- Article navigation:
- B2 First (FCE)Report: Structure
- B2 First (FCE)Report: Writing Guide
- B2 First (FCE) Report: Example Answers
- B2 First (FCE) Report: Writing Topics
- B2 First (FCE) Report: Writing Checklist
- B2 First (FCE) Report: Tips
- B2 First (FCE) Report: Grading
Many people believe that reports are boring and dry, but reports give you a great opportunity to score really high marks easily!
If you are not a creative person
(and that’s okay) then a report is a great choice for you in part two of the B2 First writing exam.
What is a report?
A report is a formal piece of writing similar in tone to an essay. You always write reports in B2 First (FCE) to a superior, this could be a teacher a director or anyone who you should be respectful.
A report
- analyses a present situation and often has recommendations
- is divided into sections and contains factual information
- is written in a formal style
- uses headings for each section
Check our Writing Guide in this article below to see how to write an FCE report.
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B2 First (FCE)Report: Structure
| Introduction The purpose of this report is to…. |
| Subheading + Paragraph Give the relevant facts |
| Subheading + Paragraph Give the relevant facts |
| Conclusion Make your recommendations |
B2 First (FCE)Report: Writing Guide
We will use the example FCE report topic below:
Last year a new sport and leisure centre opened in your home town. You have recently received the following letter from the manager of the centre:
I am writing to all members of the Active Leisure Club tgo thank you for your custom over the last year. We want to make the facilities even better this year! Please send a short report to us, telling us what you think are the best and worst aspects of the club. We also want to hear your suggestions for new facilities…
Write your report to the manager of the club (between 140-190 words).
Step 1: Find – key points, topic and target reader
You need to start writing your report by finding the key points/information, the subject and the person to whom you are writing
Last year a new sport and leisure centre opened in your home town. You have recently received the following letter from the manager of the centre:
I am writing to all members of the Active Leisure Club to thank you for your custom over the last year. We want to make the facilities even better this year! Please send a short report to us, telling us the best and worst aspects of the club. We also want to hear your suggestions for new facilities…
Topic: Active Leisure Club wants to improve their facilities
Main key points:
- describe the best aspects of the club
- describe the worst aspects of the club
- suggest new facilities
Target reader: manager of the centre:
As soon as we’ve analyzed the task and extracted all the information that we need we can start building the report structure and writing it.
Step 2: Title
Although the title is not obligatory, it is certainly an attractive addition andcould be something like:
- Report on ……. + Topic
- Topic + : a report
If you remember in the previous step (Step 1) we found the topic.
Topic: Active Leisure Club wants to improve their facilities
Let’s use it now:
Title: Report on Active Leisure Club facilities
Title: Active Leisure Club facilities: a report
Step 3: Introduction
A good and equivalent introduction should contain two things:
Firstly, you have to state the purpose of the report as clearly as possible – this gives the reader a clear idea of what to expect and sets the tone for the rest of the report.
The purpose of the report is nothing more than three points you found (in step 1)
- describe the best aspects of the club
- describe the worst aspects of the club
- suggest new facilities
Let’s use them now:
The purpose of this report is to outline the best (point 1) and worst parts (point 2) of our club, as well as to recommend improvements to the facilities. (point 3)
Finally, you mention how you collected the data for your report this is not something that you have to do but it can help your report stand out a little bit.
The purpose of this report is to outline the best and worst parts of our club, as well as to recommend improvements to the facilities. The data for the report was collected based on the opinions of club members (source)
Complete and finished introduction with title:
Title: Report on Active Leisure Club facilities
The purpose of this report is to outline the best (point 1) and worst parts of (point 2) our club, as well as to recommend improvements to the facilities. (point 3) The data for the report was collected based on the opinions of club members. (source)
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Step 4: The body paragraphs (main content)
When we have a ready title and introduction to our report, we can move on to writing the proper content.
In the main content, you should answer the main key points that you discovered in the task(see step 1) under suitable subheadings, and each is placed in a separate section/paragraph.
Main key points (see step 1):
- describe the best aspects of the club
- describe the worst aspects of the club
- suggest new facilities
See the example main content below, with additional annotations you may find useful:
The best aspects of the club – add aheading
Most members seem to enjoy the swimming pool with its daily water exercise classes and the opportunity to swim in 50-metre lanes. It also appears that offering a child care programme is appreciated by the majority of our members since many of them have families, but still would like to use the facilities of the club.
[first key point answered -best aspects]
The worst aspects of the club – add heading
According to most of the members I have spoken to, the café does not meet their expectations with below-average food and slow service. Another problem is the state of the gymnasium which, in general, is avoided by many because of broken equipment and a lack of staff during peak times.
[second key point answered – worseaspects]
Suggestions
[…… here you can add one more paragraph and give suggestions, OR include them in the conclusion]
– formal/indirect language – official
– transitional words, expressions and conjunctions, which link the sentences and make the text more fluid
TIP: Headings are very important!
When you write a report every paragraph must have a title but don’t worry, these do not need to be creative titles. This is not an article!
Headings must be factual. They must only let the reader know what information will be contained in the paragraph.
So what is a very boring and factual title?
Introduction… , Positive aspects of… ,Negative aspects of…, Improvements…, Recommendations…, Suggestions…
Step 5: Conclusion
After writing the entire content, we only have a summary where we can also include our suggestions or recommendations –to do this we can use some specific language that is there to persuade the manager of the centre to take up our idea and implement it.
Suggestions & conclusions – add aheading
In the final analysis, the best solutions seem to be to improve the quality of the menu and the service at the café as well as the maintenance schedule and number of staff at the gymnasium. If manager is decided to follow recommendations, the experience of members would improved
– persuasive language (recommendations)
– suggestions
See full report…
Report on Active Leisure Club facilities
The purpose of this report is to outline the best and worst parts of our club, as well as to recommend improvements to the facilities. The data for the report was collected based on the opinions of club members
The best aspects of the club
Most members seem to enjoy the swimming pool with it’s daily water exercise classes and the opportunity to swim in 50-metre lanes. It also appears that offering a child care programme is appreciated by the majority of our members since many of them have families, but still would like to use the facilities of the club.
The worst aspects of the club
According to most of the members I have spoken to, the café does not meet their expectations with below-average food and slow service. Another problem is the state of the gymnasium which, in general, is avoided by many because of broken equipment and a lack of staff during peak times.
Suggestions & conclusions
In the final analysis, the best solutions seem to be to improve the quality of the menu and the service at the café as well as the maintenance schedule and number of staff at the gymnasium. If manager is decided to follow recommendations, the experience of members would improved
To sum up….
A report is a formal paper, it has to be concise, well-organized, which makes it recommended to use bullet points and headingsso that the reader can quickly find the information they are looking for in your text.
The language of a report is expected to be formal and objective. For this reason, you should avoid including yourself or your views in most of your sentences.
B2 First (FCE) Report: Example Answers
Subject:
Your college has just published the first issue of the new college magazine. The organisers are interested in knowing what students thought about it, so they have asked you to write a report. In your report, you should talk about what the students liked and disliked about the articles, the sports section and the news section. Then, you should make suggestions on how to improve the magazine.
Write a report.
Student’s FCE Report Answer:
The New College Magazine
Introduction
The purpose of this report is to outline students’ opinions about the new college magazine, and to make recommendations based on their views.
The articles
Most students thought the articles were interesting and well written. However, they did not talk about modern topics, so some students found this part of the magazine a little boring.
The sports section
It is thought that the sports section is good, but most articles were about football or basketball. This is not a good thing because most of our sporty students play rugby, not football or basketball.
The news section
Many students complained about the news section, because it only focused on news about the college. These students were expecting to read some news about the city, too.
Recommendations
In order to solve the problems above, I recommend taking some measures. Firstly, article writers should focus more on technology and other modern issues. Secondly, we should consider writing more about rugby and less about other sports. Finally, we should include some news about our city. If we do these things, the magazine will be more interesting to our students.
Subject:
The gym you work for has been losing members recently and would like to know why they are leaving. The gym manager has asked you to write a report about why these customers are leaving. In your report you should specify what the problems are and should give recommendations for improvement.
Student’s FCE Report Answer:
Improving Our Gym
Introduction
The aim of this report is to explain the main reasons why members are leaving the gym. After interviewing some clients, we have identified some serious problems.
Limited opening hours
Some members have complained that the gym opens a little late for them. For this reason, workers cannot exercise before going to work. If the gym opened at 7 a.m., clients could exercise easily before going to work.
The changing rooms
Many of the lockers are broken so customers cannot leave their belongings in a safe place. Also, some of the showers are not working properly so members have to queue before having a shower. In order to solve this, I suggest replacing all lockers and showers immediately.
Lack of parking spaces
Some previous members have joined gyms which have a parking lot. Although we cannot build a parking lot, we can offer a parking area for bicycles. As a result, this might encourage members to use their bikes to come to the gym.
Conclusion
To sum up, I believe that if we take care of these problems, members will be happier and will decide to stay with us.
B2 First (FCE) Report: Writing Topics
A group of students from Britain would like to visit your home town as part of an exchange programme. Their leader has asked you to write a report describing what there is to see and do in the town, and to describe some of the other services and facilities that would be available to them.
Write your report.
You have just come back from a visit to a local museum organised by your school the principal has asked you to write a report about the museum and what you saw there, saying whether it is of interest for all age groups in the school.
Write a report for the Principal
You have just come back from a two-day study trip to a historic town. Your teacher has asked you to write a report about your visit, saying what you saw during the two days and whether you would recommend a similar visit for other students.
Write your report
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B2 First (FCE) Report: Writing Checklist
After writing your text, you can check it yourself using the writing checklist below.
How to do that? Simply check your text/email by answering the questions one by one:
Content
- Have I covered all the key information required by the task?
- Have I written only information which is relevant to the task?
- Have I developed the basic points in the task with my own ideas?
Communicative Achievement
- Have I achieved the main purpose(s) of the text (for example, explaining, persuading, suggesting, apologising, comparing, etc.)?
- Have I communicated a balance of straightforward and more complex ideas?
- Have I used a suitable style and register (formal or informal) for the task?
Organisation
- Have I used paragraphs appropriately to organise my ideas?
- Have I used other organisational features appropriately for the genre of the text (for example, titles, headings, openings, closings, etc.)?
- Is the connection between my ideas clear and easy for the reader to follow? (For example, have I used appropriate linking words, pronouns, etc. to refer to different things within the text?)
- Are the ideas balanced appropriately, with suitable attention and space given to each one?
Language
- Have I used a wide range of vocabulary?
- Have I avoided repeating the same words and phrases?
- Have I used a range of simple and more complex grammatical structures?
- Have I correctly used any common phrases which are relevant to the specific task or topic?
- Is my use of grammar accurate?
- Is my spelling accurate?
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B2 First (FCE) Report: Tips
Begin by stating the purpose of your report.- You may use invented statistics to provide a succinct summary of your results.
- Use headings. They will make it clear that your report is not an essay or review.
- Use lists of numbered points or bullets where appropriate.
- Divide your report into sections according to the input.
- Develop the ideas in the task input.
- Include a sentence summarising your opinion at the beginning of the final section of your report.
- Use an impersonal, formal style.
Begin by stating the purpose of your report.B2 First (FCE) Report: Grading
| Language It might seem that it’s difficult to use advanced language in a Report. After all, the topics are usually so dry —what can you write to show your creativity? This is why being specific so important. The more specific your ideas, the more specific the language you have to use, and therefore the more advanced your language will seem. Don’t stop with ‘computer’ – think of ‘interactive whiteboard’, ‘webcam’ and so on. | Organization It’s not always easy to show links between paragraphs in a Report — especially since each paragraph addresses a single point. However, you can make sure to link your ideas in each paragraph, so that the sentences build up to a complete, fully-formed idea. Try to use different sentence patterns. For example, use an adverbial clause at the start of the sentence to introduce your idea— ‘It’s highly likely that…” for |
| Communication Reports should be written in formal register. It’s a good idea to use the passive voice (eg ‘This report has been written ….”) but not in every sentence – you will send the Target Reader to sleep if you rely on it too much. Introduce complex ideas as well as simple ones. Saying that there is a computer in every classroom is a simple one — but | Content It’s important that you consider all of the content points. Everything you write must be relevant to the task. Don’t get distracted by something you think is more interesting. Add as much specific details as you can — this will make the Target Reader feel fully informed. |
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B2 First (FCE) Report: Useful Language & Phrases
We will finish it with some useful vocabulary mostly used to organize information. Although it is taking a shortcut, if you learn several expressions for each paragraph in each type of text that could be on your exam, you will certainly be able to create a very consistent and well-organized text.
Introduction (the goal of the report)
The aim of this report is to
As requested, I am writing this report to
This report aims to outline/assess
The purpose behind this report is to
Development
The first observation to make concerns…
It has to been stressed that…
According to (the majority of respondents)…
In spite of (the fact that)…
Despite (the fact that)…
The outlook for …… is (far from) bright/optimistic/depressing/daunting
The future looks bleak/remains uncertain/is promising
This seems unlikely in the near/foreseeable future
Recommendations
I suggest/recommend
I would like to suggest/recommend
I therefore suggest
I advise you (not) to
I believe it would be beneficial
It would be advisable to
You may wish/want to consider
If you wish to…, you should
If we wish to…, we ought to
Conclusion
Provided that these recommendations are taken into consideration,…
In conclusion,…
From the research one can conclude that…
