Report Theory
What is a report?
presentation of a certain topic/event in an official document based thorough investigation or reflection
Purpose of a report?
analyse and evaluate facts, events, projects and may give recommendation
Layout
-To
-From
-Date
-Title
-> a clear layout divided into sections with subtitles and bullet points is vital
Stucture
-Title
-Introduction: aim of report, where information/data from
-Body:
*clear summary of situation/report the results
*seperate paragraphs for each main point
*clear subtitles for paragraphs, explain for each what it is about
*short/clear information
-Conclusion:
*recommendations
*generalise
*express opinions impersonally
Style and register
Style:
*precise and objective (avoid "I" in main section, only in recommendation)
*use reported speech to write what people told you and passive because impersonal
*Not use contractions/colloquial language
Register: neutral and formal
Useful Expressions: Introduction
-The aim of this report is to discuss/outline/compare/point out
-This report is intended to
-This report outlines/describes/deals with
-Inthis report I will
-As requested, I have prepared a report on
-My findings are presented below
-This report is based on a survey
-The information below summarizes statistics compiled by
-The study was conducted by
Usefull Expressions: Findings
-First of all
- ... has the largest (number of) .../second-largest/ is as big as/ is twice as big as
-More than a third
-Less than one half
-One out of four is of the opinion that
-The majority of the people questioned
-The number increases/ decreases/ goes up/ grows by/ has risen by/ has gradually fallen back to/ shows an initial fall/ a graduate increase
-There was a slight/sharp decline
-It reached a peak at... around...
-The amount of
Usefull Expressions: Reasons
-Most of people seem to feel that/to approve of...
-Several people explained/ said/ suggested/ thought that
-The current situation is satisfactory/ unsatisfactory/ disappointing because
-
Usefull Expressions: Suggesting additional ideas
-Another option would be to...
-We should/could also consider
-Another point to consider is
-Alternatively/ Moreover/ Furthermore
-Apart from this
-In addition to this
Usefull Expressions: Conclusion/Recommendation
-To sum up
-All the things considered
-Both ideas have benefits, but
-It would seem that ... is the best idea
-It might be advisable/highly recommendable
-It would be preferable to
-I also believe we should
-I would strongly/highly recommend
-I would therefor suggest
-My first recommendation would be
-The best solution seems to be
Vocabulary to show the changes
-Increase: rise/increase/go up/uplift/rocket(ed)/climb
-Decrease: fall/deccrease/decline/drop/reduce
-Steadiness: unchanged/level out/remain steady,the same,stable,static
Vocabulary to represent
Rapid change: dramatically/rapidly/sharply/quickly/hurriedly/speedily/swiftly
Moderate change: moderately/gradually/progressively
Slight change: slightly/slowly/mildly
Vocabulary to represent highest/lowest points in graphs
Highest point: Peak/ climax/ reach a peak
Lowest point: touch the lowest point/bottommost point
Vocabulary to make a comparision/contrast
a bit/ a little/ only just/ approximately/ about/ almost/ precisely/ quite/ nearly/ considerable/ a huge/ a great deal/ quite a lot/ comletely/ exactly
Vocabulary to write the conclusion
To draw the conclusion: In conclusion/ To conclude
To summarize: In short/ In brief/ To sum up/ In summary