] concert was in Las
Ventas, which is a very beautiful bullring in Madrid. He plays the violin and is a very popular
classical musician. However, he is not your typical classical musician.

When he came on stage, I could only say: Wow! I was surprised because he didn’t fit my idea of
what a classical musician would look like. He wore neither a suit nor a tuxedo. Instead, he was
dressed in Arabic clothes.
Not only did he play different pieces of classical music such as the four seasons of Vivaldi, but
he also played rock music with his fiddle. It was spectacular.
All the money raised through this concert was donated to refugees. Ara Malikian spoke about
his life as a refugee himself. Back then, his life was very difficult because he didn’t have
anything and had to find ways to survive.
All things considered, I would highly recommend watching him live. If you have the opportunity
to see him in concert, do it!! You won’t regret it.
You recently saw this notice in an English language magazine called "The Weekender".
Reviews needed!
Have you been to an exceptional hotel lately? If so, tell us about it! Be sure to mention what
you like, the atmosphere as well as the location and say why you would recommend the hotel.
We will publish the best reviews in next month’s issue.

REVIEW OF A HOTEL

One month ago, I had the pleasure to stay in "Grandmother's farm", a little rural hotel in the
countryside of Oviedo.
We are a very busy family. Normally, we don't have a lot of time to be together, so when we
are on holidays we try to choose places where we can do things together. Things such as biking,
trekking, bungee jumping, playing football or tennis, etc.
In that regard, our choice was the best! We had many activities to choose from, organised by
the same hotel. However, our hotel was a peaceful place. The rooms were very clean and the
beds very comfortable. When you got up in the morning you could hear bird songs and smell
the coffee and the freshly baked cake.
The owners, María and Nacho, were very friendly towards us. They live in the hotel, so if we
needed anything they were always ready to help us. One morning, María taught our children to
cook her “special baked cake” while my husband and I rode a bike around a nearby farm. It was
wonderful!!
So, if you want to spend some time relaxing and having fun, surrounded by nature, I would
recommend it to you.

ELECTRONIC DEVICES WANTED

 • Which electronic device have you use recently?
Write a review of it describing the device, explaining how to use it and
saying whether it is good value for money.
Write your review.

THE USEFUL BREAD MAKER

Because I am intolerant to gluten, my sister had the great idea of getting me a bread maker for
my last birthday. It made me very happy. At last, I could make my own bread.

The bread maker is a small machine which works like an oven. It hardly occupies any space. The
machine has a hole inside where you must put all the ingredients. It has a display where you
can see the time, choose the programme, the speed and the size of the bread.

There are different programmes to make different kinds of bread. After putting the ingredients
in the device, you must choose the programme you want, push the start bottom and that is all.
This machine can make not only wonderful bread but also delicious cakes. However, it takes a
long time to make the bread, especially the gluten free. Even so, it is worth making the bread
yourself.

To conclude, I would highly recommend buying the bread maker. The main reason why the
bread maker is good value for money is that you will save money on bread as well as on
electricity. The bread maker uses less electricity than a traditional oven.

You have recently visited a museum or a building, either in your country or abroad. Write a
review for a tourist information magazine describing the building, where it is located and if it
has any facilities such as a shop or a café. Say whether is worth visiting and mention who might
be interested in it and why.
Write your review.

A SPECIAL HOUSE

Casa Batlló is one of the most representative buildings of Gaudí in Barcelona, Spain. You can
find it in one of the most popular avenues of the city, Passeig de Gràcia. But despite the fact
that there are many amazing buildings along the street, it´s impossible to see it without
appreciating its magnificence.
The price for the entrance is a little high. However, if you really love Gaudi’s art you should go
there and experience the magic of his creation. The gallery contains some furniture which
belonged to the owners of the house. The visit includes a mobile phone that was kind of a video
and audio guide in which the pieces of furniture of the past were shown at the time the Batlló
family lived there. It was trying to portray the artist when he built the house.
On the other hand, the architecture of the house was the most impressive thing that I have
ever seen before in a house. Gaudí was a special person who brought a lot of advantages to this
architectural science and you can discover it in the visit. You can see the entire house and at the
end of the visit you find a shop where you can buy whatever you like with the typical colours
and style of Gaudí.
In conclusion, if you love architecture and like Gaudi´s buildings, I would highly recommend
visiting Casa Batlló. You won’t regret it.
Your favourite magazine has advertised a contest for readers to write a review of a concert they
have seen recently.
“Superstar Magazine” is seeking reviews from readers!
Have you seen a great concert recently?
Have you seen a terrible one? We want to know!
Write the best review and win a trip to see your favourite band perform!
Write your review.

Music festival

Last week, I went to a pop music festival called DREAM. It was in Almería. This festival was
aimed for people between 18 to 30 years of age. Around 2000 people attended it.
While I was there, I could listen to 10 different groups. Some of them were very good, but the
one I liked the most was Melendi. This singer sang more songs than the others and he sang very
well live. Another interesting thing that I would like to mention is the organization of the
festival. At all times, we felt secure because there were many security staff and the permitted
capacity was not exceeded. This was really unusual, normally in this kind of festivals there are a
lot of people, capacity allowed. Nowadays, this event is relevant because it appeals to many
people, and that’s the reason why many artists continue taking part in it.
What I didn’t like so much was that the price of the ticket. It was very expensive, $60 and the
location was not even good. We were very close to a factory, so there was smoke coming off it
and we couldn’t even breathe at times. It was also unusual, because festivals are usually
celebrated in the countryside, without any nearby factories to spoil the fun.
In conclusion, even though there was smoke during the concert, and the price was so
expensive, I enjoyed myself so much that I would recommend this concert to anybody who likes
to pop music.

You are the arts review writer for a magazine. Your editor has asked you to review a film.
Choose a film that you have seen. Describe the plot and the characters involved. Say who the
film is suitable for and why. Mention any special effects or aspects of the film that stood out in
some way. Would you recommend the film? Why, why not?
Write your review.

THE LAST HUMAN

A week ago, I was very lucky to be invited to watch Michael Johnson’s new movie, “The last
human” which won´t be in cinemas until next winter. The film is set in an imaginary planet in
the year 2030 and both, reality and fiction, are beautifully mixed throughout the whole film. I
was not expecting too much from it, due to the unpopularity with the general public of this
director’s last two films. But I must admit, I fell in love with “The last human” in no time.
The best points about the film are the plot and the characters. On the one hand, the plot is
really interesting and unexpected, it definitely keeps you on the edge of your seat all the time.
On the other hand, the main character shows intriguing and credible aspects of human
behaviour, which makes him believable and easy to emphasize with.
Regardless of the fact that this movie is a master piece, a few things could have been better.
For instance, Joanna Grin, who plays the hero´s mum, appears two times on two nonsensical
scenes. Nevertheless, her magnificent acting makes up for this negative point. Another
forgivable mistake is the sometimes unbelievable make up the characters wore, as you can
hardly expect a hero to be clean and look nice, after an interplanetary war.
To put it briefly, “The last human” is truly suitable for everybody who wants to enjoy a nice
story and be made to think about their own life.