Report-Writing Strengths & Weaknesses Assignment Sample

Introduction of Identification And Discussion Of Report-Writing Strengths & Weaknesses Assignment

Private education is currently a significant aspect which has attracted a lot of controversies. This report is based on the strengths and weaknesses of an example report which is based on whether private education should be demolished or not. It has been a basic and significant aspect that a report is one of the most basic structures of gathering and presenting all the findings together. There have been several aspects of report writing which signifies that there are a lot of gaps in several example reports. This report aims to find out the strengths and weaknesses of the example report along with the application of some report writing theories. Through his report writing, an entity becomes able to improve writing, communication and vocabulary skills. This also helps in the professional career of the entity which requires several report-writing theories. There are several report writing factors and phases that ensure the strength and weaknesses of the example report.

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Findings

There are several report writing factors available in the example report. Formal punctuation is one of the most basic requirements of any report writing. In the example report, there is a poor understanding of these factors. The report writing is based on a critical topic which explains the allowance of private education. As per the view of Murray and Hughes (2008), contractions and exclamation marks must be avoided in any report writing. This has not been followed properly in the example report as it is stated in the following sentence: “With this in mind, private education should not be abolished as everyone believes parents should have the right to make choices about the education of their children!” and “It’s recommended that private schools are given permission to continue operating in the same way for the time being but that their charitable tax status be removed” (Appendix 1). In the above two sentences, it has been observed that the example report has used contractions as well as exclamation marks. This signifies a weak aspect of the example report.

The strength of good report writing also relies on the use of commas for separating clauses. In this case, the example report has been successful. In this example report, the use of commas to separate the clauses is properly ground. There are a lot of significant grounded aspects in the report writing which signifies that the report has strengths in this case. The following sentence separating two clauses by a comma is provided as follows: “In order to adopt a meaningful and comprehensively considered perspective on this matter of the utmost importance, a range of the best source information from experienced professionals with a relevant perspective on private schools and the educational sector has been used” (Appendix 2).

Based on the opinion of Murray and Hughes (2008), proper report writing must have the proper use of semicolons to join two independent clauses. Significant use of semicolons can not be found in the example report. From the following sentence of the example report, the improper use of semicolons along with other punctuations are found as follows: “In order to cover both the ‘for’ and ‘against’ perspectives, the report has deliberated over: the lack of working-class representation in top jobs; use of charitable tax status among private schools, unequal educational outcomes; the immediate costs of abolishing private education, which could run into the billions if certain estimates are to be believed, which would not be good; and, the removal of choice for parents” (Appendix 3). From the above sentence in the quotation, this has been addressed that there are several commas and semicolons but those are not used properly. In the above quotation, there has been a lack of accuracy in the use of punctuation like commas, colons, and semicolons can be discovered. For this, the example report can be stated as having a critical weakness in the quality of the report writing.

Person or voice is another significant factor in writing a report. This has been addressed that the use of the third person is a must for report writing. According to the words of Bovee and Thill (2021), a report should be written in the third person voice and proper use of declarative sentences is necessary. The provided example report is not any reflective report where any reflection is necessary. In spite of that, the example report has violated this necessity of proper report writing. From the following sentence “I believe this reflects wider attitudes in Western societies, where the ability to pay for a service and choose between providers are highly valued”, it has been found that the first-person perspective is used in this report, though it is not a reflective report (Appendix 4).

In this factor, there is another requirement of writing a report properly. It is highly required to avoid any kinds of personal pronouns in the report writing. The use of personal pronouns like we, him, she, he, her, them, we and others are strictly prohibited while writing a report (libguides.hull.ac.uk, 2022). From the example report, it has been found that some personal pronouns are used while writing the example report. The following sentence shows the evidence as follows: “To remove private schools as an option would make education an exception in terms of how we typically buy and choose services” (Appendix 5).

Section ordering is another factor in report writing. This is, however, one of the most effective and critical aspects of writing the report. The section ordering of the report is as follows:

1. “Title page”
2. “Executive summary”
3. “Contents page”
4. “Introduction”
5. “Findings section (the main body)”
6. “Conclusion”
7. “Recommendations section”
8. “Reference list”
9. “Appendices”

There is a difference that can be observed in the section ordering in the example report. The section ordering of the example report is as follows:

1. “Title page”
2. “Table of contents page”
3. “Executive summary”
4. “Findings section (the main body)”
5. “Conclusion”
6. “Recommendations section”
7. “Reference list”
8. “Appendices”

From the above structure of the example report, it has been found that the proper section ordering structure has not been followed by the example report.

Generalisation is another significant factor in report writing. From the viewpoint of Godfrey (2018), inaccurate generalisation must be avoided in any report. However, in the example report, there are a lot of generalised sentences available which do not rotate with anything related to the topic. In order to remove the unneeded information, it is highly required to use those generalisations. For example, in the following sentence of the example report, the generalisation can be observed. The sentence is as follows: "I believe this reflects wider attitudes in Western societies, where the ability to pay for a service and choose between providers are highly valued". The above sentence is a complete generalisation sentence (Appendix 6).

Conclusion

Report writing is a very critical technology that is capable of delivering a better evaluation of the specified topic. The strengths and weaknesses of the report writing reflect the critical aspects of the report writing abilities and collecting and organising all the evidence in a structured manner. The betterment of the business aspects is addressed with a better strategic evaluation of the report. The report structure of the example report is not proper. This has been found that the example report has violated several aspects of the report documentation. The structure of the example report is also not proper which is why the example report has a lot of weaknesses. The use of the first person has also reduced the quality of the report.

Recommendation

1. It is highly recommended for the writer provide as many specifications as possible. The specifications are also addressed with the contextual acceptance of the report. The report provides a brief explanation of the technical details. As per the words of Murray and Hughes (2008), the writer must re-use the keywords from the task regularly which will improve the quality of the report. The writer must provide and swap figurative language for literal language which will also improve the specificity factor of report writing. The report should be written separating different paragraphs where a specific topic will be discussed in a specific paragraph.
2. It is highly recommended that the writer write the entire report in a third-person perspective. For this, the writer should write most of the report in a passive voice direction. However, the active voice should also be used in the report. According to the point of Bovee and Thill (2021), the use of declarative sentences can improve the quality of the report. The informativeness and appropriateness of the report will be enriched with the avoidance of informal words. Personal pronouns should also be avoided as much as possible. This will increase the equality of the report writing.
3. For maintaining the report writing in future, it is highly recommended to use linking words. As opined by Godfrey (2018), the use of linking words will be effective for joining purposes. Different kinds of clauses can be joined through the use of linking words like “such as”, “despite”, “however”, “for example”, “furthermore” and others.

References

Godfrey, J., 2018. How to use your reading in your essays. Bloomsbury Publishing. pp. 61-69. [Online]. Available: https://anglia.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=alma999011539602051&context=L&vid=44APU_INST:ANG_VU1&lang=en&search_scope=CSCOP_APU_DEEP&adaptor=Local%20Search%20Engine&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,How%20to%20Use%20Your%20Reading%20in%20your%20Essays&sortby=date_d&facet=frbrgroupid,include,9026630842842824559&offset=0.[Accessed: 14 December, 2022]

libguides.hull.ac.uk, 2022. Essay writing: Main body. [Online]. Available: https://libguides.hull.ac.uk/essays/main.[Accessed: 14 December, 2022]

Murray, N. and Hughes, G., 2008. Writing up your university assignments and research projects: A practical handbook. McGraw-Hill Education (UK).pp. 51-194. [Online]. Available: https://anglia.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_askewsholts_vlebooks_9780335235520&context=PC&vid=44APU_INST:ANG_VU1&lang=en&search_scope=CSCOP_APU_DEEP&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,Writing%20up%20Your%20University%20Assignments%20and%20Research%20Projects&offset=0.[Accessed: 14 December, 2022]

Thill, J.V. and Bovée, C.L. 2021. Business Communications Today. [Online]. Available: https://read.kortext.com/reader/pdf/615622/173.[Accessed: 14 December, 2022]