What it looks like
An example from Business.
Porter’s five forces gives managers a clear structure for analysing an industry. However, it has weaknesses: it is a snapshot of one moment, and it overlooks cooperation between firms. So the model has both strengths and weaknesses.
Porter’s five forces gives managers a clear structure for analysing an industry. Its most serious limit is that it is a snapshot, and how much that matters depends on the market. In a mature industry such as cement, where rivals and customers change slowly, the picture stays accurate for longer. In fast-moving digital markets it dates quickly, so there it works best as a starting point rather than a verdict.
Why markers write it
Evaluation is a judgement, not a list. Markers want to see you decide which strengths and weaknesses matter most, in what circumstances, and what follows for the question. Two balanced columns with no verdict read as description, however many points they contain.
How to fix it in your next essay
- 1Rank, don’t listAfter setting out strengths and weaknesses, say which one matters most for this question, and why.
- 2Ask when it mattersMost limits matter more in some cases than others. Name a case where the weakness bites, and one where it doesn’t.
- 3End each section with a verdictFinish with a sentence that commits: on balance, how useful, convincing or important is it?
Phrases that help
How much it costs
Evaluation usually carries heavy weight in the upper bands. In most UK schemes, an essay that sets out both sides without judging them tends to sit around a 2:2 or low 2:1, however thorough it is.
Other ways markers say it
- “Needs more evaluation”
- “Limited evaluation”
- “Evaluate rather than describe”
- “Where is your judgement?”
- “Weigh up the arguments”
Often written alongside
Common questions
- What’s the difference between analysis and evaluation?
- Analysis breaks something down and explains how it works. Evaluation judges it — how useful, how convincing, how important — and says why.
- Should I always give both sides?
- Usually, yes. But setting out both sides is the start, not the end: the marks come from deciding between them.
- Can I save my evaluation for the conclusion?
- Sum it up there, but judge as you go. A verdict that appears only at the end can feel unearned.