Part 2

You must answer this question.

Your college has been asked to accept a group of 50 students from another country for two
weeks. You have been asked by your principal to find out what the advantages and
disadvantages would be of accepting this group. Is it a good idea?

Write your report to the principal in 140 - 190 words in an appropriate style on the separate
answer sheet.

Sample answer:

Report on Proposed Visit by 50 Overseas Students

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to consider the advantages and disadvantages of accepting a
large group of students from overseas for two weeks. I have discussed the issue with all the
senior members of college staff.

You start with Paragraph 1- Introduction

In the introduction you :

– use headings – this makes it easier to find the main info

– state the aim of the report and where you got/ collected the information

– don’t begin with Dear Sir/ Madam – it’s not a letter

Phrases you can use in the introduction:

* This report is intended to show / discuss / outline …

* The aim / purpose of this report is to …
* In this report I will
REMEMBER: It’s a formal piece of writing that means: use a formal, neutral style: no
contractions, no colloquial language, no direct questions, no informal punctuation such as
exclamation marks.
Advantages of taking the oversees students.

All those I interviewed believe that for students this would be an exciting opportunity to
explore a foreign culture, both in the classroom and socially. Overall, they thought the visit
would be stimulating for the college at a quiet time of the year.

In the 2nd Paragraph you :

– balance the positive and negative points fairly

– you can use numbering or bullet points to highlight main points

– use a range of specific vocabulary or set phrases e.g. Some thought this was …../ other
students said they preferred…

– don’t use a lot of adjectives and dramatic language. A report gives factual information

Phrases you can use to in the 2nd and 3rd paragraph:

Suggesting additional ideas

Another option would be to …
I would also suggest …
Another point to consider is that …
Alternatively…. Moreover. / Furthermore.
Apart from this / In addition to this
Making recommendations
I would strongly / highly recommend …
My first / second recommendation would be to ..
It would be (highly) advisable to …
If my recommendations are followed, then …
The best solution / ideas would seem to be …
Listing ideas
I would suggest the following: … might like to consider the following:
The following are highly recommended: 1….. OR 2. ……….
They gave/ suggested the following reasons:
They made the following points: 1….2…
Reporting findings
It appears that the majority of …
The only problem is that … .
Most …(students seem) … .
Not surprisingly, …
According to …
Disadvantages
Some members of staff are concerned that:

1 there would be insufficient seating in the library at bus times;

2 the visitors might be more interested in enjoying themselves than studying;

3 the restaurant queue would be very slow at lunchtime.

In the 3rd Paragraph you :

– balance the positive and negative points fairly

– you can use numbering or bullet points to highlight main points

– use a range of specific vocabulary or set phrases e.g. Some thought this was …../ other
students said they preferred…

Conclusion and recommendation

Clearly, the group might cause some practical difficulties but on the whole everyone thought
that the visit should be seen as an opportunity not to be missed.

In the last paragraph you :

– give the recommendations

– generalise
– express opinions impersonally
Phrases you can use to end the letter

Concluding and making recommendations

All things considered, …
We have no hesitation in recommending… .