An Australian business report uses numbered sections, an executive summary that states the findings and recommendations rather than previewing them, and recommendations that specify action, owner, timeline and cost. The executive summary is written last and is where markers most often deduct.
Report vs Essay
Australian business units set both, and marking them differently:
- Report: numbered headings, findings presented before discussion, recommendations, exhibits, written for a decision maker.
- Essay: continuous prose, argument developed toward a conclusion, written for an academic reader.
Submitting an essay with headings applied is the most common structural error, and it costs marks under the "report format" criterion that most Australian rubrics contain.
Standard Sections
- Title page — title, unit code, student ID, tutor, word count
- Executive summary — one page, findings and recommendations stated
- Table of contents with numbered sections
- Introduction — purpose, scope, method, limitations
- Findings or analysis — numbered subsections, one issue each
- Conclusions — what the findings mean, no new material
- Recommendations — numbered, actionable, prioritised
- Reference list in Harvard or APA as specified
- Appendices — supporting data, referenced from the body
The executive summary is not an introduction. An introduction says what the report will do; an executive summary says what it found and what should happen. A reader should be able to act on it without reading further. Write it last.
Recommendations That Score
Each recommendation needs four elements:
- Action — specific and singular
- Owner — which role, not "the company"
- Timeline — a date or a period
- Resource — cost, headcount or system requirement
"Implement a structured onboarding program, owned by the HR Manager, over Q1-Q2 2027, at approximately $85,000 including facilitator time" is a recommendation. "The company should improve onboarding" is a topic.
Referencing
Australian business units mostly specify Harvard author-date, with APA 7th in some faculties. Your unit guide is the authority and overrides any general guide. Mixing conventions within one report is visible immediately and reads as carelessness.
Word Count Enforcement
Australian units enforce limits more strictly than most systems, commonly with a 10% tolerance and penalties beyond it. Check whether the executive summary, reference list and appendices count — practice differs by unit, and assuming costs marks.
Where Marks Are Lost
- An executive summary that previews rather than reports
- Findings and discussion merged so the analysis is buried
- Recommendations with no implementation detail
- Appendices containing material essential to the argument — markers are not required to read them
- Unnumbered sections in a report that asked for numbering
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between a report and an essay?
A report uses numbered sections, presents findings before discussion, ends with actionable recommendations and is written for a decision maker. An essay is continuous prose developing an argument toward a conclusion for an academic reader. Submitting an essay with headings added is a common and costly error.
What goes in an executive summary?
The findings and the recommendations, stated so a reader could act without reading further. It is not an introduction previewing what the report will do. Write it last, once you know what the report actually found.
Do appendices count toward the word limit?
It varies by unit, which is why the unit guide should be checked rather than assumed. What is consistent is that markers are not obliged to read appendices, so material essential to your argument must appear in the body.
Which referencing style do Australian business units use?
Most specify Harvard author-date, with APA 7th used in some faculties. Your unit guide is the authority and overrides general guides. Mixing conventions within a single report is immediately visible to markers.
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