The format of an executive summary is one page, in this order: a headline that states the recommendation, one paragraph on why it matters, the two or three numbers that prove it, the risks, and the action you need from the reader with a date. Written as short paragraphs with the numbers in the sentences, under five headings at most, in the same font as the rest of the document. It sits after the title page and before the table of contents, and it is the only page most senior readers will finish.
That is the whole format. The rest of this page shows what it looks like on the page, how it changes for a report, a business plan, a board paper and a proposal, and the formatting mistakes that make a good summary unreadable.
What does the executive summary format look like on the page?
Executive summary
Headline. The recommendation or decision in one sentence, with the number that matters. Two lines.
Why it matters. The one reason this is on the table, in the reader's language. Three to four lines.
The evidence. Two or three figures that make the recommendation credible, with their source. Three to five lines, or three short bullets.
Risks and trade-offs. What could go wrong and what you have done about it. Two to three lines.
Action required. What you need from the reader and by when. One or two lines.
Five short sections, 250 to 500 words in total, one A4 page. The headings are optional in a short summary and useful in a long one, because a board member will scan for "Action required" before reading anything else. If you want this as a file, the executive summary template has exactly this layout in Word and PDF.
What are the formatting rules?
Length. 250 to 500 words. One page. Half a page for a board paper. If it runs onto a second page it is a summary of a summary, so cut.
Order. Answer first. The recommendation is the first sentence, never the last. Background, method and history go in the body of the document.
Paragraphs or bullets. Paragraphs for the headline and the reason, because a bullet cannot carry an argument. Bullets for the evidence, if there are three or more numbers, because the eye finds them faster. Never bullets for everything, which reads as a list of facts with no decision in it.
Numbers. In the sentence, in digits, with a unit and a comparison. "Revenue of £4.2m, up 18% on last year" rather than "strong revenue growth".
Headings. At most five, plain words, no numbering. Bold is enough.
Type and spacing. The same font and size as the body of the document, 11 or 12 point, normal margins. A summary in a different font looks like a cover note and gets treated like one.
Voice. Active. "We recommend", "the board should approve", "finance has verified". Passive sentences hide who is responsible and senior readers notice.
Position. After the title page, before the table of contents, with its own page number. Where it goes is a question people ask often enough that it has its own answer.
How does the format change by document type?
Report
The five-section layout above, in full. A report summary is the one most likely to be read on a phone, so the headline carries the finding and the number, and the evidence section is three bullets.
Business plan
The same order with two sections added: the market (size and why now) and the team (why these people). Investors read the summary and decide whether to open the plan, so it ends with the ask, the use of funds and the date the round closes. One page, never two.
Board paper
Half a page at the top of page one, under the title. Decision requested, rationale, financial impact, key risks, action required. Most board papers skip the table of contents altogether, so the summary and the first numbered section are the whole structure.
Proposal or bid
Headline on the client's outcome, not your capability. Evidence is the proof you can deliver (comparable results, named references where allowed). Risks are the client's, with your mitigation. Action is the decision and the start date. The format is the same; only the point of view changes, and it is always the buyer's.
Project status report
Three lines will do: where we are against plan, what has changed, what you need from the reader. The format exists to be short.
A formatted example
A board paper, 168 words, in the layout above:
Invest £40m in a new customer platform, or lose an estimated £120m in revenue to competitors over three years.
Our customer systems are losing us customers. The mobile app has a 2.1 star rating, the website converts at 1.2% against an industry average of 3 to 4% and customer data sits in 14 separate systems with no single view.
A new integrated platform fixes all three. The business case shows payback in year four from higher conversion, lower service costs and better retention. Implementation starts in Q2 and runs 18 months.
The main risk is delivery slippage during migration, which we have mitigated with a phased cut-over and a tested fallback. The detailed plan and risk register are in Appendix B.
We are asking the board to approve vendor selection now and the capital allocation in next year's budget.
Headline with the number. Reason in the reader's terms. Three figures. One risk with its mitigation. The ask. Nothing else.
What formatting mistakes make a summary unreadable?
Starting with background. A wall of bullets with no sentence that says what you want. Numbers hidden in an appendix. A different font or a box that makes it look like a sidebar. Five sub-headings with two words under each. A second page. Passive voice throughout ("it has been determined"). A summary that formats beautifully and never says what the reader should do.
Common questions about executive summary format
Should an executive summary be in bullet points or paragraphs?
Mostly paragraphs, with bullets only for the evidence. The recommendation needs a sentence; a bullet cannot carry an argument.
Does an executive summary need headings?
Under 250 words, no. Over that, up to five plain headings so a reader can jump to "Action required".
What font and size should an executive summary use?
The same as the rest of the document, usually 11 or 12 point. Changing the font makes it look like a cover note.
How long should the executive summary be?
250 to 500 words, one page. Half a page for a board. There is a longer answer on length, by document type.
Is there a template with this format?
Yes, free, in Word and PDF: the executive summary template. And once you have written one, the executive summary checker scores it against these rules in 10 seconds.
