Report – Model B2 First (FCE)

1. Structure

Introduction
The purpose of this report is to….

Subheading + Paragraph
Give the relevant facts

Subheading + Paragraph
Give the relevant facts

Conclusion
Make your recommendations

2. Writing Guide

Step 1: Find – key points, topic and target reader

You need to start writing your report by finding the key points/information, the subject and
the person to whom you are writing

Last year a new sport and leisure centre opened in your home town. You have recently
received the following letter from the manager of the centre:

I am writing to all members of the Active Leisure Club to thank you for your custom over the
last year. We want to make the facilities even better this year! Please send a short report to
us, telling us the best and worst aspects of the club. We also want to hear your suggestions for
new facilities…

Topic: Active Leisure Club wants to improve their facilities

Main key points:

1. describe the best aspects of the club

2. describe the worst aspects of the club
3. suggest new facilities

Target reader: manager of the centre:

As soon as we’ve analysed the task and extracted all the information that we need we can
start building the report structure and writing it.

Step 2: Title
Although the title is not obligatory, it is certainly an attractive addition and could be
something like:

 Report on ……. + Topic

 Topic +: a report

If you remember in the previous step (Step 1) we found the topic.

Topic: Active Leisure Club wants to improve their facilities

Let’s use it now:

Title: Report on Active Leisure Club facilities

Title: Active Leisure Club facilities: a report

Step 3: Introduction

A good and equivalent introduction should contain two things:

Firstly, you have to state the purpose of the report as clearly as possible – this gives the
reader a clear idea of what to expect and sets the tone for the rest of the report.

The purpose of the report is nothing more than three points you found (in step 1)

1. describe the best aspects of the club

2. describe the worst aspects of the club
3. suggest new facilities

Let’s use them now:

The purpose of this report is to outline the best (point 1) and worst parts (point 2) of our
club, as well as to recommend improvements to the facilities. (point 3)
Finally, you mention how you collected the data for your report this is not something that
you have to do but it can help your report stand out a little bit.

The purpose of this report is to outline the best and worst parts of our club, as well as to
recommend improvements to the facilities. The data for the report was collected based on the
opinions of club members (source)
Complete and finished introduction with title:

Title: Report on Active Leisure Club facilities

The purpose of this report is to outline the best (point 1) and worst parts of (point 2) our
club, as well as to recommend improvements to the facilities. (point 3) The data for the report
was collected based on the opinions of club members. (source)

3. Tips

 Begin by stating the purpose of your report.

  You may use invented statistics to provide a succinct summary of your results.
 Use headings. They will make it clear that your report is not an essay or review.
 Use lists of numbered points or bullets where appropriate.
 Divide your report into sections according to the input.
 Develop the ideas in the task input.
 Include a sentence summarising your opinion at the beginning of the final section of
your report.
 Use an impersonal, formal style.

4. Useful Languages & Phrases

Introduction (the goal of the report)

The aim of this report is to

As requested, I am writing this report to
This report aims to outline/assess
The purpose behind this report is to

Development

The first observation to make concerns…

It has to been stressed that…
According to (the majority of respondents) …
In spite of (the fact that) …
Despite (the fact that) …
The outlook for …… 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 suggest/recommend
I would like to suggest/recommend
I therefore suggest
I advise you (not) to
I believe it would be beneficial
It would be advisable to
You may wish/want to consider
If you wish to…, you should
If we wish to…, we ought to

Conclusion
Provided that these recommendations are taken into consideration…
In conclusion…
From the research one can conclude that…

5. Example
Improving Our Gym

Introduction

The aim of this report is to explain the main reasons why members are leaving the
gym. After interviewing some clients, we have identified some serious problems.

Limited opening hours

Some members have complained that the gym opens a little late for them. For this
reason, workers cannot exercise before going to work. If the gym opened at 7 a.m.,
clients could exercise easily before going to work.

The changing rooms

Many of the lockers are broken so customers cannot leave their belongings in a safe
place. Also, some of the showers are not working properly so members have to queue
before having a shower. In order to solve this, I suggest replacing all lockers and
showers immediately.

Lack of parking spaces

Some previous members have joined gyms which have a parking lot. Although we
cannot build a parking lot, we can offer a parking area for bicycles. As a result, this
might encourage members to use their bikes to come to the gym.

Conclusion
To sum up, I believe that if we take care of these problems, members will be happier
and will decide to stay with us.