Are these statements true or false. Correct the ones that are false.
1. A report is a formal piece of writing similar in tone to an essay.
2. Reports are informal papers that arrange and deliver information.
3. Reports offer businesses and organizations the information they need to produce, evaluate, and carry out their work.
4. Any report is divided into sections and contains factual information.
5. Reports never hold data relevant to the operations of your workplace, whether it's for a specific project, business function, or activity.
Reports: basic structure
REPORT SAMPLE 1. Subject: Your college has just published
the first issue of the new college magazine. The organisers are interested in
knowing what students thought about it, so they have asked you to write a
report. In your report, you should talk about what the students liked and
disliked about the articles, the sports section and the news section. Then, you
should make suggestions on how to improve the magazine.
Write a report.
Report: The New College Magazine
Introduction The purpose of this report is to outline students’ opinions about the new
college magazine, and to make recommendations based on their views.
The articles Most students thought the articles were interesting and well written. However,
they did not talk about modern topics, so some students found this part of the
magazine a little boring.
The sports section It is thought that the sports section is good, but most articles were about
football or basketball. This is not a good thing because most of our sporty
students play rugby, not football or basketball.
The news section Many students complained about the news section, because it only focused on
news about the college. These students were expecting to read some news about
the city, too.
Recommendations In order to solve the problems above, I recommend taking some measures.
Firstly, article writers should focus more on technology and other modern
issues. Secondly, we should consider writing more about rugby and less about
other sports. Finally, we should include some news about our city. If we do
these things, the magazine will be more interesting to our students.
REPORT SAMPLE 2. Subject: The gym you work for has been losing members recently
and would like to know why they are leaving. The gym manager has asked you to
write a report about why these customers are leaving. In your report you should
specify what the problems are and should give recommendations for improvement.
Report: 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.
Tasks 2
You
recently went on a special course to improve your football skills. Your coach,
who organized the trip, has asked you to write a report about the course.
Write your Report.
Tasks 3
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?
Write your report in 140-190 words in an appropriate
style.
Planning This report is intended to highlight
....................................................and give ideas for
improving .............To prepare for this report, I have discussed this issue
with...........
Advantages. Many students/local
residents/pensioners/members of the local community have commented
that........................................................... Moreover, ............................................... Disadvantages 1.......... 2.......... Recommendations...................................
Tasks 4. Gap fill- making recommendation
Complete
the second sentence to make recommendations in a more formal way.
1. We should organise an interview. Perhaps we could consider
________________________________________.
2. We should make a book. I would recommend
________________________________________.
3. We should prepare questions for the interview. It would be advisable
________________________________________.
4. We should invite all students. I would recommend
________________________________________.
5. We should use a microphone for the interview. Perhaps we could consider
________________________________________.
6. We should choose representatives from each class. It would be advisable
________________________________________.
7. We should print the book professionally. Perhaps we could consider
________________________________________.
8. We should give students adequate time to prepare their
contributions. I would recommend
________________________________________.
Exercise 5. Report Writing Exercise
OPENING
1.
2.
3.
4.
BACKGROUND
1.
2.
3.
FINDINGS
1.
2.
3.
RECOMMENDATIONS
1.
2.
3.
4.
FINAL QUESTIONS : 1. What is a report? 2. How does a report
differ from an essay? 3. What types of reports do you know? 4. What do you have to include in your report? 5. Who is a report usually written for?