Reports

• Structure of an information report:

  • Title
  • Introduction
  • Body paragraphs
  • Conclusion
• Introduction gives an overview of what the reader can expect to learn from the report
• Introduction includes a brief outline of the subtopics within the report
• Introduction should have a hook to catch the reader's attention
• Body paragraphs focus on specific subtopics
• Each body paragraph should have a topic sentence that tells the main idea
• Body paragraphs often have subheadings to help navigate the report
• Information reports can have many body paragraphs and should be logically ordered
• Conclusion should summarize what the reader has learned without introducing new information
• Conclusion may leave the reader with something to think about
• Language features of an information report:

  • Written in present tense and third person
  • Written in passive voice
  • Include only facts, not opinions
  • Use technical vocabulary specific to the topic
  • Use conjunctions to link information and ideas
• Passive voice is used to keep the focus on the topic of the report
• Facts should be presented, not the author's opinions
• Technical vocabulary adds clarity and accuracy to the report
• Conjunctions are important to link information and ideas together
• Visual information in reports:

  • Diagrams
  • Images with captions
  • Maps
  • Graphs
  • Tables
  • Charts
• Visual information should support the written information in the report
• Research is a crucial part of creating an information report
• A significant amount of time should be spent on the research phase