A Report - B2 English Writing — Explanation

A B2 report presents factual information, evaluates a situation and makes practical recommendations. Unlike an essay, a report is designed for quick reading: it normally has a descriptive title, clear section headings and concise paragraphs. The intended reader is often a teacher, manager, committee or organisation, so the style should be formal and objective.

What is a B2 report?

Report tasks give you a specific purpose and reader. You may be asked to describe facilities, assess an event, compare options or recommend improvements. Every bullet point in the task must be covered. Your personal experience can provide evidence, but the report should not sound like an informal story.

Example report task

Your college wants to reduce the number of students who travel by car. The principal has asked you to write a report describing how students currently travel to college, explaining the main difficulties with greener transport and recommending two improvements.

Before writing, identify the reader, purpose and required content. For this task, you need current travel habits, problems and two recommendations. A suitable formal title would be Report on Sustainable Travel to College.

How to structure a report

Title

Use a short, informative noun phrase. Avoid creative titles or questions. Good examples include Report on Library Facilities and Evaluation of the Careers Fair.

Introduction

State why the report was written and what it covers. Keep this section brief.

The purpose of this report is to examine how students currently travel to college, identify obstacles to sustainable transport and recommend practical improvements.

Findings

Organise information into sections with consistent headings. Support general statements with examples, observations or survey results.

Current travel patterns
A short survey of 120 students found that almost half travel by car, while approximately one third use public transport. Cycling and walking are less common, particularly among students who live outside the town centre.

Barriers to greener travel
The principal difficulty is the limited morning bus service. As a result, students from neighbouring villages often arrive too early or late. Furthermore, the college provides no covered bicycle storage, which discourages cycling during wet weather.

Recommendations

Connect each recommendation to a finding. Use formal structures such as It is recommended that… and It would be advisable to….

It is recommended that the college discuss an additional morning service with the local bus operator. It would also be advisable to install secure, covered bicycle racks near the main entrance. These measures would address the two most frequently reported concerns.

Complete model report

Report on Sustainable Travel to College

Introduction

The purpose of this report is to examine how students currently travel to college, identify obstacles to sustainable transport and recommend practical improvements. The findings are based on a survey completed by 120 students.

Current travel patterns

Almost half of respondents normally arrive by car, either alone or with a family member. Approximately one third use public transport. By contrast, relatively few students cycle or walk, especially those living beyond the town centre.

Main difficulties

The most significant issue is the limited morning bus timetable. Consequently, students from nearby villages frequently arrive much earlier than necessary or miss the beginning of class. In addition, there is no secure covered area for bicycles. Several respondents stated that the risk of theft and poor weather prevented them from cycling.

Recommendations

It is recommended that the college request an additional bus service arriving shortly before lessons begin. The installation of covered bicycle racks should also be considered. These measures would make sustainable travel more convenient and could substantially reduce car use.

Formal and objective language

Avoid contractions, slang and direct emotional claims. Instead of I think the buses are terrible, write The current bus service appears to be insufficient. Passive and impersonal structures help focus attention on the evidence:

• It was found that most participants preferred…
• It is recommended that additional seating be provided.
• Several concerns were raised regarding accessibility.
• The following improvements should be considered.

Useful report-writing phrases

• Purpose: The aim of this report is to…; This report outlines…; This report has been prepared to assess…
• Presenting findings: The survey revealed that…; It was observed that…; The majority of respondents…
• Advantages: One significant benefit is…; This approach would enable…; A particular strength is…
• Drawbacks: However, one limitation is…; A frequent concern was…; The principal disadvantage is…
• Examples: For instance…; One example of this is…; This can be seen in…
• Recommendations: It is recommended that…; It would be advisable to…; Priority should be given to…

Linking ideas clearly

• Addition: furthermore, in addition, moreover
• Contrast: however, by contrast, nevertheless
• Result: consequently, therefore, as a result
• Example: for example, for instance, such as

Make every reference precise. Instead of beginning a sentence with an unclear This, use a noun phrase such as This shortage of evening buses or These proposed changes.

Common report-writing mistakes

• Forgetting the title or section headings.
• Using letter conventions such as Dear Sir or Madam.
• Giving recommendations that are unrelated to the findings.
• Using informal expressions, contractions or rhetorical questions.
• Writing headings in inconsistent forms.
• Repeating the task instead of providing evidence and evaluation.

B2 report checklist

• Have you answered every part of the task?
• Does the title identify the subject clearly?
• Do headings make the report easy to scan?
• Are findings supported by relevant details?
• Are recommendations specific and connected to the evidence?
• Is the language consistently formal, concise and objective?

Complete the exercises below to practise report structures, linking expressions and recommendations.