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In the written part of the LCCI 2 exam you may be asked to write a report in Question 3. Below you will find a sample report and a set of suggestions on how to tackle this kind of task properly.
Scenario:
You work for Goode's Hotels Ltd, 98 Cranmer Road, Luton, Bedfordshire, LU22 2XL, which is the Head Office of the Goode's Hotels' Organisation. It has 30 hotels in different parts of the UK. "I have to go to a meeting this afternoon about last year's business," Miss Stott says to you one morning. "Will you please list the main points from this general report so that I can take them to the meeting?"
General Report 1991 was not one of the best years financially for the company. The recession from which the country was suffering affected us as well as other businesses.
The three London hotels fared the worst. Their business was down by as much as forty per cent on the previous year. These hotels were used by fewer businessmen and women than usual - obviously because many businesses closed down. The number of overseas visitors - particularly Americans - was down by thirty per cent on 1990. The companies that used the London hotels for conferences were more than satisfied with the service they received - but their number was down by twenty nine per cent. A number of letters of praise for our services were received from several companies who used these hotels. Bong Brothers, makers of harps, who used our London hotels for their annual staff conference for the last fifteen years, went into liquidation; a particularly sad loss as they were a charming, friendly bunch of people.
Our eighteen seaside hotels, which are usually fully booked in spring and summer, had an average of twenty per cent vacancies through these seasons. It would appear that many people gave up the luxury of a hotel holiday for guest house or other types of accommodation. For the remainder of the year business was much quieter than usual.
The nine hotels situated in country areas did slightly better than the London and seaside ones, their business being down fifteen per cent only. The introduction of cheap weekend breaks helped here.
From information we have, our rivals were also hit by about the same amount. It is reported that the Pickett Hotel Group is in financial difficulties and it is doubtful if it will remain in business.
However, all is not bad news. We have not reduced staffing levels at any of the hotels and do not have plans to do so, although staff at Head Office will be reduced by eight. Although overall we have had fewer guests than usual, we have received many more letters of praise for our service, courteous staff, hygiene standards, and so on.
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Make the list as she requests.
Sample List:
Main Points from General Report 1991
1. 1991 was not a good year financially because of the recession.
2. London (3 hotels) - Business down 40% on 1990. - Fewer business guests because of closures. - Fewer overseas visitors - down 30% on 1990 - fewer Americans. - Conferences down 29% on 1990. - Companies very satisfied. - Long standing customers "Bong Brothers" sadly went into liquidation.
3. Seaside (18 hotels) - Spring/Summer - usually full, but 20% vacancies. - Visitors using other (cheaper) types of accommodation. - Autumn/winter-quiet.
4. Country (9 hotels) - Business down 15% (not as bad as 2 and 3). - Introduction of cheap weekend breaks helped.
5. General - Competitors affected in same way. - Pickett Hotel Group in financial difficulties (may go into liquidation). - No job losses in hotels, but Head Office will lose 8. - Fewer guests but more praise than ever before.
Below you will find some useful hints on how to tackle this kind of task successfully:
- Read the question and work out exactly what you are required to do. The instruction at the bottom of the task normally reads "Write the list" or "Write the list in 150 words".
- When considering the layout a list should have a title and numbered points. Additionally, figures and headings are possible.
- When planning the body of the list, read the question and decide what information should be included in the list. It should be enough so that nothing essential is left out. The point is to extract the core of some longer text to make it easier for somebody to refer to during e.g. a speech.
- Often the information is presented in the question in a suitable order. If it is mixed up, repeated or you have to invent, make sure information concerning the same theme is grouped together.
- A list is often written for someone to refer to at a meeting so should be brief but contain all the information, so that the reader can talk from it. Consequently, language in lists is to the point, concise and the layout is clear.
- Finally, remember about checking your work. It might be useful to ask yourself the following questions
a. Have you completed the task? (Will the person who has to read it have all the necessary information?) b. Have you included all relevant information? c. Have you left out all irrelevant information? d. Have you grouped/ordered information in the best way? e. Is the language appropriate for a list? f. Have you checked spelling, grammar and punctuation?
Wyjaśnienia słów:
to affect
- wpływać
vacancy
- wolne miejsce
rental unit (as in hotels) that is unoccupied or not rented at a given time
staffing level
- obsadzenie personelem, poziom zatrudnienia
courteous
- grzeczny, uprzejmy
characterized by courtesy and gracious good manners, exhibiting courtesy and politeness
viable
- wykonalny
capable of life or normal growth and development, capable of being done with means at hand and circumstances as they are
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