WRITING REPORTS SOLUTIONS

What is

Areport
a report?
PROSENS
i s a factual and precise descripton of an event, a situation, a study or a
project, usually based on practical work, a review of literature, survey, news, etc
provides suggestions and recommendation(s) for future action
i s written in a formal style by a person who has studied the issue
i s written for a "client"-somebody and it is therefore necessary to identify
who will be reading the report and what they want from it (that is, the needs of the
readers). People who require information have some knowledge abouf the subject
has a clear layout

Reports should consist of (the format)

1. a title which tells the reader exactly what the reportis about.
(Subject)/ Report on: Gaslights restaurant
2. an introduction which
o states the purpose and content of the report and says what the report will
cover, how the information was collected, etc
o gives the details about the time, place and people involved in the incident

Useful phrases: The aim/purpose/objective of this report is fo summarize fhe

fincings ofa recent survey among This report is intended to give a brief surnmary of
the findings of our recent survey on smoking among rmembers of the local cormmunity./
The data was collected from newspaper reports and documents on the internet./ A
Survey was camiedout anmong members ofthe local community. 7 As requested,./ This
report was writen. /The report gives/presents information on

3. amain body which

opresents each topic in detail under suitable subheadings
o provides mostof the information, develops the event in detail. gives
reasons, presents results
o generalizes facts
ogives positive and negative points
o is organized into paragraphs or smaler sections each with its
Own heading/subheading
o information is based on facts and not opinion
Useful phrases: On the whole, smoking is a big problem. /The majority said that
they were unhapoy with the stuation. /According to some members of our local
communty/Oneof the bigobvious) advantages ofthis proposal is../ Compared with
ten years ago../ There has been a big increase in...This shows/lustrates/indic ates
that../Most people find this.

4. a conclusion / summary which

o Summarises the information from the main
body
 o should not introduce any new information
o can give a personal view/opiniorns on the facts that you have discovered

Useful phrases: Our conciusion therefore..An concusion.../The following

conclusions can be drawn from the data:... The figures show thaf. JAs can be seen from the
findings of this report, the ony option we have is../ All things considerea, To sum up,
Al in al, ./From the research we can corclude tha.. ando.

5. recommendations
o in which you suggest how things could be improved
o are logical, realistic and are based on your conclusions
o show any further action that is necessary
om
Useful phrases: The best soltion is /would be (to).. .We
recommend that.../It is recommended that.

The organisation/characteristics of a report

you should always begin your report with:

To: Mr A J WiWiarns
Manager
oles e S

Burton Publishing
From: Milton Briggs
Assist ant Manager
Subject/report on: Gaslights Restaurant
Date: 21 January, 2012
use underlined headings (or numbered points or lettered points-depends on the
content points in the prompt)
Subject/Report on: Gaslights restaurant
1) or A) or introduction(= Heading 1)
2)or B) or Food (=Heading 2)...
3)or C)eto.
6) or F or Recommendation (Heading 6)

state clearly what the report is about

communicate clearly the main idea first, and then provide the supporting detai ls
.the information should be presented in a logical order
state the conclusions clearly
present the information as objectively as possible - you should not let bias
cloud your judgement

REPORTS ARTICLESS
Who for? a teacher /instructor/ committee the public who in not (well)
who have some knowledge about acquainted with the subject
the subject
Why? toinform, not to sell to potentially sellthe paper
How? should include a lot of details, should include interesting facts and
doesn't have to be interesting butthings that will appeal to the reader
accurate it should be accurate but not dry

-2
 Tips
PLAN your report (Find out who the report is for, what the readers need to
know, etc.).
Do exactly what the instructions ask to cover the main points.
Make sure you have at least 3 paragraphs and structure your report into
clear sections/paragraphs using underlined headings so that informati on is
easy to find.
Use formal language and impersonal style (passive voice). When reporting
the results of a survey, the figures gathered should be given in the form of
percentages or proportions. Expressions such as "one in four" or "six ouf
often can be used or exact percentages eg. 30% of the people
questioned, 48% of those who filed the questionnaire, etc. Less exact
expressions such as the majority oftotal., only a thira,..etc
U s e language suted to a report ( present tenses or more often past tenses
are used, passive voiceimpersonal passive, full verb forms,
direct/reported speech, fairly short sentences, etc)
Do not use contractions
REVISE your report to correct mistakes

A sample report G Sample

BBPOR
You are just about to finish summer English course at Edmonton College
in Cartridge, Wales. You have been asked to write a report for students
T
starting on the next course about the best local placewhere you can hear
live music

Write your report of about 150-180 words

o describing the place
o describing the music it offers
o comment on its go0d and bad points
(30 minutes/20points)
SubjectReport on The Orchid Lounge Club
The place TheOrchid Lounge Club is situated in the centre of Cartridge, next to NatWest
Bank. It is open every evening except Monday from eight o'clock until midnight,
and two o'clock on Saturdays. The admission fee is £8 and the drinks are a bit
more costly. The club looks rather small from the outside but when you go down
the stairs from the main street you will be surpris ed at the space- there is enough
room to dance or just sit and listen to the music.

The music Most of the bands that play there are local groups except on Saturday nights
when there is often someone more well-known. The kind of music varies, for
example Tuesdays and Thursdays are ethnic evenings, Wednesday is jazz night
and Fridays and Saturdays offer dance music.

Comments In my opinion, the Orchid Lounge Club is the best place in town to hear live
music. It is well run, the atmosphere there is pleasant and the music is great.
My only criticism of the place is that it closes to0 early during the week.

-3-
 Writing a REPORT about a Seminaar
Prof. Rachid SLIOUAT

Report Isawritten account aboutan event.

- To give.people. infor.mation about somet hing that you have heard, seen, done, etc

o m

REPORT

Title -

- Date

Setthe scene for your report-PMace Theme (topi)

Introduction Participants

Itincludes the main ideas..

It involves:
- Describing
Body
-Explaining
Analyzing

E S

It includes:
-Evaluation (you evaluate the success of the event).
Conclusion
-Reactions (The reactions of different participants).
- - - -
Writine a report of the indines ofa suurvey

ARE CALIFORNIANS WELL PREPARED To

FACE AN EARTHQUAKE?
20% have
409% have made
fam ily disaster
re inforced
their hom es
plans 40% have stored
-sufficient water&
food
20% have
recewed specific
disastertrainings 80% have first
aid
kits, flashlights,
batteries

Use the information in the pie chart and complete the report abouthow
prepared the people who live in the state of Califomia in the USA are for the
earthquakes
ARE CALIFORNIANS WELL PREPARED TO
FACE ANEARTHQUAKE
The UCLA School of Pubic Heath for the state of California has conducted a survey to

* * * * * * *

Here are the findngs

*

*****
* * ***** ******* *** ********* **ewge****************

* **** ******
******* ***

These results suggest

 AND NOW IT'S TIME TO PRACTISE:

1. Youwork for a school library and you have been asked to

prepare a report in which you have to present and recommend
the best books to purchas e. You have listed several and now
you are required to choose two of them. Write a report in
which:
you will provide the necessary information concerning
the authors, m ain topic of the plots and the reasons why
in your opinion they are a good choice;
you will remember about the proper register;
you will keep in mind the requirements of the clear layout
2. Youhave justfinished a two-month Engish course in London The principal of the
college which you studied at has written you an e-mail with arequest for a
brief report commenting on the corse. Write areportin which:
you will evaluate the course programme;
you will comment on the most and the least useful parts ofthe
course;

you will
your stay in London;
assess the social activities organised for the students during

you will suggest are as for improvement.

3. Youwork as a junior journalistfor a school magazine and have been asked by the editor
in chiefto write areport onwhat the students want to read about in their monthly
magazine. In your report youneed to cover the following areas:
what students like about the magazine;
what students dislike about the magazine;
what content students want to see more in the magazine;
whatrecommendation should be taken into consideration in the next issues.
2.Thetask-it is yourturn now. Choosetheinstructionsfor a report,follow the steps
suggestedabove and write your own report.
1)You help out at a music festival which is held in your town every year. This takes place
outdoors over one weekend. The organisers want to improve the festival and
so have asked
you towrite a short report. You should comment on the site, the programme, the cost and
anything else you consider relevant.

2) Some American students are on an exchange programme with your callege for a month.
The college has asked you to write a report on enterta inment in your areafor the teacher
who is in You should
of the group. giveadvice on typesof entertainment, venues and
charge
prices