Papers and reports
How to write a narrative report.
By the EssayMate team · Updated November 9, 2026
A narrative report tells, in order and in prose, what happened during an experience and what came of it. In the Philippines it usually means one of two things: the report students submit after on-the-job training (OJT), an internship or senior high school work immersion, or the report a teacher or organiser writes after a school activity, seminar or program.
Both are factual accounts written from your own records, so the most important material is what you write down while the experience is happening: your daily notes, attendance, photos and documents. This guide covers the format of each.
Narrative report for OJT, internship or work immersion
Schools set their own templates, so check yours first. Most include these parts, often bound as a portfolio:
| Part | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Title page | "Narrative Report on the Work Immersion (or OJT) at [Company]", your name, strand or course, school, period. |
| Certification or approval sheet | Signed by your supervisor or adviser, if required. |
| Acknowledgment | Thanks to the company, supervisor, teachers and family, briefly. |
| Table of contents | With page numbers. |
| Introduction | The purpose of the immersion or OJT, its objectives, and where and when it took place. |
| Company profile | The company's background, mission and vision, organisational structure, and the department you were assigned to. |
| Narrative of experiences | What you did, week by week or by task: duties, skills used, people you worked with. |
| Learnings and insights | What you learned, how it related to your strand or course, how you changed. |
| Problems met and solutions | Challenges you faced and how you dealt with them. |
| Conclusion and recommendations | Overall assessment, and suggestions for the company, the school and future trainees. |
| Appendices | Daily time record (DTR), evaluation forms, certificate of completion, photos with captions, journal entries, resume. |
Writing the narrative of experiences
This is the heart of the report. Write it in the past tense and first person, in paragraphs (not bullet points), and organise it by week or by kind of task. For each part, say what you did, how, and what you learned from it.
During my second week, I was assigned to the accounting department, where I encoded sales invoices into the company's spreadsheet and matched them with delivery receipts. At first I worked slowly because I was afraid of making errors, but my supervisor showed me how to check totals with a formula before saving. By Friday I could finish a day's invoices before lunch. This week showed me that accuracy in bookkeeping comes from a checking routine, not just from being careful.
Keep a short journal every day of the immersion: date, tasks, a problem, something learned. Writing the report from a journal takes an evening; writing it from memory at the end takes much longer and comes out vague.
Narrative report for a school activity or seminar
Teachers and student officers write these after events such as a seminar, training, sports fest, outreach, school clean-up or celebration. A typical format:
| Part | What it contains |
|---|---|
| Heading | Name of the activity, date, venue, organiser. |
| Participants | Who attended, and how many. |
| Objectives | What the activity aimed to achieve. |
| Narrative | What happened from opening to closing, in order: program, speakers, activities. |
| Highlights and outcomes | The most important parts and what was achieved, compared with the objectives. |
| Challenges and recommendations | What could be improved next time. |
| Documentation | Photos with captions, attendance sheet, the program. |
| Signatures | Prepared by, noted by, approved by, as the school requires. |
On August 15, 2026, the Grade 11 class organised a half-day seminar on study skills at the school audio-visual room, attended by 120 students and four advisers. The activity aimed to help students plan their study time and prepare for the first quarterly examination. The program opened with a prayer and the national anthem, followed by a welcome message from the class adviser.
Tips for any narrative report
- Write in chronological order and the past tense.
- Be factual and specific: dates, numbers, names of tasks (with permission for names of people).
- Use paragraphs; reserve lists for the appendices.
- Connect experiences to what you studied, as in a reflection paper.
- Keep company information that is confidential out of the report.
- Proofread names, dates and titles; they are the first things a reader checks.
A narrative report is not the same as a narrative essay, which tells a personal story to make a point. The report is a record; it should be accurate first and engaging second.
Can EssayMate write it?
A narrative report has to describe what actually happened, so it can only be written from your own records. If you upload your journal, notes and company details to EssayMate as instructions and materials, it can turn them into a well-organised draft in your school's format, which you then check line by line against what really happened. It cannot know your experiences on its own, and you should never submit a report describing things that did not happen.
Frequently asked questions
What is a narrative report?
A narrative report is a written account, in prose and in chronological order, of an experience or event and its results, such as an OJT, work immersion, seminar or school activity.
What are the parts of an OJT narrative report?
Commonly a title page, acknowledgment, table of contents, introduction, company profile, narrative of experiences, learnings, problems and solutions, conclusion and recommendations, and appendices such as the daily time record, evaluations, certificate and photos. Schools set their own templates.
How long is a narrative report?
An activity narrative report is often one to three pages plus photos. An OJT or work immersion report is usually 10 to 30 pages including the appendices, depending on the school's template and the length of the training.
Should a narrative report be in first person?
An OJT or work immersion report is written in the first person, since it describes your experience. An activity report written for the school is usually in the third person.
Keep going