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Report writing sits in Section B of the CBSE Class 12 English Core paper, alongside the notice, the invitation and the letter. It is an easy place to drop marks you had earned: a well-written report with no by-line can still lose format credit.
What is the report writing format for Class 12?
The CBSE English Core curriculum for 2026-27 lists article or report writing as a 120-150 word task worth 5 marks, where you answer one of two questions.
Those 5 marks split four ways: format 1, organisation of ideas 1, content 2, and spelling and grammar 1.
The marking scheme for CBSE's 2026-27 sample paper sets out the report block by block:
Headline: a short, catchy phrase.
By-line: the name and designation of the reporter.
Place and date: where the event took place and the date of issue.
Para 1: what happened and why, who was involved, when and where, told concisely.
Para 2: how it happened. This can run to two paragraphs.
Para 3: steps taken or to be taken.
Newspaper report vs school magazine report: what is the difference?
The skeleton does not change. The CBSE 2026-27 sample question paper asks for a report for the school magazine on the launch of the 'Tobacco Free Youth Campaign', yet the marking scheme for that question still describes the date as "the date of issue of the newspaper". The marked format is the same for both.
What changes is who writes and who reads:
By-line. A newspaper report comes from a reporter: "By Ankit Verma, Staff Reporter". A magazine report comes from someone in the school, with their role: "By Riya Sharma, Secretary, Science Club". Use the name and role the question gives you.
Readers. Newspaper readers do not know your school, so name it in full and say why the event matters beyond its gates. Magazine readers already know the place.
Voice. Keep both in the third person and the past tense. "Our school" once is fine in a magazine report; a newspaper report uses the school's name.
Ending. A newspaper report can close on what happens next for the public; a magazine report on what the school or club plans next.
Sample report for Class 12: a school magazine
Our practice question, in the style of the CBSE sample paper: You are Riya Sharma, Secretary of the Science Club, XYZ School, Bhopal. Your school hosted an inter-school science exhibition. Write a report in 120-150 words for your school magazine.
Young scientists take centre stage at inter-school exhibition
By Riya Sharma, Secretary, Science Club
Bhopal, 10 November
XYZ School, Bhopal, hosted an inter-school science exhibition, 'Science for Everyday Life', in its auditorium on 8 November to encourage students to apply classroom science to local problems. Teams from schools across the city took part, with the District Education Officer as chief guest.
The day opened with the lighting of the lamp and a welcome address by the Principal. Exhibits ranged from a solar cooker and a rainwater-harvesting model to a low-cost water filter made of sand and charcoal. A panel of science teachers judged the entries on originality and clarity of explanation. In the closing address, the chief guest urged students to keep asking questions.
The Science Club has announced a workshop on building working models, and the winning entries will be displayed in the school library.
Para 1 answers the five Ws, para 2 is the how, para 3 the next step: the three blocks the marking scheme names. For a newspaper report, the by-line names a reporter and one sentence says why the event matters beyond the school.
Content carries 2 of the 5 marks in the marking scheme, so get the science right. If you are unsure how a solar cooker or a sand filter works, the Fermi Concept Library has a lesson for every concept in physics, chemistry, biology, mathematics and computing, so you can check the idea before you write it.
How do you write a report quickly in the exam?
A five-step plan:
Underline your name, your role, the publication and the event in the question.
Write the headline, by-line, place and date.
Turn the cues into what, why, who, when and where in the margin, then write para 1 in two sentences.
Write the how in the order things happened, then one line on what comes next.
Check that verbs are in the past tense and speeches are reported, not quoted at length.
The letter to the editor sits in the same section and is also worth 5 marks in the CBSE curriculum; for letter layout, see our line-by-line check of the CBSE formal letter format. For the rest of the paper, try this 4-step plan for writing better answers in school exams, and if your hand slows down, read how to write faster and neater for board exams.
Write one report this week from the plan above and check it against the six blocks.
