Unit 4

By the end of this unit, you should be able to:

- evaluate a webpage by using consistent criteria, and
- explain criteria by defining and dividing them into different categories

For the speaking and writing assessments in this course, the input from this part will
help you use appropriate structure and language to show the causal relationship between
ideas and to provide definitions. The input can also be applied to other areas of your
studies at UM and the speaking and writing papers of IELTS.

4.1 Website Evaluation

Task 1 :
Identify some websites you usually browse on the Internet. What type of websites are they?
What design qualities make them appealing to you? Share your views in groups.

We evaluate things all the time: ‘A beautiful watch’, ‘A stunning movie’, ‘An attractive website’,
‘I love fantasy movies’.
In order to make judgements, we unconsciously develop a set of characteristics and judge
those qualities positively or negatively.
These characteristics are known as criteria. We may or may not spell out those criteria
when we evaluate something.

Task 2 :
Read the following website review and then answer the questions underneath.
(Source: http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/intermediate-b1-writing/website-review)

LUE1001 University English I (2021-2022) Page 1

 One of my favourite websites is lyricstraining.com. It’s great because you can learn English
while you listen to your favourite songs. You choose a song and then listen to the song and
complete the lyrics. You can also watch the video of the song.
The good points include the fact that there are lots of up-to-date groups you can listen to
such as The Script or One Direction. In addition, you can choose the level: beginner,
intermediate or expert, depending on your level of English. Another good feature is that you
can repeat a line of the song as often as you want, until you know the missing word. Also, the
website is very easy to navigate and you can listen to songs in different languages, for
instance in Spanish, German and Italian.
One of the drawbacks is that some songs aren’t on the website. Another bad point is that
there is a lot of advertising on the website. However, you can just ignore it.
To sum up, I think this is an excellent website if you like music and you want to improve your
English. You should check it out.
(Source: Modified from British Council Website: http://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/skills/writing/intermediate-
b1-writing/website-review)

1. Match the paragraphs with their main ideas:

Paragraph B A. A) a conclusion and overall opinion
1
Paragraph C B) general information about the website
2
Paragraph D C) good things about the website
3
Paragraph A D) some of the problems with the website
4

2. Which of the following are facts and which are opinions?

A) It’s great.
B) You can listen to songs in different languages.
C) You can repeat a line of the song as often as you want.
D) This is an excellent website.
Opinions: A, D
3. Some opinions are more subjective than others, focusing on one’s personal experience.
Let us call these opinions subjective evaluations. They are usually used together with
personal pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘She’, ‘Him’, ‘We’. The following are some examples of
subjective evaluations:

I love dancing.
This new university policy terrifies me.

LUE1001 University English I (2021-2022) Page 2

On the other hand, some opinions are based on norms or criteria commonly shared, and
they are more objective. The focus is the object being evaluated instead of the personal
experience of individuals:
It is a beautiful sunset. (Based on what most people would consider as beautiful, that is,
aesthetics.)
The website has a very boring design. (Based on the quality of the website instead of
personal experience.)
In both examples, the criteria are not spelt out and are assumed. When writing academic
papers, you have to spell out the criteria clearly in order to inform or persuade your
audience more effectively.

Task 3 :
Decide if the following expressions are subjective or objective evaluations.
B) One of my favourite websites is lyricstraining.com. pure S
D) It’s great because you can learn English while you listen to your favourite songs. O
F) One of the drawbacks is that some songs aren’t on the website. O
H) Another bad point is that there is a lot of advertising on the website O
J) I think this is an excellent website if you like music and you want to improve your English.
O

Task 4 :
Answer the following questions in groups.

1. Select a product (for example, sports shoes, mobile phones) for which there are
several different well-known brands.
Heating pad on JD
2. Identify four to five criteria by which you will judge the product such as price, colour:

a. Price
b. Smell
c. durability
d. warmness
e. feel

3. Which criteria are more subjective, and which are more objective? Why do you think
so?
Objective: price, durability, warmness
Subjective: smell, feel

LUE1001 University English I (2021-2022) Page 3

 4. Select three to five evaluative words for each criterion, such as
a. Price – very expensive, inexpensive, pricey
b. Smell- fragrant, stinky, burning smell
c. Durability- long, very long, short
d. Warmness- warm, hot, little warm
When you do an analysis or evaluation, it is more convincing to include objective opinions,
which means justification and reasons have to be provided. And the following cause-effect
vocabulary and sentence structures will be useful.

Language for justification: Cause-Effect Vocabulary and Sentence Structures

The cause-effect relationship can be expressed using a variety of vocabulary and grammar
structures. You are probably well-used to using simple ways such as co-ordinating
conjunctions like because / since / if or linking words such as Hence / Therefore / Thus.
However, for effective formal academic writing and speaking, you need to extend your range
and variety of structures and vocabulary used. These also need to be used accurately. Using
the following table while you are writing will help you to increase both your range and
accuracy of cause-effect vocabulary and structures.

Tables of Cause-Effect Vocabulary/Structures

Cause (X)  Effect (Y) (within 1 sentence)
X … affect / promote / produce / The brain injury affected her memory.
result in / lead to / give rise to / Sleep deprivation contributes to many road
bring about / contribute to / account accidents.
for / create … Y (noun phrase)
The development of the computer brought about
major changes in society.

X … cause / allow / influence / enable The scholarship allowed her to study at the
… Y (noun phrase) or [sb to do sthg] university of her choice.
Excessive rain caused landslides.
Effective advertising and strategic planning
enabled the company to open three more
branches last year.
X … has an effect on / has an impact The Industrial Revolution had a great impact on
on … Y (noun phrase) immigration to the United States.
A/one/the consequence/ result / One consequence of sleep deprivation is lack of
effect of X is … Y (noun phrase) ability to concentrate in class.
A/one/the consequence/result/ A consequence of sleep deprivation is that
effect of X is that Y (clause) students are unable to concentrate in class.
Owing to /On account of / Because Owing to the increasing popularity of fast foods,
of / Due to / Given /As a result of / As obesity is becoming a problem.
a consequence of … X, Y (clause)
Due to the rain, the open air concert was

LUE1001 University English I (2021-2022) Page 4

 cancelled.

As a consequence of the ever-increasing cost of

living, houses became unaffordable to the average
income earner

X … is a/one cause/source of … Y Cigarette smoking in bed is one cause of house

(noun phrase) fires.
X … is a/one reason for … Y (noun
phrase)

Cause (X) (1st sentence)  Effect (Y) (2nd sentence)

X (clause] As a result/consequence, Y When she was a child, Kathy was involved in a bad
(clause) car accident. As a consequence, she spent many
weeks in hospital.
X (clause), Y (clause) as a result When she was a child, Kathy was involved in a bad
/consequence. car accident. She spent many weeks in hospital as
a consequence.

Effect (Y)  Cause (X)

Y … be influenced by / be affected The dairy industry was negatively impacted by
by / be caused by / be produced by / the rapid spread of the bovine virus.
be impacted by … X (noun phrase)
His heart attack was attributed to overwork on
Y … result from / (can be) top of a pre-existing heart condition.
attribute(d) to … X (noun phrase)
A lack of ability to concentrate in class is one
Y…[is/are]a/one/the consequence consequence of sleep deprivation.
/result / effect of … X(noun phrase)
The open air concert was cancelled due to the
Y … because of / due to / as a result of rain.
/ as a consequence of … X(noun Houses became unaffordable to the average
phrase) income earner as a consequence of the ever-
increasing cost of living.
A/one cause/source of Y is X (clause) One cause of house fires is cigarette smoking in
A/one reason for Y is X (clause) bed.
Y (clause) owing to the fact that / Obesity is becoming a problem due to the fact
on account of the fact that / that fast food is increasing in popularity.
because of the fact that /
due to the fact that /
given the fact that X (clause)
The reason Y (clause) is that X (clause) The reason he failed his course is that he slept in
and missed his final exam.

LUE1001 University English I (2021-2022) Page 5

Task 5:
Work in pairs. Discuss your views on the following topics:
1. The causes of depression among teenagers.
2. The effects of the Internet.

Try to use the vocabulary and structures suggested above. Jot down some notes in the space
below before discussing with your partner:
1.a. pressure from studies b. poor involvement in social life c. poor relationship with family
d. the struggling strive for recognition among peers and professors e. personal character
f. the immersion in literature of art or music

Task 6:

Look at the Olay advertisement below. ??? Choose one criterion for evaluation and
write in about 30 words explaining how the design helps achieve the purpose and appeal
to the audience. Use some cause-and-effect vocabulary and structures above.

Write your answer here:

Task 7:
Read the foll
that discuss w

LUE1001 University English I (2021-2022) Page 6

 Web Evaluation Criteria

1. Language refers to the choice of words used to present information on the website.
2. Layout & graphics pertains to how elements are visually rendered on the website.
3. Information architecture pertains to how the website content and features are
arranged.
4. User interface pertains to how the user interface of the website determines the ease
of navigating through its content.
5. General refers to the general practice of website design and maintenance.

(Source: Website analysis in an EFL context: content comprehension, perceptions on web usability and awareness of
reading strategies, Debopriyo Roy & Stephen Crabbe, European Association for Computer Assisted Language Learning,
19 May 2014, doi:10.1017/S095834401400024X)

Another concept that is very useful when evaluating websites is the TILT concept,
developed by Jeff Peach.
(T) Text refers to the size, color, font, and font style, which are all contributing factors of
Web design. The majority of information on most webpages is still delivered through text.
The qualities of the text are an important component to the website.
(I) Images are essential to our visually oriented society. More and more websites are
incorporating pictures and images. The placement, size, format, and resolution of the
images are important components in website design.
(L) Links, or more specifically, hyperlinks, can be located anywhere on a webpage. A
picture, image, or string of text can be set to be a hyperlink. Hyperlinks tell the Web
browser to connect to another site or folder and either display another webpage or
download a file. Links are what allows users to navigate a website.
(T) Tables allow web designers to organize and group information. The use of tables has
also developed into a tool that plays a major role in page design.

(Source:
TILT: A simple approach to web design, Peach, J., 2001, Retrieved from California State University, Sacramento website
on August 29, 2001 http://www.csus.edu/indiv/p/peachj/edte230/activities /tilt/tilt.htm)

1. Identify the ways in which the different criteria are defined.

categorizing the elements.
2. Which criterion or criteria do you think are the most important? Do you think the
criteria would depend on the purpose and type of products/service being
promoted?
2 and 4. 2 is related to the first impression on a webpage, while 4 is
related to further feelings of visitors for the evaluation on convenience.
Yes.
3. Searching for more criteria for webpage evaluation from different sources
including academic journals, write your own list of criteria, with justifications.

LUE1001 University English I (2021-2022) Page 7

 The following is an example:
Criterion 1: Information architecture
Definition: It “pertains to how the website content and features are arranged” (Roy &
Crabbe, 2014, p.133)
Reason: The websites should be clearly formatted.

Criterion 2: Graphics
Definition: The artistic quality of the design, including images and animation.
Reason: The page should be visually appealing.

Criterion 3: Informative
Definition: The website should have information relevant to the product advertised.
Reason: Users should be able to learn as much as possible about the product so that they
can make an informed choice.

Criterion 4: Easy to use

Definition: The information on the website is presented in a way that is easy for the users
to find, so even those who do not use the Internet often can find it.
Reason: The content on a website should target the audience, engage them and persuade
them to take action

(Adapted from: College Writing 3, Nutall, G., 2006, Cengage.)

Criterion 1: validity of information
Definition: the seller have to make sure that the information on the website is entirely reliable
and there aren’t any mistakes to be found.
Reason: the realness of information is the foremost requirement to show respect and honest
to visitors.
Criterion 2: the navigation is made clear
Definition: it means users can easily find out the information by redirecting to another URL, in
such a way that they are able to acquire a basic and overall introduction on the products
Criterion3: clear and clean layout
Definition: layout is pure and clean(without annoying ads). The text and the graphics are
tailored elaborately and are direct to grasp.
Reason: if the promoter successfully achieved this, buyers will be willing to give his patience to
the web and read from the beginning to end.

LUE1001 University English I (2021-2022) Page 8