report essay style

How to Write a Report Essay (Plus Example) – PDF

Today, you’re going to learn how to write a report essay as part of your high school English Language course.

The  truth is, you are likely to meet a report essay question in the WASSCE, IGCSE, JAMB or NECO/SSCE English test.

I will first show you the format or main features of a  typical report essay. You can call it a report essay template. Then I will give you some tips to guide you any time you need to write a report essay.

At the end of it all, you will have a sample report essay which you may freely download and study.

Are you ready to learn how to write a report essay? Then come along with me as I take you through this simplified tutorial about the acceptable way to write a report essay.

Report Writing Format

Make it as brief as possible.

INTRODUCTION

The introduction of the report essay must include a summary of the major points, any conclusions and recommendations you want to make to your audience.

Also, make sure to state the problem you’re addressing in the introduction.

This is a key area of the report writing process. The body of the report will go further to explain the points you stated in the introduction.

To write a good report essay, you need to have a conclusion. Make a quick summary of the key points you have been writing about in the body of the report.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Say what you believe need to be done to resolve the issues you have outlined in the body of the report. Tell your audience the steps that need to be taken.

YOUR NAME AND CREDENTIALS

Identify yourself. Say who you are. Stick to a simple formal name. Cite your position or credentials, if you have any. Make sure it is relevant to the report in question.

Tips to Score High in Report Writing

Follow these guidelines to write a report essay you will be proud of.

Use names and pronouns

As much as possible, reduce, to the barest minimum, the use of expressions like, “the woman”, “the teacher”, “a police officer” and so on. Instead, use names and, occasionally, pronouns.

THE HISTORY OF ENGLISH PRONOUNS

GRAMMATICAL NAME AND FUNCTIONS OF PRONOUNS

State your points clearly and be specific

It is best to write short sentences that contain a point each. Say what is important in a straightforward way. Avoid flowery language. This takes us to the next important tip for effective report writing.

Use simple language

Remember, your audience needs you to help them have a grasp of the issues that truly matter. You can only do this for  them if you use simple words and expressions in the report essay. So try hard and stick to simple, everyday words.

Active voice is better

Use active voice for more sentences as you write a report essay. For instance, instead of “Mr Tomson was invited to the classroom.” (PASSIVE VOICE), write: “We invited Mr.Tomson to the classroom.” (ACTIVE VOICE).

Focus on relevant facts.

At the core of every good report writing exercise is a statement of facts that serve the purpose for which the report is being written. Anything else is of no use to you or your audience. Neither is it going to help all others concerned.

Write in brief paragraphs

Let each of your paragraphs deal with a single idea at a time. Make sure to be concise and straightforward. Then quickly move to the next paragraph.

Report Essay Sample for High School

QUESTION: There was a disagreement between your class and one of your teachers. As the class prefect, write a report to the head of your school on the incident.

A REPORT TO THE HEADMASTER  ON A DISAGREEMENT BETWEEN MR. SAM TOMSON AND TECHNICAL 3B CLASS

 A disagreement arose between the class of Technical 3B and Mr. Tomson, the English teacher, on 20 th  October, 2020. Mr. Tomson has not been teaching the class since. This has adversely affected teaching and learning of English Language. We need your quick intervention so that life will return to normal for the English class of Technical 3 B.  

On 18 th  October 2020, Technical 3B class had English Language on the time table for the day. As the class prefect, I went and called Mr. Tomson.  He came in with some books. He promptly announced to the class that he was going to use that book to teach the lesson. For that matter, every student must buy one so that the class could have effective studies and also to make the lesson easier for him and the class.

The book in question is No Sweetness Her e by Ama Ata Aidoo.

But the class said they would not buy the book because they had no money at that material moment. At first, Mr. Tomson wanted to make the purchase of the book compulsory for each and every student in the class. But he later agreed to the students’ suggestion and sold it to us on credit for a period of two weeks.

In three days’ time, that was 20 th  April, when the class had English Language, I went and called Mr. Tomson for the lesson as usual. He came in with a certain man.

Mr. Tomson then said, “Today is the day you must pay for the books you bought because the owner of the books is this man. His name is Mr Sowah and he is here to take his money”.

The class was taken aback because Mr. Tomson sold the books on credit for two weeks; not for three days.

“We have no money to pay today, because you told us we would pay for them within two weeks”, said John Dumelo, one of the students in the class.

Immediately, Mr Tomson got annoyed. He told John Dumelo he was a useless person. The whole class quickly rose to support John Dumelo because Mr. Tomson who was demanding that money was the same person who told the class that the books were sold on credit for two weeks.

This was the disagreement between the class and Mr Tomson. He insisted that since Mr. Sowah was there to take his money, he would by all means make us pay.

The class also stood their ground with the argument that since Mr Tomson gave them two weeks to pay they had not come with any money to pay for the book.

The dispute became so serious that it got very close to a fight. Mr. Sowah (the owner of the books) eventually agreed that the students should pay the money in the stipulated two weeks’ time.

After that, Mr. Tomson, together with Mr. Sowah, went out of the room.

A few moments later, after Mr. Sowah had gone away, Mr. Tomson came back to say the class had disgraced him before his best friend so he would have no lesson with the class that day.

He, therefore, went away without teaching the English lesson for the day.

The next time it was time for English , we called Mr. Tomson for the lesson but he refused to show up.  He said unless the class wrote an apology letter or brought someone to plead on their behalf, he would not step into the class for lessons.  The class also said they had done nothing wrong to warrant their writing of an apology letter.

Up to this day, whenever Technical 3B class calls Mr. Tomson for English lessons, he refuses to come and teach.

Sir, as the class prefect, I have to let you know about the situation just as you demanded. I hope this report would be given the much needed attention so that we can have our English Language lessons back. Thank you.                                                                                                                                                                  

KWESI OWUSU

(CLASS PREFECT)

SHS 3B, TECHNICAL

It is not that difficult to write a report essay in your WASSCE, NECO/SSCE, IGCSE or any other high school level English Language test. If you can follow the report writing tips above, you should be able to do well. And, remember, you can download this tutorial with the sample report essay for FREE.

Did you find this information useful? Then share it on your favourite social media platform for the benefit of others you care about. Thank you!

Image by Anja🤗#helpinghands #solidarity#stays healthy🙏 from Pixabay

Cegast Academy empowers students, mature learners, teachers, and parents with top-notch educational resources and publishing services. The centre boasts of a rich experience in English and Literature tutoring with a proven track record. Since 2001, Cegast Academy has successfully coached thousands of High School General Arts WASSCE candidates in English, Literature, and related subjects. With a combination of expertise and a passion for lifelong learning, the platform guides learners from diverse backgrounds to achieve their educational and career goals.

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Reports and essays: key differences

Know what to expect

Explore the main differences between reports and essays and how to write for your assignments

You'll complete assignments with different requirements throughout your degree, so it's important to understand what you need to do for each of them. Here we explore the key differences between reports and essays. 

This page describes general features of academic reports and essays. Depending on your subject you may use all of these features, a selection of them, or you may have additional requirements. 

There is no single right way to write a report or essay, but they are different assignments. At a glance: 

• Reports depend heavily on your subject and the type of report.
• Essays usually have specific content and a planned structure with a focus on sense and flow. You subject might need different types of information in your introduction –  some disciplines include a short background and context here, while others begin their discussion, discuss their resources or briefly signpost the topic.

Differences between reports and essays

This table compares reports and essays and provides an outline of the standard structure for each. Your assignment will also depend on your discipline, the purpose of your work, and your audience – so you should check what you need to do in your course and module handbooks, instructions from your lecturer, and your subject conventions.

Table adapted from Cottrell, 2003, p. 209.

The structure of reports

Most reports use an IMRaD structure: Introduction, Methods, Results and Discussion.

Below are some common sections that also appear in reports. Some sections include alternative headings.

1. Table of contents

Your contents shows the number of each report section, its title, page number and any sub-sections. Sub-section numbers and details start under the section title, not the margin or the number.

2. Abstract or Executive summary

This brief summary of the report is usually the last thing you write.

3. Introduction

Your introduction describes the purpose of the report, explains why it necessary or useful, and sets out its precise aims and objectives.

4. Literature review

This describes current research and thinking about the problem or research question, and is often incorporated into the introduction.

5. Methods or Methodology

This describes and justifies the methods or processes used to collect your data.

6. Results or Findings

This section presents the results (or processed data) from the research and may consist of mainly tables, charts and or diagrams.

7. Discussion, or Analysis, or Interpretation

This section analyses the results and evaluates the research carried out.

8. Conclusion

The conclusion summarises the report and usually revisits the aims and objectives.

9. Recommendations

In this section the writer uses the results and conclusions from the report to make practical suggestions about a problem or issue. This may not be required.

10. Appendices

You can include raw data or materials that your report refers to in the appendix, if you need to. The data is often presented as charts, diagrams and tables. Each item should be numbered : for example, write Table 1 and its title; Table 2 and its title, and so on as needed.

Structure of essays

Introduction.

Your essay introduction contextualises and gives background information about the topic or questions being discussed, and sets out what the essay is going to cover.

Your essay body is divided into paragraphs. These paragraphs help make a continuous, flowing text.

The conclusion summarises the main points made in the essay. Avoid introducing new information in your conclusion.

Bibliography or Reference list

This is a list of the resources you've used in your essay. This is usually presented alphabetically by authors’ surname.

Reference for the Table of Distinctions above: 

Cottrell, S. (2003).  The Study Skills Handbook  (2nd ed.). Basingstoke: Palgrave.

Download our report and essay differences revision sheet

Download this page as a PDF for your report and essay revision notes.

Key features of academic reports

Basic essay structure

Writing clear sentences