A guide to tackling this difficult IELTS question. How are process diagrams different from other types of Task 1 question?

1. IELTS writing task 1 –
process diagrams
an introduction

2. How to Tackle a Process
1.Read
2.Understand
3.Organize
4.Write

3. Reading a Process Diagram
Just like with graphs and charts, describing a process
requires you to look carefully and select important features.
You should look for these:
 the main parts or sections of the diagram.
 the relationship between parts in the diagram.
 the order of any stages shown in the diagram.
 any key that accompanies the diagram and helps to
explain it

4. Reading a process diagram
 The most important thing is to find the
beginning and the end.
 This will help structure your writing. The
best thing is to start at the beginning
and carry on until you get to the end.

5. Practice
 Look at the diagram on the following page and try to
find where it begins and ends.

7. Reading a process diagram
 Where is the beginning?
The customer pays by credit card (item 1).
 Where is the end?
The merchant receives his money (item 7).
 Now we know the basic structure of our
report.

8. Understand the different
stages of the process
Next, you have to find out how the process works. It will not
be as simple as it seems. Usually, there is some sort of
problem. Items may not always be in a straightforward order.
To help, ask yourself different questions – who, what, where,
when, why, how.
Look back at the process diagram and ask these questions.

10. Understand the different
stages of the process
 Who is involved?
 5 different parties
 How many stages were there?
 7 stages
 Why do some arrows point two ways?
 You will need to find out and explain
 Why does 4 seem to be in the wrong place?
 You will need to find out and explain

11. Organising your description
First, consider whether you can logically divide your
description into paragraphs. In the diagram above, there
does seem to be a logical solution, as the process falls in to
two parts:
1. the customer receives his goods
2. the merchant gets his money
So, one paragraph can describe how the customer receives
his goods, while another paragraph describes how the
merchant gets his money.

12. The introduction
The introduction should give an overview of the process.
This is similar to describe a graph. It can be helpful to ask
yourself more questions.
 What is the result or aim of the process?
 What changes occur?
 How many stages are there?
 What complications occur?
If you write an effective introduction, you will not need to
write a conclusion.

13. Language
Topic language
Although it may seem difficult, the language required to
understand and describe the process will be everyday
language. You may encounter some vocabulary in the
illustration that you need to use.
As with graphs and charts, you will need to avoid repetition.
Try changing nouns to verbs, for example.

14. The language of the
description
Sequencing language
Because a process is a series of events, the most important
language explains the sequence:
 first
 then
 next
 before
 after
However, avoid repetition.

15. The language of the
description
Passives
A key grammatical area is very often the passive. We use
this when it is not important who “does” the action. So, if
you have a process diagram showing the making of wine,
you may choose to write:
 the grapes are crushed and their stems are removed
Put simply, we make the passive by taking part of the verb
“to be” and adding the 3rd form of the verb.

16. Practice describing this diagram
with a partner using sequencing
language and the passive voice.

17. A Short Sample
 Cacao trees are grown in places like South America,
Africa, and Indonesia. These trees produce ripe red
pods. When these are ready, they are harvested to
produce white cocoa beans, which are then fermented
and dried in the sun, before being placed into large
sacks.

18. Another Example
Let’s look at another example process diagram…
The diagram shows how electricity is generated
by a hydroelectric dam.
Write a 150-word report for a university
lecturer explaining how the process works.

20. The diagram illustrates the basic principles of
hydroelectric power. The process requires the
construction of a large dam connected to a powerhouse.
The dam creates a large reservoir and the powerhouse is
where the electricity is generated.
First of all, water trapped in the reservoir behind the dam
is forced through an intake. It then flows into a narrow
chamber called a penstock, where the resulting high
pressure turns a turbine. The turbine is connected to a
generator in the powerhouse above, and this is where the
movement of the turbine is converted into electricity. The
resulting electricity leaves the powerhouse via cables that
carry it over long distances to where it can be used.
It is interesting to note that a hydroelectric dam creates
no harmful byproducts and relies entirely on natural
forces to produce electricity. After the turbine stage,
water flows out through a second channel and into a
river. The process is renewable, thanks to the water cycle
in nature. [source]

21. Assessment: 8.0
Why does this Task 1 answer get an IELTS Band 8 score?
Task achievement: The introduction paraphrases the question and
describes the constituent parts of the process. The body describes
each stage of the process in sequence.
Coherence and cohesion: The model answer has an introduction,
body and conclusion. Sequencing expressions such as first of all,
then and after are used appropriately. The articles a and the are used
effectively to introduce and refer back to different elements of the
process.
Lexical resource: The labels in the diagram are well integrated into
the model answer and appropriate verbs such as converted, flows
and leaves are used throughout. Less-common words such
as byproducts and renewable are introduced by the writer. Spelling is
always accurate.
Grammatical range and accuracy: The writer uses the present
simple tense and has good control of subject-verb agreement and
active/passive forms. A good balance of simple and complex sentences
is used throughout.

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