E8 E - Report an interview accurately
aiMOOCE8 E - Report an interview accurately
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E8 E - Report an interview accurately
Mini-description: Turn the key statements, questions and requests from a short interview into a clear, accurate report. You keep the meaning, change the perspective and show who said what.
Level: English as a first foreign language, Grade 8, Baden-Württemberg, E level.
Look first: What makes an interview useful for a report? Name three things you would listen for.
Try before help: Write your ideas in English. If you get stuck, ask a partner for one useful phrase. Then use the hints below. German help comes last.
I can ...
At the end of this aiMOOC, you can report an interview accurately and independently.
- I can identify the main message, relevant details, questions and requests.
- I can use reported speech with backshift.
- I can report questions and commands.
- I can use the passive when the action is more important than the person.
- I can structure a short interview report with an opening, main points and a closing sentence.
- I can check whether my report keeps the original meaning.
- I can react to another person's report and explain what is accurate, unclear or missing.
Before you start: what do you already know?
Read the three lines.
Ava said, “We started the event last month.”
Ben asked, “Why did you start it?”
Ava said, “Please bring clean clothes.”
Try: Which line is a statement, which is a question and which is a request?
Ask: Compare with a partner.
Hint: Look at punctuation and the verb.
Deutsch-Hilfe, nur wenn nötig: Aussage – Frage – Aufforderung.
Context: a short school interview
The profiles below are fictional. No real social-media accounts, private contact data or personal recordings are used.
Interviewer: Ben Carter, 14, school reporter.
Interviewee: Ava Patel, 14, member of the fictional Green Team.
Topic: A clothes-swap event at school.
The interview
Ben: “Why did your team start the clothes-swap event?”
Ava: “We had noticed that many good clothes were being thrown away.”
Ben: “How many students took part last Friday?”
Ava: “About eighty students came. More than one hundred and twenty items were exchanged.”
Ben: “Will you run the event again?”
Ava: “Yes. We will organise another event in November.”
Ben: “What should students do before they bring clothes?”
Ava: “Please wash the clothes first and label the sizes.”
Ben: “Can anyone help?”
Ava: “Yes. Ask the Green Team by Friday.”
First task: Without writing full sentences, note the five most important facts.
Listening and viewing strategy
When you hear an interview, do not try to write every word.
First listening: Who? What topic? What is the main message?
Second listening: Note key facts, numbers, reasons, plans and requests.
Third listening, if needed: Check exact meaning and speaker.
Use short notes, not full sentences.
Media task: Look at the waveform. Explain why pausing and replaying a short section can improve accuracy, but why copying every word is not the goal.
Watch: reported speech
While watching: Note one example of a tense change and one reporting verb.
After watching: Explain the change in your own words.
Watch: reported questions
Focus: Reported questions use statement word order.
Direct: Ben asked, “Why did you start it?”
Reported: Ben asked why they had started it.
Watch: passive forms
Focus: Use the passive when the action or result matters more than the actor.
More than one hundred and twenty items were exchanged.
Reading: from interview to report
Read the short report.
Sample report
Ben Carter interviewed Ava Patel about the school clothes-swap event. Ava explained that her team had started the event because they had noticed that many good clothes were being thrown away. She said that about eighty students had taken part and that more than one hundred and twenty items had been exchanged. When Ben asked whether the event would happen again, Ava said that another event would be organised in November. She asked students to wash the clothes first and to label the sizes. She also told possible helpers to contact the Green Team by Friday.
Notice: The report is shorter than the interview. It keeps the important meaning, but it does not copy every sentence.
Accuracy check
A good report answers four questions:
- Who said it?
- What was the key message?
- Was it a statement, question or request?
- Did the report keep the original meaning?
Do not add opinions that were not in the interview.
Do not turn an uncertain statement into a fact.
Do not remove a condition, number or time reference if it changes the meaning.
Context vocabulary
| English | Meaning in this course | Example |
|---|---|---|
| reporting verb | a verb that introduces reported information | said, explained, asked, told |
| key point | an important idea | the reason for the event |
| request | something a speaker asks someone to do | Please wash the clothes. |
| source | where information comes from | the interview |
| accurate | faithful to the original meaning | The number stays the same. |
| relevant | useful for the report | the plan for November |
Try: Use three of the words in your own sentences.
Pronunciation for clear reporting
Accuracy also depends on being easy to understand. Accent-free English is not the goal.
said /sed/
asked /ɑːskt/ or /æskt/
told /təʊld/
reported /rɪˈpɔːtɪd/
Try: Read this sentence with clear stress on the key information:
Ava said that another event would be organised in November.
Hint: Stress another event and November more than grammar words.
Functional grammar
Backshift in reported speech
When the reporting verb is in the past, English often moves the tense one step back.
| Direct speech | Reported speech |
|---|---|
| present simple | past simple |
| present continuous | past continuous |
| present perfect | past perfect |
| past simple | past perfect |
| will | would |
Direct: Ava said, “We will organise another event.”
Reported: Ava said that they would organise another event.
Precision note: If information is still clearly true, English can sometimes keep the original tense. In this course, practise backshift when you report a past interview unless keeping the tense is needed for meaning.
Reported questions
Do not keep question word order.
Direct: Ben asked, “How many students took part?”
Reported: Ben asked how many students had taken part.
For yes/no questions, use if or whether.
Direct: Ben asked, “Will you run it again?”
Reported: Ben asked whether they would run it again.
Reported commands and requests
Use ask/tell + person + to + verb.
Direct: Ava said, “Please wash the clothes.”
Reported: Ava asked students to wash the clothes.
Direct: Ava said, “Ask the Green Team by Friday.”
Reported: Ava told possible helpers to contact the Green Team by Friday.
Passive voice: productive at E level
Use be + past participle.
Active: Students exchanged more than one hundred and twenty items.
Passive: More than one hundred and twenty items were exchanged.
The passive is useful in reports when the result matters more than the actor.
Past perfect progressive: receptive only
You may meet sentences such as:
Ava said that the team had been collecting ideas for several weeks.
You only need to understand the meaning here: the activity started earlier and continued for a period before another past point.
You do not need to produce this form in your report.
Try: transform the interview
Change each line into reported speech.
A. Ava said, “We had noticed a problem.”
B. Ben asked, “Why did you start the event?”
C. Ava said, “Please wash the clothes first.”
D. Ava said, “We will organise another event.”
E. Ben asked, “Can anyone help?”
Try first.
Ask: Compare one sentence with a partner.
Hint: Check tense, pronouns, word order and reporting verb.
Deutsch-Hilfe, nur wenn nötig: Prüfe Zeitform, Pronomen, Satzstellung und Einleitungsverb.
Build a structured report
Use this simple structure.
Opening: Who interviewed whom, and about what?
Main point one: reason or background.
Main point two: important facts or results.
Main point three: plan, question or request.
Closing: next step or final relevant point.
Useful frame:
Ben Carter interviewed Ava Patel about ...
Ava explained that ...
When Ben asked ..., Ava replied that ...
She added that ...
Finally, she asked/told ... to ...
Speaking: report it orally
Work in pairs.
Student A reads the interview.
Student B closes the text and gives a forty-five-second report from notes.
Then switch roles.
Spontaneous follow-up: The listener asks one question: What was the most important point, and why?
Feedback: Mention one accurate detail and one point that could be clearer.
Recording is optional. If you record yourself, keep the file private unless your teacher has set up a safe school system. Do not upload recordings without being asked.
Writing: your short interview report
Write about 120–160 words.
Your report should include:
- a clear opening;
- the main reason or message;
- at least two accurate details;
- one reported question;
- one reported request or command;
- one useful passive form;
- a short closing sentence.
Do not copy the interview line by line.
Self-edit in three passes
Pass one – meaning: Did I keep the original message?
Pass two – grammar: Did I check backshift, reported questions, commands and passive forms?
Pass three – style: Is the report clear, concise and logically ordered?
Direct feedback and error analysis
Correct the problem in each sentence.
Meaning error: Ava said that two hundred students had taken part. Check the source before changing grammar.
Word-order error: Ben asked why did they start the event. After asked why, use statement word order.
Backshift error: Ava said that they will organise another event. With a past reporting verb, check whether will should become would.
Command error: Ava told that students wash the clothes. Use told + person + to + verb or asked + person + to + verb.
Passive error: More than one hundred and twenty items exchanged. The passive needs a form of be.
Feedback rule: Fix meaning first. Grammar cannot rescue an inaccurate fact.
Mediation: no full translation
A German school notice says:
Beim Kleidertausch dürfen nur saubere und tragbare Kleidungsstücke abgegeben werden. Die Größen sollen gut sichtbar markiert sein. Helferinnen und Helfer melden sich bis Freitag beim Green Team.
Your English-speaking exchange partner asks what matters.
Task: Give the key information in two or three English sentences. Do not translate every word.
Hint: Select only what the person needs to act correctly.
Media literacy and perspective
An interview report is always a selection.
Ask:
- Which statements were included?
- Which details were left out?
- Does the report separate fact from opinion?
- Can the source be checked?
- Has a question been turned into a statement by mistake?
Transfer: Compare two short reports of the same fictional interview. Explain which differences are about style and which differences change the meaning.
Safe and responsible use of AI
AI can suggest language feedback, but it must not replace your own report.
Use AI only if your teacher allows it.
Do not enter private recordings, private names, personal social-media data or confidential school information into external AI tools.
Check whether AI feedback matches the task, the E8-E language level and the original interview.
Verify facts yourself.
Keep your own wording and revise it consciously.
Can-do check
Mark each statement with yes, almost or not yet.
| I can ... | yes | almost | not yet |
|---|---|---|---|
| find the main points in a short interview | |||
| report statements with suitable backshift | |||
| report questions with correct word order | |||
| report commands and requests | |||
| use a passive form when useful | |||
| check my report against the source | |||
| explain why a report is accurate or inaccurate |
Follow-up course
Next step: Compare viewpoints in a news report.
Use the same accuracy skills, but add contrasting perspectives and source evaluation.
Interaktive Aufgaben
Quiz: Teste Dein Wissen
What is the main aim of an interview report? (To present the key information accurately) (!To copy every word) (!To add the reporter's opinion) (!To change difficult facts)
Which sentence reports a past statement correctly? (Ava said that they would organise another event.) (!Ava said that they will organised another event.) (!Ava said that would they organise another event.) (!Ava said they organising another event.)
Which sentence reports a question correctly? (Ben asked why they had started the event.) (!Ben asked why had they started the event.) (!Ben asked why did they start the event.) (!Ben asked why they start did the event.)
Which word can introduce a reported yes-no question? (whether) (!because) (!although) (!during)
Which sentence reports a request correctly? (Ava asked students to wash the clothes.) (!Ava asked students wash the clothes.) (!Ava asked to students washing the clothes.) (!Ava asked that students to washed the clothes.)
Which sentence is passive? (More than one hundred and twenty items were exchanged.) (!Students exchanged many items.) (!Students were exchanging items.) (!Many students came to the event.)
What should you check first during error analysis? (Whether the meaning matches the source) (!Whether every sentence is long) (!Whether every verb is passive) (!Whether the report uses rare words)
What is best during a first listening? (Identify the topic and main message) (!Write every single word) (!Translate every sentence) (!Pause after every word)
What should happen to question word order in reported questions? (It changes to statement word order) (!It stays exactly the same) (!The verb always moves to the front) (!The subject is removed)
How should AI be used for this task? (As checked support for feedback and revision) (!As a replacement for your own report) (!For uploading private recordings) (!For inventing missing interview facts)
Memory
| reporting verb | introduces reported information |
| backshift | moves a tense one step back |
| passive | focuses on an action or result |
| request | asks someone to do something |
| source | provides the original information |
| key point | carries important meaning |
| whether | can introduce a yes-no question |
| accuracy | keeps the original meaning |
Drag and Drop
| Ordne die richtigen Begriffe zu. | Thema |
|---|---|
| reported statement | Ava said that they would organise another event. |
| reported question | Ben asked why they had started the event. |
| reported request | Ava asked students to wash the clothes. |
| passive form | The items were exchanged. |
| opening sentence | Ben interviewed Ava about the clothes-swap event. |
| accuracy check | Compare the report with the original source. |
Kreuzworträtsel
| backshift | What grammar change often moves a tense one step into the past? |
| interviewer | Who asks the questions in an interview? |
| passive | Which voice focuses on an action or result? |
| command | What kind of utterance tells someone to do something? |
| source | What should you check to verify the original information? |
| accuracy | What quality means keeping the original meaning correctly? |
LearningApps
Lückentext
Offene Aufgaben
Leicht
- Key points: Read the fictional interview and reduce it to five note-form points without full sentences.
- Reported speech: Change four direct statements into reported statements and underline the tense changes.
- Reported questions: Write three direct interview questions and report them with correct word order.
- Pronunciation: Practise a forty-second oral report and mark the words that need strong stress for clear meaning.
Standard
- Interview report: Write a 120–160-word report of the fictional clothes-swap interview and include one passive form.
- Peer feedback: Exchange reports and identify one accurate detail, one unclear sentence and one grammar point to revise.
- Mediation: Turn a short German school notice into a concise English message for an exchange student without translating everything.
- Media literacy: Compare the interview transcript with the sample report and explain what was selected, shortened or reorganised.
Schwer
- Perspective: Write two short reports of the same interview for two different school audiences and explain how selection changes while facts stay the same.
- Error analysis: Create six realistic reporting errors, classify them as meaning, tense, word order, command, passive or style errors, and correct them.
- Interview project: Conduct a short fictional-role interview in class, take notes and produce an accurate report. Use no private social-media data.
- Source evaluation: Compare a transcript, notes and a final report and judge which changes are acceptable compression and which distort the original meaning.
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Lernkontrolle
- Meaning and grammar: You receive a short interview and two reports. Explain which changes preserve meaning and which change it.
- Perspective shift: Rewrite a direct question, statement and request as one coherent report paragraph and explain your grammar choices.
- Information selection: Choose which six details from a longer interview belong in a short school-news report and justify every omission.
- Media comparison: Compare a spoken answer with a written summary and identify where tone, hesitation or emphasis might affect interpretation.
- Transfer task: Report a short interview about a new school rule, using at least one reported question, one request and one passive form.
- Revision strategy: Improve a weak report in three passes: meaning, grammar and style. Explain which change had the greatest effect on accuracy.
Lernnachweis
For a successful learning record, show that you can:
- identify central statements, questions and requests;
- select relevant information without changing meaning;
- use reported speech with suitable backshift;
- report questions with statement word order;
- report commands and requests with suitable reporting verbs;
- use the passive productively where it helps;
- understand the past perfect progressive when it appears;
- structure a concise interview report;
- check facts against the source;
- revise language precisely without replacing your own text;
- give constructive feedback on accuracy and clarity;
- handle recordings, profiles and AI tools safely.
OERs zum Thema
Wikipedia background: Interview
Wikipedia background: Indirekte Rede
Freie Medienhinweise: Die eingebundenen Wikimedia-Commons-Dateien werden über ihre Dateiseiten mit den dort angegebenen freien Lizenzen verwendet. Die eingebetteten Lernvideos stammen aus offiziellen Bildungsangeboten von BBC Learning English und British Council LearnEnglish Teens.
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