What the report task is
The report is a directed-writing task on the IGCSE and International GCSE English paper. You write for a specific reader, usually an official one, such as a head teacher, a governing body or a local council. They need organised information to understand a situation or make a decision.
A report must be useful. It informs clearly, stays neutral and often ends by recommending what should happen next.
It is the least showy writing task, and that is where students go wrong. They are trained to make writing lively, so they add voice and flourish.
A report rewards the opposite: clarity, order and restraint. Examiners ask how easily a busy reader can find what they need.
Five steps to a clear report
- State the purpose first. Say what the report is about and why it was written. The reader should not have to guess.
- Use logical sections. Group related findings together. Move from background to detail to conclusion.
- Report findings neutrally. Give advantages and drawbacks without loaded language. Let the facts speak.
- Add specific detail. Concrete details make a report more believable than big general claims.
- End with a recommendation that follows from the findings. The reader should feel it was earned, not decided in advance.
Whether a task wants headings, a set structure or a particular sign-off depends on the board. Check the details on our qualification pages.
A worked extract
This extract is our own, written for teaching. It looks at whether a school should extend its library opening hours.
Purpose
This report looks at whether the school library should stay open after lessons end. It gives the case for and against, then makes a recommendation.
Current use
The library is busiest straight after lessons, when many students wait for transport and have nowhere quiet to work. Observation over the past term suggests that demand is higher than the space available at that time. Earlier in the day, the room is mostly empty.
The extract states its purpose in one clear sentence and uses headings to help the reader. It reports use neutrally, with phrases such as “observation suggests” and “demand is higher than the space available”, and does not argue yet. This factual, organised tone earns the marks.
If this is where marks are going missing, a trial hour with an experienced teacher can work on it one-to-one.
Common mistakes
- Wrong register. The report is written like an article, with voice and flourish.
- Poor organisation. Findings come in no clear order, so the reader must put the picture together.
- Hidden bias. The language quietly pushes a conclusion that the findings do not support.
- Vagueness. There are general claims with no detail underneath.
- A missing or unearned recommendation. It is either absent or appears without evidence.
Examiners reward a report that a real, busy reader could act on. A plain, well-ordered report is harder to write than a lively one, not easier.
How to practise
Practise organising before you write. Take a messy list of findings on a topic and sort it into sections with headings.
Do not write full paragraphs yet. This builds the structure skill.
Then practise neutrality. Read a paragraph you wrote and hunt for words that argue instead of inform, such as “obviously”, “terrible” or “everyone knows”.
Rewrite them in plain language. A good report reads as fair even to someone who disagrees with it.
Finally, write only the recommendation for a set of findings. Check that it follows from them and does not jump ahead.
Also read real reports and notices, such as a school newsletter or a public announcement. Ask yourself whether you could find what you needed quickly.
Where students usually get stuck
Most students cannot drop the article voice, or they mix opinion into the findings. In 1-to-1 lessons, our teachers read your reports, point to the exact sentences where the tone slips or the order is unclear, and drill the fix. This is part of writing-paper focus teaching in First Language English.
Tuition starts from RM70/hr. You can book a paid one-hour trial and bring a report you wrote. The teacher who would continue with you will show you how to make it more useful to a reader.
What to read or try next
Study the annotated model response for a directed-writing report, then try the practice tasks. Then read how to write a review and how to write a speech.