The review (la critique): A review (une critique) describes a work, gives your opinion with reasons, and ends with a recommendation.
Good to know
- It is part of the theme Text Types (Media texts).
- The work can be a film, a series, a book, a restaurant, an event.
- It is personal but polished: you are writing for a general reader, not a close friend.
A review always does four things
- Names the work — title, type, who made it (director, author…).
- Summarises briefly — what it is about, without spoiling the ending.
- Gives an opinion with reasons — a strength AND a weakness, each justified.
- Recommends (or not) — a final line aimed at a kind of reader.
Not a review
- **Cher Monsieur le Directeur…** — une lettre formelle.
- **Le film dure 110 minutes.** — un simple fait, sans avis.
- Une liste d'étapes — des instructions.
A review
- **Je viens de voir un film qui m'a beaucoup plu.**
- **Le meilleur, c'est l'histoire ; le seul défaut, c'est le rythme.**
- **En somme, je le recommande surtout à…**
Real tasks where it was an option
- A new shopping centre instead of a stadium (Nov 2023)
- Your photography course (May 2025)
- A soup-kitchen volunteering programme (May 2025)
Conventions the examiner checks
- Titre + ce qui est critiqué
- Facts (what, where, when) and judgement with criteria
- Note ou recommandation finale
Traps that cost Criterion C
- Only a summary with no judgement
- Only praise or only attack
- No recommendation
Why this matters: On Paper 1 you may be asked to write a review for a school magazine, a blog or a website. Knowing its conventions — describe → judge → recommend, an enthusiastic first-person voice, no spoilers — is exactly what scores Criterion C (Conceptual understanding).
Free preview
Reading it is one thing — hearing it is another
You're reading the free notes. Aimnova Pro unlocks the full study experience — and you can try it with your first topic free to keep:
- Audio on every wordTap any vocabulary word or example to hear it read aloud in natural French.
- FlashcardsLock in vocabulary and key terms with spaced repetition.
- Practice questionsAnswer exam-style questions and get instant AI marking.
- Mock exams & past-paper vaultSit full mocks and see exactly how examiners award marks.
- Personalised study planA daily plan built around your exam date and weak areas.
Start Studying Free Full access to Aimnova Pro · cancel anytime
Semi-formal and evaluative: A review is written in the first person with a semi-formal, evaluative tone.
Finding the right level
- It is warmer than a report but more careful than a message to a friend.
- You address a general reader, so no slang and no emojis.
- But give plenty of opinion.
Opinion verbs & evaluative phrases
- Je viens de voir / lire… qui m'a beaucoup plu / déçu(e) — I have just seen / read… which I really liked / which disappointed me
- À mon avis… / Je trouve que… — In my opinion… / I think that…
- Le meilleur, c'est… / Le seul défaut, c'est… — The best thing is… / The only flaw is…
- C'est (vraiment) réussi / décevant / émouvant — It is (really) well done / disappointing / moving
- Je (le/la) recommande (vivement) à… — I (strongly) recommend it to…
Wrong register
- Très formel : **Veuillez agréer mes salutations distinguées.**
- Très familier : **C'était trop bien, mdr**
- Neutre, sans avis : **Le film sort le 5 mai.**
Review register
- **Je viens de voir un film qui m'a vraiment touché(e).**
- **Le meilleur, c'est le jeu des acteurs.**
- **En somme, je le recommande aux amateurs de comédie.**
First person, all the way through: Stay in the first person from start to finish — a review is YOUR opinion. Mixing in a formal-letter opening (Cher Monsieur) or a chatty sign-off (Bisous) breaks the register and costs you Criterion C marks.
Study smarter, not longer
Most students waste 40% of study time on topics they already know. Our AI tracks your progress and optimizes every minute.
Try Smart Study FreeYour first topic is free to keep • No credit card required
Four moves, in order: A review follows a clear shape. Learn the four moves below as a sequence — that order (title → summary → opinion → recommendation) is what an examiner looks for.
Review structure — 4 steps
1
Catchy title
Often hints at your verdict. Une série qui vous accroche dès la première minute
2
Brief summary
Name the work and say what it is about — no spoilers. Je viens de terminer une série policière qui raconte…
3
Opinion + reasons
A strength AND a weakness, each with a reason. Le meilleur, c'est… ; le seul défaut, c'est…
4
Recommendation
A final line aimed at a kind of reader. En somme, je la recommande surtout à…
Title → Summary → Opinion → Recommendation
| Move | Useful frame (French) |
|---|---|
| Title | Un(e) … qu'il ne faut pas manquer |
| Summary | Je viens de voir/lire …, qui raconte … |
| Strength | Le meilleur, c'est …, parce que … |
| Weakness | Le seul défaut, c'est …, qui … |
| Recommendation | En somme, je le/la recommande surtout à … |
Always give both sides: A real review gives a strength AND a weakness, each with a reason. An all-positive (or all-negative) review sounds like an advert and caps your Criterion B (Message) — the balanced judgement is what develops it.
Read a real review: Here is a short review of a series. Notice how each part does its job — title, summary, opinion, recommendation.
How to work through it
- Read it once.
- Tap the audio button to hear it, or Voir la traduction if you get stuck.
- Then we'll analyse one feature together.
Critique : Brume sur la côte (1/3): Une série qui vous accroche dès la première minute
Je viens de terminer Brume sur la côte, une série policière réalisée par Lucie Ferrand.
Critique : Brume sur la côte (2/3)
Sans rien dévoiler, elle raconte l'histoire d'une journaliste qui revient dans son village pour enquêter sur une disparition.
Critique : Brume sur la côte (3/3)
Le meilleur, c'est l'atmosphère et le rythme ; le seul défaut, c'est que certains personnages secondaires manquent un peu de profondeur. En somme, je la recommande surtout à celles et ceux qui aiment les histoires de mystère bien racontées.
- Une série qui vous accroche…
- the catchy TITLE — it already hints at the verdict, instead of a greeting
- Je viens de terminer …, qui raconte …
- the brief SUMMARY — names the work, no spoilers (sans rien dévoiler)
- Le meilleur, c'est … ; le seul défaut, c'est …
- the OPINION — one strength and one weakness, each with a reason
- En somme, je la recommande surtout à …
- the RECOMMENDATION — directed at a kind of reader
IB-style task — analyse the model
Une question, étape par étape
- The question — Quel rasgo initial la critique utilise-t-elle à la place d'une salutation ? → Which initial feature does the review use instead of a greeting?
- Hunt for the proof. The text opens not with Cher… but with a title in quotation marks: Une série qui vous accroche dès la première minute.
- The answer — a title that hints at the verdict, not a greeting. Copy the exact words that prove it — that quote is what earns the mark.
Spot the four moves: When you analyse a model review, look for the title, the opinion verbs (le meilleur, c'est…), and the final recommendation — they reveal the purpose (to evaluate and recommend) and the register (semi-formal, first person).
Practice with exam-style questions
Answer exam-style questions and get AI feedback that shows you exactly what examiners want to see in a full-marks response.
Try Practice FreeYour first topic is free to keep • No credit card required
Phrase bank for a review: These are the ready-made frames that make a review sound authentic. Group them by move — opening, summary, opinion, recommendation — and reuse them in the writing tasks. Accurate reuse scores Criterion A (Language).
Open & summarise
- Je viens de voir / lire… — I have just seen / read…
- Il s'agit de… / Cela raconte l'histoire de… — It is about… / It tells the story of…
- Sans rien dévoiler,… — Without giving anything away,…
- Réalisé(e) par… / écrit(e) par… — Directed by… / written by…
Give your opinion (a strength AND a weakness)
- Le meilleur, c'est…, parce que… — The best thing is…, because…
- Ce que j'ai préféré, c'est… — What I liked best is…
- Le seul défaut, c'est…, qui… — The only flaw is…, which…
- On peut regretter que… — One could regret that…
Recommend & connect
- En somme, / Pour conclure,… — All in all, / To conclude,…
- Je le/la recommande (vivement) surtout à… — I (strongly) recommend it especially to…
- … si vous aimez… / pour les amateurs de… — … if you like… / for fans of…
- Connecteurs : d'abord, ensuite, cependant, en revanche — first, then, however, on the other hand
Pick one frame per move: You don't need every phrase — choose one good frame for each move (open · summary · opinion · recommend) and link them with two or three connectors. That gives a complete, well-shaped review.