FCE review: how to write a B2 First review
An FCE review is a Part 2 task where you describe something you have experienced, such as a film, book, café, app or event, give your opinion of it and end with a recommendation, all in 140–190 words. It is one of the Part 2 options in our B2 First Writing guide. Below you will find a paragraph plan, review vocabulary and three marked model answers.
By Eleanor BennettLast updated:
What the review task looks like
A review task usually comes from a magazine, a website or a college newsletter. It names a type of thing to review and tells you what to include: typically describe, evaluate (good and bad points) and recommend. Here is an original example:
You see this notice in an English-language magazine for students.
Reviews wanted: A place to study
Is there a café, library or other place in your town where you like to study? Write a review of it, describing the place and explaining what makes it good, or not so good, for studying. Would you recommend it to other students?
The best reviews will be published in next month's issue.
Write your review.
Notice the hidden focus: it is not just a review of a café, it is a review of a café as a place to study. Many students describe the food and the decoration in detail and forget the study angle. Every paragraph should connect back to what the task asks.
Paragraph plan for an FCE review
- 1
Title
Name what you are reviewing and add a hint of your opinion: The Reading Room at Café Lume: Quiet, Cosy and Almost Perfect.
- 2
Paragraph 1: introduction
Say what you are reviewing, with one or two key facts (where it is, what kind of place or film it is), and hook the reader with an interesting angle.
- 3
Paragraph 2: description
Describe the most relevant features. Choose details that matter for the task: for a study place, light, space, noise, plugs and Wi-Fi matter more than the menu.
- 4
Paragraph 3: evaluation
Give your opinion with reasons: what works well and what does not. Including one honest weakness makes your review more believable.
- 5
Paragraph 4: recommendation
Answer the recommendation question clearly. Say who it is suitable for and, if useful, who should avoid it.
Register and tone
Reviews are usually for a magazine or website, so the tone is neutral to semi-formal, with a personal voice. You are an informed friend giving advice, not a robot listing facts. Contractions and some direct address (you'll love...) are fine.
What makes a review stand out is evaluative language: adjectives and adverbs that show your opinion clearly. Compare:
- The café is nice and the coffee is good. (says very little)
- The café is bright and spacious, and the coffee is reasonably priced. (gives the reader real information)
A review shares some features with an article: a title, an engaging opening and a personal tone. The difference is that a review must evaluate and recommend. If the task asks for suggestions to an organisation instead, you may be looking at a report.
How the four criteria apply to the review
- Content: cover every part of the task: description, the specific evaluation asked for (here: good or bad for studying) and a recommendation.
- Communicative Achievement: the text should read like a real review: informative, opinionated and helpful to the reader. A clear recommendation and a balance of description and evaluation are what examiners notice.
- Organisation: a title and three or four paragraphs that move from description to evaluation to recommendation, with linkers that show contrast (although, my only complaint is).
- Language: a range of descriptive and evaluative vocabulary, and some more complex structures such as relative clauses and so... that sentences.
For a criterion-by-criterion explanation, see how FCE Writing is marked.
Review traps
Trap: Retelling the whole plot of a film or book.
Fix: Give two or three sentences of plot at most, with no spoilers, then move on to evaluation.
Trap: Describing everything and evaluating nothing.
Fix: For every fact you mention, add your opinion or its effect: The tables are huge, so there's plenty of room for a laptop and books.
Trap: Forgetting the recommendation.
Fix: Make it the topic of your last paragraph, and say who you recommend it to.
Trap: Ignoring the angle in the task (for example, as a place to study or for families).
Fix: Underline the angle and mention it in every paragraph.
Trap: Using nice, good and bad again and again.
Fix: Prepare a bank of evaluative adjectives: gripping, overpriced, spotless, disappointing, well-designed.
Model answer 1: top level
The task
You see this notice in an English-language magazine for students.
Reviews wanted: A place to study
Is there a café, library or other place in your town where you like to study? Write a review of it, describing the place and explaining what makes it good, or not so good, for studying. Would you recommend it to other students?
The best reviews will be published in next month's issue.
Write your review.
Top answer172 words · estimated 20/20
The Reading Room at Café Lume: Quiet, Cosy and Almost Perfect
Tucked away above a busy bakery in the old town, the upstairs reading room at Café Lume is the best-kept secret among students in my city. After a whole term of revising there, I can see why.
The first thing you notice is the light. Huge windows overlook the square, so you rarely need a lamp, and the long wooden tables leave plenty of space for books and a laptop. There are plugs everywhere, and the Wi-Fi is fast and free.
What really makes it work for studying, though, is the atmosphere. There is an unwritten rule of silence upstairs, and the staff gently remind anyone who forgets it. The coffee is reasonably priced, too.
My only complaint is that it gets crowded during exam season, so you have to arrive before nine to find a seat.
Overall, I would wholeheartedly recommend Café Lume to any student who finds the library too gloomy and home too distracting. Just don't tell everyone!
Examiner-style comments
- Content5/5
- The place is described, its strengths and weakness for studying are clearly evaluated, and there is a direct recommendation. Every point keeps the study angle in focus. The reader is fully informed.
- Communicative Achievement5/5
- Reads like a genuine magazine review. The title gives an opinion, the opening is intriguing, and the humorous final line holds the reader's attention. The tone is friendly yet informative throughout.
- Organisation5/5
- A clear move from introduction to description to evaluation to recommendation. Cohesion is natural and varied: The first thing you notice, What really makes it work... though, My only complaint, Overall.
- Language5/5
- Precise, natural vocabulary (tucked away, best-kept secret, unwritten rule, wholeheartedly, gloomy) and a range of structures, including a participle clause and a cleft sentence. Fully controlled.
Estimated 20/20. Note the one honest weakness: it makes the recommendation more convincing, not less.
Marks are our estimate using the public B2 First writing criteria, not an official Cambridge mark.
Model answer 2: solid level
The task
You see this notice in an English-language magazine for students.
Reviews wanted: A place to study
Is there a café, library or other place in your town where you like to study? Write a review of it, describing the place and explaining what makes it good, or not so good, for studying. Would you recommend it to other students?
The best reviews will be published in next month's issue.
Write your review.
Solid pass177 words · estimated 15/20
The City Library: A Good Place to Study?
If you are looking for a quiet place to study, the City Library in the centre of town is a good option. I have been going there two or three times a week since September.
The library is in a modern building with three floors. The study area is on the top floor and it has big tables, comfortable chairs and a lot of plugs for your laptop. There is also free Wi-Fi, although sometimes it is quite slow.
The best thing about the library is that it is very quiet, so you can concentrate easily. The staff are friendly and they help you if you need a book. However, you can't eat or drink inside, which is a problem if you study for many hours.
Another disadvantage is the opening hours. It closes at seven o'clock, which is too early for students who study after school or university.
In general, I would recommend the City Library to students who need silence. But bring a snack and go early!
Examiner-style comments
- Content5/5
- All parts of the task are covered: description, good and bad points for studying, and a recommendation. The reader is fully informed.
- Communicative Achievement3/5
- The conventions of a review are mostly followed and the tone suits a student magazine. However, the description of the building is factual rather than engaging, and the opinion relies on general words like good and quiet. The ending is the most reader-friendly part.
- Organisation4/5
- Well organised, with a logical order and a title. Linkers are correct but fairly basic (also, However, Another disadvantage, In general), and relative clauses with which are used well to connect ideas.
- Language3/5
- Generally accurate with a reasonable range of everyday vocabulary. There are no serious errors, but the language is safe: big tables, a lot of plugs, very quiet, a good option. A few more precise adjectives would raise the mark.
Estimated 15/20. Accurate and complete. Make it more vivid: one memorable detail in the description and stronger evaluative adjectives would push this towards 17 or 18.
Marks are our estimate using the public B2 First writing criteria, not an official Cambridge mark.
Model answer 3: borderline level
The task
You see this notice in an English-language magazine for students.
Reviews wanted: A place to study
Is there a café, library or other place in your town where you like to study? Write a review of it, describing the place and explaining what makes it good, or not so good, for studying. Would you recommend it to other students?
The best reviews will be published in next month's issue.
Write your review.
Borderline165 words · estimated 10/20
Review of Bar Central
I want to write about Bar Central, it is a cafe near my house where I go to study with my friends some times.
The cafe is big and it have many tables. The decoration is modern and there is music all the time. The coffee is very good and not expensive, also the cakes are delicious, specially the chocolate cake. The waiters are very nice and they know us because we go there very often.
For study it is not the best place, because there is a lot of noise in the afternoon and the music is loud. Some times we speak more than we study! But in the morning it is more quiet and you can concentrate better.
I recommend this cafe for meet friends and to take a coffee, but if you have an exam is better to go to the library. My mark for Bar Central is seven out of ten.
I hope you visit it soon.
Examiner-style comments
- Content3/5
- The place is described and there is a recommendation, but most of the description is about food and service rather than studying. The study angle appears only in the third paragraph, so the reader is only partly informed about what the task asked.
- Communicative Achievement2/5
- It is recognisably a review, but the title is flat, the opening sentence is formulaic and the final line does not fit the advice just given (go to the library instead). Simple ideas are communicated, but the text does not really engage the reader.
- Organisation3/5
- Paragraphs are logical and there is some linking (because, But, also). However, ideas are often joined with commas (Bar Central, it is a cafe) and also is used to start a clause after a comma, which makes sentences run on.
- Language2/5
- Everyday vocabulary with frequent errors: it have, some times, specially, For study, more quiet, for meet friends, take a coffee, is better to go. Errors are noticeable but the meaning is generally clear.
Estimated 10/20. The biggest problem is not grammar but focus: underline for studying in the task and build every paragraph around it.
Marks are our estimate using the public B2 First writing criteria, not an official Cambridge mark.
Useful phrases for the FCE review
| Use it to… | Phrases |
|---|---|
| Introducing what you are reviewing |
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| Describing |
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| Praising |
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| Criticising politely |
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| Recommending |
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FCE review: frequently asked questions
What can you be asked to review in B2 First?
Almost anything a young adult might experience: a film, book, TV series, restaurant, café, app, website, concert, museum, holiday place or product. The task tells you what to focus on.
Does an FCE review need a title?
A title is expected in the review format and helps the reader. Include the name of what you are reviewing and, if possible, a hint of your opinion.
Do I have to include negative points?
Only if the task asks for them, but one honest weakness usually makes a review more convincing. Make sure your recommendation still matches your overall opinion.
How much of the plot should I describe in a film review?
Very little: two or three sentences to set the scene, without the ending. Spend most of your words on evaluation.
Can I give a score like 8/10?
You can, but it does not replace a written recommendation. Explain who you recommend it to and why.