Writing a report

Today we begin our last major piece of work before tackling some of the papers from the Cambridge Advanced Exam.

This is what is written in the curriculum about writing assignments

• Muntlig och skriftlig produktion och interaktion i olika situationer och med olika syften, där eleverna argumenterar ur olika perspektiv, ansöker, resonerar, värderar, utreder, förhandlar och motiverar sina åsikter.
• Muntlig och skriftlig framställning inom valt fördjupningsområde.
• Strategier för användning av olika typer av källor, med källkritisk medvetenhet och vedertagna sätt att ange källor, inom valt fördjupningsområde och inom andra områden.

That is why we will be writing a report based on your so-called
"Gymnasiearbete".

FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE STILL IN YOUR SECOND YEAR YOU SHOULD CHOOSE AN AREA TO WRITE A REPORT WHICH IS CONNECTED TO YOUR AREA OF STUDY-  PREFERABLY AN AREA YOU HAVE ALREADY STUDIED
Here is the basic structure for your report:

Simple Report Writing: Structure

Standardly, your report should contain the following elements:

1.      title page;

2.      contents;

3.      abstract; (summary + key words)

4.      introduction;

5.      findings;

6.      discussion;

7.      recommendations (if appropriate)

8.      conclusion;

9.      references;

 
Since the focus of the report is on CONTENT and not on FORMAL ASPECTS the following applies:

Simple Report Writing: Style

Since the main objective of any report is to present 

information in a most distinct way, mind the following:

• keep the language simple and easily readable;
• avoid heavy constructions and too long sentences.  

 With regard to the presentation of the report the following applies:

Simple Report Writing: Presentation

The way you lay out your report is crucial for its readability:

1.      structure your report with obvious highlighted headings;

2.      use an accepted system for sources and footnotes;

3.      make a glossary of special terms at the end if necessary

How many words?

Your report should be between 600-900 words 

Report- Clarification

4. Introduction
In this section you should include

• Background- some information about why you chose the area/subject you did
• Aims/goals- what was the purpose of doing what you did
• Method- what methods did you use to obtain your goals

5. Findings

This is called "Results" in other reports

Adaptation for different programs 
 For the social science, natural science and technology programmethe report should cover your "gymnasiearbete" as it stands.

For the music programme the report should focus on a general presentation of the concert project but with the possibility of going deeper into one of the following areas:

• The choice of theme and songs/music
• The marketing and preparations for the concert
• the challenges of organising and co.operating in a project like this 

This report will need to be completed after the actual performances in order to be able to conclude it successfully.
 
For the economists the report should focus on the "YE" (Young Enterprise) company where the introduction explains the choice of company (service/retail sector) etc. The findings should cover the actual carrying out of the company activities and the discussion should focus on the problems and possibilities faced.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to ask. We will begin today to focus on the basic materials needed for writing the report and how to start going about it.

As previously stated the focus is on content but, obviously, the report needs to have a clear structure and be consistent in its use of formalia.