This document provides guidance on summarizing process diagrams for the Academic Writing Task 1. It advises analyzing the task and diagram to identify the stages and order of the process. Descriptions should be written in paragraphs with the stages presented in sequential order, using passive voice and sequencing words to connect each step. Key details are to focus on the activities rather than people, begin with an overview, and utilize time connectors to flow clearly from start to finish of the process.
2. READING SECTION 2:
• Matching information
• Matching features
• Summary completion
3. Matching information
• In this type of task you need to match specific information, for
example a reason, a description, an explanation, to the section
of a text where it can be found. The text is divided into
sections which are labelled A, B, C etc. Your answer to the
questions is the letter of the relevant section, not all sections
may be used.
• The questions do not follow the order of the information in the
text.
4. Strategies for Mitching Information Task
• You have to find specific information, recognizing what
reason, explanation, example, comparison, summary or
description are, in a paragraph. You don’t have to say
what a whole paragraph is about.
• You shouldn’t bear in mind that the numbered questions
are paraphrases of bits of information in the paragraphs.
• Before looking detailed information, it is a good idea to
have a general idea what is in the paragraphs first, so
you should skim –read the text first to find out.
• When you working with paraphrases, underlining key
words in the questions can help.
• If you keep the questions or key words in mind when you
are reading, you are more likely to find the information
you are looking for.
5.
6. • Matching features
• In this type of task, you will be asked to match a
numbered list of factual statements or opinions to
a group of features taken from a text.
• This task tests your ability to identify opinions
and recognize the connections between facts in a
text.
• The information contained in the list of
statements is NOT in the order you read about it
in the text.
7. Strategies for Matching Features Task
• Consider that there are sometimes more options (Lists A, B, C
etc) than questions (numbered). They are listed in the order
they appear in the text. Quickly locate them and underline
them.
• Identify facts and opinions
• Identify some areas that that are mentioned in the text.
• Skimming the paragraph and make a note about the topic of
each paragraph.
• Make notes about the information in each paragraph what the
paragraph says about each option.
• Work on synonyms and paraphrasing both question and text.
• Scan the text to make sure you have identified all the
information about a topic and match each question to one
option.
8. SPEAKING PARTS 2 & 3
• Preparing notes
• Using adjectives
• Talking in general about a topic
9. • Preparing notes
• In the Speaking Part 2, on the topic card, you
are given prompts to help you. Think of
something to say about each of these and
make a note. It is important to:
• To keep to the topic
• To keep talking
10.
11. The example shows:
1. The candidate will use Past tenses (e.g. past simple, past
continuous, past perfect) because the question asks about a
completed action in the past.
2. He is reminding himself to speak with more variation in
pitch so that he conveys the excitement of the match to the
examiner.
3. He is going to reveal who won towards the end, probably to
create some suspense (setgel hodlom baidliig bii bolgoh)
and make his talk more interesting through the questions
what, where, when and who won.
4. He uses shorthand that has written final so atmosph.
Electric, instead of writing It was a final so the atmosphere
was electric,
5. He wants to remember different vocabularies to show he
has a good lexical resource, including collocations and
whole phrases, not just single words.
12. Strategies for making notes in Speaking part 2
Identify what verb tenses you will use.
Remind yourself to express your emotion about the actions,
which you talk.(Remind yourself to speak with more
variation in pitch.(сэтгэл хөдлөлийн өөр өөр түвшинд
хувирч ярих))
Try to create some suspense and make talk interesting.
Write only the key words, omitting less important words
such as articles and auxiliary verbs when make notes. You
don’t need to write full sentences.
Develop your own shorthand to save time, such as + for
and, w.for with, and yrs for years.
Note a wide range of relevant vocabularies.
13. Speaking Parts 2: Using adjectives
• When you talk about emotional and enjoyable actions or
your favourite things you can use positive adjectives to
impress an examiner.
• For example: Describe a wedding event.
• Phrases: marvelous wedding event,
• delightful wedding decorations,
• colossal hall,
• warm-hearted atmosphere,
• time-honoured tradition
14. You can express enthusiasm by using:
Expressive language: e.g. It was amazing! The crowd went
wild!
Eye contact and body language: look the examiner in the
eye as you speak. When you are enthusiastic, your language
is more dynamic than usual: you may sit forward in your
seat, widen your eyes and use your hands.
Stress and intonation: to express enthusiasm, you should
put extra emphasis on the stressed syllables of the most
important words, expressing how you feel about the story
which you talk, for example positive adjectives to express
enthusiasm or negative adjectives to express
annoyance.(durguitsel)
15. Note: The correct intonation- intonation that reflects
accurately how you feel – will improve your marks. It you
are telling an exciting story, but your intonation makes
you sound bored, the examiner will probably find your
story less interesting.
We use different intonation to express different emotions.
The best way to improve your intonation is to listen to
how English-speakers say something, as well as what they
say. You could watch a film and listen carefully to how
the characters sound when they are sad, happy, frightened
and so on. Pause the film and imitate them.
16. Speaking Part 3: Talking in general about a topic
In speaking part 3, there will be sets of questions of
increasing levels of difficulty and with high level students
who are performing well, the examiner will select a more
challenginh set of questions that enables the candidate to
perfrom to the best of their ability.
The questions are about their opinions and ideas on
abstract topics and they are expected to give general
answers rather than talk about themselves. The candidate
should answer the questions at length.
17. Strategies for Generalization in Speaking Part 3.
Listen carefully to the instructions and questions.
Consider what exminer is expecting uoi to do, e.g. giving
reasons, explain something, compare two things, agree or
disagree, etxc.
Make sure your replies are relevant and try to extend your
answers.
Make sure you know the sort of topics that come up in Part 3
(e.g. environmental issues, language and communications,
human relationships, education and learning, etc) and learn
some vocabularies and phrases related to them.
Remember that there are no right or wrong answers. The
examier is interested in hearing whether you can talk fluently
about abstract topics and organize your points in a logical way.
Use words and phrases which show that you are making
general points; e. g. In general, Generally etc.
18. Useful language: Generalising and distancing
I tend to think …
It seems to me …
On the whole, …
Generally / Broadly speaking, / In general, …
Most / The majority of people …
19. WRITING TASK 1: Summarizing a diagram
• Analyzing the task
• Writing in paragraphs
• Ordering information
• Using sequencers
20. In Task of the Academic Writing Module you may be
given a diagram or other graphic data and asked to
describe a process or explain how something works.
21. Analyzing a task
A process will have a number of stages that are in time
order. So you should start at the beginning and describe each stage
through to the last one. In the example picture above, this is fairly
clear. It begins with the digging of the clay and ends with delivery.
When you start describing a process, look at the question. For
example:
Processes are not always such clear and you have to look more
carefully to spot the beginning and there may also be two things
happening at the same time.
So it is important that you look at other sample processes to get a
good understanding of how they can vary.
22. Summarizing a diagram
As with any task 1, you can summarize your question by
paraphrasing.
As you can see, this has been taken from the question, but it
has not been copied. You need to write it in your own words.
23. Writing in paragraphs
A process diagram is different to a line, bar, pie chart
or table in that there are not usually key changes or trends
to identify. However, you should still give an overview
or what is taking place.
You can make a comment on, for example, the number of
stages in the process and how it begins and ends:
Overall, there are eight stages in the process, beginning
with the digging up of clay and culminating in delivery.
24. Ordering Information
In the writing paragraph, when you describe a process, the
focus is on the activities, NOT on the person who do them. So in this
case we use the Passive Voice.
When we use the passive voice, we make the object (the clay)
as the subject and the subject (the digger) is used as the object. We also
add in the verb ‘to be’ and past participle (or Verb 3).
(S) A large digger (V) digs up (O) the clay in the ground.- Active
voice
(S) The clay in the ground (V) is dug up (O) by the digger.- Passive
voice
So throughout most of your description for your process diagram, you
should be mostly using the passive voice.
25. Here is the example description with uses of the passive
highlighted:
26. Using sequencers
In the writing paragraphs, you need to explain a series of
events, one taking place after the other. Therefore, to
connect your stages, you should use sequencers or ‘time
connectors’ to give detailed information.
Here is the rest of the answer with the time connectors
highlight (notice that you simply go from the beginning to
the end of the process):
27.
28. There are some common sequencers (sequencing words)
to begin
following this
first of all
firstly
next
in the next stage
then
after that
afterwards
secondly
subsequently
meanwhile
at the same time
finally
before*
•
