Evaluation Essay Examples

You may be used to the assignments that leave no room for personal judgments. Yet, when you're tasked with writing an evaluative essay, adding your point of view is no longer a faux pas: it's what's expected from you.

That's not to say that you can just write down your opinion without backing it up. That's what makes evaluative essays so tricky: you have to stay analytical.

To help you strike that fine balance, experts at our essay writer service prepared a detailed guide, complete with an evaluation essay example list.

What is an Evaluation Essay?

The purpose of an evaluation essay is to evaluate a specific subject, be it a foreign policy or a book, using a clear set of criteria. For example, if you're writing an evaluation essay on a book you've read, the criteria can include the plot, pacing, characters, and writing style.

While your judgment is at the center of an evaluation essay, it has to be unbiased, reasonable, and unopinionated. To that end, you'll need to explain why you reached that conclusion by describing your evaluation criteria and how the subject fared against them.

How to Write an Evaluation Essay

Here's a bird's-eye overview of what it takes to write an A-worthy evaluation essay:

• Choose your subject. It should be something you can actually form an opinion about.
• Outline your evaluation criteria. Make them objective and ensure they can be backed by evidence. Opt for three or four criteria.
• Gather evidence. Analyze your subject against each of the criteria you've listed. Use statistical data, expert opinions, research articles, real-world examples, etc.
• Write your first draft. Present your subject, describe your evaluation criteria, analyze the subject using evidence, and explain your conclusions.
• Revise before submission. Check for clarity, logical flow of information, smooth transition, factual accuracy, and grammatical and punctuation correctness.

6 Types of Evaluation Essays

Evaluation essays come in different forms, depending on the subject, writing style allowed, and the requirements of your assignment. For example, if you're free to recount personal experiences in the text, a narrative evaluative essay will be more suitable than an analytical one.

Here's your quick guide on the six types of evaluation essays you should be familiar with.

Argumentative Evaluation Essay

If you're striving to convince your readers to adopt your perspective, you'll be working on an argumentative evaluation essay. Argumentative essay writing relies on logic and reason to achieve that goal, so prioritize clear evidence, logical structure, and an objective tone of voice.

Descriptive Evaluation Essay

You may focus on describing and evaluating the standout characteristics of your subject to form a judgment. In that case, you'll be writing a descriptive evaluation essay. It gives you room for providing sensory details, using figurative language, and immersing your reader in the subject.

Analytical Evaluation Essay

These essays focus on examining a subject in-depth. That typically involves taking a deep dive into its components or moving parts and how they impact the subject's performance across your evaluation criteria. You may also focus on relationships between those components.

Cause and Effect Evaluation Essay

As the name suggests, this essay focuses on identifying and exploring cause-and-effect relationships between events or phenomena. To write one, consider how these causal relationships affect the subject's performance against your criteria.

Comparative Evaluation Essay

If you need to evaluate more than one subject, you'll be working on a comparative evaluation essay. This essay analyzes differences and similarities between two or more subjects, with the conclusion synthesizing them to determine which one meets your criteria better.

Narrative Evaluation Essay

Do you have a compelling personal story or several lived experiences that tie in with your selected subject? Then you'll probably write a narrative evaluation essay. To craft one, a narrative essay writer uses vivid details, a first-person narration, and storytelling techniques.

What to Include in Your Evaluation Essay

Much like any other type of essay, an evaluation essay consists of three main parts: introduction, main body, and conclusion. That said, that's where similarities end. Evaluation essays, unlike others, have to contain three key elements: namely, judgment, criteria, and evidence. Here's how to present them.

Title

First things first: you'll need to name your evaluation essay. The earlier you do it, the better; we'd advise you to add the first version of a title before you start drafting the whole essay. That's because it'll solidify where your focus should lie when you describe your subject, evaluation criteria, and judgment. You can tweak the title to make it catchier later on, of course.

Now, what makes for a good title? Strive for being descriptive yet concise. The title should give a clear idea of your subject, all while leaving some intrigue to draw readers in.

Introduction

The introduction is the first paragraph of your essay. In evaluation essays, it typically boils down to:

• Hook: An engaging, attention-grabbing question or statement to pique the reader's interest.
• Background information: Brief description of your subject and the key pieces of information your readers should know to follow the rest of your essay.
• Thesis statement: Your judgment, i.e., your opinion on the subject, and the evaluation criteria you'll use to explain it further in the text.

When writing the introduction, keep the background information to a minimum; include only the absolute essentials to present the subject. For example, if you evaluate a book, provide a one- or two-sentence summary of the plot.

Main Body Paragraphs

The main body is the bulk of your evaluation essay, with the number of paragraphs depending largely on the expected word count. Most essays contain three to five main body paragraphs, each focusing on one of your evaluation criteria.

Here's how to structure every main body paragraph:

• State your evaluation criterion. The topic sentence should introduce the reader to the criterion. Strive for conciseness and clarity; make use of signposting.
• Demonstrate support for your thesis statement. List facts, figures, expert opinions, or examples as evidence relevant to the criterion.
• Analyze the evidence. Clearly explain how the subject fares against the criterion based on evidence.
• Provide your evaluation. Summarize how your analysis ties back to the thesis and transition to the next paragraph.

Counterarguments

Depending on your assignment, you may be explicitly required to state and refute any potential counterarguments. You can do it throughout your evaluation essay or dedicate a separate paragraph to rebuttal.

Conclusion

This is the wrap-up paragraph for your evaluation essay. To write it, recap the main points you covered in the main body and reiterate your judgment. But don't add any new information here! Leave your reader with food for thought on the importance of your evaluation.

3 Excellent Evaluation Essay Examples

1. Apple's Marketing Strategy Evaluation Essay

First up, we have an evaluation essay that delves into the cornerstones of Apple's marketing strategy, along with its key drawbacks.

Apple's Marketing Strategy Evaluation Essay

Apple's Marketing Strategy Evaluation Essay

2. Online Learning vs. Classroom Education: Evaluation Essay

Is online learning poised to make education more effective and accessible than in-person learning? This evaluation essay compares the two to reach a conclusion.

Online Learning vs. Classroom Education: Evaluation Essay

Online Learning vs. Classroom Education: Evaluation Essay

3. Primary Sources in Historical Research: Evaluation Essay

Evaluation essays can be used just as easily in the humanities or STEM disciplines. Here's one such evaluation essay that assesses the use of primary sources in historical research.

Primary Sources in Historical Research: Evaluation Essay

Primary Sources in Historical Research: Evaluation Essay

5 Expert Tips for Writing an Evaluation Essay

Here's how to approach your evaluation essay assignment:

• Remain analytical. Don't let your biases or personal opinions cloud your judgment. Rely on clear criteria and evidence.
• Be straightforward. There's no need for elaborate, convoluted sentences. Stay concise and clear; opt for a formal writing style by default.
• Maintain balance. Acknowledge both the good and the bad in your evaluation, and address other standpoints and counterarguments.
• Pay attention to the flow. Use transitions, introduce ideas logically, and add clear topic sentences.‍
• Follow the guidelines. Read and re-read your assignment to have a good grasp of what's expected from your essay.

In Closing

While you are meant to put on a pair of metaphorical judgmental glasses to write an evaluation essay, remember to stay detached and open-minded in your assessment and its conclusions. Leave your opinions for an opinion essay; an evaluation essay isn't the place to delve into them.