A report on a student meeting

A report on a student meeting

Learn how to write a report.

Do the preparation task first. Then read the text and tips and do the exercises.

Preparation

Reading text

Improvements to Oak Hall

Introduction

This report aims to describe problems in Oak Hall of Residence and discuss possible maintenance work to solve them. The two biggest issues were discussed at a meeting on 12 May, which was attended by 165 of the 250 students who live in the building.

Issue 1: temperature in rooms

A number of students complained that the second-floor bedrooms are too hot. Concerns were raised about lack of sleep and students finding it hard to study in their rooms. Air conditioning was suggested as a possible solution.

However, there is no budget left for installing air conditioning this academic year. Also, installation can only be carried out during holidays as students cannot be present in the building while the work takes place.

Issue 2: improving wheelchair access to Oak Café

It was noted that wheelchair users can only access Oak Café from the back and not the front entrance nearer the lifts. This makes access to the café difficult for wheelchair users. The university is looking to improve its wheelchair access in general by installing ramps in key areas and work can take place during term time with no issues for staff or students.

Conclusion and recommendations

Taking the factors mentioned into account, August would be the best time for the installation of air conditioning. Until then, the university could consider supplying fans to each second-floor room so students can sleep and study comfortably.

The front of the café is recommended as an ideal place to install a wheelchair ramp. This work can take place immediately and should be a priority.

Tips

  1. Start with the aim of the report and say where the information comes from.
  2. Use subheadings to make the layout clear. Follow a logical structure, e.g.:
    • Introduction
    • The problem(s) (Give each issue a separate section)
    • Conclusion and recommendations
  3. Assume the person reading the report has asked you to write it and needs only a brief introduction to the situation.
  4. Use an impersonal, formal style.
  5. Use the passive to keep the focus off individual people:
    Concerns were raised about ...
    ... was suggested ...
  6. You should also use objective language for recommendations and conclusions:
    ... would be the best …
    the university could consider ...
    ... is recommended ...

Task 1

Task 2

Task 3

Discussion

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Profile picture for user Nikolaos Stavrianakis

Submitted by Nikolaos Stavr… on Sat, 29/02/2020 - 15:15

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I had to write a report related to refuge issues in Chios (Greek island). A report on a residents meeting Introduction This report aims to describe problems in Chios town which residents are facing and discuss how to solve them. The biggest issue was discussed at a meeting on 25 February, which was attended by 1250 residents of 2000 who live in the town. Issue: A lot of refugees arrived in the town All the residents at the meeting complained about the huge amount of refugees that have arrived. Concerns were raised about the lack of accommodation, toilets, food, medical attention. There's a risk of diseases and infections due to the lack of hygiene. Conclusion and recommendations Taking the factors into account the government has to address all these problems immediately. The residents recommended that a number of refugees be moved to other areas in Greece and Europe. The problem of too many refugees in Greece is not only a Greek problem but also a European problem. PS: In my report above I wrote There's a risk of diseases and infections..... is that correct? or should I have written There's a risk of disease and infection.... Thank you Nikolaos

Hello Nikolaos

Both are correct but there is a slight difference in meaning. When you say 'disease and infection', you are speaking about them in general, so saying it that way can actually include different kinds of diseases and infections. If you use the plural, then you are of course speaking about different kinds directly.

In the end, the difference in meaning is negligible. I slightly prefer the singular version, but really either is fine.

Good luck with this difficult situation.

All the best

Kirk

The LearnEnglish Team

Submitted by jazmin marquez on Wed, 26/02/2020 - 00:58

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Introduction This report aims to describe the main problems in Bogotá and discuss possible measures to improve this city. The two issues were identified in a survey applied to 700 citizens. Problem 1 contamination Citizens complained that the city is the most polluted in the country. The polluted has important consequences for the health of this population. Respiratory diseases and infections are frequent, but this situacion cannot improve as long as there are no clear recycling policies. Problem 2: insecurity Statistics have shown that in Bogotá insecurity is growing. People are afraid and police action is limited. This makes living in the streets difficult, and also the violence is grow. Topic 3: unemployment Every time more citizens are unemployed, this inhibits development both in the family and in the city. WHILE THERE IS MORE UNEMPLOYMENT, THERE WILL BE MORE VIOLENCE AND INSECURITY. People belives that it is necessary to trust and support the own industry Conclusion and Recommendations Taking into account the mentioned factors. First, it is urgent to create and disseminate clear recycling policies. Secondly, police work in reducing insecurity should be monitored. Finally, the city's industry must be supported by citizens and, mainly, by the State.

Submitted by Elius Hossain on Sat, 22/02/2020 - 05:33

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I had to write a report on two important issues related to our university dorm. It aimed to inform the authority and request to take proper steps to solve these issues. I delivered the report to the authority on behalf of the students of the dorm. The first problem was about the dorm's surrounding environment which was dirty and unhygienic. The yard of the dorm wasn't cleaned regularly due to lacking staff. Thus, this place converted to the region for producing mosquitoes. As a result, students faced so many problems including suffering fever, even dengue, etc. Therefore, we urged the authority to take proper steps to prevent this problem. We were concern about our mosque which was too little to prayers. Moreover, it was made of a ten-shade roof which produced unbearable heat during the summer. Thus, a big mosque with a concrete structure was needed to resolve this problem. We also recommended starting this construction during our term break to avoid noise. Taking the factors mentioned into account, the yard should be cleaned by hiring more staff as early as possible. Until then, mosquito medicine could be sprayed regularly to prevent birth forth. August, term break period would be the best time for starting construction.

Submitted by shahhoseini on Wed, 12/02/2020 - 16:43

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I have written reports in Persian but not in English and hope to learn it with your bits of help.

Submitted by conejo on Mon, 03/02/2020 - 00:43

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I always write a Lot of reports in my Job. I work for the public sector, where it is very common to Report to the citizens about the budgets, projects and Progress of all programs.

Submitted by hungrymoon on Mon, 13/01/2020 - 09:05

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This report indicates that the two main issues were discussed by employees. One of the main problem is about temperature in the offices. The employee said that the high temparature which is rising especially during the hours in the afternoon, makes working very hard so concerns were raised about lower level of working performance. As a conclusion, the management could take the complaining into account and requested the maintenance department to maintain the air-conditioning. On the other hand, It was disccused that the lack of powersupplier may possibly interrupt working in case of power outage. The management suggested that for purchasing a new power supplier, the best time is the new year because they implied they are not able to fund any extra cost in latest budget.

Submitted by Ali Hussein on Fri, 22/11/2019 - 21:23

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I wrote many reports , as an electrical maintenance engineer, we sometimes encounter faults and defects so after repairing these faults , we made what is called failure investigation report in which we state the problem we faced , and steps of work we made to find solution to problem , this act as a reference for equipment and a quick fix if we face similar problem

Submitted by Sarsora on Thu, 21/11/2019 - 20:56

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Could you please answer this question for me Tanta is the place ........Mohamed Salah came from. (where_that_which_when)