Writing a Report

PAPER 1 of the SPM English 1119 is of great concern to most students and their teachers. This concern is
understandable as it not only carries a significant portion of the marks for the hole paper but also tests the
more difficult skill of riting.
This paper comprises to !uestions" directed riting and continuous riting.
#et$s start ith directed riting. A total of %& marks are allocated for this !uestion ' 1& for content and () for
language.
The marks for content include marks for format.
The total for the latter *aries+ depending on the te,t type. -nly one !uestion is gi*en and students do not ha*e
the lu,ury of choice+ hich they are gi*en in the continuous riting section.
Most students find this !uestion manageable. E*en eak students can cope ith it+ for se*eral reasons.
.irstly+ students do not ha*e to orry about content as points are pro*ided.
/n fact+ students can actually score full marks for content+ and e*en format+ if they ha*e been taught the format
for different te,t types.
Secondly+ this !uestion does not make e,cessi*e linguistic demands+ unlike the continuous riting !uestion.
Thirdly+ the !uestion usually re*ol*es round the e,periences of students.
Teachers and students are usually able to predict the type of !uestion that might appear by analysing !uestions
asked in pre*ious years+ some of hich are shon belo"

0ear Te,t type Purpose
())) #etter 1informal2 To inform mother of choice of present for your brother and
persuade her to lend you some money.
())1 Article To inform students about ays of coping ith stress.
())( Speech To highlight road safety+ including causes of road accidents+ and
suggestions to reduce them.
())% #etter 1formal2 To inform the class teacher about the choice of class trip.
())3 Report To inform the school principal about the condition of the school
canteen.
())& #etter 1informal2 To inform a friend about a holiday camp.
())4 #etter 1informal2 To con*ince a friend to run for the post of head prefect.
())5 Speech To tell students about a science reference book.
General guidelines for directed writing
Alays read the !uestion carefully and highlight hat you are re!uired to do.
6se the 3& minutes allocated for this !uestion isely.
Plan your essay and organise your thoughts 1including hat to rite and ho to elaborate points2.
Alays read through hat you ha*e ritten and make amendments here necessary. Rectify
grammatical+ spelling and punctuation errors.
1
6se all the points gi*en. /t is ad*isable to cross out the points you ha*e used to be sure none is left out.
/nclude points of your on only if you are asked to. -therise+ do not aste precious time doing so
because you ill not get e,tra marks.
Elaborate on the points gi*en. Remember+ a crucial aspect of this paper is language and your ability to
rite can only be tested if you pro*ide sufficient language for the e,aminer to gauge your linguistic
ability.
6se a *ariety of sentence structures so that your essay is not dull and monotonous.
/nclude an introduction and conclusion and make sure your paragraphs are ell organised.
Common pitfalls
Poor time management. Some students spend more than the allocated 3& minutes on this !uestion. As
a result+ they ha*e little time left for the second !uestion+ hich carries a substantial &) marks.
#engthy essays. Some students rite too much. Remember+ riting more does not mean your essay is
better. The points ha*e been pro*ided. All you ha*e to do is to use them and pro*ide a sentence or to
1maybe three2 to elaborate on them. / alays ad*ise students not to rite more than one7and7a7half to
to pages. After all+ the more you rite+ the more mistakes you might make. Some students rite one
paragraph for each point. /f you do this+ your essay is going to be *ery lengthy. Sa*e your time and
energy for continuous riting.
6sage of informal language. This paper tests your ritten English. 8o not use slang+ contractions+ and
informal idiomatic e,pressions or informal phrasal *erbs.
#et us no look at report riting. Read the sample !uestion belo"
Many of the students in your school ha*e *oiced their dissatisfaction ith the facilities in the school library. As
the head librarian+ rite a report to your school principal. /n your report+ include the folloing complaints and
suggestions"
9omplaints
7 torn books
7 outdated books
7 books ith missing pages
7 limited reference books
7 not enough tables and chairs
7 limited computers
7 poor /nternet access
Suggestions
7 buy ne books
7 buy more reference books
7 subscribe to maga:ines
7 buy ne furniture
7 buy ne computers.
;hen riting your report+ you should remember to"
address it to the principal of your school
include all the points gi*en
set it in the correct format
<efore you start riting+ ask yourself these !uestions"
(
;hat am / re!uired to do=
;hat is my role=
;ho is my audience=
>o many points ha*e been pro*ided= 8o / need to include other points=
This task re!uires you to rite a report in your capacity as the head librarian. The report is to be addressed to
the principal+ hich means he?she is your audience. As such+ make sure your tone is formal+ yet polite. A total
of 1( points ha*e been pro*ided+ hich lea*es three marks for content. The marks for format can *ary but in
this instance+ they are allocated as follos" one mark for addressing the report to the principal+ one mark for
the sub@ect matter?title of your report and one mark for the name and designation of the riter.
The format of a report can take se*eral styles. To are gi*en belo.
Style 1

To " The Principal+ SMA Titi Baya+ Seremban.
From " The >ead #ibrarian
Subject " 8issatisfaction ith facilities pro*ided in the school library
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC.
Prepared by+
Nur Anis Dalilah Marzuki
1Dur Anis 8alilah Mar:uki2
>ead #ibrarian
SMA Titi Baya
Style (

The Principal+
SMA Titi Baya+ Seremban.
Subject : Dissatisfaction with facilities provided in the school librar
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC.
CCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCC.
Prepared by+
Nur Anis Dalilah Marzuki
1Dur Anis 8alilah Mar:uki2
>ead #ibrarian
SMA Titi Baya
A sample of a good anser for linguistically competent students is gi*en in Sample Anser 1.
%
/f you are a eak student+ remember there is no harm in using simple English. / ould suggest you adhere to
the A/SS principle ' keep it simple and short 1refer to Sample Anser (2.
General guidelines to remember when writing a report
Address it to the person concerned.
6se the points gi*en in a systematic manner ' use transition markers to enable your audience to follo
the flo of your thoughts.
Elaborate on your points ith e,amples or illustrations.
9onclude your report in an appropriate manner.
Maintain a formal yet pleasant?polite tone.
S!"#$% !&SW%R '
To:
From
Subject
" The Principal+ SMA Titi Baya+ Seremban.
" The >ead #ibrarian
" 8issatisfaction ith facilities pro*ided in the school library
/ am riting this report after recei*ing numerous complaints from the students regarding the poor facilities
pro*ided in the school library.
.irst and foremost+ most of the boo(s in the librar are torn and tattered. This is not surprising as most of
them ere purchased more than () years ago. <esides+ these boo(s are old and outdated. <ooks by riters like
Enid <lyton and Alfred >itchcock might ha*e appealed to students of yesteryears but they do not interest
teenagers of today. Many ould rather read books by current authors. Eirls+ for instance+ prefer books like
Eossip Eirl Series by 9ecily Fon Giegesar hile boys prefer books by authors such as Stephenie Meyer and
Beffrey Archer. ;orse still+ man of the boo(s in the librar have missing pages. This definitely takes the @oy
out of reading. !nother complaint is about the shortage of reference boo(s. Some of our students often
borro books fropm the red spot section. >oe*er+ as there are limited copies+ many often return home
disappointed. This is especially disheartening for students ho are sitting for ma@or public e,ams like the PMR+
SPM and STPM.
)ur students have also voiced out their displeasure over the lac( of tables and chairs. Many are forced to
sit on the floor in the aisles beteen bookshel*es to do some reading in the library. This not only
incon*eniences them but also other users ho find it difficult to locate books hile trying to cross o*er the many
legs that get in their ay.
Many of our students+ especially those ho do not ha*e computers at home+ often *isit the library after school to
do their assignments. >oe*er+ the limited number of computers is a common complaint. /nitially+ e had ()
computers for student use but only 1) are in good orking condition. !nother complaint is poor *nternet
access. -ur computers are fi*e years old+ and the connecti*ity is *ery slo. /t is time e obtained ne
computers so that access is immediate.
/ ould like to put forard some suggestions to sol*e the abo*e problems. .irstly+ e need to bu new boo(s
and dispose of the old ones especially those hich are beyond repair including those ith missing pages.
Secondly+ e should bu more reference boo(s to meet the needs of our students. Thirdly+ e need to
subscribe to maga+ines that appeal to teenagers. ;e should stock the library ith a *ariety of educational and
entertainment maga:ines. .ourthly+ e need to bu new furniture. This library needs more tables and chairs to
accommodate the groing number of students. #astly+ e need to bu new computers and upgrade e,isting
ones so that our students ill ant for nothing.
3
;e hope the school authorities ill look into the complaints and suggestions and take immediate action. ;e look
forard to seeing some encouraging changes in the near future.
Reported by"
Nur Alis Dalili Marzuki
1Dur Alis 8alili Mar:uki2
>ead #ibrarian
SMA Titi Baya
S!"#$% !&SW%R ,
To:
From
Subject
" The Principal+ SMA Sri Siantan+ Taiping.
" The >ead #ibrarian
" 8issatisfaction ith facilities pro*ided in the school library
Many of the students in our school ha*e *oiced their dissatisfaction ith the facilities and ser*ices pro*ided in
the school library.
.irstly+ most of the boo(s in the librar are torn. This is because these books ere bought many years ago.
<esides+ these boo(s are outdated. Many students do not ant to borro these books because they are not
interesting. "an of the boo(s in the librar have missing pages. Students do not ant to borro them. /t is
no fun reading books ith missing pages. Students also complain that there are not enough reference boo(s.
This problem occurs before and during e,am. Students also complain that there are not enough tables and
chairs in the librar. They find it difficult to do their ork in the library.
Many of our students like to use the computers in the library. >oe*er+ the limited number of computers is a
serious problem. They ha*e to ait a long time to use the computers. They also complain about poor *nternet
access. This is because our computers are old.
/ ould like to make some suggestions to o*ercome the abo*e problems. .irstly+ e need to bu new boo(s.
Secondly+ e must bu more reference boo(s since the e,ams are near. Thirdly+ e must subscribe to
maga+ines. Some students prefer maga:ines to books. .ourthly+ e need to bu new furniture. ;e must buy
more tables and chairs so that the students can do their ork comfortably in the library. #astly+ e need to bu
new computers.
;e hope you ill look into our complaints and suggestions.
Reported by"
Nur Anis Dalilah Marzuki
1Dur Alis 8alili Mar:uki2
>ead #ibrarian
SMA Sri Siantan
&