WRITING A REPORT

WRITING A REPORT

If you are asked  to write a   report, for example, analyzing the results of some research, summarizing articles, or interpreting statistics, your aim should be to present facts clearly so that the reader will understand the main points

quickly.

• Look at the  report below and notice how the information is divided up using headings.
• The style of   report is impersonal: it is not important who the writer is or what his or her opinion is.
• Notice whether you are told who the reader   is. This will help you decide how much you need to explain.
• In many reports, the important  information involves numbers. Read the   report again and fi  nd out what these expression refer to:50+50   two thirds   eight out of ten four  75%   the majority 5%   a half   a large majority twice   three Your style of writing will not be personal, but it need not be boring. Vary your language so that you do not overuse the same expressions. Think of other ways of  saying the words and phrases that are written in dark type in the  report  below

Aim

The objective of the survey was to fi  nd out whether shopping habits have changed since the building of the new suburban mall at Lake water, and to identify trends for the future.

Method

The survey targeted four groups of people: (A) downtown residents, (B) suburban residents up to three miles from the center of town, (C) business owners in the central area of town, and (D) merchants in the new mall.Shoppers received one questionnaire, while merchants received another. Researches visited 50 homes in the center of town and 50 in the suburbs as well as a cross section of stores in both locations.

Results

SHOPPERS

75% of all residents said that they had been to the new mall at least twice during the last month. Of these, the majority were from group B. Among the most popular reasons cited for shopping at Lake water instead of downtown were the ample free parking there compared with the difficulties of parking there compared with the difficults of parking in the center of town and the convenience of having a large number of  stores in one location in the mall. Families in particular mentioned the Lake water children's play area as an important advantage.

In contrast, two thirds of those questioned in group A reported that they valued the convenience of being able to walk to the stores. Eight out of ten of the order shoppers surveyed said that their daily shopping trip was their only contact with other people. Moreover, they preferred the personal attention of the smaller stores compared with the anonymous atmosphere of the larger outlets. They were, however, concerned that prices were increasing.

MERCHANTS

The merchants in town have seen business drop off by up to a half, whereas Lake water business have recorded a steady increase in sales over