What is an IELTS Process Diagram?

To begin, look at this question:

You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram illustrates the process that is
used to manufacture bricks for the building
industry.
Summarize the information by selecting and
reporting the main features and make comparisons
where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

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 above, this is fairly clear. It begins with the digging of the
clay, and ends with delivery.
Processes are not always this clear, and you may 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.
Introduce the Diagram
As with any task 1, you can begin by paraphrasing the rubric:
The diagram explains the way in which bricks are made for the building
industry.
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.
Highlight the main points
An IELTS 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 of what is taking place.
The public band descriptors state that to achieve a band 6 or more
for task response the student must provide an overview in a task 1.
As there are no trends to comment on, 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.
Giving the detail
Now you need to explain the IELTS process diagram, and there are two key
aspects of language associated with this:
Time Connectors
A process is a series of events, one taking place after the other.
Therefore, to connect your stages, you should use time connectors.
Here is the rest of the answer with the time connectors highlighted (notice
that you simply go from the beginning to the end of the process):

To begin, the clay used to make the bricks is dug up from the ground by
a large digger. This clay is then placed onto a metal grid, which is used to
break up the clay into smaller pieces. A roller assists in this process.
Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is
turned into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter.
Next, these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 48 hours.
In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling
process. They are heated in a kiln at a moderate and then a high
temperature (ranging from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling
process in a chamber for 2 3 days. Finally, the bricks are packed and
delivered to their destinations.
These connectors are the same you would use to write a graph over time
when you explain a series of changes.
These are some common IELTS process diagram connectors:
To
begin
Following
this
Next
Then
After
After
that
Before**
Subsequentl
y
Finally

** If you use before, this means that you will be mentioning a later stage
before an earlier stage, so you need to use it carefully. If you can use it
properly though, it will get noticed.
Here is an example using stages four and five:
Before being dried in the oven, the mixture is turned into bricks by either
placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter.
The Passive
When we describe an IELTS process, the focus is on the activities, NOT
the person doing them.
When this is the case, we use the passive voice, not the active.

This is a brief explanation of how to use the passive voice, but if you are
new or unsure about using it, you should do some further study and
practice.
This is difficult as some verbs cannot take the passive. For example, 'to
go' cannot be passive, so it is kept in the active voice:
...the bricks go through a heating and cooling process.
This is why you need to make sure you practice the passive so you know
exactly how to use it.
Also, as you will see from the description, it is more usual to comment on
who or what is doing the action so the 'by...." phrase is excluded.
Here is the same example description with uses of the passive
highlighted:
To begin, the clay (which is) used to make the bricks is dug up from the
ground by a large digger. This clay is then placed onto a metal grid,
which is used to break up the clay into smaller pieces. A roller assists in
this process.
Following this, sand and water are added to the clay, and this mixture is
turned into bricks by either placing it into a mould or using a wire cutter.
Next, these bricks are placed in an oven to dry for 24 48 hours.
In the subsequent stage, the bricks go through a heating and cooling
process. They are heated in a kiln at a moderate and then a high
temperature (ranging from 200c to 1300c), followed by a cooling process
in a chamber for 2 3 days. Finally, the bricks are packed and delivered
to their destinations.
Varying your Language
Sometimes it may be appropriate just to use the same language that you
are given in the IELTS process diagram to describe it, but you should try to
vary it.
You may be able to use nouns from the diagram as your verbs. For
example, the noun packaging in stage seven becomes:
Finally, the bricks are packed
IELTS writing task 1 process diagrams an introduction
The process diagram is in many ways the odd one out in academic task 1
and it requires some different language from the other task types. This
lesson shows you some of the skills you need to tackle a process diagram.
In it, I talk you through some of the difficulties in describing a process and

suggest some basic techniques to help you understand the diagram and
write the description. You will also find a sample task and description.
Reading a process diagram find the beginnings and ends
The first step in learning to write about a process diagram is to see where
the process starts and ends. Sometimes it is evident, frequently it is less
so. This is important information as it will help structure your writing. The
obvious thing to do is to start at the beginning and carry on until you get
to the end.
An example

Where is the beginning here? The customer pays by credit card (item
1). Where is the end? The merchant receives his money (item 7). We now
know part of the structure of our report.
Understand the different stages of the process
The next point is to try and understand how the process works. Typically,
there will be some problem in understanding the diagram: it is not always
the case that everything is in a natural order. The key is to stop and think

and look. This is a visual task and you need to look at all the visual clues.
What you are looking for are normally simple things. It is often a good idea
to ask yourself the WH questions.
In the diagram above, we see the following details:

there are 5 parties involved (the pictures) (WHO)

there are 7 stages in the process (the numbers) (HOW MANY)

some of the arrows point in two different directions this needs to

be explained

item 4 seems to be out of order as it is next to 1

Find a way of organising your description

This is another thinking task. Before you start writing, you want to see if
there is some way to organise your report into paragraphs. This is not
absolutely essential but it can help the organisation of your writing. 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
As this is the case, I am going to do the logical thing and divide my
description into two main paragraphs. One to describe the authorisation
process until the customer gets his/her money and one for the payment
process until the merchant is paid.
The introduction and conclusion
This is a key part of your description. What you need to do here is to give
the examiner an overall view of the process. Again, you want to ask
yourself questions, such as:

what happens as a result of this process?

is there any change involved?

how many stages are there in this process?

is there one simple process or are there variations within the

process?

Typically, you will either write a longer introduction or add a conclusion.

You will not normally need both an extended introduction and conclusion.

The language of the description

Topic language
The process will normally be an everyday event that everyone is familiar
with, you should not need any specialised language. Sometimes, as in this
example, you will be given some topic vocabulary. If you are, be careful of
two points:
1. try to vary the language if you can, but dont worry too much if you
cant. It may be that the language you are given is the correct topic
language and there are no, or few, variations
2. dont copy language incorrectly. If you are given a verb, you may
need to change it into a noun
Sequencing language
Some of the most important language you need is vocabulary to say in
what order things happen. It is important to have some variation here.
Some very basic options are:

next

then

after

before

once

See this download for an explanation of this language: Sequencing

language for process diagrams (33724)
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.
Sample description with detailed notes
Describing a natural process in task 1 writing
If you are unlucky enough to get a process diagram in academic task 1, it
is quite possible that you will need to be able to describe a process or
cycle from nature. In this lesson, I talk you through how to approach this

type of task with tips on understanding the diagram and writing a

description that is coherent and well-structured.
The diagram

Understanding the cycle what are the stages in it?

The first step is to remember that your goal is to provide a clear summary
of what the diagram shows. This cycle is difficult in that it has no obvious
beginning or end. The idea is to try and look and see if you can divide the
diagram into separate parts. This makes it easier to write about than if
you look at he whole diagram at once. Put another way, I ask myself if
there are any stages within this cycle I can use to structure my
description.
The top tip is to look for visual clues and here I see two distinct stages by
looking at the arrows: some point down and some point up.

1. The food chain

Looking at the central part of the diagram, I see a row of arrows pointing
downwards. This shows how carbon from the atmosphere is used by
plants and animals. It is, if you look closely, a food chain. The atmosphere
provides CO2 to plants which are eaten by insects which are eaten by
small animals which are then eaten by larger animals. All I have to do now
is put this into decent English, trying not to repeat the language of the
diagram too much.
2. Return of CO2 to the atmosphere
The second part of the cycle is quite straight forward. There are on either
side a set of arrows pointing upwards to show the return of CO2 to the
atmosphere. This shows me that respiration, fuel consumption and waste
products are the 3 ways in which CO2 returns to the atmosphere to
complete the cycle.

Thinking vocabulary
This diagram gives you a certain of language. You have the choice of
whether to repeat it in your description or try and vary it. What you do
here will depend on how well you understand the diagram and the words.
It is not an absolute disaster in this task if you do repeat some of the
words from the diagram as they are technical terms. You should, however,
try and find alternatives for the more general English words.
carbon dioxide: no alternative
atmosphere: no alternative
terrestrial and aquatic: either repeat the words, or if you understand them
try land and water
primary, secondary, tertiary: these mean first, second and third level
consumers: try the word eat or vary it to consume or consumption
respiration: this means breathing
Read my sample description
This diagram shows how the carbon cycle works in nature. The first part of
the cycle is providing plants and animals on both land and sea with the
carbon dioxide they need to exist and the second part of the cycle is the
return of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere.
The first part of the cycle shows a food chain where plants and grasses
absorb carbon dioxide from the air. These plants are a food source for
primary consumers such as insects which are in turn eaten by the second

level consumers, including smaller birds and fish. At the end of this food
chain are larger animals and mammals which use the secondary level
consumers as a source of carbon and food.
The second part of the cycle shows how there are two main ways in which
carbon dioxide is returned to the atmosphere. This can either happen as a
result of living beings breathing or consuming fuel, or as a product of the
waste and remains from their death.
Understand the coherent structure of the description
It is important that you make your description coherent and wellstructured. The main idea is to think carefully about how you start your
sentences and paragraphs. This is a very useful word here.