A report may be written for a superior (e.g. a boss or college principal) or a peer group (e.g. club members or colleagues).

The content of a report is to some extent factual and draws on the prompt material, but there will be scope for candidates to
make use of their own ideas and experience. Candidates will be asked to do more than describe a situation; they may be
asked to evaluate to what extent a particular aim has been achieved, or to suggest an alternative course of action.

A report should be concise and easy to understand. You must include a title, headings and also make sure that you answer
the points in the question.

Include the following:

• Title
• introduction
• headings (the three points in the question)
• content
• recommendations
• conclusion

You have just finished a three-week study and work programme in an English-speaking country. You studied English language
in the mornings and worked for a local company in the afternoons. The programme organiser has asked you to write a report
about your experience. In your report, you should evaluate the programme, explaining which part of the programme was
more useful, and suggest changes you would recommend for next year’s programme. Write your report.

Report on the three-week study and work programme

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to evaluate the effiency of the three week study and work programme. It is
based on my personal experience, which I recieved while taking part in the aforementioned programme.

General Findings

The programme as a whole was very engaging and helpful. As it took place in the language environment,
many aspects of the English-language, which will not be taught in the class room, could be learned through
this programme.

Points worthy of praise

The programme has found many buisnesses, with which they cooperate, therefore I could choose between
many companies in which to complete the work part of the programme. While working for a company I
learned a substantial amount of phrases and other jargon specific to that field, which makes the programme

Andrea Teacher
very useful, should you manage to be employed by a company, which deals with a subject you are interested
in.

Issues

No issues can be raised about the work part of the programme. However the English classes that take place
in the morning offer no substantial benefit over classes taken in my home country, even if they are taught by
a native speaker.

Suggestions

Firstly the organizer of the programme should increase the amount of time, that is spent working during the
programme and reduce the amount of classes taken. Moreover the organizer should keep finding more
companies with which to cooperate, to make the programme attractive to more people with different
intrests.
 – use headings – this makes it easier to find the main info
– state the aim of the report and where you got/ collected the information
– don’t begin with Dear Sir/ Madam – it’s not a letter

Phrases you can use in the introduction:

• This report is intended to show / discuss / outline …
• The aim / purpose of this report is to …
• In this report I will

REMEMBER: It’s a formal piece of writing that means: use a formal, neutral style: no contractions, no colloquial
language, no direct questions, no informal punctuation such as exclamation marks.

– balance the positive and negative points fairly

– use a range of specific vocabulary or set phrases
– don’t use a lot of adjectives and dramatic language. A report gives factual information
− Only write about things related to the task.
− Support your points with reasons and examples.
− Don’t write from your personal perspective, but rather from the group’s point of view.

Phrases you can use to in the 2nd and 3rd paragraph:

Suggesting additional ideas

• Another option would be to …
• I would also suggest …
• Another point to consider is hat …
• Alternatively,…. Moreover. / Furthermore.
• Apart from this / In addition to this

Making recommendations
• I would strongly / highly recommend … • Would it not be better to…
• My first / second recommendation would be to .. • Why do we not…
• It would be (highly) advisable to … • What about… ?
• If my recommendations are followed, then … • Should we not… ?
• The best solution / ideas would seem to be … • Let’s…
• It would be a good idea to… • Why not… ?
Reporting findings
• It appears that the majority of … • In general, …
• The only problem is that … . • Generally speaking, …
• Most …(students seem) … . • Most (members) seem to …
• Not surprisingly, … • It appears that …
• According to … • According to …
• Use some language to generalise your arguments: • Passive voice (be + past participle)

– balance the positive and negative points fairly

– you can use numbering or bullet points to highlight main points
– use a range of specific vocabulary or set phrases e.g. Some thought this was …../ other students said they
preferred…

– give the recommendations

– generalise
– express opinions impersonally

Phrases you can use to end the report

• Concluding and making recommendations
• All things considered, …
• We have no hesitation in recommending… .
• Based on the findings of this report I recommend/suggest +ing
• I (would) recommend/suggest that …
• The following (improvements) are recommended: …
• The best ideas/solutions seem to be …
• It would be (highly) advisable to …
• If it is decided to follow my recommendations, …

When you are not completely certain, you can try one of these more advanced (C1) English
phrases:
• I do not have any special reason for believing this. It just seems right to me that…
• I could be wrong as I have no special reason for believing this. I just feel this is right as…
• I am not sure why I feel this way but I have reason to believe…

When you ARE certain, try one of these phrases:

• There is a lot of evidence to support my point of view. For example…
• There are many facts in favour of my opinion. One such fact is…
• From my own personal experience, I am lead to believe…
55% fifty-five per cent
100% a hundred per cent / one hundred per cent
200% two hundred per cent
365% three hundred and sixty-five per cent (British English) / three hundred sixty-five per cent (American
English)
4.25% four point two five per cent
4.025% four point oh two five per cent

2% = A tiny portion, a very small proportion.

4% = An insignificant minority, an insignificant proportion.
16% = A small minority, a small portion.
70% = A large proportion.
72% = A significant majority, A significant proportion.89% = A very large proportion.
89% = A very large proportion.

1) Rule
1/7 a seventh
1/8 an eighth
You can also use 'one' for precise maths results : 1/10: one seventh / one eighth.

But now from 1/11 onwards : ALWAYS 'one': 1/12 = one twelfth

2) Exceptions
1/2 a half / one half
1/4 a quarter / one quarter

3) More examples
2/3 two thirds
3/10 three tenths

•To express that the real number or amount is close to the number or amount quoted, use the adverbs
approximately, about, around, and roughly. You can also use the phrases let's say and I would (I'd) say.
Example:
o We employ approximately 120 people.
o Our company has about 30 distributors in France.
o Sales went up by around 3% last month.
o Roughly ¼ of our production is sold in the European Union.
 o We're operating at, let's say, 50% capacity because of the strike.

• To say that the real number or amount is a little higher than the number or amount quoted, you can use the
expressions more than, just over, at least.
Example:
o We now get more than 200 orders a day.
o Because we have hired so many new staff, we can now fill orders in just over a week.
o It takes at least three days to ship the computers from our warehouse.

• To say that the real number or amount is a little lower than the number or amount quoted, you can use the
expressions less than, just under, close to, nearly, and practically.
Example:
o Less than half the staff works at our head office.
o The meeting took just under an hour.
o Close to 50 employees work in our U.K. subsidiary.
o Practically all our employees have completed training on the new computer system.

• To add more variety, you can use the following expressions to say that the number or amount in question is close
to the number or amount quoted:
o more or less in the region of
o something like thereabouts
o give or take a few along the lines (of)

4% = A tiny fraction. 50% Exactly a half.

24% = Almost a quarter. 51% = Just over a half.
25% Exactly a quarter. 73% = Nearly three quarters.
26% = Roughly one quarter. 77% = Approximately three quarter, more than three-
32% Nearly one-third, nearly a third. quarter.
49% = Around a half, just under a half. 79% = Well over three quarters.

Check the graph title, and the pie chart subtitles, look for dates!
– if the year is before the present year use the past tense
– if the year is after the present year), use the future tense
– if there is no year, use the present simple tense
Check you don’t accidentally switch the tense half way through.
Sometimes you will get charts and graphs that will require you to use more than one tense but do this deliberately and with
caution.

The General statement is the first sentence (or two) you write in your reporting. It should always deal with:
What + Where + When.
Example: The diagram presents information on the percentages of teachers who have expressed their views about the
different problems they face when dealing with children in three Australian schools from 2001 to 2005.
What = the percentages of teachers...
Where = three Australian schools...
When = from 2001 to 2005...
A good General statement should always have these parts.
In general, In common, Generally speaking, Overall, It is obvious, As is observed, As a general trend, As can be seen, As an
overall trend, As is presented, It can be clearly seen that, At the first glance, it is clear, At the onset, it is clear that, A glance at
the graphs reveals that...

Percentages:
10% increase, 25 percent decrease, increased by 15%, dropped by 10 per cent, fall at 50%, reached to 75%, tripled, doubled,
one-fourth, three-quarters, half, double fold, treble, 5 times higher, 3 timers lower, declined to about 49%, stood exactly at
43%.

Words/ Phrases of Approximation - Vocabulary:

» Approximately » Around » Just about
» Nearly » More or less » Just below
» Roughly » Just over » A little more than
» Almost » Just under » A little less than.
» About » Just around

Andrea Teacher
You have recently seen an English-language film on a university trip and you have been asked to check other
people´s opinions on it. Write a report about the following things.

• Was it enjoyable to watch?

• Who was the most interesting character?
• Did you all understand it easily?
• Would you have preferred it with subtitles?
• Who would you recommend it to?
Write a report of 140-190 words.

Write your answer in 220-260 words in an appropriate style.

You recently attended a talk about advertising. Your school would like you to give an analysis of the talk. Your
report should discuss:

• Is marketing important for a company's success?

• What is the best type of advertising: Online or printed?

Write your report.