The Ultimate Guide to Writing a Review for the 2026 Selective Test — Selective online tests: preparation tips

If the 2026 NSW Selective High School Placement Test throws a curveball, it usually takes the form of a hybrid text type. The most common of these is the review.

A prompt might ask: "Write a review of a recently released piece of technology," or "Review a new restaurant that just opened in your town."

Many Year 6 students stumble here because a review sits awkwardly between an informative article and a persuasive essay. They either write a boring list of facts (informative), or they just yell about how much they hated it (persuasive). A top-tier review requires a delicate balance: you must provide an opinion, but that opinion must be justified through careful, objective evaluation.

Here is how your child can master the art of the review in the 30-minute computer-based test environment.

1. The golden rule: Critique, don't summarise

The number one mistake students make when reviewing a book or a movie is spending 25 minutes explaining the plot. The marker does not want a summary of what happened; they want to know how well it was executed.

Average (summarising) — "The main character, Alex, finds a magic sword in the forest and has to fight a dragon to save the village."

Exceptional (critiquing) — "While the plot of a hero finding a magic sword is a tired cliché, the author breathes new life into the story with incredibly fast-paced action sequences and a genuinely terrifying dragon."

Teach your child to assume the reader already knows the basic details. Their job is to evaluate the quality of those details.

2. The "invent the subject" trick

What happens if the prompt asks you to review a "new video game," but your child doesn't play video games?

They should invent one. The markers are not fact-checking the existence of the product. They are marking the quality of the writing. Inventing a fictional restaurant (e.g. The Rusty Spoon) or a fictional movie (e.g. Galactic Shadows) is actually a massive advantage. It frees the student from trying to remember real-world facts, allowing them to focus entirely on demonstrating their vocabulary and structure.

3. The architecture of a professional review

To make the text instantly recognisable as a review on the digital screen, students should use this specific layout:

The headline and rating — Start with a catchy title and a clear rating. Markers love this visual flair. (e.g. "A Culinary Disaster at The Rusty Spoon: ★★☆☆☆")

The hook (introduction) — Introduce the subject and give your overall verdict immediately. Don't keep it a secret until the end.

The breakdown (body paragraphs) — Divide the review into specific criteria. If reviewing a game, have one paragraph on "Graphics" and one on "Gameplay". If reviewing a restaurant, evaluate "The Food" and "The Atmosphere". Use subheadings if it helps!

The verdict (conclusion) — Summarise your thoughts and answer the ultimate question: Who is this for, and would you recommend it? (e.g. "While the atmosphere is delightful, the exorbitant prices make it impossible to recommend to anyone but the wealthiest diners.")

4. Evaluative vocabulary (Ditching "good" and "bad")

A review lives and dies by its adjectives. Words like good, bad, nice, and boring will result in an average score. To stand out, students need a bank of high-level evaluative vocabulary.

Instead of "good" — Captivating, innovative, masterful, spectacular, flawless, revolutionary.

Instead of "bad" — Underwhelming, uninspired, chaotic, tedious, derivative, abysmal.

Instead of "okay" — Mediocre, adequate, passable, inconsistent.

Using these words instantly creates the authoritative tone of a professional critic.

5. The 5-20-5 digital execution

A review requires strict time management, as the student must balance their description with their critique.

0–5 minutes (the blueprint) — Read the prompt. Decide what you are reviewing (invent it if necessary). Decide your star rating. On your rough-working paper, jot down the two specific criteria you will evaluate in your body paragraphs (e.g. 1. Story, 2. Special Effects).

5–25 minutes (the draft) — Type the review. Aim for around 350 words. Focus on using your evaluative vocabulary. Make sure you provide examples to back up your opinions (e.g. don't just say the food was bad; describe the soggy, over-salted chips).

25–30 minutes (the polish) — Proofread. Read it back to yourself to ensure it sounds like something you would read in a newspaper or magazine. Fix any spelling errors and check your punctuation.

The final takeaway for parents

This is the easiest text type to practise at home because we are constantly reviewing things in our daily lives! After dinner, ask your child to give the meal a "star rating" and justify it using two evaluative words. After watching a family movie, challenge them to write a 10-minute mini-review focusing on the acting rather than the plot. By making evaluation a habit, they will naturally adopt the critic's mindset needed for the exam.

Reviews sink when plot summary steals the word count. Try GoTestPrep review-style Writing prompts to rehearse ratings, criteria paragraphs, and evaluative vocabulary until critique—not recap—is the default instinct.