September 24, 2014 - Posted to Essay types

This aims to provide you with some good extracts for evaluation essays and answer some important questions that you might have on your evaluation journey.

 

I’ve been asked to write an evaluation essay, but what exactly is it?

Let’s first start with the word ‘evaluation’. An evaluation means making an assessment about something. Observing said thing and giving an opinion about it. Hence evaluation essays are essays that form opinions about a subject and assess the fairness of the opinion based on facts, research and other evidence.

 

What are some evaluation essay topic ideas?

Evaluation essay ideas can be hard to think of if you have been given the scope. The bright side is that if you’re asking this question you’ve been given the freedom of choice. But if you do it logically you’ll find the right subject to evaluate. Being specific is key. It is much easier to evaluate something you know about in depth than something that is very vague or extensive.

 

Here is an evaluation essay topics list and advice on how to evaluate them:

• A book report

You could choose to evaluate a book you have read. When evaluating said book you should offer first your opinions and then back them up with evidence from the book or other written sources. All should be referenced appropriately at the end of course.

• A film review

The same procedure as a book report but with a film instead. This could be more of an interesting idea for those who aren’t such bookworms.

• A social media evaluation

You could choose to evaluate something within social media for example the effects of LinkedIn on a person’s professional life. You should offer your opinion as to whether you think it has its uses or not, and then back it up with as much evidence as you can. The stronger and logical the evidence, the more people will buy into you evaluation. 

• An evaluation about a concept

This would be an evaluation of something intangible, something you can’t physically touch. In other words, an abstract noun. For example you could evaluate something as far out as the experience of a marathon! There is so much scope here it’s crazy!

These are just a few evaluation essay topics, if you look harder you will find hundreds more…..

 

Extracts and examples

 

An evaluation essay sample for each type of evaluation is provided here: It will be kind of like a sample evaluation essay so use the information to your advantage:

1. Evaluation essay examples based on a book review:

 

Explore your own reactions first – this is important. After doing so, you could follow this example:

• An introduction to; state your own views on the book, give your general impressions, state the purpose of the book, a statement about the author, comment briefly on other works by the same author.
• A Main body to; summarize the main points in the book, comment on strengths and weaknesses of the book in general and/or specific parts, give evidence in terms of your own thesis.
• A conclusion to; restate your impressions related to the evidence given in the main body, a recommendation.

 

2. An evaluation essay example based on a film review would look much the same as a book review so it would be wise to follow the guide given above.

 

3. An example of an evaluation essay based on a social media tool:

 

• An introduction; to introduce the topic of social media and give examples such as LinkedIn, give a historical background and to state your opinion about a certain social media tool.
• Main body to; summarize the strengths and weaknesses of each, giving your opinion and backing it up with evidence.
• A conclusion to; restate your thesis relating it back to evidence, a final conclusion related to your point of view and  comments about future recommendations.

 

4. Examples of evaluation essays based on a concept could look like the above too but keeping it related to your subject. Remember that it’s a concept and so qualitative research will have to be relied on here as evidence.

 

5. Self evaluation essay examples could look like the guide below but first think about the context for which you are writing. If it’s for your school of choice, base it all around education. If it’s for a job, base it around your career and academic background.

 

• Paragraph 1 - introduce yourself and your general strengths and weaknesses, giving brief examples. Lots of them. This is your evidence.
• Paragraph 2 – analyze your main strengths and weaknesses in depth. Obviously more strengths than weaknesses but trying to balance and keep things fair will look good.
• Paragraph 3 – conclude why you would be a good candidate based on the examples you provided above.

 

These examples of evaluation essays are just a dip in the ocean. There are many more aspects of your evaluation that you will need to explore, and with a little bit of time and patience, you will get your evaluation done clearly, precisely and with a body of wealth.