Write a review for a lifestyle magazine about an essential twenty-first century product/ theatre experience/ pastime.

In planning your response, you should consider:

  • the key features of the genre
  • the relationship with the reader
  • lexical and grammatical choices.

Aim to write about 300 words. Use the planning template below.

Reviews are always aimed at the same basic audience: people who are considering whether or not to spend money on something (e.g. a phone, cinema tickets, a car, a meal in a particular restaurant, etc.). Your audience will be determined by whatever it is you choose to review. Answer the following questions to help you envisage your target audience.

  • What will you review in your text?
  • What should a person expect to spend on this product or experience?
  • Who is likely to want advice on whether or not to spend this amount of money on the subject of your review? (consider their age, gender, etc.)

Now that you have a clear idea of your target audience, how will you adapt your language to capture and hold their interest?

A review will conventionally include a few elements:

  • Background (especially if discussing a sequel or a follow-up product, as in the texts examined today)
  • Description of the product or experience
  • Commentary

Read the commentary below:

And, well, that’s all it really does right now. Zooming is great, but that’s not the only reason to put dual cameras on a phone. Other phones with dual cameras, like the Huawei Honor 8, let you do all kinds of wild focus and depth of field adjustments, and some even let you refocus the image after the fact, like a Lytro camera. The effects can be a little fake-looking, but they’re the sort of thing dual cameras enable. But the iPhone 7 Plus doesn’t do any of that, although a forthcoming software update will enable a portrait mode that blurs the background into what looks like a very nice bokeh.

What aspects of this commentary will you incorporate in your own commentary?

How will your commentary differ from this one -- what will you do to give it a personal flair?

Now write your review!

As you do, strive to:

  • Use words and phrases that will appeal to likely purchasers of the product or experience
  • Use introductory phrases and out-of-the-ordinary punctuation to create an interesting variety of sentence structures
  • Provide background if the product or experience follows an earlier model
  • Provide a detailed description of the product or experience, whether good or bad
  • Provide a commentary – why you do or don’t like it.