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Report Writing Essentials

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Report Writing Essentials

Read each question carefully. For the final section, plan a formal report for a specified audience. Use clear headings, relevant evidence and an objective tone.

Purpose, structure and language

Review the conventions that make a report useful to its intended readers.

1.A regional council commissions a report on public transport reliability. Which purpose best fits this text type?

To present researched information in an organised form for readers to understand
To invent a dramatic journey for entertainment
To convince readers through personal appeals alone
To record the writer’s private reactions without supporting evidence

2.Select the four features that commonly support a clear formal report.

An opening that establishes the topic and purpose
Section headings that signal the focus of each part
Evidence and explanation grouped by subtopic
A closing section that draws together the main findings
A sequence of rhyming verses
Anecdotes and personal opinions used instead of evidence

3.A report about water testing is written for local residents rather than laboratory technicians. Give one specific way the writer should adapt the report for these readers.

4.Which sentence uses factual, precise language most effectively in a report about a dairy farm’s electricity use?

The farm’s electricity use was unbelievably awful last winter.
The milking shed used 18% more electricity in July than in June, according to the farm’s monthly meter readings.
Everyone knows that farms use far too much power.
I felt shocked when I saw the electricity bill.

Read and analyse a report extract

The extract below is a fictional case study. Use its details to answer the questions.

This report examines water use at a fictional dairy farm in the Waikato and considers practical ways to reduce demand. The case study draws on a four-week monitoring period during late summer. Water use during milking Meter records show that the farm used an average of 31,000 litres of water each day for milking-shed cleaning. A leak in one wash-down hose was identified during the second week. After the hose was repaired, daily use for this task fell by an average of 2,400 litres. Next steps The monitoring period suggests that equipment checks can contribute to lower water use. Regularly inspecting hoses and recording meter readings would help the farm identify further opportunities to reduce demand.

5.Classify each quoted part of the extract as the introduction, a body section or the conclusion: “This report examines water use…”; “Meter records show that the farm used…”; “The monitoring period suggests that equipment checks…”

6.Identify two precise details from the extract that could support its findings. For each detail, explain briefly why it is useful in a report.

7.What does the heading “Water use during milking” help the reader expect in the section that follows?

Plan a report for a specific audience

Use the scenario and planning prompts below. Your responses should be supported by information you could verify; do not invent research findings.

8.Scenario: Ruben and Mei are preparing a report for the owners of a Waikato dairy farm about reducing water use in the milking shed. State the report topic and name its intended audience.

9.Write one suitable opening sentence for Ruben and Mei’s report. It should identify the topic and state the report’s purpose.

10.Propose three informative body-section headings for the report. Under each heading, list two kinds of evidence or information Ruben and Mei should research before drawing conclusions.

11.Write a concluding sentence for the proposed report that brings together its purpose without claiming results that have not yet been researched.

12.Explain one way that writing for the farm’s owners should shape the report’s language or content.