Report Writing – What, When and How?

You would have participated in a number of assemblies, annual days, sports days, meetings and so on from the time you were a kid until now. For every official event, you would have heard reports being read. Have you ever wondered why a report is written or presented to a public gathering? Let’s find out.

What Is a Report?

A report is a gist of all that happened at an event, the propositions, suggestions and recommendations made, the decisions taken, and the future plan for action. If it is an event such as an annual day or a sports day, an annual report of everything that took place and was implemented would be mentioned.

When Do We Write a Report?

A report can be written whenever an event or a meeting is conducted, since the main purpose of a report is to let the readers or listeners know about all that has happened so far and at present and what is to happen in the future.

How to Write a Report?

Having learnt what a report is and when a report is written, let us now move on to how to write a report. Like every other writing form, you need to follow a particular format to write a report. The report writing format includes the following – details of the event in brief, such as the date and venue, the process of the event, analysis of statistical data, evaluation and interpretation of the presented facts and figures and the effect of this event on the present or future.

What Are the Types of Reports?

Now, are there different types of reports? Yes, there are three types of reports – academic, business and scientific reports. Academic reports are meant to test the learner’s ability to understand and comprehend a particular subject or topic. A business report aims to explore various business strategies, analysis of already existing strategies, scaling down employee and customer requirements, and so on. A scientific report presents information about experiments conducted, inferences drawn and conclusions derived. It includes scientific values, calculations and/or case studies. In addition to these, there are also news reports. These reports are totally different from the other three.

The format and language of each differ according to what the report is aimed at. The language of the report has to be professional, and the data has to be presented in a clear and concise manner. Learning how to write a report in the English language is a skill you definitely need to master. Like letter writing, report writing is also a form of writing that you will continue to come across in your personal and professional life.

The best way to practise writing a report is to attempt writing one every time you participate in or conduct an event or meeting. It can even be something as simple as a birthday party or a farewell function. Your only aim is to report the event. Every time you do, get it proofread by someone who is good with the language and the format.