Executive Summary Add Mark For Free

You will want to avoid these common mistakes when writing your summary: Do not get too lengthy or wordy - keep it to 3-5 pages. Do not cut and paste information. Avoid excessive subtitles and lists. Do not get too technical. Do not use passive or imprecise language.

By generalizing or expressing opinions that you do not include in your material with market research, project examples, independent data, testimonials, etc., you risk misleading the reader. Avoid persuading your target audience to make an unwanted recommendation or conclusion. Focus on the facts.

A summary is written in your own words. A summary contains only the ideas of the original text. Do not insert any of your own opinions, interpretations, deductions or comments into a summary.

Many writers use bullet points in executive summaries on the basis that they are short and to the point, and because they believe that most readers prefer to read bullet points rather than prose.

You have written a summary within a summary. You have told the essence of your report in case the reader never reads every word of the summary. You bullet the main points to make them stand out. You indent them for the same reason.

Executive summaries should not have figures and tables within the summary. It is acceptable to choose the most important content to limit the figures and tables to 1-2 pages.

Bad executive summaries often focus too much on the context and read more like an introduction. Or they're overselling the organisation and its goals, not leaving any room to give evidence or talk about actionable steps for the reader.