P1W4L1 - Report writing

• Engels
• MBO
• Studiejaar 1

to lesson 1 of period 3

Today's lesson

Report writing

Lesson objective

By the end of this lesson you know:

- what a report is; 

- how a report is structured;

- how to write a report.

What is a report?

A report is a piece of informative writing that describes a set of actions and analyses any results in response to a specific brief. A quick definition might be: "This is what I did and this is what it means." 

Essay vs. Report

Essays                                                                                 Reports

- Argumentative and idea-based                              - Informative and fact-based

- Semi-structured                                                             - Formally structured

- Not written with a specific reader in                     - Usually written with a specific

              mind (except the marker)                                                purpose and reader in mind

- Written in single narrative style throughout      - Written in style appropriate to each section

- Usually do not include sub-headings                   - Always include section headings

- Usually do not include bullet points                      - Often use bullet points

- Usually no tables or graphs                                       - Often includes tables or graphs

- Offer conclusions about question                          - Offer recommendations for action

What makes a successful report?

Here are some of the most common complaints about reports:

Badly structured

Inappropriate writing style

Incorrect or inadequate referencing

Doesn't answer the brief

Too much/too little/irrelevant material

Expression not clear

Doesn't relate results to purpose

Unnecessary use of jargon

Top tip…

The most important thing to do is read the brief (or the title of your assignment, or your research question) carefully. Then read it again even more carefully! If you're still not completely clear about what to do, speak to your tutor or a Study Adviser – don't guess.

How can you make sure your report does what it's meant to do, and does it well?

• Make sure you know which sections your report should have and what should go in each. 
• Remember that reports are meant to be informative.
• So pay special attention to your projected reader, and what they want from the report. 
• Write simply and appropriately. 
• Spend time on your discussion section. 
• Every idea and piece of information you use that comes from someone else's work must be acknowledged with a reference. 
• Be clear about the scope of the report. (The word count will help you to understand this.) 

Checklist for successful reports

• Does it answer the purpose stated (or implied) in the brief?
• Does it answer the needs of the projected reader?
• Has the material been placed in the appropriate sections?
• Has all the material been checked for accuracy?
• Are graphs and tables carefully labelled?
• Is data in graphs or tables also explained in words and analysed?
• Does the discussion/conclusion show how the results relate to objectives set out in the introduction?
• Has all irrelevant material been removed?
• Is it written throughout in appropriate style (i.e. no colloquialisms or contractions, using an objective tone, specific rather than vague)?
• Is it jargon-free and clearly written?
• Has every idea taken from or inspired by someone else's work been acknowledged with a reference?
• Have all illustrations and figures taken from someone else's work been cited correctly?
• Has it been carefully proof-read to eliminate careless mistakes?

Which topics are mentioned when structuring a report?

(Moodle - Business comm. - English - Bronnen: Report writing)

Unit 9 Projectmanagement

Work time

Look up information and write about:

- the difference between a group and a team.

- types and purposes of business teams.

Make sure you write a properly structured text.