How to write a report?
| B2 First (FCE)
Reports are usually written to analyse a previous experience you have had,
like a trip, or a place you have recently visited. They tend to look at
something that has passed, which you have to analyse and then make some
recommendations for improvement.
How to write a report?
1. Focus on the target of the report first.
You can rewrite the info from the topic of the report in your own
words.Then you can focus specifically on the tasks in the topic:
– If the topic says “explain”, you need to explain (not just provide
examples).
– If the topic says “explain and provide examples”, you need to
remember about both objectives.
2. End your report with a recommendation, according to the given
topic
B2 First (FCE) Report: Structure
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to….
Main Body – Subheading (2)
Give the relevant facts
Main Body – Subheading (3)
Give the relevant facts
Main Body – Subheading (3)
Give the relevant facts
Conclusion
Make your recommendations
B2 First (FCE) Report: Writing Guide
The report is the only piece of writing which has
a title and subheadings. Each the paragraph should have a subheading which
summarises its main topic
Introduction
in which you explain your purpose for writing your report and the matters
you have investigated.
Introduction: “The aim of this report is to…”
Main Body
Paragraphs 2-3-4 (depending on your specific task and issues): present each
aspect of the subject under suitable subheadings (positive/negative points).
Use the language of describing comparing and analysing.Paragraph
2: “After interviewing some…, we have identified some serious problems.”
Paragraph 3: “Also,…”
Paragraph 4: “Although,…”
Conclusions
overall assessment and/or opinion and recommendations to the target reader
on measures to improve the current situation/issue.
Conclusion: “To sum up, I believe that if we take care of these
problems…” A report is a formal paper, it has to be concise, well-organized,
which makes it recommended to use bullet points and headings so that the
reader can quickly find the information they are looking for in your text.
The language of a report is expected to be formal and objective. For this
reason, you should avoid including yourself or your views in most of your
sentences. However, you must give your opinion in the conclusion or
recommendations paragraph.
B2 First (FCE) Report: Example Answers
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.
Student’s FCE Report Answer:
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.
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.
Student’s FCE Report Answer:
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.
B2 First (FCE) Report: 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.
B2 First (FCE) Report: Useful Language & Phrases
We will finish it with some useful vocabulary mostly used to organize
information. Although it is taking a shortcut, if you learn several
expressions for each paragraph in each type of text that could be on your
exam, you will certainly be able to create a very consistent and well-
organized text.
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…
