REPORT WRITING

A Report is a written composition or, in other words,

we can say it is a prepared account about a
particular subject. It is a vivid expression of a factual
experience on account of something heard, seen,
done, studied etc. meant to be published or
broadcasted. The most common example is the
news reports we read in the newspapers, everyday.
Reports can be of many types, but in class 11 and
12 syllabus following reports are included :

1.A newspaper report

2.A report about an event or function at

school/institute/ organisation

3. A report about an accident/happening.Eg: road

accident, train accident, airplane crash etc.

4. A report about a natural calamity like flood,

landslide, cyclonic storm, earthquake etc.
THE STRUCTURE OF REPORT: INVERTED
PYRAMID

The inverted pyramid is a metaphor used

by journalists and other writers to illustrate how
information should be prioritised and structured in a
report.
The inverted or upside-down pyramid can be
thought of as a triangle pointing down. The widest
part at the top represents the most substantial,
interesting, and important information that the
writer means to convey, illustrating that this kind of
material should head the article, while the tapering
lower portion illustrates that other material should
follow in order of diminishing importance.
Important points to be noted:

1. A report is always written to be read by someone.

Use reported speech and passive voice.

2. First person and second person pronoun must not

be used.

First person – I, me, my, myself, mine, our,

ourselves, we, us

Second person – you/ yourself/ yours

3. Third person pronoun should be used.

4. Use past tense or past perfect tense as the event

has already been conducted.

5. The report should be factual, brief and

interesting.

6. The language used should be neutral and formal.

7. Avoid imposing personal opinions and do not

make any conclusions.
8. Journalistic vocabulary must be used.
Eg:

i) According to the eyewitnesses

ii) It is alleged
iii) Allegedly
iv) According to the reliable sources
v) According to the local authorities/ official
spokesperson etc.

9. A report is written in 3 paragraphs. The value

points of each paragraph according to the type of
report are as follows:

EVENT: VALUE POINTS

PARAGRAPH 1 –

I) Present the facts about the organisation and

event
ii) Answer 6 w’s (what, when,
why,where,who,whom)
PARAGRAPH 2 -

I) Give details of events is sequential order

ii) Quote a statement from speech

PARAGRAPH 3 -

I) Give eye witness’s account (in quote)

ii) Present reaction of
people/victims/spectators/officials (whichever is
appropriate)
iii) Mention future plans of the organising team.

BLOOD DONATION CAMP: VALUE POINTS

PARAGRAPH 1 –

I) Present the facts about the organisation and

event
ii) Answer 6 w’s (what, when,
why,where,who,whom)
iii) Under the supervision
iv) Medical team
v) Date, time, venue
vi) Chief Guest
PARAGRAPH 2 -

I) Give details of events is sequential order.

ii) Notification provided
iii) Participation registered
iv) Tests conducted
v) Refreshments provided
vi) Certificate of participation by Chief Guest
vii) Quote a statement from speech

PARAGRAPH 3 -

I) Give eye witness’s account (in quote)

ii) Present statement of donors/
people/victims/spectators/officials (whichever is
appropriate)
iii) No. Of units of blood collected.
iv) Mention future plans of the organising team

ROAD ACCIDENT: VALUE POINTS

PARAGRAPH 1 –

I) Present the facts about the accident.

ii) Answer 6 w’s (what,when why,where,who,whom)
iii) Who were involved and how many were affected

PARAGRAPH 2 -

I) Give details of reasons for the accident.

ii) Intensity of the accident
iii) Damage reported
iv) Help provided
v) Treatment offered
vi) Doctor’s feedback

PARAGRAPH 3 -

I) Give eye witness’s account (in quote)

ii) Present reaction of
people/victims/spectators/officials (whichever is
appropriate)
iii) Comments of local authorities
iv) Comment of state authorities (if needed)
v) Comments of traffic commissioner
vi) Ex-gratia offered
vii) Mention future plans of the authorities
NATURAL DISASTER: VALUE POINTS

PARAGRAPH 1 –

I) Name of the calamity/storm

ii) Answer 6 w’s (what, when,
why,where,who,whom)
iii) Severity
iv) Duration
v) How many were affected

PARAGRAPH 2 -

I) Give details of the calamity.

ii) Deaths reported
iii) Number of people injured and the severity of
injuries.
iv) Damage reported
v) Devastation caused
vi) Most affected areas
vii) Help provided
viii) Treatment offered
ix) Doctor’s feedback
x) Flights and trains cancelled
PARAGRAPH 3 -

I) Give eye witness’s account (in quote)

ii) Present reaction of
people/victims/spectators/officials (whichever is
appropriate)
iii) Comments of local authorities
iv) Comment of state / national authorities (if
needed)
v) Ex-gratia offered
vi) Mention future plans of the authorities

Sample Reports

Sample 1: You are Ramesh Mishra, a reporter of

‘The Hindu', in New Delhi. Construct a report on a
train accident .
 Report on A Disastrous Train Accident
By Ramesh Mishra ( The Hindu)

November 25, 2020, New Delhi: Three bogies of the Mangalore

mail fell into the Cauvery river at 5:00 P.M. on November 24,
2020. The accident occurred as the Chennai bound train ,
derailed at Kadulundi, a station between Calicut and Palagat,
leaving 43 casualties and scores of people critically injured.
Rescue teams rushed to the site and retrieved people from the
bogies, that were hanging, by using cranes and ropes
requisitioned from the neighbouring Army camp. The marine
divers from Indian Navy reached at the spot to rescue the
survivors from the river using searchlights and sophisticated
diving gears. The injured were hurried to the railway hospital for
immediate medical attention.
A spokesperson of the Railway Ministry informed, that the nine
rear bogies of the train got derailed, as it was crossing a bridge
and the last three bogies comprising of two general
compartments and one ladies compartment fell into the river
while the other bogies hung precariously. He scoffed at rumours,
about cracks in the rail track being responsible for the tragedy.
As per the sources, it is alleged that the accident occurred, owing
to the carelessness of the driver who was speeding the train at
100km per hour. Moreover, improper braking operation and
improper train handling are also a part of the speculations
growing around the mishap.
Mr. Ghansham, a local farmer who witnessed the tragedy said,
“ I heard a loud bang and saw the rear part of the train falling
into the river. I scurried to horrendous site to find blood
splattered all over and to see people shouting and crying for
help .” By late night top officials of the railway administration,
had reached the site, to supervise the rescue operations and
expressed their deep anguish over the accident. Hon' Prime
Minister , Mr. Narendra Modi has conveyed his profound
sorrow and offered his heartfelt condolences, to the
aggrieved families. He announced an ex- gratia of 3 lakhs to
the next of the kin for the dead and 50 thousand, for the
grievously injured. This would be in addition to the normal
compensation given by the railways, for their passengers.

Sample 2: You are Meher Joshi, a reporter of

‘Deccan Chronicle ', in Lucknow. Construct a report
on a fire incident .
 Report on a Deadly Fire in Stevenson Towers
By Ramesh Mishra ( The Hindu)

November 27, 2020, Lucknow: A devastating fire broke out today

at 11 A.M. in the Stevenson Towers, a prestigious residential
Complex in Hazratganj. The fire emanated from the twelfth floor
of the fifteenth storied complex and in a flash engulfed the entire
building. Huge flames leapt up as the conflagration spread to the
other floors . Clouds of black clouds billowed from the site, that
could be seen from a distance. Till late evening, 50 casualties
had been reported. According to the official sources this figure is
bound to rise, for more than two hundred people suffered
grievous injuries. They have been admitted in various
Government and private hospitals of the city.
Eight fire engines with scores of firefighters embattled the flames
for over eight hours. These valiant men saved many precious
lives by bringing down people from the roof top and window sills
using hydraulic ladders. Later the police cordoned off the entire
area to prevent curious onlookers hindering the operations. The
District Magistrate was there to personally supervise the rescue
and relief operation. According to him the cause of the fire
appears to be a case of electric short circuit. He decried the
excessive use of air conditioners and the poor quality of electric
wiring used in such high rise buildings which seems to be the
cause of the catastrophe.
Mr. P K Malhotra, an executive of the State Bank of India
working in the building, confirmed, “ I was in my office,
located on the twelfth floor, when I heard the explosion and
before I could realize what was happening, the entire floor
was up in flames.” Hon' Chief Minister of UP, Yogi Adityanath
reviewed the situation with the district and police officials, late
in the evening and has ordered a probe into the incident. He
expressed his grief and offered his condolence to the
aggrieved families and announced a compensation of three
lakhs for the dead and rupees fifty thousand for the
grievously injured.