1Which W-question does the sentence answer? Write who, what, when, where or why.
A report answers the W-questions in the first sentences.
a)The trip took place on 3 May.
b)Year 7 visited the zoo.
c)The zoo is in the north of the city.
d)The class wanted to learn about animals.
e)48 students took part.
2Report or not? Write yes or no.
A report has facts, not feelings.
a)The bus left at 8 a.m.
b)I was so excited!
c)The students saw lions and elephants.
d)Wow, what a day!
e)The trip ended at 3 p.m.
3Put the sentences in the right order (1 to 4).
First the W-questions, then the events in order, the end last.
a)At 3 p.m. the class returned to school.
b)On 3 May, Year 7 went to the zoo.
c)In the morning the students saw the big cats.
d)After lunch they visited the aquarium.
4Write a short report (five sentences) about a sports day.
Start: On Friday, … Use the simple past.
a)Notes: Friday, school sports field, 120 students, running and jumping, Year 6 won
1Which W-question does the sentence answer? Write who, what, when, where or why.
A report answers the W-questions in the first sentences.
a)The trip took place on 3 May.when
b)Year 7 visited the zoo.who / what
c)The zoo is in the north of the city.where
d)The class wanted to learn about animals.why
e)48 students took part.who
2Report or not? Write yes or no.
A report has facts, not feelings.
a)The bus left at 8 a.m.yes
b)I was so excited!no
c)The students saw lions and elephants.yes
d)Wow, what a day!no
e)The trip ended at 3 p.m.yes
3Put the sentences in the right order (1 to 4).
First the W-questions, then the events in order, the end last.
a)At 3 p.m. the class returned to school.4
b)On 3 May, Year 7 went to the zoo.1
c)In the morning the students saw the big cats.2
d)After lunch they visited the aquarium.3
4Write a short report (five sentences) about a sports day.
Start: On Friday, … Use the simple past.
a)Notes: Friday, school sports field, 120 students, running and jumping, Year 6 won(notes)
1Report or story? Write R or S.
A report gives facts: who, what, when, where, why, how. No feelings, no suspense, no direct speech.
a)On Monday, 12 May, Year 8 visited the Science Museum in Manchester.
b)It was the strangest day of my life.
c)The trip started at 8 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m.
d)I felt my heart beating like a drum.
e)In total, 54 students and three teachers took part.
f)Suddenly the lights went out!
2Put the parts of a report in the right order. Write 1 to 5.
Headline first, then from general to detailed, conclusion last.
a)Details: what happened, in the order it happened
b)Headline
c)Conclusion: result or recommendation
d)Introduction: who, what, when, where in one or two sentences
e)Background: why it happened
3Make the sentences more formal and factual.
Exact numbers, no slang (loads, kids, awesome, guy), no personal judgement.
a)Loads of kids came to the party, like a hundred or so.
b)The food was awesome and we ate tons of it.
c)Then this guy got up and gave a speech, it was kind of long.
4Write a report about a school event (sports day, project week, a trip). 100 to 120 words.
Headline. Introduction with who/what/when/where. Details in order. Conclusion. Simple past, passive is useful: The event was organised by …
a)Notes: 250 students, Friday 20 June, school sports field, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., ten events, Year 9 won, raised 800 euros for a children's charity
1Report or story? Write R or S.
A report gives facts: who, what, when, where, why, how. No feelings, no suspense, no direct speech.
a)On Monday, 12 May, Year 8 visited the Science Museum in Manchester.R
b)It was the strangest day of my life.S
c)The trip started at 8 a.m. and ended at 4 p.m.R
d)I felt my heart beating like a drum.S
e)In total, 54 students and three teachers took part.R
f)Suddenly the lights went out!S
2Put the parts of a report in the right order. Write 1 to 5.
Headline first, then from general to detailed, conclusion last.
a)Details: what happened, in the order it happened4
b)Headline1
c)Conclusion: result or recommendation5
d)Introduction: who, what, when, where in one or two sentences2
e)Background: why it happened3
3Make the sentences more formal and factual.
Exact numbers, no slang (loads, kids, awesome, guy), no personal judgement.
a)Loads of kids came to the party, like a hundred or so.About 100 students attended the party.
b)The food was awesome and we ate tons of it.The food was good and a lot of it was eaten.
c)Then this guy got up and gave a speech, it was kind of long.Afterwards a student gave a long speech.
4Write a report about a school event (sports day, project week, a trip). 100 to 120 words.
Headline. Introduction with who/what/when/where. Details in order. Conclusion. Simple past, passive is useful: The event was organised by …
a)Notes: 250 students, Friday 20 June, school sports field, 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., ten events, Year 9 won, raised 800 euros for a children's charity(notes)
Text: Our class trip was awesome! We went to the museum last week or so. Loads of us came. First we had lunch, and before that we saw the dinosaur hall, which I loved. Then some guy explained stuff about fossils. We came back at like 4.
1This report has six problems (slang, feelings, missing facts, wrong order). Find them and write the corrected sentences.
Exact numbers and dates, no slang (awesome, loads, guy, stuff, like), no I-feelings, events in the order they happened.
a)Problems 1 to 6:
2Turn the notes into three formal report sentences. Use the passive at least once.
The sports day was organised by the student council on 20 June.
a)organise — sports day — student council — 20 June
b)raise — 800 euros — for a children's charity
c)award — prizes — head teacher — 1 p.m.
3Headline and conclusion: Write a headline and a two-sentence conclusion for this report.
Headline: short, no full sentence. Conclusion: result and, if possible, a recommendation.
a)A project week on climate change: 200 students, workshops, a final exhibition visited by 300 parents, the school decided to install solar panels.
4Write a report (140 to 160 words) for the school newspaper about an exchange visit.
Headline. Introduction with the W-questions. Details in order. Conclusion with the plan for September. Formal language, simple past, some passive.
a)Notes: 24 students from Lyon, 10 to 17 March, stayed with host families, visited Berlin's parliament and a football match, joint theatre evening on the last day, next visit planned for September
Text: Our class trip was awesome! We went to the museum last week or so. Loads of us came. First we had lunch, and before that we saw the dinosaur hall, which I loved. Then some guy explained stuff about fossils. We came back at like 4.
1This report has six problems (slang, feelings, missing facts, wrong order). Find them and write the corrected sentences.
Exact numbers and dates, no slang (awesome, loads, guy, stuff, like), no I-feelings, events in the order they happened.
a)Problems 1 to 6:1 awesome → e.g. „was a success" or leave out. 2 „last week or so" → exact date. 3 „Loads of us" → exact number (e.g. 27 students). 4 Order: first the dinosaur hall, then lunch. 5 „which I loved" → leave out, no feelings. 6 „some guy explained stuff", „at like 4" → „a museum guide explained fossils", „at 4 p.m."
2Turn the notes into three formal report sentences. Use the passive at least once.
The sports day was organised by the student council on 20 June.
a)organise — sports day — student council — 20 JuneThe sports day was organised by the student council on 20 June.
b)raise — 800 euros — for a children's charity800 euros were raised for a children's charity.
c)award — prizes — head teacher — 1 p.m.The prizes were awarded by the head teacher at 1 p.m.
3Headline and conclusion: Write a headline and a two-sentence conclusion for this report.
Headline: short, no full sentence. Conclusion: result and, if possible, a recommendation.
a)A project week on climate change: 200 students, workshops, a final exhibition visited by 300 parents, the school decided to install solar panels.e.g. Headline: Project week on climate change ends with exhibition. Conclusion: The exhibition was visited by about 300 parents. As a result, the school has decided to install solar panels.
4Write a report (140 to 160 words) for the school newspaper about an exchange visit.
Headline. Introduction with the W-questions. Details in order. Conclusion with the plan for September. Formal language, simple past, some passive.
a)Notes: 24 students from Lyon, 10 to 17 March, stayed with host families, visited Berlin's parliament and a football match, joint theatre evening on the last day, next visit planned for September(notes)
Facts, not feelings
A report answers the W-questions: who, what, when, where, why, how. It gives numbers and names, uses the simple past, and leaves out feelings, suspense and slang.
On Friday, 20 June, 250 students took part in the sports day.
Structure
Headline – introduction (W-questions in one or two sentences) – background – details in the order they happened – conclusion (result, recommendation).
Language
Formal words instead of slang: students, not kids; about 100, not loads. The passive is useful: The event was organised by the student council.