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Critical writing means thinking, not just reporting information. It is the skill of taking ideas, evidence and perspectives and using them to build a clear, reasoned and justified argument that answers your Research Question.
Many Extended Essays lose marks because they describe or summarise rather than analyse and evaluate.
Evaluating Sources:
Not all literature is of the same quality - there are many different types of sources, each with unique strengths and weaknesses.
What Is Critical Writing?
What Is Critical Writing?
Critical writing:
makes claims and supports them with evidence
evaluates ideas, sources and methods
compares and contrasts different viewpoints
identifies limitations and gaps
explains the significance of evidence
links back to the Research Question
shows judgement, not just knowledge
Critical writing is not:
retelling the story
describing what you read
listing facts
presenting unchallenged opinions
copying what scholars say
adding information without analysis
In short:
description tells you what; critical writing explains how and why.
The Core Moves of Critical Writing
The Core Moves of Critical Writing
Good critical writing uses a small set of intellectual “moves”.
Every strong EE uses these repeatedly.
1. Analyse
Break ideas, data or arguments into parts and examine how they work.
2. Compare and contrast
Show how two ideas, methods or interpretations relate to each other.
3. Evaluate
Judge the value, reliability or significance of something.
4. Interpret
Explain what something means and why it matters.
5. Synthesis
Bring ideas together to create something new.
6. Justify
Explain why you made a choice (method, text, case, theory, data source).
7. Link back
Connect everything to your Research Question.
These are what examiners look for in Criterion C and D.
Sentence Stems for Critical Writing
Sentence Stems for Critical Writing
Students often ask, “What does critical writing sound like?”
Here are safe, strong stems:
Analysis
The evidence suggests that…
A closer examination shows…
This indicates that…
Comparison
In contrast to…
Similarly, the findings of…
Both sources suggest that…
Evaluation
This source is convincing because…
A limitation of this study is…
The argument is weakened by…
Interpretation
This implies that…
One possible interpretation is…
This may indicate a broader issue regarding…
Synthesis
Taken together, these perspectives show that…
When these ideas are combined, it becomes clear that…
This creates a more comprehensive understanding of…
Justification
This method was chosen because…
This source is appropriate for answering the RQ because…
Link back
This supports the Research Question by…
This helps answer the RQ because…
PETAL
PETAL
Critical vs Descriptive Writing (Examples)
Critical vs Descriptive Writing (Examples)
Descriptive
“The protest was large and took place in the city centre.”
Critical
“The scale of the protest suggests strong public dissatisfaction, but the central location likely increased visibility. This indicates that participation alone may not reflect the true level of support.”
Descriptive
“The experiment showed an increase in reaction rate.”
Critical
“The increase in reaction rate supports the hypothesis, yet the variation in trials indicates that temperature control may have influenced the results.”
Descriptive
“Author A argues that nationalism is rising.”
Critical
“Although Author A claims that nationalism is rising, the evidence relies on polling from a single region, creating uncertainty about how far this trend applies more widely.”
How to Build Critical Writing into Your Essay
How to Build Critical Writing into Your Essay
1. Use your literature review to anchor debates
Critical writing grows from dialogue between sources.
2. Treat evidence as something to examine, not accept
Ask whether your evidence is strong or weak, complete or limited.
3. Make your argument step by step
Every paragraph should advance your reasoning.
4. Keep returning to the Research Question
Clear connections = high marks in Criterion C and D.
5. Avoid writing everything you know
Stay focused on what helps you answer the RQ.
Evaluating Sources
Evaluating Sources
Evaluating Sources Template.pdfTemplate to print and write on.
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