157 Quality Evaluation Essay Topics (Template)

157 Quality Evaluation Essay Topics (Template)

Written by Chris Drew (PhD)

Chris Drew (PhD)

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

| September 6, 2023

This article provides over 150 evaluation essay topics. Follow these steps to select your topic and start writing your essay. You can navigate to each point in the post, or scroll down to browse the whole post:

Step 1: Choose a Topic

Below, the evaluation essay topics are split into the following categories for ease of use. Feel free to navigate the post using these links or browse all suggestions by continuing to scroll down.

Media and Literature (Books, Movies, Television, Social Media)

You might want to write about one of these topic ideas if you’re studying literature or English studies, or intending to study literature at school, college or university level. Here are some media and literature topics to examine for some good evaluation essays:

  1. the moral messages in a book.
  2. the educational value of a book.
  3. the suitability of a book for a certain age group.
  4. the entertainment value of a book.
  5. whether a book has withstood the test of time.
  6. whether a movie adaptation on a book does the book justice.
  7. the merits of moving from paper books to eBooks.
  1. the suitability of a movie for children.
  2. the political, social, or moral messages in a move.
  3. how a movie has withstood the test of time.
  4. the quality of acting, producing and directing in a movie.
  5. whether a movie should have won an Oscar.
  6. How realistic animations or special effects are within a movie.
  7. whether the sequal to (The Matrix, Toy Story, Hunger Games, etc.) is as good as the original.
  1. the addictiveness of TV shows.
  2. If acting on a TV show is better or worse than another show.
  3. the messages in plot lines in a TV show.
  4. how well a TV show reflects real life.
  5. the impacts of Television on adolescents’ tastes.
  6. whether Television continues to have relevance to people’s lives in 2019.
  7. how Television creates shared sense of community and national identity within a society.
  8. whether a nation should have a government paid television station like BBC (UK), CBC (Canada) or ABC (Australia).
  1. Whether social media has been good or bad for society.
  2. Whether children should be exposed to social media.
  3. If social media should be regulated by the government.

Restaurants and Food

An evaluative essay on restaurants and food is common in high school when learning critical writing. You could evaluate:

  1. How good the service is in a restaurant.
  2. the breadth and suitability of a menu in a restaurant.
  3. the restaurant’s business model.
  4. the health of a restaurant’s offerings.
  5. the restaurant’s environment and atmosphere.
  6. the health of the average American diet.
  7. the merits of vegetarianism.
  8. the merits of veganism.
  9. the merits of an all-meat diet.

Transport

People studying urban planning, engineering or economics may be asked to write an essay on transport. Here are some evaluative topics to consider for you. You could evaluate:

  1. the speed and efficiency of transportation in your local area.
  2. the cost effectiveness of transportation in your local area.
  3. the quality of a car based on categories like value for money and build.
  4. the quality of an airline service based on categories like seat comfort, service and speed.
  5. the efficiency of a train service between two cities.
  6. Whether road repairs in your local community made driving safer.
  7. the potential of electric cars for taking over internal combustion engine cars in the next 10 years.

Weather

Students studying meteorology, agricultural studies or atmospheric sciences might be asked to write a topic on weather patterns. Here are some ideas of evaluative essays on this topic. You might want to evaluate:

  1. the accuracy of a weather prediction service in your local area.
  2. the suitability of weather conditions for agriculture in your local region.
  3. the impact of extreme weather events on people in your local community.
  4. how seasons impact upon people’s moods.
  5. how much El Nino and El Nina weather systems impact a city.

Technology

Students studying a range of topics including ICT, cultural studies, education studies and social sciences might be asked to write on a topic on technology. Here’s some ideas for you. You could evaluate:

  1. the impact of Facebook on society.
  2. how internet has changed the world.
  3. the reliability of internet connection in a certain country.
  4. Whether smart phones have made life better.
  5. the addictiveness of games on children.
  6. whether technology has made learning better, more inclusive and easier.

Cities

Urban planning, politics and local government majors often look at cities and how they’re built. Here are some possible topics for you to cover. You might want to analyze:

  1. Whether buses or trains are better for transit in your city.
  2. what makes a city ‘liveable’.
  3. the impact of your city on the nation’s culture and economy.
  4. How good is the the nightlife in your city.
  5. How good are the the restaurants in your city.
  6. the local government in your city.
  7. whether living in the city is good for people’s lives.

Education, School, College and Universities

Students studying education studies or teaching will be asked to write an evaluative essay at some point in your degree. You might also need to evaluate a course you recently took. Here’s some ideas. You could evaluate:

  1. whether a course had practical implications for your life.
  2. the value of teaching in a particular course.
  3. the value for money of the course.
  4. how well technology was used to teach the course.
  5. whether the course could have been taught in a different format (online, on-campus, etc.)
  6. the usefulness of resources provided in the course.
  7. the teaching theories employed in a course, and whether they were appropriate.

Similarly, students considering going to a particular university may need to write an evaluation of a university or university education in general. You may also be asked to write on educational issues in a general education studies degree. Here’s some ideas for you. You might want to assess:

  1. the strengths and weaknesses of a local university’s football team.
  2. the value for money of a local college.
  3. whether university is worth the money for young people.
  4. the impact of compulsory school uniforms on children’s education (see more: 35 Pros and Cons of School Uniforms).
  5. whether a particular degree / major has decent career prospects.
  6. the availability of public transit to or from a local school.
  7. the usefulness of humanities degrees to society.
  8. the usefulness of science degrees to society.
  9. whether trade schools should be made free for all.

Sports

Students studying sport sciences, kinesthesiology, or sports journalism may be asked to write an evaluative essay. Here’s some ideas for you. You could assess:

  1. the accuracy and biases of a sports broadcast.
  2. the impact of your favorite sports on people’s mental health.
  3. the impact of a particular sport on a person’s physical health.
  4. the value of a sports team for community building.
  5. the effect of recent rule changes on a sport.
  6. the line-up of sports in the Olympics and whether it improves the games.
  7. the strength of a current sports team line-up.
  8. the quality of a ground on which a sport is played.
  9. the impact of sports stars as mentors on children.
  10. whether sporting events should be played on religious or public holidays.
  11. how well a particular sport helps students develop problem solving skills.
  12. If half time entertainment at the Superbowl is better than it was in previous years.

Popular Culture

Popular culture is a topic commonly studied in cultural studies, media studies and communications degrees. However, you might also be asked to cover this in a general social sciences course or a general high school essay. Here’s some ideas for you. You could start with ‘Write an Analysis of…”

  1. whether Miley Cirus is a good influence on young people.
  2. the impact of K-Pop on western culture.
  3. the impact of Hollywood movies on world cultures. Is this Americanization of the world a positive or negative?
  4. the impact of Bollywood on western culture.
  5. how YouTube has influenced youth subcultures.
  6. the impact of Rue Paul’s Drag Race on LGBT awareness in the United States.

Politics and Economics

Students studying political sciences or economics will likely be asked to write a research paper that critically evaluates a topic throughout their degree. Social studies students in high school will also be called upon to write an evaluative essay of this type as well. Here’s some ideas for you. You could evaluate:

  1. a past president’s impact on society.
  2. a political party’s position on the environment.
  3. a political party’s position on the economy.
  4. the overall value of a politician’s position for society.
  5. the impact of the great depression on American society in the 1930s
  6. the impact of the 2008 Great Financial Crisis on the world.
  7. the immigration policies of the Democratic party.
  8. whether Capitalism has been good or bad for society.
  9. how Socialism impacts upon societies.
  10. whether rich people should be taxed more.

Travel

This is a very common topic for critical essays in high school. You may also need to conduct an evaluative essay on travel in a course within cultural or tourism studies. Here’s some ideas for you. You could write an evaluation of:

  1. Evaluate your favorite recent travel experience.
  2. a group travel company’s offerings according to categories such as value for money, service and authentic experiences.
  3. a travel destination according to factors including enjoyment, ease of travel, cultural attractions and safety.
  4. the impact of the burning of Notre Dame in 2019 on Paris tourism.
  5. London’s pub scene.
  6. the value of a gap year between high school and college.
  7. the potential impact of travel on people’s worldviews.
  8. whether travel is worth the money.

Art and Music

Cultural studies and fine arts degrees will ask you to write many good evaluative essays. You’ll be asked to focus on famous artists and art theories. Here’s some examples to get you mind ticking. You could analyze:

  1. the impact of Picasso on art theory.
  2. the Mona Lisa’s ongoing relevance in the 21 st
  3. the value of contemporary art for society.
  4. whether a degree in fine arts is worth the money.
  5. whether investment in the arts is a worthwhile way of spending public tax money.
  6. the merits of calling Banksy an ‘artist’ rather than a public nuisance.
  7. whether Leonardo da Vinci’s Salvator Mundi was actually worth $450 million dollars when sold in 2017.

Similarly, courses that examine musical theory, cultural studies and youth studies may ask you to write evaluative topics focused on music. Here’s some musical topics you could use in an evaluative essay. You could say “Write an evaluation of…”

  1. whether hip hop / grunge / punk is a positive influence on youth.
  2. the creativity of prominent themes in Top 40s country music.
  3. the impact of The Beatles on rock music.
  4. the impact of Michael Jackson on music.
  5. Jay-Z’s impact on rap music.
  6. how music impacts youth culture.

Famous People

This is a very popular topic provided to middle and high school students. However, just about any college course may ask you to write on a famous person also. Here’s some ideas for you. You could “Write an evaluation of…”

  1. your grandmother’s impact on your life.
  2. Evaluate your favorite role model’s impact on society.
  3. Bill Gates’ impact on society.
  4. Martin Luthor King’s legacy.
  5. Oprah’s potential impact on young black women.
  6. how Joe Rogan has changed the media landscape.
  7. the merits of Louis C. K. returning to comedy.
  8. Trevor Noah’s role as host of The Daily Show.

Sociology, Social Theory and Philosophy

Social sciences degrees require you to write many evaluative essays. Degrees in the social sciences include sociology, psychology, cultural studies and philosophy degrees. Here’s some ideas for you. You could evaluate:

  1. the strengths and weaknesses of Karl Marx’s approach to economic and social theory.
  2. how social relationships have been impacted by Twitter.
  3. whether Post-Modernism has changed the world for the better or worse.
  4. the merits of Confucius’s philosophy.
  5. the impact of the scientific method on the world.
  6. whether Spinoza’s philosophy has merits in 2019.
  7. the pros and cons of existentialist philosophy.
  8. the impact of first wave feminism on the 20 th
  9. the merits of Freud’s theory of child development.

Religion

Evaluation essays on religion is common in both high school and college courses. Here are some ideas for a research paper or evaluative essays on religion. You could assess:

  1. Mohammad ’s influence on the world today.
  2. the merits of the message of Jesus Christ in the 21 st
  3. how Hinduism has impacted Indian culture.
  4. whether religion has had an overall positive or negative impact on the promotion of human flourishing.
  5. the impacts of religion’s decline in the west in the past 50 years.
  6. whether science has made religion irrelevant.
  7. whether islamophobia is on the rise within the western world.

Social Services (Medical, etc.)

Social services might be covered in health care, local government, criminology or sociology degrees. They may also pop up in courses covering urban planning and public health. Here’s some ideas for you. You could evaluate:

  1. whether social safety nets are beneficial for society.
  2. the pros and cons of the implementation of universal healthcare within OECD nations.
  3. the impacts of your local council’s laws on homelessness upon people in poverty.
  4. the merits of having social care provided by religious bodies rather than governmental bodies.
  5. the impact of tolls on major highways into and out of cities.
  6. whether continued funding of Libraries by local councils is worthwhile.
  7. whether preventative youth programs can decrease pressure on criminal courts.

Environment

Environmental studies is a rapidly growing topic in universities. You’ll be asked to write evaluative essays throughout a range of courses on climate change, environmental management and ecosystems. Here’s some ideas for you. You could write an evaluation of:

  1. whether the world’s governments are doing enough to prevent climate change.
  2. the impacts of the pollution of oceans on our oceans’ ecologies.
  3. the impacts of logging in Indonesia on Orangutans.
  4. whether individuals’ recycling actually can have an impact on protecting natural environments.
  5. whether wind turbines can be a genuine alternative to fossil fuels.
  6. the impacts of the Tesla company on speeding up the uptake of electric vehicles.

Step 2: Create an Evaluation Criteria

Once you’ve selected your evaluation essay topics, you’ll now need to create an evaluation criteria. This will be the skeleton for the body paragraphs of your essay! This criteria is useful for coming up with ideas for assessing the pros and cons, or strengths and weaknesses, of a topic. Try to come up with about 5 criteria you can assess your topic on. For example, if my evaluation essay topic was on a particular type of car, I might evaluate it based on the following criteria:

Possible Criteria for an Evaluation Essay Evaluating a Car

Possible Criteria for an Evaluation Essay Evaluating a Restaurant

Once you’ve selected your evaluation criteria, you can write your evaluation paper by turning each point into a paragraph. For example, you’d write one 4 – 7 sentence paragraph exploring the value for money of the car, then another 4 – 7 sentence paragraph exploring the safety features of the car, and so on and so forth… until your evaluation paper is written!

Step 3: Use this Essay Template to write your Essay

In my post on how to write an evaluation essay, I provide you with an evaluation essay template. I recommend writing an evaluation essay using this template to ensure your evaluation essay is as good as possible. Here’s the Essay Template:

Body Paragraph 1: Description of your Topic

Remember, you should always check my advice with your teacher. If your teacher gave you a different format or doesn’t like your essay idea, follow your teacher’s advice! After all, they’re the people who will be marking your piece.

Conclusion

evaluation essay topics

If you haven’t yet, you might want to check out my original article on evaluative essays that digs deep on what evaluation essays are and why you need to have an evaluation criteria. It goes into a lot more depth of the purpose of evaluative essays. It also has an example evaluation essay that you can check out to get an idea of how to write those body paragraphs in detail. Good luck with your evaluative essay, and I hope this post on evaluation essay topics was useful for you!