English for Academic and Professional Purposes

LEARNING MODULE 4:
Objectives and Structures of Various Kinds of Reports

Quarter: 2 Week: 4
Name:__________________________________________________________________
Grade & Section: _________________________________ Score: ______________
Teacher:__________________________________________ Date: _______________

Learning Competency
Determines the objectives and structures of various kinds of
reports.

Objectives
At the end of the lesson, the students will be able to:
1. determine the various kinds of reports,
2. identify the structures of reports; and
3. write a report.

Let’s Recall
Directions: Tell whether the following statements describe a report.
Write Yes if it does or No if it doesn’t.
______1. A report has a title.
______2. It is based on facts.
______3. A report is similar to an essay.

Let’s Understand
What is a report?

A report is a structured form of writing which presents and analyzes

information clearly and briefly for a particular audience. The information
is usually the result of an experiment, investigation, or some other form of primary
research such as a questionnaire or survey. It will contain headings and
subheadings, as well as graphics such as graphs, charts, and tables. Reports often
use the information they contain to present recommendations for future action. They
are common not only at university but also in industry and government.

Reports are often conveyed in writing, speech, television, or films and are always
written sequentially in order of occurrence.

Objectives/Purpose of a Report:
 Provides specific information to the reader
 Allows information to be found quickly in specific sections

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 Types of Report
There are many different types of reports which can be written. Each report will
have a different format and writing conventions, though the
structure and language used are broadly similar for all reports.

• Laboratory Report - this type of report explains and analyzes the results of
an experiment; may also be called a lab report, experimental report, or science
report.
• Business Report - this analyzes a situation and uses business theory to
provide solutions or recommendations; includes many types, e.g. market
research report, marketing report, and financial report.
• Case Study Report - this examines a real-world situation (the 'case') and
analyses it using appropriate theory (the 'study').
• Project Report - this report on project work has been conducted.
• Research Report - this gives the results of research which has been
conducted, for example through surveys (via questionnaires or interviews).
• Progress Report - this informs a supervisor about progress on a project over
a certain period.
• Design Report - This report describes and evaluates a design used to solve a
problem.
• Field Report - this combines theory and practice by describing an observed
person, place, or event and analyzing the observation.

Other types of reports are possible, such as a systems analysis report, a

mathematics report, a feasibility study, and a client casework report.
Structure of Reports
The typical structure of a report, as shown on this page, is often referred to
as IMRAD, which is short for Introduction, Method, Results, And Discussion. As
reports often begin with an Abstract, the structure may also be referred to as
AIMRAD.
Preliminaries
There are several parts which go at the beginning of the report, before the main
content. These are the title page, abstract, and contents page.
Title page
Your report should have a title page. The information which could
be included on this page are:
 the title of the report
 the name(s) of the author(s)
 your student number(s)
 name of the lecturer the report is for
 date of submission
Abstract
Many longer reports will contain an abstract. This is like a summary of the
whole report and should contain details on the key areas, in other words, the
purpose, the methodology, the main findings, and the conclusions. An abstract is
not usually needed for shorter reports such as science lab reports.

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 Contents page
Many reports will contain a contents page. This should list all the headings
and sub-headings in the report, together with the page numbers. Most word
processing software can build a table of contents automatically.
Introduction
The first section of your report will be the introduction. This will often contain
several sub-sections, as outlined below.
Background
There should be some background information on the topic area. This could
be in the form of a literature review. This section will likely contain material from other
sources, in which case appropriate citations will be needed. You will also need to
summarize or paraphrase any information which comes from your textbooks or other
sources.
Theory
Many reports, especially science reports, will contain essential theory, such as
equations that will be used later. You may need to give definitions of key terms
and classify information. As with the background section, correct in-text citations
will be needed for any information which comes from your textbooks or other
sources.
Aims/Purpose
This part of the report explains why you are writing the report. The tense you
use will depend on whether the subject of the sentence is the report (which still
exists) or the experiment (which has finished). See the language for the reports
section for more information.
Method
Also called Methodology or Procedure, this section outlines how you gathered
information, where from, and how much. For example, if you used a survey:
• How was the survey carried out?
• How did you decide on the target group?
• How many people were surveyed?
• Were they surveyed by interview or questionnaire?

If it is a science lab report, you will need to answer these questions:

• What apparatus was used?
• How did you experiment?
• How many times did you repeat the procedure?
• What precautions did you take to increase accuracy?
Results
This section, also called Findings, gives the data that has been collected (for
example from the survey or experiment). This section will often present data in tables
and charts. This section is primarily concerned with the description. In other words, it
does not analyze or conclude.
Discussion
The Discussion section, also called Analysis, is the main body of the report,
where you develop your ideas. It draws together the background information or theory
from the Introduction with the data from the Findings section. Sub-sections (with
subheadings) may be needed to ensure the readers can find information quickly.
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Although the sub-headings help to clarify, you should still use well-constructed
paragraphs, with clear topic sentences. This section will often include graphs or other
visual material, as this will help the readers to understand the main points. This section
should fulfill the aims in the introduction and should contain sufficient information to
justify the conclusions and recommendations which come later in the report.
Conclusion
The conclusions come from the analysis in the Discussion section and should
be clear and concise. The conclusions should relate directly to the aims of the report,
and state whether these have been fulfilled. At this stage in the report, no new
information should be included.
Recommendations
The report should conclude with recommendations. These should be specific. As
with the conclusion, the recommendations should derive from the main body of the
report and again, no new information should be included.
Reference section
Any sources cited in the text should be included in full in the reference section.
For more information, see the reference section page of the writing section.
Appendices
Appendices are used to provide any detailed information which your readers may
need for reference, but which do not contain key information and which you, therefore,
do not want to include in the body of the report. Examples are a questionnaire used in
a survey or a letter of consent for interview participants. Appendices must be relevant
and should be numbered so they can be referred to in the main body. They should be
labeled Appendix 1, Appendix 2, etc. ('appendices' is the plural form of 'appendix').

Let’s Apply

Directions: A. Tell whether the statement below is True or False

based on the information you have read about reports
_______1. A good way to understand our reports is to have clear headings,
subheadings, and numbering.
_______2. The first part of a report is the introduction.
_______3. All reports have an abstract.
_______4. There are four (4) sections of a report: the preliminaries, the
Introduction, the main body, and the end.
_______5. Any report should conclude with recommendations.

Let’s Analyze
Directions: A. Fill the gaps with the correct words or phrases from
the box. (Please refer to the text on the Report on Year 12’s trip to
Madrid below).
A Report on a School Trip Abroad
have no hesitation in describes resounding as a result
would suggest overall I would recommend exceeded
aim of the report were reluctant to propose that most
would have welcomed the chance
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Introduction
1. This report _______ a recent school trip to Madrid.
2. The ______ is to assess the success of the trip to recommend it in the future.
Findings
Positive Points
3. Students agreed that the Spanish hospitality _______their expectations.
4. The cultural activities were a _______ success.
5. Students made the _______of the opportunity to practice their Spanish.
Negative points
6. However, some homes were located great distances from the school, to propose that and,
_______, some students had to leave extremely early.
7. This was a shame as they _______to spend more time with the host students.
8. However, some students ________speak Spanish.
Conclusion
9. ___________, they found the experience a positive one.
10. I ____________recommending this language exchange

Report on Yr. 12’s Trip to Madrid

Introduction
This report describes the Yr. 12’s recent trip to Madrid and its aim is to assess the success of the trip to
recommend it to future Year 12 students.
Host families
All students agreed that the hospitality of the host families exceeded their expectations. Not only did they
make our students feel welcome in their homes, but they went out of their way to ensure that the Filipino exchange
students experienced the Spanish way of life, including the culture, language, and cuisine. Many students
commented that they showed exceptional kindness and generosity. However, some host family home s were located
great distances from the school and, as a result, they had to leave extremely early in the morning to guarantee they
got to school on time. I propose that on future exchanges host families are selected within a 5-mile radius of the
school.
Cultural activities
The Spanish school staff ensured that our students got the most out of each visit by contracting tour guides who
were entertaining and spoke Spanish at a comprehensible level for our students.
Consequently, the cultural activities were a resounding success. Not only were our students shown most of the
city’s main sights, they also had the opportunity to visit stunning nearby towns of historical interest, such as, El
Escorial, Segovia, and Toledo. Unfortunately, the Spanish exchange students had to attend school while their
Filipino counterparts were sightseeing. This was a shame as they would have welcomed the chance to spend more
time with the host students. I would suggest that next time the Spanish students are invited to go on the day trips.
Language
Most of our students made the most of the opportunity to practice their Spanish with their host family and
exchange partner. In addition, a few students made a real effort to converse with the tour guides during the day
trips. However, some students were reluctant to speak Spanish with their exchange partners, who had to speak to
them in English. On future exchanges, I would recommend students to complete a travel journal of their visit, as
this would benefit their language development and provide a reminder of the trip.

Conclusion
On the whole, both Spanish and Filipino students found the experience a positive one from a cultural and an
educational point of view. Provided that opportunities to use Spanish are extended on future trips. I have no
hesitation in recommending this language exchange for students taking Spanish at our school.

Let’s Try
Directions: Read and understand the text below.
Reading text: A Report on a Student Meeting

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 Introduction
This report aims to describe problems in Magsaysay High School Dormitory and discuss
possible maintenance work to solve them. The two biggest issues were discussed at a meeting on 12
May, which was attended by 165 of the 250 students who live in the building.
Issue 1: Temperature in rooms
Several students complained that the second-floor bedrooms are too hot. Concerns were raised
about lack of sleep and students finding it hard to study in their rooms. Air conditioning was suggested
as a possible solution. However, there is no budget left for installing air conditioning this academic
year. Also, installation can only be carried out during holidays as students cannot be present in the
building while the work takes place.
Issue 2: Improving wheelchair access to the canteen
It was noted that wheelchair users can only access the canteen from the back and not the front
entrance. This makes access to the canteen difficult for wheelchair users. The school is looking to
improve its wheelchair access in general by installing ramps in key areas and work can take place
during term time with no issues for staff or students.
Conclusion and Recommendations
Taking the factors mentioned into account, August would be the best time for the installation
of air conditioning. Until then, the school could consider supplying fans to each second-floor room so
students can sleep and study comfortably. The front of the canteen is recommended as an ideal place
to install a wheelchair ramp. This work can take place immediately and should be a priority.
Directions: Answer the following questions based on what you understand from the report.
Complete the sentence prompt.
A. What is the report about?
1. This report ________________________________________________________________
B. What is the aim of the report?
2. The aim of this report is to _________________________________________________
C. What are the main problems of the report?
The main problems discussed in the report were: 3)______________________________ and
4)_______________________________________________________________
D. What are the findings/results during the discussion?
5. Most students_______________________________________________________________
6. It was noted ________________________________________________________________
E. What is the conclusion?
7. Overall _____________________________________________________________________
F. What are the recommendations?
8. The school would consider __________________________________________________
9. It is recommended that ______________________________________________________

Let’s Create
Your final task is to write a report.
Goal: Your goal is to write a report.
Role: You are a student reporter on an assignment to cover the activities of a famous
American rapper in your school.
Audience: Your learning facilitator and classmates will read your report.
Situation: The American rapper and musician Jay-Z is going on tour in the Philippines. He has
agreed to pay a one-hour visit to your school. The principal of your school has asked you to carry
out a survey amongst students and then write a report. He / She wants suggestions on:
o An activity to do with Jay-Z which involves as many students as possible. o A present to give
Jay-Z to say thank you for coming to visit your school.
Product/Performance: Write a report about 180-200 words.
Standards: Your work shall be scored based on the criteria to be given by your teacher.