Official Report Writing: Task deadline 8th October

Features of report writing

·         Formal register

·         A title introducing the subject

·         clear organisation, usually indicated by sub-headings, numbered sections/bullet points

·         Lots of facts and information

·         Addressed to a specific audience (task dependent – will be made clear in the question)

Report Vocab

Introductory comments

I recently visited (the new Leisure Centre) and have prepared the following report for your consideration.

Further to my ... , I have prepared the following report.

The following report relates to ...

I have recently taken part in an academic study testing unconscious bias …

The study/visit was carried out with the intention of …

General comments

On the whole, I found that ...

Although ... , I should point out that ...

It is a fact that ...

For me, …

This has allowed me to …

The negative aspect/drawback from my point of view is …

A clear advantage/benefit  is that …

.. so as to … / … in order to …

As a direct consequence …

For this/that reason, I believe that ...

Comparing  and contrasting

One of the main differences between X and Y is that …

X is completely different from Y in that …

Unlike X, Y is ...

While/Whereas/Although (one aspect) offered an insight into, … (a different aspect) was clearly …

Concluding comments and recommending

All things considered, I believe that ...

Taking all these points into consideration, I would recommend ...

I recommend that we look into the possibility of ...

This would allow …

This would pave the way to …

As a result …

Consequently …

Exam Task

You have recently taken part in an academic study at Harvard University testing the theory of unconcious bias. The director of your university programme at Seville University wants to know all about it.

She has asked you to write a report outlining the purpose of the study - expected findings and theory, what your role in the study was, the findings of your test and how it made you feel. She would also like you to explain what you think of the theory, the strengths and weaknesses of the test and to make recommendations for how the test could be improved.

Write your report - between 250 and 400 words.