Reports
Reports communicate findings for a purpose. Use clear sections, objective tone, and headings that match your audience.
Common structure
- Title + author/date
- Introduction (purpose and scope)
- Method (how you gathered information)
- Findings (what you discovered)
- Discussion (interpretation and implications)
- Conclusion (answer the purpose)
- Recommendations (optional)
Report types
Science practical
Focus on variables, method, results (tables/graphs), conclusion linked to theory.
Survey/report
Purpose, sample, key trends, discussion of causes/limitations, recommendations.
Incident report
Facts in time order, objective language, actions taken, follow‑up steps.
Objective tone and clarity
Use precise, neutral wording. Prefer facts and evidence over opinion. Use tables/figures if appropriate.
Avoid exaggeration, vague phrases ("a lot"), and casual language.
Language features
Passive voice: “The solution was heated to 60°C” (focus on process).
Nominalisation: “There was an increase in temperature” to condense ideas.
Hedging: “This suggests… / The data indicates…” to avoid overclaiming.
Mini example (science)
Finding: Increasing the concentration of salt solution reduced the mass of the potato cylinders.
Conclusion: Water moved out of the cells by osmosis; therefore, higher solute concentration led to mass loss.
Explaining data (commentary)
Instead of “the bar is higher,” write: “Year 9 students were twice as likely to prefer online resources (62%) compared to printed guides (31%). This may reflect increased device access.”
Tip: Always pair a statistic with an interpretation and, if relevant, a limitation.
Section sentence starters
Introduction
- The purpose of this report is to…
- This report investigates/examines…
- The scope includes… while excluding…
Discussion
- These results suggest that…
- An alternative explanation is…
- A limitation of this method is…
Recommendations (SMART)
Specific: Install two additional card readers at the canteen entrance.
Measurable: Aim to reduce average queue time from 12 to 6 minutes.
Achievable: Equipment available within budget.
Relevant: Addresses peak congestion.
Time‑bound: Implement by end of term.
Referencing basics
Paraphrase and cite: According to the DfE (2023), …
Include a references section for external sources.
Figures and tables should have titles and be referred to in text: “As shown in Figure 1…”
Common pitfalls
- Mixing opinion into findings
- Repeating data without interpretation
- Missing units or labels on graphs
- Use headings consistently
- Summarise before recommending actions
- Check for objective, concise phrasing
Practice: write a short report
Write a one‑page report about your school’s lunchtime queues. Include purpose, brief method (observations), findings (patterns), and two recommendations.
Challenge dataset
Analyse the following sample data and write a 150‑word findings + 100‑word discussion.
Day: Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Queue (min): 14 10 12 9 7 Sales (items): 420 390 405 415 430