How to Write a Report: Structure, Format and a Worked Example

What Is a Report?

A report is a formal, factual document written for a particular reader, such as a headteacher, a council or a manager, to explain what has been found out about a topic. Unlike an essay, it is divided into labelled sections that can be scanned quickly, and unlike an article, it does not try to entertain. Its job is to inform and, often, to recommend action.

It helps to compare a report with the two forms students most often confuse it with:

Report Structure: The Sections Every Report Needs

Most school and exam reports follow the same five-part structure. Longer academic or business reports add more sections, but these five are the core:

University and workplace reports often add an executive summary or abstract at the start, a method section, a reference list and appendices for raw data. If your teacher or brief gives a required format, follow it exactly; it always overrides a general template.

How to Write a Report Step by Step

Whether you are writing a report for coursework or under exam conditions, the same seven steps apply. In an exam, the "research" is simply the source text you are given.

1. Read the brief carefully. Underline who the report is for, why they want it and anything it must cover.
2. Gather and select information. Pick only the facts that answer the brief, and group similar points together.
3. Plan your headings. Turn each group of points into a heading, then order them from most to least important.
4. Write the introduction. Say what the report is about, who asked for it and how the information was collected.
5. Write the findings. Under each heading, present facts and evidence in short, clear paragraphs.
6. Conclude and recommend. Summarise the main findings, then give numbered recommendations that follow from them.
7. Check and edit. Remove opinions that are not supported, cut repetition and check spelling, punctuation and headings.

Paragraph Structure in a Report

Good paragraph structure is what makes a report easy to read. Each paragraph in the findings should cover one point and follow a simple pattern: a topic sentence stating the point, evidence that supports it, and a sentence of explanation showing why it matters to the reader.

For example: "The library is underused at lunchtime. Only 12 of the 60 students surveyed said they visit it during the lunch break. Most explained that the room is closed for the first 20 minutes, which leaves too little time to find and read a book."

What Is Academic Writing?

Academic writing is the formal style used in schools and universities: clear, objective and based on evidence rather than personal feeling. Reports are one of its most common forms. In practice it means writing in the third person, choosing precise words over vague ones, supporting each claim with evidence and saying where that evidence came from. The same habits that make a good school report also prepare students for coursework and university assignments.

Report Writing in IGCSE English Exams

In Cambridge IGCSE First Language English (0500), report is one of the text types students study, alongside letter, article, journal, speech, interview and summary. The Cambridge 0500 syllabus sets out where a report can be asked for, and the new syllabus for exams from 2027 gives it a bigger role:

From 2027, a report is also one of the forms allowed for the first coursework assignment. In every case you are marked on reading, by using the source material accurately, and on writing, including organising your ideas for effect and using language that suits the purpose and audience. Our IGCSE English Language (opens in a new tab) page covers the course in more detail, and the 0500 past papers (opens in a new tab) are the best place to practise real report tasks.

How to Write a Report: A Worked Paper Example

The short example below answers an exam-style task: "Your headteacher wants to know how students use the school library. Write a report with your findings and recommendations." It is an original example, and its survey figures are invented for illustration.

Report on Student Use of the School Library

Introduction: This report was requested by the headteacher to find out how students use the library and how it could be improved. The information comes from a survey of 60 students in Years 10 and 11.

Opening hours: The library is underused at lunchtime. Only 12 students said they visit during the lunch break, and most explained that it opens too late for them to settle down with a book.

Study space: Demand for quiet study space is high. Over half of those surveyed said they would use the library after school before exams, but there are only 20 desks.

Conclusion: Students value the library, but short opening hours and limited desk space stop many of them from using it.

Recommendations: 1. Open the library at the start of the lunch break. 2. Add a quiet study area after school during exam season. 3. Repeat the survey next term to measure the effect.

Notice how each heading carries one idea, every finding is backed by evidence, and the recommendations follow directly from the findings. The same skills of selecting and reshaping source material are tested in IGCSE summary writing (opens in a new tab), and our guide to the IGCSE article format (opens in a new tab) shows how an article differs from a report.

Common Report Writing Mistakes

• Writing an essay or article instead: no headings, a chatty tone or a dramatic opening line.
• Including personal opinion as fact: "the canteen is awful" instead of "most students rated the canteen poor".
• Vague recommendations: "improve the library" tells the reader nothing to act on.
• Adding new information in the conclusion: the conclusion should only sum up what the findings showed.
• Ignoring the reader: a report for a headteacher needs a different tone from one for fellow students.

When Your Reports Need a Second Pair of Eyes

Report writing improves fastest with feedback, because the weak points are hard to see in your own work: a heading that does not match its paragraph, a finding with no evidence, or a tone that drifts into an article. Rewriting the same practice report after feedback teaches more than writing three new ones without it.

That is where a tutor helps. At TutorWick (opens in a new tab), students get personalised one-to-one online tutoring from expert tutors in IGCSE English and other subjects, with detailed feedback on practice writing and a study plan you can build (opens in a new tab) around your exam dates.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to write a report comes down to a clear purpose, a reliable structure and formal, evidence-based paragraphs: title, introduction, findings under headings, conclusion and recommendations. Practise with real exam tasks, check each paragraph has a point and evidence, and ask for feedback on your drafts. If you would like that feedback from an expert tutor, TutorWick (opens in a new tab) can help.

Frequently Asked Questions