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Report Writing: Tips and Sample of Report Basically, you are required to know several types of reports, which

are:
1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Society/School Report Report to the Principal Police Report News Report Book Report

A report to the principal Format Step : !he first part is as follows "#ust su$$estion, no harm to follow%: !o: &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& From: &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Su'(ect: &&&&&&&&&&&&&& )ate: &&&&&&&&&&&&&&&& Step *: +ddress the receiver, write down the name of principal and the school as well, Step -: Ne.t line, write down the name of the sender "/ay 'e omitted cu0 we know the sender from the si$nature, that1s common sense, % Step 2: Ne.t two lines, the su'(ect and date of the report, Step 3: 4rite your report in sections or para$raphs, Step 5: 6t is /7S!89 written in P+S! !:NS:, )o remem'er that, you are reportin$, Step ;: :nd your report with a clear endin$, 'y makin$ an inference/ su$$estion, Step <: 8astly, don1t for$et to si$n your report on the left=hand side, 9ou may include your post if you have one,

SUMMARY WRITING Section B of the SP/ :n$lish Paper * presents a question on summary writin$, 9ou are advised to spend forty=five minutes on this section, For this section, a total of - marks are allocated, 7f these, *> are awarded for content and another > for lan$ua$e accuracy and style, Read the instructions carefully, By doin$ this, you ou$ht to know very clearly: 4hich part of the passa$e is supposed to 'e summari0ed "you may to 'e required to summari0e the 4?78: passa$e% 2. 4hat aspect of the content of the passa$e is to 'e summari0ed, "For instance, you may 'e asked to summari0e only the advanta$es or disadvanta$es, or certain reactions of people or even the causes/outcomes of certain incident, 3. !he len$th of your summary @ i,e the num'er of words that you are allowed in your final summary, 6f it is stated that your summary /AS! not 'e lon$er than 5> words, please adhere to this word limit, 6f you write more than 5> words, all the e.tra facts contained there are N7! taken into account 'y the e.aminer, 4. !ake note of any startin$ words or phrases $iven and use them as instructed to 'e$in your summary, )onBt for$et the num'er of words in the startin$ line are included in countin$ the total num'er of words in your summary,
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7nce you have understood the question clearly, only ten should you 'e$in to read the passa$e, !ry to understand what the passa$e is all a'out @ what its messa$e/theme is or what the story is a'out, )urin$ the second readin$, 'e$in to underline the important ideas and relevant tails, Pick these out and list them down, )o ensure that the points you are pickin$ out are meetin$ the requirements of the question $iven, Read the passa$e once more to ensure that you have not left out any pertinent points, Now, 'e$in summari0in$, 6$nore irrelevant e.planations and superfluous e.amples, Focus on the main ideas and those that support the theme of the passa$e, Cenerali0e and convert len$thy sentences into shorter ones, Ase one, or shorter words that can su'stitute the meanin$ of a lon$ phrase in the passa$e, For e.ample, Dmy mother, my father, my 'rother, and sisterD can 'e rephrased as my family, Croup similar points to$ether = for e.ample the feelin$s of a person or the advanta$es of a certain procedure/machine, Rather than use three or four sentences to convey all of it, you ca put it all in one or two sentences, Ase commas @ they help, 9ou will need skill for this, and that is why you should practice writin$ a lot of summaries 'efore the real e.amination, /any students $rapple with summary writin$ 'ecause they $et cau$ht up with the words used in the passa$e, !hey want to use all of them, !he reasonE !hey feel that the authorBs words are 'est and that almost all that is contained within the ori$inal passa$e is important and necessary to 'e included in their summary, +s such, most students tend to copy the authorBs words as much as possi'le and try to include almost everythin$ from the ori$inal passa$e into the summary,

!he result is a chop cut=and=paste version of the ori$inal, 6t has little meanin$ and relevance, 6t is N7! even a summary and you $et a few marks when you write a chopped summary like this, Remem'er, you $et more marks if you use your 74N 47R)S, 6 know this is not easy, 'ut you must try, )onBt 'e afraid to rearran$e, reor$ani0e and compound facts, !he main issue here is whether you have understood the meanin$ of the passa$e and whether you can faithfully translate it into a passa$e that is made up mainly of your own words, So, 'e$in practicin$ writin$ a lot of summaries now, :very time you read a report in a newspaper or an article in a ma$a0ine, ask yourself @ what is this repot/article all a'outE 4hat is its messa$eE !ry to summari0e it in your mind, 6ma$ine that someone youn$er is askin$ you what is it that you are readin$, and try to visuali0e the simplified answer/version that you are $oin$ to tell him/her, !hat is a summary, 4here marks are concerned, try to $et as many as you can for F7N!:N!, Stick to the meanin$ of the passa$e as much as possi'le 'ut do it usin$ your own words, )o not 'e la0y, Secure as many points as you can 'y readin$ and scannin$ the passa$e carefully for relevant facts and details, #ot all of these down dili$ently and try to incorporate them all in a simplified, summari0ed form, !ry not to leave out important fact, :ach fact left out means one less mark for you, +s for lan$ua$e, do take the trou'le to read throu$h your final draft and make sure that your $rammar, punctuation and spellin$ are as accurate as you can possi'ly make them, 9our error must 'e minimal and the lan$ua$e you use must not make it difficult for the e.aminer to understand what you are tryin$ to say,

Report Writing Question 9ou are the head prefect of your school, 9ou have 'een $iven the task of or$anisin$ the upcomin$ canteen day, 9ou have 'een told to come up with a rou$h plan on the various aspects of the event, 4rite a report to the principal $ivin$ him your proposal

for this event, , Food Stalls G !o 'e set up and mana$ed 'y each form 2 class, G !ypes of food sold will vary accordin$ to the class in char$e, *, Came=stands G Si. different carnival style $ame 'ooths G /ana$ed 'y the form * classes G Pri0es to 'e sponsored -, Sta$e performances G ?andled 'y Pn, Saloma, Fultural Flu' +dvisor, G +ppro.imately seven events, 2, Security G Prefects 'oard to 'e in=char$e, G !wo prefects to 'e stationed at each entrance to the school G Several $roups to patrol the corridors, 4rite your report, 4hen writin$ your report, you should remem'er: H to address it to the principal, H to use all the points $iven, H to ela!orate on the points $iven, H to use the format of a report,

"etter Writing . Question

You find that the generation gap !et#een teenagers and their parents is #idening$ You are %er& concerned and #rite a letter to the editor of a local ne#spaper gi%ing &our suggestions a!out ho# the pro!lem can !e reduced$ Below are the su$$ested ideas that you would include in your letter, Some of my su$$estions H parents talk to teena$ers H parents listen to teena$ers H parents monitor teena$ers activities H parents lay down house rules H parents are fle.i'le H parents know friendsB parents H family outin$s H eatin$ to$ether H cele'rate teena$ersB achievements H parents tell teena$ers they love them 9ou should use all the points $iven a'ove, 4hen writin$ the letter, you should remem'er to: H use the correct format for an informal letter H ela'orate on the points H start and end your letter correctly, "-3 marks%

"etter Writing

9ou are not satisfied with the conditions in your nei$h'orhood, 9ou would like the )istrict Founcil to take immediate action, 4rite a letter of complaint to the )istrict 7fficer to e.press your dissatisfaction re$ardin$ this matter, 9ou should include the followin$ points in your letter: Iru''ish dumped alon$ roadside Iplay$round not maintained Iroads with potholes Istray cats and do$s increasin$ in num'er Iclo$$ed and smelly drains Ilon$ and uncut $rass 4hen writin$ the letter, you should remem'er to : Iinclude all the points $iven Iela'orate on all the points $iven Ilay out the letter correctly

Informal "etter Formats for 6nformal 8etter in the /alaysian school system: Students are tau$ht to:

include the writerBs address and date in the upper ri$ht hand corner, !he date can 'e written in different forms, ";th Septem'er *>>J, ; S:P!:/B:R *>>J or ;,J,*>>J% use the most common salutation, ")ear #ohn% indent para$raphs, include a suita'le complimentary close, "9our lovin$ dau$hter% )o not use KRe$ardsB as it is considered sli$htly more formal and distant, +lso, do not use KBest 4ishesB as this is considered inappropriate, use proper punctuation, For e.ample, a comma should 'e used after the salutation and complimentary close, use capitalisation where necessary, For e.ample, the month of the date " > #anuary *>>J%, the salutation ")ear /aria%

Ander normal circumstances, it is perfectly accepta'le to use informal lan$ua$e "e,$, stuff, (am=packed% and contractions "6Bll, wonBt% in an informal letter, 'ut this is usually not accepta'le in the local e.amination system, 8etBs look at some important aspects of an informal letter,

'rganisation (aragraph ) include formalitiesL $ive reason for writin$ the letter,

(aragraph * on#ards @ depends on the reason for writin$ the letter, 6f your reason is to tell the recipient a'out your holiday, then you will include details of the holiday, The last paragraph ) you can $ive a reason why you have to stop writin$ such as: 6 am sorry 6 have to stop here 'ecause it is $ettin$ late, 6 am sorry 6 have to stop here 'ecause M 6 have to stop now 'ecause M 7r you can simply end the letter in a num'er of appropriate ways as shown in N- 'elow, *$ O O O O O ,$ O O O O O Some useful e+pressions on ho# to !egin an informal letter 6 was pleasantly surprised to hear from you, !hank you for your letter, 6 was pleased to hear that you are in $ood health, 6t was really nice hearin$ from you, 6 am $lad that you like your new school, 6 hope this letter finds you in the pink "of health%, !hank you for the lovely 'irthday card, Some useful e+pressions on ho# to end an informal letter 6 promise to write to you soon, 6 hope you will reply soon, Cive my 'est wishes to your parents, 6 am lookin$ forward to seein$ you, 6 look forward to hearin$ from you,

)o write and tell me how you are pro$ressin$,

Sample Question Your &ounger sister- #ho is stud&ing in a !oarding school- has #ritten to complain that she finds the compulsor& co.curricular acti%ities %er& tiring$ Write a letter to her to e+plain the !enefits of co.curricular acti%ities$ Ase the notes $iven 'elow to write your letter, O O O O O help you 'ecome a 'etter person instill discipline learn $ood values = cooperation respect for others develop leadership skills

O O O O O

learn to or$ani0e activities provide opportunities = to develop social skills to take part in competitions keep you healthy $et a $ood testimonial

4hen writin$ your letter, remem'er to include the followin$: O O O O your address a proper salutation/$reetin$ a complimentary close all the notes $iven a'ove

Sample ans#er /- 0alan Mega Minang- Taman Minang Sari12/// Ampang- Selangor$ 3th Septem!er */ * 4ear "inaIt #as lo%el& to hear from &ou$ All of us miss &ou %er& much$ Mum and 4ad are glad that &ou are slo#l& ad5usting to life in a !oarding school$ In &our letter &ou complained a!out the compulsor& co.curricular acti%ities$ Well- let me tell &ou that &ou can reap man& !enefits through acti%e participation in these acti%ities$ 6irstl&- the %arious co.curricular acti%ities help &ou !ecome a !etter person 7point 8$ (articipation in uniformed units- clu!s and societiessports and games #ill help &ou disco%er &our talents and de%elop &our character$ You #ill !ecome a more confident and #ell.rounded person$ The strict rules and good !eha%iour e+pected of &ou as a mem!er of a uniformed unit #ill instil discipline 7point *8 in &ou$ This is important if &ou are to !ecome a la#.a!iding citi9en$ :esides- &ou #ill learn good %alues 7point ,8 through the %arious co. curricular acti%ities$ You #ill learn a!out the importance ofcooperation 7point ;8 and respect for others 7point <8$ These %alues are %er& important in a multi.

racial societ& li=e ours$ You ha%e al#a&s said that &ou admire great leaders li=e Nelson Mandela and A!raham "incoln$ Well- co.curricular acti%ities #ill certainl& help &ou to de%elop leadership s=ills 7point 18$ There #ill !e ample opportunities to ena!le &ou to !ecome a good leader$ :esides learning ho# to plan e%ents- &ou #ill learn to organise acti%ities 7point 38$Sometimes- &ou might e%en ha%e to handle a challenging situation and this #ill teach &ou ho# to ma=e on.the.spot decisions$ More importantl&- co.curricular acti%ities pro%ide &ou #ith man& opportunities 7point 28 to help &ou de%elop social s=ills 7point >8$ As &ou =no#- a person #ith good social s=ills has an edge these da&s$ ?+tra.curricular acti%ities #ill also pro%ide &ou #ith opportunities to ta=e part in competitions 7point /8 at %arious le%els$ Schools usuall& select their representati%es for competitions at 9one- state or national le%el !& loo=ing at their students@ performance in school. le%el competitions$ These acti%ities also =eep &ou health& 7point 8$ Who =no#s- &ou might finall& shed &our !a!& fatA Most importantl&- &ou #ill get a good testimonial 7point *8 if &ou are acti%e in co.curricular acti%ities$ This #ill definitel& !oost &our chances #hen appl&ing for a scholarship or a 5o!$ There is no need for &ou to #orr& that participation in these acti%ities #ill affect &our grades$ 'n the contrar&- it has !een pro%en that students #ho are acti%el& in%ol%ed usuall& do #ell academicall&$ I hope &ou #ill ta=e the opportunities co.curricular acti%ities pro%ide to e+perience ne# things and disco%er &our strengths$ I ha%e to stop here$ I ha%e to stud& for m& trial e+amination- #hich is in t#o #ee=s@ time$ Till I hear from &ou- ta=e care$ Your lo%ing sisterShuhada PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP Remem'er when you write an informal letter: O O )o not use slan$ words, )o not use words which are in a lan$ua$e other than :n$lish, !his means you cannot write K)ear AbahB, or K)ear AmmaB even if that is how you address your parents,

O )o not si$n off with K8ove and QissesB, Qeep that for your personal letters,

SUMMARY WRITING What is Summar& WritingB + summary is a condensed form of a lon$er essay/readin$, !he purpose of summary writin$ is to to $ive 'asic ideas of the ori$inal writin$, !o write a summary, you need to use your own words and e.press 'riefly the main idea of certain piece of readin$, 6n Section F of the SP/ J paper, which carries a su'stantial *3 marks, is divided into two parts, readin$ comprehension and summary writin$, !en marks are allocated for readin$ comprehension and 3 for summary writin$, ?+ample of Summar& Writing$ Base on this article, write a summary of -> words, , !he ti$er, the lar$est cat in the world, is one of the most ma(estic animals on land and is found only in +sia, 6t is also one of the most powerful mammals, yet it is on the 'rink of e.tinction, 6n the J>>s, the ti$er population was more than >>,>>>, !oday, the num'er has dwindled to less than >,>>> worldwide, Nepal has only *>> ti$ers, 6ndia has a'out 2,>>>, while /alaysia has less than 3>>, !he reason for the decline in num'ers is poachin$, *, !i$ers are hunted not only 'y human 'ein$s 'ut also 'y other predators such as elephants, 'ears and lar$e 'uffaloes, !he only defence ti$ers have a$ainst their enemies are their ra0or=sharp claws, their stron$ teeth and their sheer wei$ht, !he wei$ht of a ti$er, which can ran$e 'etween *>> and ->> kilo$rammes, can kill an > avera$e si0ed human 'ein$, -, !i$ers have fascinated human 'ein$s for several reasons, For instance, marks on their forehead resem'le the Fhinese character wan$, which means kin$, Furthermore, the markin$s on a ti$erBs forehead and the stripes all over its 'ody are like fin$er prints, :.perts can tell individual ti$ers apart 'y o'servin$ the markin$s and stripes closely, !his is 'ecause no two ti$ers have identical markin$s, !he patterns of their stripes vary immensely, especially from one su'=species to another, !he Sumatran ti$er has the most stripes and markin$s while the Si'erian ti$er has the fewest, !he stripes of a ti$er always run at ri$ht an$les to its 'ody and not alon$ its 'odyline, 7therwise, it would 'e very conspicuous and find it impossi'le to camoufla$e itself,

2, !hese carnivorous 'easts thrive well in areas of dense ve$etation with ample sources of water and lar$e populations of hoofed animals, !hey instinctively avoid human 'ein$s and only attack people if they are provoked, in(ured or una'le to hunt for their usual food, 3, )espite their prowess, ti$ers are una'le to protect themselves from their $reatest threat @ human 'ein$s, !hese ma$nificent creatures have 'een hunted for hundreds of years for sport as proof of oneBs stren$th and manliness, and for their skin, !hey have also 'een trapped and poisoned 'y farmers to protect their livestock, +s a result, the Faspian, #avan and Bali ti$ers have 'ecome e.tinct, 6n many +sian countries, ti$ers are killed for their precious claws, 6t is 'elieved that wearin$ a talisman made of a -> ti$erBs claw can protect its wearer, 6t is almost impossi'le to ascertain whether a ti$erBs claw has any supernatural powers, 'ut what is certain is that many a ti$er will lose its life so that someone can profit from it, 5, 7ther than that, ti$ers have 'een hunted for their 'ody or$ans, which are 'elieved to 'e a cure for many ailments, !his superstition may have resulted from the connection -3 made with their masculinity and stren$th, !his has resulted in massive poachin$ of ti$ers for their whiskers, eyes, teeth, penises, liver and fat, ;, ?untin$ of ti$er prey has also caused the num'er of ti$ers to dwindle, !i$ers usually feed on hoofed animals such as deer, wild 'oar and 'uffaloes, !he huntin$ of these animals 'y human 'ein$s has caused ti$ers to starve to death, <, Serious action has to 'e taken to ensure the survival of this ma(estic creature, +lthou$h the ti$er has 'een la'elled an endan$ered species and the sale of ti$errelated products has 'een 'anned in many countries, these measures have 'ackfired, with ille$al poachin$ of ti$ers for their fur, 'ones and other or$ans 'ecomin$ rampant, Some countries, such as 6ndia, have allocated millions of dollars to set up ti$er reserves to protect these animals 'ut even these are not safe, Poachers completely wiped out wild ti$ers in the Sariska !i$er Reserve in 6ndia, !o ensure the survival of the ti$er, conservation efforts need to 'e improved to reduce threats to ti$ers,:fforts must also 'e made to improve ti$er ha'itats and to increase ti$er prey populations so that they will not starve to death in the wild, !here must 'e more strin$ent controls on the demand for ti$er parts, 4hen there is no demand, there will 'e no supply, !o drive the messa$e home, poachers should 'e punished severely, 7therwise, they will not stop their ille$al activities,

Cere is a sample summar& using phrases and sentences from the passage$

The tiger population has suffered a serious decline because tigers have been hunted for sport as proof of ones strength and manliness and for their skin. Besides, tigers have been killed by farmers to protect their livestock. These beasts have also been killed for their claws which are believed to protect the wearer. Worse still, tigers are killed for their body organs, which are believed to cure many ailments. Moreover, hunting of tiger prey has caused tigers to starve to death. tern measures must be taken to protect them. !or instance, conservation efforts and tiger habitats must be improved. To prevent tigers from starving, tiger prey populations must be increased. Most importantly, there must be more stringent controls on the demand. " * words% Tips in #riting a summar&: % Read the te.t $iven carefully, *% 6dentify and underline the important points, -% Start writin$ the summary 'ased on the main points you have $athered, 2% Rephrase the important points and use our own words, 3% 7r$ani0e your ideas/points in the manner which they are found in the te.t, 5% +dhere to the word limit, ;% 4rite the summary in one para$raph onlyR <% Fheck and edit your summary if necessary,

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