CAE – HOW TO WRITE A REPORT

Source: www.rubenvalero.com

CAE – report

Paper 2 Part 2 – Report

A REPORT may be written for a superior (e.g. a boss or college principal) or a peer group (e.g. club members or colleagues). The content of a report is to some extent factual and draws on the prompt material, but there will be scope for candidates to make use of their own ideas and experience.
Candidates will be asked to do more than describe a situation; they may be asked to evaluate to what extent a particular aim has been achieved, or to suggest an alternative course of action.

Hints

  • Begin by stating the purpose of your report.
  • You may use invented statistics to provide a succinct summary of your results.
  • Use a clear layout with:
    • Headings. They will make it clear that your report is not an essay or review.
    • Lists of numbered points or bullets where appropriate. (DON’T overdo it, though. If you use them in more than one section, you won’t be able to show the full range of structures and vocabulary you know.)
  • Divide your report into sections according to the input.
  • Develop the ideas in the task input.
  • Include a sentence summarising your opinion at the beginning of the final section of your report.
  • Use an impersonal, formal style.

Useful language for a report

Stating the purpose of the report

    • The principal aim/objective/purpose of this report is to provide a description of… / to provide/to present results of /to assess the importance of …
  • In this report I will provide a description of … / I will provide/present results of …/ I will assess the importance of…
  • This report describes/provides an assessment of… / describes/provides/presents results of…

Describing how you got the information

    • I conducted a survey of / I conducted interviews with local council officers …
  • … responded to an online questionnaire.
  • I visited three of the most popular …
  • … were invited to attend a focus group…

Reporting your results

    • Most of those responding to the survey stated that/expressed the opinion that …
  • According to …
  • A large/considerable/significant/ proportion of respondents/informants/those surveyed said that …
  • Nearly three quarters of the …

Presenting a list

    • The arguments against … are the following:
      1. …
      2. …
  • The following were the main reasons given for supporting …: firstly, …, secondly, …
  • Points our informants mentioned in favour of/against … were:
    1. …
    2. …
  • There are several ways in which … might be … :
    1. …
    2. …

Making recommendations

    • Taking all the factors mentioned into account/In the light of the results of the survey/questionnaire, … would appear to be the most viable solution/option/approach.
  • I would therefore recommend ….
  • Clearly, more could be done to …. I would make the following recommendations:
    • …
    • …
    • …