Writing and Presenting effective reports

Course Lesson

Instructor: Pr. Fatima Zohra Kroum

fatimazohra.kroum@yahoo.com

A. What are Reports?

Reports are written documents which both give a reader information and ask the reader to do
something with that information. Usually reports should contain the gist summary of the
original article and should not mention unnecessary details.
Reports can be used:
 to suggest new ideas and options;
 to ask people to accept a point of view;
 to influence decisions;
 to ask people to make choices between alternative recommendations.
Therefore, a well- structured and well written report can be a very influential document.
A report will usually follow a simple format which can be identified over and over again as
you look through the reports written by academics, agencies or individuals. Use headings, sub
headings, bullet points (but remember to use full sentences rather than notes here) and new
paragraphs for new topics.
The format may be influenced by the purpose and length of the report. There are five essential
identifiable sections in most reports, although a contents list and abstract are usually only used
with a long report which are:
1 Title
2 Contents list
3 Introduction/ abstract
4 Discussion
5 Conclusions
B. The Format of a Report
Keep in mind that a report could be written and presented to share your feedback and
recommendations to whom it may concern

1. Title
The title page helps the reader to know what the report is about to have a title and sometimes
a brief explanation of the purpose of the report.
2. Introduction/
Should be quite brief. It can be a paragraph or a whole chapter but it should tell the reader:
 The topic of your report.
 Who commissioned means who asked to write this report and when should be submitted.
 A brief outline of the background to the report;
 The key issues which will be addressed (the main ideas that will be mentioned in the report)
3. Discussion
The main body of the report and the longest part. It goes into more detail about the subject.
 Describing how you got your information
 Describe tools and methods used to get information
 Reporting your results
 Analyse information obtained
4. Recommendation
These are the main findings from the research that went into the report:
 Mention the purpose of the report
 What you found out (results and solutions);
 What was significant about what you discovered; You can mention your own
recommendations, and suggest how the situation could be improved, and should be specific,
achievable and measurable.
A model answer
Participation in Sport in Bolton
Introduction
The aims of this report are to provide an overview of
participation in sporting activities in the Bolton area
indicating factors which discourage people from taking
part in sport and to make recommendations as to how
greater participation in sport might be achieved.
Current situation
I interviewed people from 13 to 82 living in Bolton. Fewer than a third
took part in any sporting activity on a regular basis. Among those who did
do sport, football was the most popular followed by individual keep-fit
activities such as jogging, aerobics and swimming. Tennis was popular
among older people because of its social nature, while basketball and
martial arts were the least popular.
Factors preventing fuller participation
There was a clear division between those who already took part in sport
and those who did not. The former cited the cost of equipment and lack
of facilities, e.g. tennis courts and good football pitches as the main
factors preventing them from doing more. Those who did not practice a
sport, on the other hand, cited dislike of competitive sports and lack of
time as the main reasons. Some described the poor quality o facilities in
changing rooms as an off-putting factor.
Recommendations
In my opinion, encouraging those who currently take no
part in sports should be a priority. I recommend
• organising an advertising campaign in order to promote
keep-fit activities rather than team games
• introducing new activities such as water aerobics at
times when people are free
• upgrading facilities currently considered to be poor. Those
who already do some sporting activities will be encouraged
to do more if current sporting facilities are upgraded.
Instruction
Your local council has asked you to do some research on sporting activities in the local area with the
aim of encouraging more people to take part in sport. You have been asked to write a report
summarizing your findings in which you describe the existing level of participation in sporting events
in your area including factors which discourage people from taking part in sport, and recommending
ways of encouraging more people to take up sport.