Sunday, March 23, 2008

Writing a report - Notes for Reading

Writing a report

What is this task?

A report could be written for a superior (a boss or a teacher) or a peer group (club members, colleagues) and will certainly contain some facts with the possibility of adding suggestions or recommendations. It should be clearly organized and may include section headings.



Look at the following skeleton of a report. Below are five sections of text. Match each section to the correct heading.

(1) To: Students preparing for FCE
From: Cambridge ESOL Teachers' Website
Re: How to write a report

(2) Introduction

(3) Functions of a report

(4) Style and register

(5) Layout

(6) Conclusion

Reports need to be written clearly. They should begin with a clear indication of who the report is written for and who it was written by and the subject matter. (At the beginning of this report is an example of a common way of starting a report.) The report writer can help the reader by including section headings and by using clear paragraphs.

A report is usually written to give information and probably to make recommendations. Therefore, it will probably contain description, explanation, justifications and recommendations, or any combination of these.

A report should summarise the points made previously and usually includes clear recommendations, for instance:

Learn the expressions used in reports.
Remember to divide the report into sections and to use headings.
Remember to keep the language formal.
As requested, I have written a report to give people advice on writing a report. Below are some suggestions.

As a report is often written for a superior and is a formal type of writing, the register should be neutral to formal. In addition, reports should be factual and precise. They should not be personal or conversational.





http://www.cambridgeesol.org/teach/fce/writing/aboutthepaper/part2/report.htm

No comments: