Supplementary Materials for IELTS 3: Processes

In Part 1 of the IELTS Writing test you might be asked to describe a process. IELTS Task 1 process questions
are not as common as charts or graphs, but they do come up occasionally.

Different Types of Process Question

There are generally two different types of process question: natural and man-made. Natural processes include
things like the life cycle of a butterfly or frog, pregnancy, the water cycle or how cows produce milk.

Writing Task 1 Process Questions: 5 Step Plan

To understand the task and quickly make a plan to answer process questions you should follow the 7 steps
below:

1. Understand the process. Find the start and the end of the process. Count how many stages there are
and understand what each stage does and the relationship it has with the stage before and after it.
2. Paraphrase the prompt to write your introductory paragraph.
3. Describe what is happening generally in 2 sentences, this is your overview paragraph. Below you will be
shown how to write this in more detail.
4. Divide the process into two or more parts (where useful) and write two separate paragraphs detailing
each set of stages in the process.
5. Proofread your work.

Understand the Process

One of the most challenging things about these questions is having to write about something you have never
seen or heard of before. Don’t worry, try to remember two things.

First, the examiner knows that you have probably never seen this process before and you have only 20
minutes to write about it. They do not expect a perfect answer. Just pick out the main features and report them
as accurately as you can.

Second, you can quickly understand any process by asking yourself these questions:

1. Where does the process start and where does it end?

2. How many stages are there?
3. Is it a man-made process or natural process?
4. Is it a cyclical (in a circle) or linear (one start point and one end point) process?
5. Are there any materials that need to be added to the process?
6. What are materials used at the beginning and what is produced?
7. What does each stage of the process do?
8. What are the relationships between each stage?

The processes you will be asked to write about in the IELTS test will not be very complicated and you should
be able to easily answer all of the questions above. When you do this you will completely understand what is
happening and you will be able to start writing your answer.
You might also be asked to describe a man-made process like how coffee, tea, beer or wine are made, how
cement or bricks are produced or how an ATM or the internet works.

NOTE: Generally, man-made processes are described using the passive voice while natural processes tend to
utilize the active voice. Be sure you are familiar using these and switching between them. In many cases,
either type of process should include most of one voice and some of the other, for GRA scoring purposes.

Active: The examiner marks the test paper

Passive: The test paper is marked

Below is the man-made process of nuclear power generation:

Paraphrase the Question

The first thing we need to do in every question is to paraphrase the general information. Paraphrasing is one of
the most important IELTS skills to master. We paraphrase a sentence by rewriting it so that the words are
different but the meaning stays the same. There are a few different ways we can do this but the easiest way is
to use synonyms and change the word order of the sentence. Synonyms are different words that have the
same meaning (within context).

Let’s look at the questions above and paraphrase them.

Question 1: The diagram below shows the process of photosynthesis.

Paraphrased: The illustration demonstrates how plants produce energy from sunlight.
Question 2: The diagram below shows how electricity is produced in a nuclear power station.
Paraphrased: The illustration below shows the process of how nuclear power plants make electricity.

Every time you see an (Academic) Writing Task 1 question, rewrite the question and this should be your first
paragraph. Now move on and write the next paragraph, the overview.

Overview of Process
The overview is the most important paragraph in the whole report. If you do not write an overview it is
extremely difficult to get a high mark in IELTS Task 1, however, if you learn how to write a good one, you are
far more likely to get the score you deserve.

Overviews for process questions can be done quite easily by asking yourself a few questions. The answers to
these questions will allow you to form 2 overview sentences.

1. Is it a man-made or natural process?

2. How many stages are there?
3. What is produced?
4. Where does it start and where does it end?
5. Is it cyclical or linear?
6. Are any materials added?

You might not be able to answer all of these for each process question, but you will always be able to answer
enough of them to be able to write a good overview.

Let’s look at the photosynthesis example:

1. Is it a man-made or natural process? Natural

2. How many stages are there? Five
3. What is produced? Sugar, oxygen and starch.
4. Where does it start and where does it end? Starts with sun and end with sugar production, oxygen and
starch.
5. Is it cyclical or linear? Linear.
6. Are any materials added? Sunlight, CO2 and water.

This information is combined to make an overview (below).

Photosynthesis is a natural, linear process which enables plants to convert light energy to chemical
energy in the form of sugar. There are five main stages to this process.

Let’s look at the other example:

 1. Is it a man-made or natural process? Man-made
2. How many stages are there? Six
3. What is produced? Electricity
4. Where does it start and where does it end? Starts with uranium fuel and ends with electricity being sent
to the grid.
5. Is it cyclical or linear? Linear
6. Are any materials added? Water and uranium

This is a man-made, linear, 6-stage process that converts nuclear energy into electrical energy by
using water and various heating and cooling measures as well as machinery.

This system can be used for any process question and allows you to produce clear overviews each time. We
can now move on to detailing each stage of the process in our next paragraphs.

Detail Each Stage of the Process

Now that we have paraphrased the question and provided an overview we need to tell the examiner about
each stage in more detail.
You can:

 say what each stage does

 what it produces
 if any materials are added
 and/or discuss the relationship with the previous or subsequent stages.

Sequencing the Process

Use sequencing language to connect the steps and make the report easier to read:

 Firstly First of all

 Secondly After that
 From this Following that Subsequently
 Before that Where where by in which
 In turn which in turn
 Then
If the process is more complex, as in the example above, then you may need to also use these words:

 Alternatively,
 Otherwise,
 In addition,
 At the same time,
 Concurrently,

Make sure you know the meaning and grammar of the words and phrases above before you use them. Do not
use them if you are not 100% sure about how they should be used in a sentence.
Examples: Let’s detail each stage for the first process:
First of all, chlorophyll allows the plant to take in sunlight along the green spectrum and the leaves
also absorb carbon dioxide through openings in their surface. At the same time, water is sucked up
through the roots and this is combined with CO2 and the sun’s rays to produce sugar that can be
utilised by the plant for food.

Oxygen and water are the byproducts of this chemical reaction and it is extracted through a process
called transpiration. Water evaporates from the leaves and O2 is released. Any extra sugar is
deposited in the roots as starch.

You will notice that there are 2 separate paragraphs. I advise students to try and split the process in two and
then write two paragraphs. Separating the process into 2 parts makes it easier to understand and easier to
write about. Not all processes have two distinct parts but most of the IELTS questions can be treated in this
way.

The detail of each stage of the next question is below:

First of all, uranium fuel creates heat in the steam generator and this water vapor flows through pipes
to a turbine. The steam causes the turbine to spin and in turn powers a generator which subsequently
creates electricity.

After that, electricity from the generator is transferred to a transformer where the electric can be
changed to a form that is ready to be sent to the grid to power homes and industry. Hot water makes
its way to a cooling tower, condenses and then returns to the turbine or can flow into the cold water
source.

Proofread Your Writing

You should try to leave 3-4 minutes at the end to check and edit your work. Many students do not do this
because they feel they do not have enough time, however, it is better to try and get everything done in 15
minutes and then check and refine your work, than do everything in 20 minutes.

Things that you should check are:

1. Are there any spelling or punctuation mistakes?

2. Are the verbs the correct tense?
3. Does the process described make sense? Does it match the diagram?
4. Is there any vocabulary repetition that could be removed using synonyms?
5. Do I have clear overview and body paragraphs?
6. Did I write over 150 words?
7. Have I included things only obvious from the diagram?
8. Have I included the main features in the overview?
First Draft of Process Question 1
The illustration demonstrates how plants produce energy from
sunlight.
Photosynthesis is a natural linear process that starts with
sunshine and carbon dioxide being absorbed and ends with
the production of sugar, oxygen and starch. There are five
main stages to this process and it allows plants to convert
light energy to chemical energy in the form of sugar.
First of all, chlorophyll allows the plant to take in sunlight
along the green spectrum and the leaves also absorb carbon
dioxide through openings in their surface. At the same time,
water is sucked up through the roots and this is combined
with CO2 and the sun’s rays to produce sugar that can be
utilised by the plant for food.
Oxygen and water are the byproducts of this chemical
reaction and it is extracted through a process called
transpiration. Water evaporates from the leaves and O2 is
released. Any extra sugar is deposited in the roots as starch.

First Draft of Process Question 2

The illustration below show the process of how nuclear power
plants make electricity.
This is a man-made linear process that starts with the
uranium fuel and water creating steam and ends
with electricity being sent to the grid. There are 6 main stages
including steam production, turbines driving a generator and a
transformer creating electricity.
First of all, uranium fuel creates heat in the steam generator
and this water vapor flows through pipes to a turbine. The
steam causes the turbine to spin and in turn powers a
generator which subsequently creates electricity.
After that, electricity from the generator is transferred to a
transformer where the electric can be changed to a form that
is ready to be sent to the grid to power homes and industry.
Hot water makes its way to a cooling tower, condenses and
then returns to the turbine or can flow into the cold water
source.
Process 1 – Silk Production and the Life Cycle of a Silkworm
An example of when both natural and man-made processes are combined.
For this task type, you should provide a paragraph for each process and be sure to use the correct voice (active for
natural processes and passive for man-made ones).

The second process should be linked to the first (in some way).

Also, note whether you are provided with the nouns and/or verbs in each step/stage of the process, and you should
attempt to change the word form/families of the input vocabulary when possible.
Process 2 - Brick Manufacturing – A man-made / manufacturing / industrial process  use passive voice.
Be aware of the optional steps or where the flowchart diverges.

See if the process can be divided into 2 or 3 distinct parts, e.g. gathering, production, packing, delivery, etc.

Link stages where relevant. Use synonyms and alternative word forms where possible. Make those notes on this page.
Process 3 – Life cycle of Salmon
Process 4 – Glass Bottle Recycling
Process 5 – Cement & Concrete Production

The diagrams below show the stages and equipment used in the cement-making process, and how cement is
used to produce concrete for building purposes.

Summarize the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make comparisons where
relevant.

Write at least 150 words.

The diagrams explain the processes of producing cement and concrete. Overall, there are five stages for

making the cement and one for the concrete. The cement must (1. to make) first, as it (2. to

use) to make the concrete.

To make cement, firstly limestone and clay (3. to feed) into two rollers which (4. to crush)

them up into a powder. This powder (5. to mix + then) together, before (6. to travel) down
a tube and into a rotating heater.
The heat comes up from the bottom as the heater rotates, and once the powder is hot enough, it (7. to

pour) from this machine onto a conveyor belt where it (8. to grind + then) into the cement.

Finally it (9. to pack) into bags.

This cement is then used to produce the concrete. To do this, there is a mixture of 15 per cent cement, 10 per

cent water, 25 per cent sand and 50 per cent gravel. These (10. to place) into a concrete mixer,
which spins in order to form the concrete.

Process 6 – Hydroelectric Dam

Write a 150-word report for a university lecturer explaining how the

process works.

The diagram shows how electricity is generated by a hydroelectric dam.

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 movement of water is transformed into
electrical power.

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.

Answer (from www) to be edited

Process 7 – Electricity Generation from a Geothermal Power Plant

WRITING TASK 1
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.

The diagram below shows how geothermal energy is used to produce electricity.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features and make
comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.

Process 8 – Renewable Energy Generation by Wave Power

Process 9 – Making Chocolate
Process
10 –
Producing
Weather
Forecasts