Y07W33WR Improving the Homework Submission System

Part 1

How to Write

Transactional – Report

A transactional report presents findings, problems or recommendations to a specific audience who will use the information to make decisions. It is written clearly and objectively, with evidence and practical suggestions. The tone is professional and constructive — focused on solutions, not just complaints.

  • Ideas & content: Focus on specific, observable problems or findings rather than general impressions. Each issue you raise should be supported by a clear explanation of its impact.
  • Structure & cohesion: Organise your report logically — introduce the context, address each issue separately and close with recommendations. Use clear paragraphing throughout.
  • Voice & audience: Write professionally and constructively. Avoid a complaining tone. The reader needs information and solutions, not venting. Stay factual throughout.
  • Language choices: Use precise, practical language. Be as specific as you can. Use formal vocabulary and control your tone carefully.
  • Conventions: Spell accurately. Use correct punctuation for a formal document. Keep sentences clear even when describing complex problems.

Common pitfalls: Raising problems without suggesting solutions — a useful report is constructive. Writing in a tone that sounds like a complaint rather than a professional assessment, which reduces the impact of your findings.

Part 2

Your Task Plan for Today

The brief

Question: Write a report to your year coordinator identifying the specific problems students are experiencing with the homework submission system. Explain each problem clearly, describe the impact it is having and suggest practical improvements. Write in a tone that is constructive and specific enough to be useful to someone reviewing the system.

Stimulus: Your school has introduced a new online homework submission system. Several students in your year level have experienced problems with it — assignments not saving correctly, confusion about deadlines, difficulty uploading certain file types and a lack of clear instructions for students who were absent when the system was introduced. Your year coordinator has asked for a written report from students before the system is reviewed at the end of term.

Task Analysis: This task asks you to write a constructive, professional report identifying specific problems and proposing practical improvements. The audience — your year coordinator — is trying to improve the system. A strong response will be specific about problems and their impact, and will offer concrete, realistic suggestions rather than general complaints.

Quick Plan

Before you write, plan:

  • The specific problems you will report on — from the stimulus, choose the most significant
  • The impact of each problem on students
  • A specific improvement for each problem
  • Your overall recommendation for how the system should be updated

Format rules

A formal report to a year coordinator should be clearly structured. Consider using numbered points or clear paragraph breaks for each problem and its solution. Keep sentences clear and direct. Avoid writing it as an essay.

Key details to include

For each problem: name it clearly, describe its specific impact and propose a realistic solution. “The deadline display is confusing” is less useful than “deadlines appear in different formats on different devices, causing students to miss submission times”.

Tone & voice

Write constructively and professionally. The coordinator is trying to fix the system, not be criticised. Frame each problem as something that can be improved, not as evidence of failure.

Closing line

End with a clear overall recommendation and an indication that you are available to provide more information if needed. Close professionally.