This document discusses the importance of strong writing skills. It cites several studies and reports that found many people lack basic communication skills needed for employment. Employer surveys showed 90% of firms felt school leavers were unprepared for work due to deficiencies in skills like writing. Job applications were also often littered with spelling and grammar mistakes. The document then outlines key areas of writing that can be improved like vocabulary, planning, research and layout to write excellent reports, essays and other documents. It promotes learning resources to help develop these skills.

1. Good Writing
Intro
Important Skills to
Improve Your
Reports, Essays,
Letters et al:
Why do I need to
know this?

2. Why?
• Many people struggle to write
properly, as demonstrated by the
evidence:
1)Employer surveys
2)Awful applications
3)Hard-hitting report

3. Employer Surveys
• British Chambers of Commerce
questioned 3,000 firms (Oct. 2014)
• 90% believed school leavers not
ready for employment
• More than 50%
thought young
people lacked
basic skills, like
Communication

4. Awful Applications
• 29th
August 2011, Cambridge
electronic firm – the Prima Group
• Reported applications littered with
spelling and punctuation mistakes
or made little sense
• Jobs available but
candidates not
suitable

5. Hard-hitting report
• Almost one million Scots unable to
read and write properly (2009 report
by the Literacy Commission)

6. Your Life
• Literacy is important – for example:
• Giving a speech at a wedding
• Writing a complaint to the Council
• Reading a credit card’s small print
• We are judged by our words
– what we say or write
makes a big impression

7. Learning Roads
• Explanations and examples of skills
• Opportunities for you to put these
techniques into practice
• You asking me questions about
anything that needs clarification

8. Active Learning

9. Skillswise
• Outstanding free, online resource to
help improve your Communication,
Numeracy and other core skills
• Includes learning games:
www.bbc.co.uk/skillswise/english/
games

10. Information Overload
• Nearly one billion websites & 130
million books worldwide (estimate)!
• Challenge is to EXPRESS IDEAS
COMPELLINGLY

12. What can I learn?
To write
excellent:
•Reports
•Essays
•Letters
•CVs

13. Comprehensive
• Vocabulary
• Planning
• Research
• Layout
• And much more!

14. Who am I?
• A College lecturer with many years
experience teaching and passionate
about perfecting the skills required to
master formal writing

15. Find out more…
• Check out the free previews of my
lessons on Udemy @
• www.udemy.com/a-masterclass-in-form