How to write a business report your marker can follow

A business report is written for a busy reader who needs to decide something. Every part — the summary, the analysis, the recommendations — should make that decision easier.

The executive summary comes last and stands alone

Write it after everything else. In a few short paragraphs it states the purpose, the main findings and the recommendations, so a reader who stops there still knows what you concluded and what you propose.

It is not an introduction: it gives the answers, not the plan for finding them.

Structure it so it can be scanned

Use numbered headings and subheadings (1, 1.1, 1.2...), short paragraphs, and tables or figures where they make a comparison clearer. Follow the section list in your brief exactly if one is given.

Apply the frameworks — do not explain them

If the brief names models such as SWOT, PESTLE or Porter's Five Forces, your marker already knows what they are. The marks are for applying them to THIS organisation, with evidence from the case or your research, and saying what each point means for the decision.

For every point, ask "so what?": high buyer power — so what does that mean for pricing, margins or strategy?

Recommendations that someone could act on

Make each recommendation specific (what, who, by when, roughly at what cost or effort), justified by your analysis, and prioritised. Acknowledge the main risk or trade-off of each. Vague advice such as "improve marketing" rarely earns the higher bands.

Checklist before you submit

Executive summary written last, with findings and recommendations
Numbered headings that follow the brief
Every framework applied to the case with evidence, not described
Each analysis point ends with what it means for the decision
Recommendations specific, justified, prioritised, with risks noted
Tables and figures labelled and referred to in the text
References and appendices in the format the brief asks for

Common mistakes

An executive summary that reads like an introduction.
Pages explaining what SWOT is instead of what it shows about the case.
Recommendations that are not supported by anything in the analysis.
Long essay-style paragraphs with no headings.
Ignoring the word limit by moving main content into appendices.

Check your own draft against your rubric

The assignment helper reads your brief, rubric and report the way your marker will: are the frameworks applied or just described, are the recommendations specific and justified, does the summary stand alone?

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One free check a month. It never writes your work for you.

Frequently asked questions

How long should an executive summary be?

Short enough to read in a minute or two — often around a tenth of the report or less. Your brief may set a limit; follow it.

Is a business report the same as an essay?

No. A report is organised under headings for a reader who needs to act, and ends in recommendations. An essay develops one argument in continuous prose.

Do appendices count towards the word limit?

It depends on your institution — check the brief. Even when they do not count, markers generally expect the main argument to be in the body.