Report writing sample for college students

Discussion And Identification Of Report-Writing Strengths and Weaknesses: Report Writing Example

In the example report, there are many strengths and weaknesses of report-writing. By this sample report, the college students are able to comprehend the model of report-writing and how to practice “report-writing." This gives the student knowledge about writing effective academic writings. The skills of the students must be revised by starting a new course. The indulgence required to complete the work will definitely help to develop skills that would help the students in their studies and jobs. The academic work of the students will be flawless, relevant and well-structured when they understand the style of report-writing. This will again allow the students to communicate their thoughts and ideas more effectively. The report will bring into focus the following strengths and weaknesses of the "report writing": punctuation, paragraph structuring in the main body, use of personal pronouns, caution in academics and structuring of the report.

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Findings of this report writing sample

In this report writing example, we find there is use of formal punctuation, which can be seen as a weakness of report writing. Scholars named Bovee and Thill said that “formal academic writing should avoid abbreviations; this includes contractions, which involve combining two words together and replacing the missing letters with an apostrophe." In the example report we find examples of contractions like, “There’re several examples of how private schools might be better in this regard than state schools, including in relation to access to specialist equipment (e.g., good IT equipment or lab equipment) and smaller class sizes” (Appendix 1). It is important that academic writing not use contractions, as it may look informal and may sound difficult to some people (Moghamis, El Ansari, Abdelsalam and Baco, 2021). The words should not be abbreviated; rather, they should be written in full. Therefore, we can say that the use of formal punctuation is one of the weaknesses that can be examined in the example report.

From the example report, we find that the main body paragraph structuring is not properly done. The introduction of the main body paragraphs should start by making the topic clear, then provide confirmation. There is an instance from the example report: “The primary argument in favour of abolishing private schools is that the current system results in a lack of representation of working-class individuals in society’s key positions” (Appendix 2). Here the writer gives the total explanation of the topic without any evidence or interpretation. In order to give enough weight to arguments, the writer should provide the evidence early in the main body. This type of approach will surely make the report easy to interpret before finishing (Moghamis, El Ansari, Abdelsalam and Baco, 2021). The main body paragraph should be properly built. In the example, the main-body paragraph is not properly made; it is the weakness of the report.

Use of personal pronouns makes a report weak. Personal opinion is not allowed in reports, and the students should not use personal pronouns like ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ in their writing. The report should be logical and proved with evidence. But in the example report there is use of many personal pronouns for example: “In my opinion, another key reason for abolishing paid-for schooling is that profitable private schools are given charitable tax status, whereas other profitable businesses are not” (Appendix 3). This line shows that the writer has given his personal opinion (Moghamis, El Ansari, Abdelsalam and Baco, 2021). The report loses the logical sense and it’s scientifically proven to be true. The weight of the report is reduced. The students do not want to know about the personal opinion of the writer or his personal experience. Use of personal pronouns is one of the weaknesses of the example report.

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In order to guarantee precision, there is suitable use of academic cautiousness and it is one of the strengths of the report-writing. The researcher Smith commented, “Academic caution can make academic writing more accurate by allowing for exceptions to the rule." In the example report we find many examples of academic caution, such as “With state schools widely recognised as underfunded at present, the financial responsibility of taking on new students would make it impossible for these schools to budget effectively and provide the best possible education to their students” (Appendix 4). Here the writer has used ‘would’ instead of giving surety as academic caution. The writer has also mentioned ‘best possible’ not ‘best’ in order to be cautious in academic writing. In academic writing, accuracy is very important but sometimes it is not given proper importance during communication or writing (Akoglu, 2018). So while writing the report, the students should keep in mind that they should be choosier with words and not definite in telling any information. The students must make proper choices of words in order to avoid arguments, even if they are logically correct. It can be said that the strength of academic writing is having academic caution.

The structuring of the report is also an important part of the strength of "report writing." ARU London states that “All reports should contain these elements in the following order: title page, executive summary, contents page, introduction, findings section, conclusion, recommendations section, reference list, appendices” (Appendix 5). The contents page clearly shows the structure of the report, as it shows all the topics in the correct order. The requirement of ARU London demands the report to follow this pattern (Akoglu, 2018). There are different types of reports, starting with informational to analytical and they are configured in many ways. The students may follow the ARU model of “report-writing." When the students follow this model, they actually look after all the compulsory foundations of a report that results in logical analysis. The given example report shows the strength of “report-writing.”

Report Writing Example's Conclusion

The example report consists of many “report-writing” strengths and weaknesses. The strengths and weaknesses consist of proper use of punctuation, paragraph structuring of the main body, use of personal pronouns, caution in academic writing and structuring of the report. The students become more aware of the fact that how to write a report keeping in mind different concepts. They must notice the language and structure of the report and how to use them effectively. The students must practice the given skills and use them in their academic writings. The concepts and ideas that the student wants to deliver can be given clearly, as their communicating skills will also improve. More study about “report-writing” can show new factors or the same factors depending on the type of report.

Recommendation: How to write a report for a university assignment?

1. To understand the format of academic learning, it is recommended to provide training to the students so that they can better understand the concepts. Students are given different hypothetical situations and guided on how to deal with the situations through communicating.
2. In order to check the main body paragraphs, the students must be provided with templates. Time should be given to the students so that they get familiarised with the recommended model. A number of main body paragraphs can be added to a committed style guide and posted on VLE.
3. The students should make a list of words that can be used and the words that cannot be used in academic writing. They should keep in mind that personal pronouns such as ‘I’, ‘me’ and ‘my’ can never be used in "report writing." The list can be kept in the style guide or added to PowerPoint slides.
4. It is recommended that proper feedback should be provided to the writer so that the writers are motivated to use academic caution. The writers should be given extra examples of cautious language to get them more involved practically.
5. The example report should be attached to the style guide so that the students come to know about the structure of the "report writing." All the characteristics should be given in bullet points.

References

Akoglu, H., 2018. User's guide to correlation coefficients. Turkish journal of emergency medicine, 18(3), pp.91-93.

Chan, K.H., Farouji, I., Hanoud, A.A. and Slim, J., 2020. Weakness and elevated creatinine kinase as the initial presentation of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). The American journal of emergency medicine, 38(7), pp.1548-e1.

Chillura, A., Bramanti, A., Tartamella, F., Pisano, M.F., Clemente, E., Scrudato, M.L., Cacciato, G., Portaro, S., Calabrò, R.S. and Naro, A., 2020. Advances in the rehabilitation of intensive care unit acquired weakness: A case report on the promising use of robotics and virtual reality coupled to physiotherapy. Medicine, 99(28).

Moghamis, I.S., El Ansari, W., Abdelsalam, S. and Baco, A.M., 2021. First case of mechanical compression by methylprednisolone crystals following transforaminal lumbar nerve root block for left sciatic pain leading to hyperesthesia and progressive weakness: A case report. International Journal of Surgery Open, 34, p.100364.

Wadman, R.I., Wijngaarde, C.A., Stam, M., Bartels, B., Otto, L.A.M., Lemmink, H.H., Schoenmakers, M.A.G.C., Cuppen, I., Van den Berg, L.H. and Van Der Pol, W.L., 2018. Muscle strength and motor function throughout life in a cross‐sectional cohort of 180 patients with spinal muscular atrophy types 1c–4. European journal of neurology, 25(3), pp.512-518.

Yeung, M., 2019. Exploring the Strength of the Process Writing Approach as a Pedagogy for Fostering Learner Autonomy in Writing among Young Learners. English Language Teaching, 12(9), pp.42-54.