How to write a proposal in English (C1): attributed evidence, a staged pilot and stop conditions

A good proposal lets a decision-maker approve one limited action and know when to stop it. Use headings, describe the current situation with attributed evidence (“According to caretaker logs, …”), make recommendations that follow from it, and set a budget, a success threshold and a stop condition. Distancing language such as “appears to” keeps uncertain information honest without making it vague. This C1 (advanced) topic is for adults who write proposals, reports or funding requests in English.

Who this is for

Advanced adults who write reports, project proposals or funding requests in English for people who were not in the room.
Team leads, coordinators and volunteers who propose trials: a new service, a changed schedule, a pilot in one place before others.
Fluent learners whose formal writing either overclaims (“this will solve the problem”) or hedges so much that it says nothing.
Too early: if you are still learning to report measured results without overstating them, start with the B2 article on proposing a waste-reduction trial.
Too easy: if you already control distancing and conditions without thinking, move on to a C1 balanced essay about smartphone-first community services.

Open the sample pages

Word cards

headings

short labels that let decision-makers locate purpose, evidence, recommendations, and outcomes

Use headings such as Current access problem and Recommended pilot.

current situation

a concise, evidence-based account of the present problem

Attendance records indicate that evening users are regularly locked out.

logical recommendation

an action explicitly connected to an observation or research finding

Because demand peaks after six, we recommend extending staffed access on Tuesdays.

clear and concise style

specific formal wording without irrelevant narrative

Replace ‘We thought it might be nice’ with ‘We recommend a six-week trial.’

Conversation

owen The agent says the building is ready, but the inspection is incomplete.

maya Then I’ll say it appears to be usable, not that it is definitely safe.

owen Good. According to the electrician, one circuit may have been overloaded.

Language pattern

How should the proposal sound?

Formal and specific: “According to caretaker logs, residents currently carry borrowed tools across an unlit courtyard. We therefore recommend a four-week collection pilot in Block C, subject to a fixed transport budget.”

More practice

Model: a protected evening repair desk

PROPOSAL: A SIX-WEEK EVENING REPAIR DESK

Purpose

The aim of this proposal is to recommend a limited evening service while the cooperative operates from the temporary workshop. The proposal is based on four weeks of booking data, brief interviews with twenty-seven members, and the current staffing budget.

Current access problem

Bookings appear to be concentrated between 5.30 and 7.30 p.m., when many members finish work. However, the temporary building must close at 6.00 on three weekdays because no trained key holder is available. According to the booking records, nineteen requests were abandoned after users saw the closing time. It cannot be assumed that every abandoned request represents lost revenue, but the pattern suggests unmet evening demand.

Recommended pilot

We recommend opening until 8.00 p.m. on Tuesdays for six weeks. Rather than hiring a new employee immediately, two existing technicians should rotate the late shift and begin correspondingly later that day. An online form should ask users to choose diagnosis, supervised repair, or collection before attending. This is expected to reduce avoidable waiting and allow suitable tools to be prepared in advance.

Safeguards and measurement

The pilot should have a fixed overtime and security budget of £900. Attendance, revenue, staff hours, repeat visits, and incidents must be recorded separately. If attendance averages fewer than eight users per evening, the service should not be extended without further evidence. Staff feedback should also be reviewed in week three so that financial success is not achieved at the expense of workload.

Conclusion

The available evidence does not justify permanent evening opening at present. Nevertheless, a controlled Tuesday pilot may test demand without committing the cooperative to substantial overheads. If the stated thresholds are met and staff workload remains acceptable, extending the service to a second evening could then be considered.

Plan a different proposal

Maya and Owen review a timetable beside boxed tools and a closed workshop entrance.

Source, possibility, and doubtful claims

apparently

marks heard or read information that may not be true

Apparently, another charity has asked about the building.

according to + source

attributes information or an opinion to a named source

According to the surveyor, the roof needs further testing.

may/might + infinitive or have + past participle

presents present, future, or past possibility rather than fact

The damp may be superficial, or it might have entered through the chimney.

claim + clause / claim + to-infinitive / claim + to have + past participle

reports an assertion whose truth is doubted

The agent claims that the alarm works, claims to know the owner, and claims to have tested every sensor.

Decision-maker edit

Submit and defend the recommendation

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A proposal in six headings

Decision-makers scan for what you want, why, at what cost and when it ends. Short headings let them find each part: “Use headings such as Current access problem and Recommended pilot.”

Purpose: the decision, in one sentence. “This proposal recommends a four-week pilot in two of the three blocks.”
Current situation: the problem and its evidence. “Attendance records indicate that evening users are regularly locked out.”
Recommended pilot: what, where, how long and in what order.
Cost and workload, success and stop conditions, and a cautious expected outcome.

Report evidence at the strength you actually have

Separate what someone told you, what a record shows and what you infer. Notice “appears to be” rather than “is”, the named origin after “According to”, and “may have been” for a past possibility.

Owen The agent says the building is ready, but the inspection is incomplete.

Maya Then I’ll say it appears to be usable, not that it is definitely safe.

Owen Good. According to the electrician, one circuit may have been overloaded.

Distancing patterns for formal writing

Each pattern shows how strong a claim is and who holds it:

According to + a named record or person: “According to the surveyor, the roof needs further testing.”
It appears that …, for an inference: “It appears that the rear wall has moved slightly.” “It would appear that …” is more distant and more formal.
It is believed that …, or subject + is believed/thought/said + to have + past participle for an earlier event: “The contractor is believed to have removed asbestos in March.”
Apparently marks hearsay you cannot confirm: fine when speaking, weak as written evidence.

Two linked recommendations and a staggered pilot

Each recommendation should grow visibly out of an observation, and the second should depend on the first.

Link with therefore and set limits with subject to: “According to caretaker logs, residents currently carry borrowed tools across an unlit courtyard. We therefore recommend a four-week collection pilot in Block C, subject to a fixed transport budget.”
Stagger the pilot and justify the order: “We recommend starting in Block C, where tools are carried furthest, and adding Block A only if the first visits are well attended.”
Use recommend + -ing, or recommend that + subject + base verb: “We recommend that the pilot be reviewed after four weeks.”
Cut the narrative: “Replace ‘We thought it might be nice’ with ‘We recommend a six-week trial.’”

Cost, workload, success and stop conditions

Use precise money nouns and measurable thresholds:

Budget: the money available. Quote: a stated price for work. Grant: money for a purpose, not repaid. Overheads: running costs such as rent.
Revenue is income before costs; profit is what remains. A pilot should not promise profit.
Workload: “Each visit would take up about three hours of staff time.”
Success: “The pilot will be considered successful if at least ten households use the station on each visit by week four.”
Stop: “If fewer than five households attend on three consecutive visits, the pilot will stop.”
A cautious conclusion: “If these conditions are met, the station is likely to reduce unsafe trips across the courtyard.”

Learn this unit your way

Questions to discuss before you write

Answer aloud, with a reason:

“Is a pilot with a clear stop condition more persuasive than a confident full plan?”
“Should a community service charge a small fee, or rely on donations and volunteer time?”
“Who should pay for speed: customers, companies or workers?”

Common mistakes

Check your draft:

“The pilot will solve the problem.” Hedge it: “The pilot is likely to reduce …”
“It is said that the courtyard is dangerous.” Name the record: “According to caretaker logs, …”
“The contractor is believed to remove asbestos in March.” An earlier event needs “is believed to have removed”.
“We recommend to extend the hours.” Write “We recommend extending the hours.”

A 15-minute daily routine

Work on one real or imagined proposal all week.

3 minutes: repeat the briefing above, stressing appears, according to and may have been.
4 minutes: describe your situation with according to and is believed to have.
4 minutes: write two linked recommendations.
4 minutes: write a success condition and a stop condition, each with a number.
Weekend: write 180–230 words under six headings and defend them aloud against one challenge.

What comes next

Stay at C1 with a balanced essay on smartphone-first services, a spoiler warning that controls disclosure, or an art review built on observable evidence. At B2, propose a waste-reduction trial without overstating its results.

Frequently asked questions

How do you write a proposal in English?

Under headings: purpose, the current situation with attributed evidence, linked recommendations, cost and workload, success and stop conditions, and a cautious outcome.

What is a stop condition in a pilot?

A measurable result, agreed in advance, that would end or change the pilot, such as attendance below a set number for several visits in a row.

Is it “It is believed that” or “is believed to”?

Both are correct: “It is believed that the leak began during last winter’s freeze.” or “The leak is believed to have begun during last winter’s freeze.”