1. Include a title for the report (you do not need to include the word 'title')

2.

Recommendation of report

Your report should start by summarising the conclusion you will be making. This should be a

standalone statement without discussion.

3. Summary of supporting evidence

You then need to justify your recommendation with evidence. You need to quickly take the

reader from uninformed to a position where they can understand the document. Make sure

that your writing is clear and concise. You should use examples from the research literature

and do not need to go into great detail but you need to tell the reader enough so they can

tell that you understand what you have read.

4. Sources of further information

In addition to providing references for sources which you cite directly, you should also

provide your reader with a list of sources of further information, should they wish to gain a

deeper understanding of this area. This does not have to be a long list, but at least two

further sources which provide more detailed information than your report would be able to.

Make sure you tell the reader why these sources add extra information.

5. References

This is the reference list for everything which you have directly cited in your report./nTechnical Report

You are asked to produce a response to the following brief:

Writing a 1000 word report for a non-scientific audience.

Imagine you are working for a local education authority [LEA] and have been asked to produce a

brief report (1000 words) to help them to reach a decision about teaching reading in primary

schools. They are considering mandating the use of a specific teaching strategy across all school

as it has been suggested that this would save money from the education budget. The two

strategies they are considering using are either phonics or flash cards. The LEA would like to

know if mandating one strategy would be a good idea or not, and which you would recommend.

They would like you to make it clear how you came to your conclusion.

Guidance:

You will need consider the evidence supporting the use of either phonics or flash cards as

strategies. Would one strategy be better than the other or would a mixed approach be

preferable? There is no correct or incorrect argument, what is important is that you to make it

clear how you came to your conclusion.

The report should be written to explain the various theoretical perspectives regarding how

children learn to read and be supported by evidence. This is a brief report and so it is essential

that you write clearly and succinctly. You need to demonstrate your clear understanding of the

relevant issues. Although this is for a non-scientific audience, it should be written in a scientific

style. See "Writing a technical report" document for further guidance. It is essential that you

follow the instructions given; failure to do so will be penalised.

Although technical reports can vary, the common purpose is to communicate information clearly.

For this assignment you have been asked to summarise a literature and to reach some form of

conclusion. Please note, there is no right or wrong answer but you will need to build an argument

supported by evidence. Do not ignore any evidence which goes against your argument, you need to

acknowledge it.

Before you start to write, think about the message you want to convey; who your audience are

(technical or general public - this will tell you whether you need to explain technical terminology).

For the purposes of this assignment consider your audience to be intelligent people from outside of

the field who need to make an informed decision. Although technical reports can vary, please write

this one in prose and do not use bullet points.

You should use the following subheadings in your report: