Reports are normally formal accounts, written in a logical, sometimes chronological, order by a person with specific knowledge of a certain subject. Reports are more common in business, technical, legal and academic settings but can include more informal settings also.
Reports tend to have objective language and a sole purpose to inform; therefore, they include denotive rather than connotative language and also tend to use passive voice rather than active voice. Examples of passive voice were discussed in Unit 1 – refer back to this if it is something you need to recap. Passive voice in report writing helps emphasise the importance of the subject being spoken about, therefore it is automatically more formal. These features allow a report to convey information as clearly and concisely as it can. It also allows the report to remain neutral, preventing any emotion or biased points of view that may affect the tone.
Another common feature is the use of reported speech rather than direct speech as it shows that the events being reported are in the past tense (reported speech is something we will look at in more detail in Unit 4 of this course). Because of their purpose to inform, factual information is sometimes included within the main body of a report; for example, quantitative data expressed in tables, charts and graphs.
The structure tends to stay the same across all reports, no matter the purpose or intended audience. However, the purpose and audience must always be considered with report writing as these can affect the tone or style of the report. Not every report is formal and so you may find that some have a more informal style and tone.
As mentioned previously, the use of first person narration is more informal than third person, therefore if you are asked to write a report in the exam then use third person unless the question asks you specifically not to. Below an example of a short report written in third person has been provided for you.
| The University’s Theatre Trip
Hamlet The English Literature university theatre trip took place on Tuesday 17th, 2017. Fifty students attended the theatre that night to watch a performance of Hamlet which started at 7.00pm. The students made their own way to the theatre that evening, most of them arriving in large groups. At 8.30pm the play paused for a short interval. Most of the students decided to head to the reception for snacks and refreshments but some stayed sitting in their seats waiting for the play to commence. Hamlet finished at 10.00pm. Due to the university curriculum, the students had already read the play and knew what to expect. Due to this, it was noticed that some scenes had been cut in order to fit the play into two and a half hours. A few students did not like this adaptation. However, the majority of students enjoyed the evening and the performance. The university would like to thank all the students who attended. |
If you are asked to write a report in the exam, then it may be much longer than the example provided. However, there is a simple plan you can follow to make sure you write an effective report:
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Introductory paragraph – a brief outline of what the report is going to be about
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Short, clear title
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Write the rest of the report in paragraphs; making sure that you use an appropriate topic sentence for each
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A concluding paragraph that ties up the report
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The example report consists mainly of providing a summary of a specific event that has happened. It is written in the third person, in the past tense and told in chronological order. The language remains objective and it is merely reporting facts of the night, with a brief opinion included from the other students. Bear in mind that not all reports you come across or are asked to write will be summaries.
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