Writing · Free lesson
Bug reports: expected versus actual behavior
“The export is broken” gives your teammate little to test. A clear comparison shows the mismatch.
Professor Scott MendozaThe short answer
Expected result describes the intended behavior. Actual result describes what you observed. Add the steps that led to it; keep a possible cause separate.
Compare the intended result with the observed result.
A requirement says Export should download a CSV file. In your test, clicking Export shows a blank page. Write the requirement under Expected and the blank page under Actual. This observation does not tell you which part of the code caused it.
A report someone can check
Clicking Export should download a CSV file.
Clicking Export shows a blank page.
Should describes the intended behavior here, not a result you saw. Observed means seen in the test, not necessarily seen every time.
Give the route to the mismatch
Steps
Open the report and click Export.
Observation
In this test, a blank page appears instead of a download.
Try it now
Choose a useful bug-report line
Read all answers and explanations
The requirement is a CSV download. Which sentence belongs under Expected?
Clicking Export should download a CSV file.Should states the intended result. The blank page is the observation; the server diagnosis is not established.
One test shows a blank page. Choose the accurate Actual line.
In this test, clicking Export shows a blank page.The middle sentence records this test. Always/everyone overstates the evidence; should work is an expectation, not an observation.
You have not investigated the cause. Which line keeps that uncertainty?
The cause is not yet confirmed.Only the last line preserves the unknown cause. The other two diagnose a component without evidence.
Put it into practice
Repair a report
Save should keep a new address. In your test, the old address remains after saving. You do not know the cause. Choose the most useful factual report.
The database is broken. Save does not work.
See a model answer
Expected: Save should keep the new address. Actual: the old address remains after saving. The cause is not yet confirmed.
Other clear wording works. The important distinction is intended behavior versus observed behavior, with no invented cause.
A little more clarity
Common questions
A few useful details before you move on.
Must Actual use the past tense?
No. Present tense can describe a repeatable test result; past tense can report a completed attempt. Keep the meaning and test conditions clear.
The old address remained after I clicked Save.
Should I include what I think caused the bug?
You can label a possible cause as a hypothesis, but keep it separate from the actual result. Someone reading the report should be able to tell what you observed and what you still need to check.
Take it into your day
Expected names the intended result; Actual records the observation. Neither proves the cause.
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