Level Three Report Writing
When it comes to the Level Three Writing exam, probably the most difficult part for candidates is the Report. This forms Part Two of the writing exam and for many students of English represents a scary thing.
However, it needn't be so! To pass the exam what is needed is above all a logical structure where you can demonstrate your advanced grammar. In separate posts we will look at what represents advanced grammar and vocabulary but first lets concentrate on the structure of a Level Three Report.
If you want to watch a video talking about both structure and advanced grammar then please take a look at this video on our YouTube channel.
Okay then, let's look at the instructions we get in Task Two of Level Three Writing, as created by CKEJO MON .
TASK TWO
Write a minimum of 200 words on one of the topics below.
Nowadays more and more people are living on credit. Write a report on the issue, in which you:
present the current situation and reasons for such a trend
analyze possible ways of dealing with this problem
predict the consequences if attempts to resolve the problem fail
Above we can see there is a problem/phenomenon given in the first sentence and then, as with all report tasks, it is divided into three sections representing: a) background information b) deeper analysis of the issue and c) predictions or recommendations. This division of the task gives us our basic report structure with only a brief introduction being needed to be added at the beginning.
Throughout the report it is important to use linking expressions to clearly show how your ideas are developing (as indicated in red). Also each section should start with a topic sentence clearly stating the main idea or theme of the section.
Please take a look at the sample report below to see how all this is put in practice.
A link to a fully annotated PDF can be found at the bottom of the post.
Introduction
In recent years more and more people have taken to living on credit. It is the aim of this report to present the current situation and the reasons for this phenomenon; analyse how the situation could be dealt with; and predict what the consequence may be if the problem is not dealt with. In order to do this, statistical data from government and independent research has been analysed.
Current situation and possible reasons
To begin with, it is important to define what is meant by the term living on credit. It is understood that this means living beyond your means and not being able to easily pay back the credit taken. The reason for this could be that a person has lost their job and thus needs credit to survive. This would, understandably, be a short-term remedy. However, what is perhaps far more dangerous is when someone uses credit as a long term answer to satisfying their desires without any real plan of how to pay it back. Unfortunately both of these types of credit use can be seen in Poland today.
Ways to deal with the issue
From the above, it can be seen that there are two principal types of credit use and therefore two methods of dealing with the problem will be given. Firstly, those suffering from short term financial problems should be able to access interest-free government loans in order to get back on their feet. Conversely, those who use credit as a way to obtain unrealistic goals should, rather than being offered credit, be provided with some form of counselling so as to change their habits.
Prognosis for the future
Credit has become an ever-present part of modern life and in some circumstances provides a very valuable service. That said, if the current trend for people to consume beyond their means continues, then it could lead to serious financial problems. Such problems would not only affect the individuals but have ramifications for the wider economy and society.