USEFUL ADVICE TO B2 STUDENTS ON HOW TO WRITE A REPORT

1. WRITING REPORTS B2
CARMEN GÓMEZ

2. WHAT´S A REPORT?
Reports are organized texts / documents normally written to
someone in authority (e.g. your employer, the local council, the
head of the committee, etc…) and contain concise factual
information (based on facts).

3. KINDS OF REPORT?
● ASSESSMENT REPORTS.
They present and evaluate the positive and negative qualities of a person (i.e.
an employee) or a building / place (i.e. a hotel, a restaurant, a shop, a school,
a cinema complex etc..) in order to make a judgment or recommendation about
them.
● PROPOSAL REPORTS
They present suggestions, plans or decisions about future actions.

4. LAYOUT / STRUCTURE
● INTRODUCTION (1 paragraph )
You state the purpose and content of your report
● MAIN BODY (2-3 paragraphs) (depending on the rubric)
You summarize each point under suitable subheadings (ASSESSMENT= positive
And negative points// PROPOSAL= suggestions & recommendations)
● CONCLUSION (final paragraph)
It summarizes the information and states your general assessment (evaluation) and
/ or recommendation

5. LANGUAGE TO USE
● Reports are usually written in a formal, impersonal style. You should use factual
language (information, rather than ideas or feelings), passive voice and full verb
forms. (not contractions)
Present tenses are normally used for assessment reports. Past tenses can
be used for reports related to past events. Modals, conditionals and “would” are
normally used for proposal reports

6. LANGUAGE TO USE
● You should give your report a TITLE….OR….
● You should use the following layout:
TO:
FROM:
SUBJECT:
(DATE):

7. RUBRIC EXAMPLES
● You are an assistant manager for an international publishing company which is
producing a tourist guide to restaurants in your country. The manager of your
company has asked you to assess a restaurant in your area to see if it is suitable
for tourists on a tight budget.
Write your report, describing the restaurant´s food, service, prices and general
Atmosphere.
WHAT´S THE AIM OF THIS REPORT?

8. RUBRIC EXAMPLES
● You have a part-time job in a bookshop that is specialised in educational
publications. The manager wants to attract young customers to the bookshop
and has asked you to write a report making your suggestions.
WHAT´S THE AIM OF THIS REPORT?

9. USEFUL EXPRESSIONS & PHRASES
STATING THE PURPOSE OF THE REPORT
● The aim / purpose of this report is…
● This is a report on / about…
● This report describes / deals with/ is based on/ focuses on/ assesses/ analyses…
● This report contains… with a focus on…
● This report recommends improvements / changes…
● I have been asked to write a report on...

10. MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS/ SUGGESTIONS
● I would recommend / suggest …
● It would be a good idea to…
● It would be advisable to…
● To achieve… it would be best if…
● This could best be achieved by…
● ….is suitable for… because...

11. EXPRESSING OPINION
● In my opinion,…
● I feel certain that…
● I strongly believe that…
● I definitely recommend…
SUMMING UP
● All in all,... I would (not ) recommend….
● On the whole,... I highly recommend….
● To sum up,... … is not recommended…..
● Overall,... … is not suitable for….
● Taking everything into consideration,...
● In spite of the (dis) advantages….
● Having considered the options...

12. CONCLUDING COMMENTS
● If the above recommendations are carried out, the …. will see great improvement.
● If these changes are made/ implemented, then…
● If the issues mentioned above are taken into consideration, there will be a
significant increase in/ improvement ...
● I hope the above suggestions will prove to be helpful / effective.
● I really hope the above recommendations will be taken seriously.