How to write a report
WHAT IS REPORT?
A report is a factual description of an event or situation. It may be written for a superior (e.g. a teacher, a manager), a peer group (e. g. colleagues) or a general audience (e. g. a committee). A report should be practical and business-like. The writer of the report should present the necessary information as clearly as possible (using subheadings) so that the reader can follow it easily, and it should express an overall opinion and / or make suggestions or recommendations at the end.
STRUCTURE
When you write a report, clarity is essential. Therefore, it should be clearly organised. Give your report a clear title. You should organise your report into paragraphs or sections to deal with separate aspects of a subject and use subheadings to make this clear. You should clearly explain the objective of the report at the beginning (introduction). You can start by saying what the report is about and/or how you gathered the information. Towards the end of the report you may predict the future (future developments), make suggestions or recommendations and finally end with a conclusion which gives a summary of the situation.
LAYOUT
Title
The title needs to be clear and simple to help the reader know what you will be discussing in the report.Introduction
The introductory paragraph should state the purpose of the report and where the information was gathered.
Different sections
Use different paragraphs to deal with separate aspects of a subject. Use a clear layout with a division into paragraphs according to the input (use subheadings)
You may also use lists of numbered points or bullets where appropriate. (DON'T overdo it, though. If you use them in more than one section, you won't be able to show the full range of structures and vocabulary you know.)
Future developments
You may predict the future in a separate paragraph.
Recommendations
You may make recommendations in a separate paragraph.
Conclusion
In the conclusive paragraph give a clear summary of the situation.
STYLE
You should use formal, objective, factual, impersonal language. Remember to avoid contractions.
USEFUL PHRASES FOR EACH OF THE PARAGRAPHS
Title
Introduction (paragraph 1) Stating the purpose of the report
• The main aim/objective/purpose of this report is to compare/examine/evaluate/describe/outline/analyse/expose/present/give information on/regarding the...
• It will also include/recommend/consider/suggest....
• It appears that... It is observed that...
• This report aims to... etc.
• This report is intended to inform sb of sth
• The report highlights one of the major problems facing society today.
• This report looks at... / deals with...
• This report also contains my recommendations/ comments on (how health and safety standards might be improved)
Describing how you got the information
• This report is based on a survey conducted among...
• It is the result of a discussion which took place among...
• In order to prepare this report, I conducted interviews with... / I visited three of the most popular... / I discussed the issue with/ I interviewed... / studied......
Body (with subheadings) (paragraphs 2, 3,...)
Presenting a list
• First of all/Firstly
• Secondly/ Furthermore/Moreover
• Apart from this / In addition to this...
• Lastly/Finally
•The arguments against... are the following: First,...Second,...
•The following were the main reasons given for supporting..: firstly,..., secondly,...
•Points mentioned in favour of / against... were: ...
•There are several ways in which... might be...: ...
•They gave / suggested the following reasons: ...
•They made the following points: ...
Reporting your results
• Interestingly / Surprisingly / Strangely / Not surprisingly...,
• It is interesting / surprisingly / strange that...
• It should be considered, it is worth considering
• The first observation to make is/ concerns...
• It has been stressed that.../It has been pointed out that...
• It is thought that...
• It appears / seems that...
• It appears that the majority of ...
• Several people said / told me / suggested / thought that...
• It was commented upon by a number of people we talked to that...
• Most people / The majority of people seem to / tend to...
• According to (the majority of respondents)
• Many of those interviewed stated that....
• All those who were interviewed believe that / are concerned that...
• Others pointed out that...
•The main problem was that...
•A cause of dissatisfaction was...
•The only problem is that ...
Linking: contrast and concession
• However, nevertheless, although, even though, on one hand/on the other hand...
• (The best way to learn a language is to live in the country). Alternatively, (one can also attend...)
• In spite of/despite the fact that.../ (Noun phrase) / (...-ing) (, it is nevertheless the most...)
• In spite of/ Despite this/that
• (Many students sacrificed many nights to study for the exam), but for all that (they still failed).
• Regardless of (what was previously agreed to,...)
• While/ Whereas (many students...,there are others who)
• (A class does not have to be boring). On the contrary, (there are many fun activities that can be done...)
• By comparison with (the good atmosphere in the school, there were unfortunately some students who ...)
• (Teaching today is done very differently) when compared to (the way I was taught)
• Unlike (most programmes, this one is very ...)
• In contrast to (an improvement in some skills, there are still ...)
• At first sight (the English language looks unchallenging) but in fact (it is nothing like as easy as it seems)
• One of the main differences between X and Y is that...
• X is totally / entirely / completely different from Y, in that...
• X is slightly / rather / somewhat / a great deal/ far/ much (cheaper / more expensive) than Y.
• (It was) nowhere near as difficult as (I thought it would be)
• (English) is not nearly/quite as challenging as (Russian).
• It’s nothing like as overwhelming as (I was told).
• (Our school) is by far the best one (in the world)
For all that: in spite of something just mentioned. In spite of that. E.g. She sacrificed many nights to study for the exam, but for all that she still failed. He was a nice man for all that. We drove like bats out of hell to get there on time, but for all that hurrying, we were still too late to board the plane.
regardless of: without taking into account. In spite of. E.g. We are a welcoming and a friendly club who accepts all regardless of age. Regardless of what was previously agreed to, we now refuse to sign the contract. Regardless of our mistakes, our parents will always love us. The plan for a new office building went ahead regardless of local opposition.
by/in comparison (with): used for talking about the ways in which two people or things are different. When compared with another : when looked at or thought about in relation to someone or something else. E.g. Their lives were exciting and glamorous; ours seemed dull by comparison. By comparison with the lively teenagers, the adults were a joyless lot. Yesterday's weather was very cold. Today's weather is mild by comparison. He's a well-behaved child in comparison with his brother. By comparison, expenditure on education increased last year. The second half of the game was dull by comparison with the first. The tallest buildings in London are small in comparison with New York’s skyscrapers
Future developments (predicting the future)
• The outlook for young people/jobs/the country is far from bright/optimistic/depressing/daunting
• The future looks bleak/remains uncertain/is promising
• This seems unlikely in the near/foreseeable future
Recommendations
• I would strongly recommend that (the company/the school...) should...
• In the light of the results of the survey I would strongly advise against (giving too much homework).
• I feel it would be to our advantage if...
• The best solution is/would be to...
• This will have an impact on (our economy)
• It is recommended that...
• The opinion/ the views of... should be taken into consideration...
• In order to improve/decide/ make future decisions/ succeed in the future...
• All things considered...
• My overall recommendation / opinion / feeling is that...
• We have no hesitation in recommending...
• It would seem that... is the best idea.
• Taking all the factors mentioned into account...
• I would therefore recommend (+ -ing)...
• I would strongly/highly recommend that... should + bare infinitive
• Clearly, more could be done to... Therefore, I would make the following recommendations:...
• My first / second recommendation would be to...
• It would be (highly) advisable to ...
• If my recommendations are followed, then ...
• The best solution / ideas would seem to be ...
• In the light of the results of the survey I would advise against/ in favour of...
• I feel it would be to our advantage if...
• This will have an impact on + noun
• Another option would be to ...
• I would also suggest ...
• Another point to consider is that ...
Conclusion
• As long as/provided that these recommendations are taken into consideration...
• In conclusion,...
• The research shows/demonstrates
• From the research/the evidence we conclude that
• On the whole I believe we can...
You can also find useful language for writing a report here.
MODELS
SAMPLE 1:
The Student Services Manager at your school or college has asked
you to write a report on the library facilities and to suggest any
improvements that could be made.
|
Title:
Report on College Library Facilities
INTRODUCTION:
·
The aim/purpose of this report is to…
·
This report looks at…
·
In order to prepare this report, I
visited/interviewed/studied…
In
order to prepare this report, I visited
the college library on several occasions and interviewed the librarians and a
number of students.
SUBHEADINGS:
Write
subheadings or number each point.
General
Books
Newspapers and magazines
REPORTING
IMPRESSIONS AND FINDINGS:
·
It seems/appears that …
·
Most people/The majority of people seem to/tend to…
·
It is interesting/surprisingly/strange that…
·
Interestingly, Surprisingly, Strangely, …
QUOTING
·
According to X, Y said/felt/mentioned that … + reported
speech
GENERALISING
·
In general, On the whole,
General
The
library has a welcoming atmosphere and most people said that it was
easy to find your way around. It is well decorated and well-lit and the only
problem is that there are not quite enough tables and chairs for everyone at
busy times.
Books
There
is a very good selection of books for all subjects but according to the librarians
there is sometimes a waiting list when a particular book has been recommended
by a teacher. The catalogue system is rather complicated and surprisingly it
does not appear to have been updated recently.
Newspapers and magazines
The
range of newspapers and magazines is excellent and they seem to be
well used.
MAKING A
RECOMMENDATION
·
In my opinion/view,
·
I would recommend (+ -ing)
SUMMING
UP
·
In conclusion, To sum up, On balance
Conclusion
The
library facilities are very good, on the whole, but I
would recommend providing additional copies of popular books,
supplying a small number of extra chairs, and improving and updating the
catalogue system.
SAMPLE ANSWER
Report on College Library
Facilities
In
order to prepare this report, I visited the college library on several
occasions and interviewed the librarians and a number of students.
General
The
library has a welcoming atmosphere and most people said that it was easy to
find your way around. It is well decorated and well-lit and the only problem
is that there are not quite enough tables and chairs for everyone at busy
times.
Books
There
is a very good selection of books for all subjects but according to the
librarians there is sometimes a waiting list when a particular book has been
recommended by a teacher. The catalogue system is rather complicated and
surprisingly it does not appear to have been updated recently.
Newspapers
and magazines
The
range of newspapers and magazines is excellent and they seem to be well
used.
Conclusion
The
library facilities are very good, on the whole, but I would recommend
providing additional copies of popular books, supplying a small number of
extra chairs, and improving and updating the catalogue system.
|
SAMPLE 2:
The Housing Situation for Young People in My Country
Sample answer:
SAMPLE 3:
The University Union to which you belong intends to make suggestions to the University Council to improve the main library on campus. You are asked to write a report to assess its current situation.
Report on College Library Facilities
The aim of this report is to evaluate the present-day conditions of the library facilities on campus.
In order to prepare this report, I visited the main college library on several occasions and interviewed the librarians and a number of students.
General
The main university library has a welcoming atmosphere and most people said that it was easy to find your way around. It is well decorated and well-lit and the only problem is that there are not quite enough tables and chairs for everyone at busy times.
Books
There is a very good selection of books for all subjects but according to the librarians there is sometimes a waiting list when a particular book has been recommended by a teacher. The catalogue system is rather complicated and surprisingly it does not appear to have been updated recently.
Newspapers and magazines
The range of newspapers and magazines is excellent and they seem to be well used.
Conclusion
The library facilities are very good, on the whole, but I would recommend providing additional copies of popular books, supplying a small number of extra chairs, and improving and updating the catalogue system.
SAMPLE 4:
Your college has been asked to accept a group of 50 students from another country for two weeks. Your principal has asked you to write a report. What would be the advantages and disadvantages of accepting this group? What would you recommend?
Report on proposed visit by 50 overseas students
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to consider the advantages and disadvantages of accepting a large group of students from overseas for two weeks. I have discussed the issue with all the senior members of college staff.
Advantages
All those I interviewed believe that for students, this would be an exciting opportunity to explore a foreign culture, both in the classroom and socially. Moreover, most of them thought the visit would be stimulating for the college at this quiet time of the year.
Disadvantages
Some members of staff are concerned that:
1. there would be insufficient seating in the library at busy times.
2. the visitors might be more interested in enjoying themselves than studying.
3. the restaurant queue would be very slow at lunchtime.
Conclusion and recommendation
Clearly, the visit might involve some practical difficulties, but on the whole, everyone thought that it should be seen as an opportunity not to be missed. I would therefore suggest that the college accepts the group.
SAMPLE 5:
You work for the Student Travel Agency of your college. The principal of the college is interested in the experiences of students who have worked abroad during their summer holidays. She has asked you to write a report on the advantages and disadvantages of such work. In particular, she wants to know whether the college should recommend "working holidays" to its students.
Working holidays for students
The purpose of this report is to consider the advantages and disadvantages of working holidays abroad. In order to obtain this information, I interviewed more than 30 students who had worked in different countries.
The benefits of working holidays
A large number of the students I spoke to said that they had enjoyed working abroad and had become more open-minded as a result. Apparently, they felt they had learnt a lot about the local people and their way of life by working side by side with them.
The disadvantages of working holidays
Not surprisingly, many students complained that they had worked too hard in certain countries. They believed that they had been exploited by their employers, who paid them very little money. According to some students, there had also been problems with documents such as work permits.
Conclusions and Recommendations
It appears that the majority of students found the experience of working abroad very beneficial. Therefore, I believe that the college should recommend "working holidays" to its students. However, it should also warn them about the problems they could face and the precautions they need to take.
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