Professional writing tips for accountants

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You’re an auditor par excellence, master of analysis, Excel extraordinaire, SageOne sage. Your CV is packed to bursting with desirable skills – but can you write?

You might not think it matters, but in our previous article about the importance of writing skills, we highlighted the huge importance of communication for accountants.

Your job gives you an unparalleled insight into the strength of a business, allowing you to become an invaluable business advisor – but only if you can explain financial information in practical terms that non-accountants can understand.

Plus, the introduction of synoptic assessments means that it’s vital to master writing skills early in your career. Lauren Jack, content writer for ICS Learn has some tips.

Good writing guidelines

Think like a reader

Underpinning all good writing is one key rule: imagine yourself as the reader. What knowledge do they already have? What do they most need to know? Make it easy for them to find and understand the information they need.

If they’re not a fellow finance expert, avoid jargon and abbreviations. Avoid presenting numbers without an explanation, and consider using graphs and charts to make things clearer.

Clarity and brevity

Cramming everything you know into a report or memo doesn’t give clients ‘the bigger picture’. Instead, it muddies the water with irrelevant information and makes it easy for them to miss your point.

Avoid this by planning your communication before you write it. Make a mind map or list of all the information you could include, then cross out everything that doesn’t concern the intended reader. Use appendices, if necessary, for information that’s useful but not directly relevant.

Keep your sentences short and simple. Use active voice whenever you can.

Structure

Use sub-headings to group related data, signpost important information and provide a path through the document for your reader. When skim-read, the sub-headings should provide an overview of what the document is about.

Order the sections logically. The ‘Four Ps’ structure is particularly useful for structuring reports, change proposals and executive summaries:

  1. Position: outline the current situation
  2. Problem: describe the main problem or issue
  3. Possibilities: consider various solutions, including taking no action, and outline the pros and cons of each
  4. Proposal: finish up by explaining the solution you’d recommend and why.

If the document is intended to make the reader take action, make sure you prompt this by including your recommendation in the conclusion.

Common spelling and grammar mistakes

Many mistakes can be caught by your spellchecker, but there are a few that are particularly common.

Apostrophes

Nothing rubs linguaphiles up the wrong way like an errant apostrophe, and it’s one of the most noticeable mistakes you can make.  There are full guides to using them correctly but here are some common errors:

When you add an s or es to pluralise a word, don’t add an apostrophe. Two reports are not report’s.

Don’t add apostrophes to singular nouns that happen to end in s. Ideas are not idea’s.

Don’t use apostrophes with verbs – gets is never get’s.

It’s is a contraction, short for it is. Its is possessive, meaning belonging to.

Their, they’re and there

They’re is a contraction that you use in place of they are.

Their shows possession, as in ‘the budget is their responsibility’.

There is a place. It can be used to represent a specific location (‘she is over there’), or to state that something exists (‘there are two meetings on Monday’).

Comma splicing

This common error is where you run two sentences together using a comma. For example:

Comma splicing sticks out like a sore thumb, you should always avoid it.

Fix it by using short sentences with full stops in between each, or add a conjunction:

Comma splicing sticks out like a sore thumb. You should always avoid it.

Comma splicing sticks out like a sore thumb, so you should always avoid it.

Useful tools

Fortunately, you don’t need to remember these rules all on your own. There are many tools to help you hone your writing skills.

  • Grammarly fixes your spelling, grammar and word choice in more depth than regular spellcheckers.
  • Hemingway checks any piece of writing for use of passive voice, complicated sentences, and complex words. It’s useful for teaching you to spot weaknesses in your style, but don’t feel pressured to follow all its recommendations – there’s no substitute for a human reader.
  • There are a huge number of email templates for common business situations available on the internet. This list in Forbes is particularly comprehensive.
  • If your writing skills need some serious attention, a course such as the IGCSE English Language will whip your words into shape.

Browse the full range of AAT study support resources here

Lauren Jack is a content writer for ICS Learn.

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