A REPORT

1. Discuss.
- Have you ever gone shopping at a local supermarket? What do you like and dislike about the
supermarket?
2. Read the following comments which customers have made about the supermarket and use them to
complete the table below.

GOOD POINTS BAD POINTS

3. As a writer for a consumer advice magazine, Terry has been asked to write an assessment report
on a local supermarket which is part of a large national chain. Read Terry’s report and choose the
appropriate subheadings from below to fill in the blanks.

Décor, atmosphere Prices Comfort

Facilities for children

To: Marg Marshall, Editor

From: Terry Smith, Writer/ Reporter
Subject: Foodland Supermarket
Date: 30th November
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to assess the variety of products, prices and convenience of Foodland
Supermarket.
Variety of products
Foodland Supermarket offers countless products which are arranged on the shelves in a way that
make it easy for shoppers to find what they want. Nevertheless, there is not a wide range of different
brands to choose from.
Prices
Foodland Supermarket often has special offers which are quite cheap. In addition to this, the
supermarket has its own brand of many products which are very expensive when compare to the
prices of leading brands. However, it is important to note that those prices are not much lower than
the prices at other supermarket.
Convenience
Since there are many products and different sections at Foodland Supermarket, customers can do all
their shopping in one place. Everything is arranged in an organised manner, which makes shopping
easy. However, the supermarket is not close to the town centre and finding a parking space can be
difficult.
Conclusion
To sum up, Foodland Supermarket offers shoppers a wide range of products at competitive prices. It
is recommended that consumers visit the supermarket and take advantage of its time saving
organisation.
4. Complete the table.
For each type of compositions, tick the correct boxes.
often has a title has paragraphs uses headings your name appears in it
Article V V
Report V V V
Letter V V
Story V V
Discursive V
composition

5. Read Terry’s report again and answer the questions.

1. Who is the reader of the report?
2. What is the purpose of the report?
3. How many parts does the report consist of? What is each part about?
4. What is the style does the writer use?
Formal (factual, impersonal, using passive, formal linking words, full verb forms, etc.)

6. Read the rubric and underline the key words, then answer the questions.
a) You have a part-time job in a bookshop that specialises in educational publications. The manager
wants to attract young customers to the bookshops and has asked you to write a report making your
suggestions.
b) You are an assistant manager for an international publishing company which is producing a
tourist guide to restaurants in your country. The manager of your company has asked you to assess a
restaurant in your area to see if it is suitable for tourists on a tight budget. Write your report,
describing the restaurant’s food, service, prices and atmosphere.
1. What is the aim of this report?
2. What type of report should you write: an assessment report or a proposal report?
3. Who is going to read your report?
4. a) What would make a bookshop popular with young people? Choose from the list below.
A. offer magazines and books of interest to young people – e.g. about fashion, computers, etc.
B. not more than five people allowed in the shop at the same time
C. fun items on sale, such as posters and stickers
D. brighter décor
E. discounts for students
F. leaflets distributed to schools
4. b) What does “tourists on a tight budget” mean?
 Which of the following must be included in the report?
A. size of restaurant
B. location of your town
C. quality of food
D. what the atmosphere is like
E. what the service is like
F. good and bad points of the restaurant
G. location of restaurant
H. high/ low prices
I. opening hours
5. What style should you use in your report? What are the characteristics of this style?