YEAR 11 NOTES

2023/2024
 CONVENTIONS OF FORMAL REPORTS
 A formal report has two functions:
1. Serve as a record of something which has been observed or investigated.
2. Can highlight problems and offer solutions; an appraisal of sorts.
 There are three parts to a report:
1. Overview
• This is the part that establishes the purpose of the text.
• It answers the question: What do you hope to achieve by carrying out the investigation?
2. Main body
• Highlights the problems and feedback gathered during the investigation.
3. Solutions
• The report concludes with a summary of findings and a number of sensible solutions to tackle the problems found.
• It also includes a call to action.
 Language features of Formal Reports

 They usually don’t make use of figurative language.

 It is very much a Factual piece.
 Makes use of past tense.
 Itis written in the third person and with an objective voice/viewpoint
throughout the report.
 Uses connectives/Discourse markers.
 Complex sentences.
 Facts and statistics.
 STRUCTURE OF FORMAL
REPORTS
1. Headline
2. 1st paragraph (Introduction/overview)
3. 1st sub-heading (Findings/problems observed)
-Explain the details in 2-3 paragraphs.
4. 2nd sub-heading (Feedback gathered)
-Explain the details in 2-3 paragraphs.
5. 3rd sub-heading (Suggested solutions/recommendations)
-Explain the details in 1-2 paragraphs.
6. Last paragraph (A conclusion/call to action)
7. Finally, sign off.
 1. Headline
 The title does not need to be fancy. Simply go straight to the point and explain what the
report is all about.
 Consider the following examples:
1. A report about the waste in our school and how it could be reduced.
2. A report about the new students joining the school and how they can be helped to
settle better.
3. A report about why students are no longer interested in the school lunch and how we
can bring back the interest.
 2. Introduction/Overview

 This is the first paragraph of your report. It briefly explains the research’s aim and why
the report has been written.

Example:
This report has been written to inform you about the difficulties new students face when
joining school.
It also includes suggestions about how the students can be helped, the benefits they
stand to gain, and the school at large.
 3. Problems observed/Findings
 In this section, include all the findings and concerns raised in your research.
 Each of these issues needs to be addressed in detail and in its own paragraphs.
 You may also decide to create other subheadings for these concerns.

4. Feedback gathered
 Include information gathered from individuals during research.
 To make it credible, include some quotes of information gathered during your research.
 5. Recommendations
 Make sure that you only give recommendations and solutions for the problems and
concerns you highlighted.
 Give a condition of what will happen if the problems highlighted are not resolved. You
could use the ‘If clause’.
6. Conclusion/ Call to Action
 Say when the issue will be looked into to see whether changes have been made.

7. Sign off
 At the end, sign off your report.