IELTS WRITING TASK 1: PROCESS

The diagram below shows the water cycle, which is the continuous movement of water on, above
and below the surface of the Earth.

Write a report for a university lecturer describing the information below.

Write at least 150 words.

The diagram below shows the various stages involved in the production of beer.

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The diagram illustrates the process that is used to manufacture bricks for the building industry.

The diagram below shows the production and processing of milk and dairy products for
commercial sale.

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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.

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.

It does not matter if it is man-made or a natural process. The same skills and system we use to
answer process questions is the same for both.

Clues:

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 is produced?

7. What does each stage of the process do?

8. What are the relationships between each stage?

Outline:

 Introduction
 Overview
 Body 1
 Body 2
I- Introduction: paraphrase

1. The chart/diagram (shows/describes/illustrates) how + clause

Ví dụ: The diagram shows how fresh apple is canned
2. The chart/diagram(shows/describe/illustrates) + noun
Ví dụ: The figure illustrates the process used by the Australian Bureau of Meteorology to
forecast the weather.
3. The chart/diagram (provides/gives) information about…
Ví dụ: The diagram provides information about the involved stages in the lives of silkworms and
the process of silk cloth production
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Practice:
Question 1: The diagram below shows the process of photosynthesis.
Paraphrased: ……………………………………………………………………………..
 
Question 2: The diagram below shows how electricity is produced in a nuclear power station.
Paraphrased: ……………………………………………………………………………..

II- Overview
Structures:
 There are ….main stages (steps) in the process/in the process of producing…,beginning
with…and ending with…
 The process (of producing…) includes…main stages (steps)…,beginning with…and
ending with…
 In general, the process includes a series of stages like a natural circle / a life cycle
of…………., but involves……………..main steps which begins
with……………………..and finishes with…………………….
Questions:
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?
Example:
 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. 
 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. 

III- Body (steps)

Note:
 simple present
 passive
 paraphrase the clues of the topics
malted barley => milling => mashing => lautering => spent grain animal feed.

Sequencing the process:

• The first step
The first step in the process is
The first stage in the process is
The process begins with

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The process commences with
• Subsequent steps
Subsequently,
The process continue with…
The next step is
In the next stage,
In the following stage,
Following this,
• The final step
The process finishes with ...
The process concludes with ...
The last step is …
Example:
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.

Vary your sentence structures:

                 +. V-ed
                 +. Being + V-ed (shortened relative clauses)
                 +. V-ing (when talking to operation)
                 +. V-er (some kinds of machine)
Use the following conjunctions to make more complex sentences:
1. when/once/as soon as/immediately/whereas….
Eg: Once obtained, raw materials and manufactured components are stored for later assembly.
       The manufacturing stages involve the storage, assembly, inspection, packing to the sales
methods whereas the research stages include market & product research, design and
advertisement.   
While being marked, the exams are also scanned into a second copy.
When the cleaning process finishes, the bottles are transported to a glass factory.
2. before + clause or gerund
Eg: Most consumer goods go through a series of stages before they emerge as finished products
ready for sale.
3. after + clause or gerund
Eg: After the production planning is complete the assembly, inspection, testing and packaging
stages are done sequentially.
After being heated, the glass is mixed with other glass and liquid.
4. where/from where/after which
Eg: Assembly first depends upon the production planning stage, where it is decided how and in
what quantities the stored materials will be processed to create sufficient quantities of finished
goods.
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Sample:
The picture illustrates the way in which water passes from ocean to air to land during the natural
process known as the water cycle.
Three main stages are shown on the diagram. Ocean water evaporates, falls as rain, and
eventually runs back into the oceans again.
Beginning at the evaporation stage, we can see that 80% of water vapour in the air comes from
the oceans. Heat from the sun causes water to evaporate, and water vapour condenses to form
clouds. At the second stage, labelled ‘precipitation’ on the diagram, water falls as rain or snow.
At the third stage in the cycle, rainwater may take various paths. Some of it may fall into lakes or
return to the oceans via ‘surface runoff’. Otherwise, rainwater may filter through the ground,
reaching the impervious layer of the earth. Salt water intrusion is shown to take place just before
groundwater passes into the oceans to complete the cycle.
(156 words, band 9)

Sample:
The picture demonstrates the different steps to produce beer. The procedure starts with the
processing of malted barley and ending with the packaging of beer.
Firstly, the production of beer begins with the milling of malted barley. Then, it will be added
with water to be mashed and lautered in separate containers. At the end of this process, spent
grain is collected to feed the animals.
After the spent grain is separated, the liquid is passed to another container to be boiled with sugar
and hops. Then, it will be transferred to a whirlpool before cooling.
The cooled liquid is then added to a combination of carbon dioxide and yeast to be fermented.
After fermenting, the mixture will be left to mature in another container. The matured beer is
then ready for filtering and packaging in which it will be bottled, pumped into kegs or loaded
onto trucks for delivery.

Sample:
The flow chart shows how bricks are produced for, and delivered to the building industry
Overall, there are 7 stages in the whole brick producing process, beginning with clay excavation
and ending with the delivery of the bricks to the customers.
Firstly, clay is dug up by using a big digger. To get rid of the oversized pieces, clay is placed on
a metal grid and small pieces drop onto a large roller. At the next stage, sand and water are added
to the clay. After the bricks are shaped by using a wire cutter or a mould, they are moved to a
drying oven for 24 to 48 hours.
Those bricks are then fired in a special kiln at a moderate temperature (200c - 980c) at the fourth
step. Afterwards, they continue to be heated for the second time at a higher temperature (870c -
1300c) in another kiln. Before being packaged at the sixth stage, the bricks are treated in a
cooling chamber for 48 to 72 hours. The entire brick producing process concludes after the
bricks are delivered to customers.

The diagram explains the way in which bricks are made for the building industry.
Overall, there are seven stages in the process, beginning with the digging up of clay and
culminating in delivery.
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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. Ví dụ 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.

The diagram illustrates how to produce milk in detailed steps.

At the beginning, fresh milk is taken from cows; and the final product is packaged milk after 6
procedures in total.
Looking at the picture in more detail, cows are kept at farms to graze on grass. Fresh milk from
those cows is collected by a milking machine twice a day, before being stored in refrigerators.
After that, tankers deliver refrigerated milk to Dairy where cheese, cream and butter are
manufactured. It can be seen that those additional products are also made from cow milk.
During the pasteurization step, milk is heated under high temperature and cooled to kill all
harmful bacteria. It is then packaged in bottles and transported to super-markets and shops for
display.

Answer:
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.

Vocabulary:
 Clay (dất sét): clay is a type of earth which is very heavy, unlike sand which is
relatively light
 Brick (gạch): a brick is a rectangular object made by heating clay until it becomes solid.
It is used in many countries to construct houses or other buildings.
 Digger (máy dào): the machine shown in the diagram is often referred to [at least in
the UK] as a JCB. Its function is to ‘dig’ or to make a hole in the ground.
 Excavation (sự dào): although there are two similar verbs – ‘dig’ and ‘excavate’, the
noun ‘excavation’ is commonly used in the construction industry. It suggests
something on a large scale where we make a big hole in the ground, as in the excavation
of clay for example.
 Dug up (dào dất dể lấy lên): note the irregular past simple tense/and past participle of
the verb ‘dig’. Here the phrasal verb ‘dig up’ is used to mean an activity when we make
a hole in the ground with a machine.
 Cutter (máy cắt): in the same way as a ‘digger’ is something which digs, a ‘cutter’ is
something which cuts. In this case, the cutter is made or ‘wire’ or thin metal as shown
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in the diagram.
 Mould (khuôn): a mould is an object which is used to form a shape. In this case, the
sand and water mixture is placed in a mould to make the shape of a brick.
 Fire (lửa): the verb ‘fire’ has several meanings. Here, it refers to the action of heating
an object made from clay.
 Kiln(lò sấy): a kiln is similar to an oven, but it has a different function. An oven is
used for cooking or heating food – usually in the home. A kiln – like the one in the
diagram – is usually used in industrial processes for making some material very hard.
It can be used in different processes at really high temperatures for heating things, to
make iron for example.
 Chamber (buồng): the process in the diagram shows that the bricks are very hot when
they go into this closed space or chamber. They undergo ‘cooling’ – they become less
and less hot.

 circulation of water [sự luu thông của nuớc, vòng quay của nuớc]: the circulation
of water refers to the motion of the water, how it moves from one location to another;
in this case, it refers to the water cycle.
Example: “His explanation of the circulation of water was spot on.”
 beginning with [bắt dầu với]: starting with; a good way to talk about consecutive items
Example: “There are three parts to this project, beginning with a visit to the museum
this weekend.”
 formation of [sự hình thành của]: the formation talks about when something is formed
or comes about or is created; in this case the cloud is formed or created.
Example: “They were waiting for the formation of the team to occur.”
 falling to the ground [roi xuống dất]: in this case it is talking about the water falling
to the ground when it rains; to fall means to start from one place and go down towards
the ground, the earth
Example: “The leaves were falling to the ground during the windstorm.”
 as a result of [kết quả của]: as a consequence of; to explain the reason of something
Example: “As a result of all his studying, he aced the exam.”
 estimated that [uớc luợng rằng]: to make an educated guess at something;
Example: “They estimated that it would take them 2 years to finish the project.”
 following this [tiếp theo dó]: used to describe the next thing in a sequence; like after
this or next
Example: “He will first need to take the exam and then following this, he will be given
a six-month internship.”
 goes into [trở thành, xâm nhập]: describes the movement of something, in this case,
the water
Example: “The pollution goes into the river and kills the fish.”
 to be absorbed into the ground [duợc thấm vào lòng dất]: in this case it is talking
about the water going into the ground, being soaked into the ground, into the dirt
Example: “The rainwater wasn’t absorbed into the ground and therefore a mudslide
occurred.”
 surface runoff [dòng chảy trên mặt dất]: Surface runoff is water, from rain, snowmelt,
or other sources, that flows over the land surface, and is a major component of the water
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cycle.
Example: “They tried to calculate the amount of surface runoff that had occurred.”
Từ vựng:
 mating: [noun] [kết dôi] the act of having sex between animals.
Example: In the UK, the time of mating for frogs is in spring.
 hatches: [verb] [nở ra] comes out of an egg.
Example: The hen sat on her eggs until the young chicks hatched.
 emerge: [verb] [mở ra, nổi lên] come out of a dark, confined or hidden place.
Example: After ten days trapped underground, the workers finally emerged into the
daylight.
 limbs: [noun] [các chi tay chân] arms and/or legs.
Example: For a long time after the accident, he could not use his limbs, but the doctors
and nurses helped him to walk and use his arms again.
Vocabulary:
 distinct: [adjective] [riêng biệt, khác biệt, rõ ràng] clearly different or of a different
kind.
Example: In Australia, the culture of native people is completely distinct from Western
culture.
 generation: [noun] [sự sinh ra, sự phát diện] the production of something, such as
energy, electricity or heat.
Example: In France, nuclear power is the principal source for the generation of
electricity.
 external: [adjective] [bên ngoài] located on the outside of something [in this case, the
house].
Example: The external walls of the building were painted a red colour.
 current: [noun] [luồng, chiều, huớng của dòng diện] the movement of electricity
through a wire.
Example: The light bulb will only function when an electrical current is passed
through the connecting wire.
 regulates: [verb] [kiểm soát] controls the speed, pressure, temperature or amount of
something in a machine or system.
Example: The barrier regulates the amount of water which passes through it.
 the grid: [noun] [luới diện a national system of electrical wires for sending power over
the area of the whole country.
Example: The development of the country’s grid enabled all households to have a
supply of electricity.
 flow: [verb] [luồng, chảy] move steadily and continuously in a given direction.
Example: Electricity flows through the wires to supply all the homes, shops, offices
and factories in the city .

Từ vựng:

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 mature: [adjective] [truởng thành] fully grown and developed.
Example: The tree which I planted 20 years ago is now mature.
 hatches: [verb] [trứng nở] comes out of an egg.
Example: The hen sat on her eggs until the young chicks hatched.
 immature: [adjective] [chua truởng thành] not fully grown or developed.
Example: The oranges on this tree are still immature, so do not eat them yet.
 sheds: [verb] [rụng lông, lột xác] loses something naturally, like skin or hair.
Example: As they grow, snakes shed their skin several times.

 emerges: [verb] [xuất hiện] comes out of a dark, confined or hidden place.
Example: After ten days trapped underground, the workers finally emerged into the
daylight.
 maturity: [noun] [sự truởng thành] the state of being fully grown or developed.
Example: These young trees that we have planted will take 50 years to reach maturity.

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