IELTS Task 1 Process Diagram Tutorial
A process diagram has no numbers and no trends. It tests two things: the passive voice, and linking the stages in a clear order. Both can be learned in an afternoon.
About the figures on this page
Every figure, place and diagram on this page is invented by RCF English for practice. Nothing here describes a real country, town or dataset, and it must not be quoted as fact. The language you learn is exactly what real Task 1 questions need.
The task
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram below shows the stages in the production of black tea.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features.
Write at least 150 words.
A simplified diagram prepared by RCF English for practice.
Show the figures as a table
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Plucking | Young leaves and buds are picked, usually by hand |
| 2. Withering | Leaves are spread out to lose moisture and soften |
| 3. Rolling | Leaves are rolled to break their surface |
| 4. Oxidation | Leaves are exposed to air and turn copper-brown |
| 5. Drying | Hot air dries the leaves and stops oxidation |
| 6. Grading | The tea is sorted by the size of the pieces |
| 7. Packing | Each grade is packed for sale |
Step by step: how to answer this task
Spend the first five minutes on steps 1 to 3. Candidates who start writing straight away usually miss the overview.
Understand what the visual shows (1 minute)
- What kind of process? A manufacturing process with a start and an end. It is not a cycle.
- How many stages? Seven. Count them and follow the arrows.
- What tense? The present simple passive, because this is how tea is always made.
Find the key features (2 minutes)
Ask what a person would notice from across the room. These become your overview and your body paragraphs.
- Start and end: plucking the leaves; packing the finished tea.
- Number of stages: seven.
- Natural groups: preparing the leaves (stages 1 to 3), then changing, finishing and packing them (stages 4 to 7).
- Detail worth keeping: the colour change in oxidation, and the fact that drying stops oxidation.
Plan four paragraphs (2 minutes)
- Introduction: paraphrase the task.
- Overview: seven stages, from plucking to packing. No figures, no trends.
- Body 1: stages 1 to 3.
- Body 2: stages 4 to 7.
Write, then check (15 minutes)
- Write about 170 to 190 words. Under 150 is penalised.
- Start the overview with Overall so the examiner can find it.
- Support each point with one or two figures, not every figure.
- Leave three minutes to check tense, articles, prepositions and units.
Writing the introduction: paraphrase the question
Change the words, not the meaning. Language copied from the question is not counted in your word total.
| In the question | In your introduction |
|---|---|
| The diagram below shows | The diagram illustrates |
| the stages in | the process involved in |
| the production of black tea | how black tea is made |
Sequencing and the passive, with examples from this diagram
| Purpose | Language | Example from this diagram |
|---|---|---|
| Beginning | The process begins with, First, | The process begins with the plucking of young leaves and buds. |
| Next stage | Next, Then, After that, At the following stage, Subsequently, | Next, the leaves are spread out to wither. |
| After a stage is complete | Once this has been done, After being + past participle | After being withered, the leaves are rolled. |
| During a stage | during which time, while, at this point | The leaves are exposed to the air, during which time they turn copper-brown. |
| Purpose | in order to, so that | Hot air is blown over the leaves in order to stop oxidation. |
| End | Finally, The process ends with, In the final stage, | Finally, each grade is packed for sale. |
| Noun to passive verb | plucking > are plucked; grading > is graded; packing > is packed | The tea is graded according to the size of the pieces. |
Model answer
Read it once for meaning, then again to see how each paragraph does its job.
Question: The diagram below shows the stages in the production of black tea. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features.
The diagram illustrates the stages involved in the production of black tea, from picking the leaves to packing the finished product.
Overall, there are seven stages in the process, which begins with leaves being plucked from the tea plants and ends with the finished tea being packed for sale. Along the way, the leaves are softened, broken, darkened and dried.
First, young leaves and buds are plucked from the tea plants, usually by hand. They are then spread out and withered, so that they lose some of their moisture and become soft. Once this has been done, the leaves are rolled, which breaks their surface.
At the following stage, the rolled leaves are exposed to the air to oxidise, during which time they turn a copper-brown colour. After that, they are dried with hot air, which stops the oxidation. Finally, the dried tea is graded according to the size of the pieces, and each grade is packed so that it can be sold.
Why this answer works
- The overview gives the number of stages and the start and end points, which is what a process overview needs.
- The passive is used consistently: are plucked, are withered, are rolled, is graded, is packed.
- Sequencing words vary: First, then, Once this has been done, At the following stage, After that, Finally.
- The notes are paraphrased and joined with so that, which and during which time, showing a range of complex sentences.
- Nothing is added from outside knowledge. Every fact is in the diagram.
From Band 5 to Band 7: sentences compared
Each weak sentence below shows a common type of mistake. The Band 7 version says the same thing accurately.
| Band 5 sentence | The problem | Band 7 version |
|---|---|---|
| First plucking. Second withering. Third rolling. | Notes, not sentences. Notes score very low. | First, young leaves are plucked, and they are then withered. |
| Workers pick the leaves and they dry them. | Active voice with an agent that is not in the diagram. | The leaves are picked and later dried. |
| The tea is oxidationed. | A noun has been turned into a verb that does not exist. | The leaves are left to oxidise. |
| Overall, tea is a popular drink all over the world. | Not an overview of the diagram. Outside knowledge earns nothing. | Overall, the process consists of seven stages, from plucking to packing. |
Common mistakes with process diagram tasks
Do
- Count the stages and say how many there are in the overview
- Use the present simple passive throughout
- Vary your sequencing words
- Join short stages into longer sentences with which, so that and once
- Say whether the process is a line or a cycle
Avoid
- Use Firstly, Secondly, Thirdly for every stage
- Invent people, machines or times that the diagram does not show
- Copy the labels word for word as notes
- Leave out a stage: every stage is a main feature
- Write a conclusion that repeats the stages
Your turn: a new task to try
Now write your own answer before you look at the model. Set a timer for 20 minutes.
The task: The diagram below shows how used glass bottles are recycled. Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features. Write at least 150 words.
A simplified diagram prepared by RCF English for practice. The last stage leads back to the first.
Show the figures as a table
| Stage | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1. Collection | Used bottles are collected from recycling bins |
| 2. Sorting | Glass is separated by colour |
| 3. Cleaning | Labels and dirt are removed |
| 4. Crushing | Clean glass is broken into small pieces |
| 5. Melting | Pieces are heated in a furnace with raw materials |
| 6. Moulding | Liquid glass is shaped into new bottles |
| 7. Filling | New bottles are filled, sold, used and recycled again |
Check your answer
1. The key features you should have found
Your overview should contain the most important of these.
- Seven stages, and the process is a cycle: new bottles are eventually recycled again.
- Stages 1 to 4 prepare the used glass: collection, sorting, cleaning, crushing.
- Stages 5 to 7 turn it into new bottles: melting, moulding, filling.
- Use the present simple passive throughout.
2. Model answer (151 words)
The diagram shows the process by which used glass bottles are recycled to make brand new ones.
Overall, the process is a cycle of seven stages, beginning with the collection of used bottles and ending with new bottles being filled and sold, after which they can eventually be recycled once again.
First, used bottles are collected from recycling bins and taken for sorting, where the glass is separated according to its colour. The bottles are then cleaned so that any labels and dirt are removed, and after this the clean glass is crushed into small pieces.
At the next stage, the crushed glass is heated in a furnace together with raw materials until it melts. The liquid glass is then shaped into new bottles, which are finally filled and sold to consumers. Once these bottles have been used, they can be placed in recycling bins, and the whole cycle begins again.
3. Mark your own answer
Answer yes or no to each question. Every no is a place to improve.
- Did you paraphrase the question rather than copy it?
- Is there a separate overview paragraph starting with Overall?
- Does the overview give the main features without figures?
- Did you select the important figures instead of listing them all?
- Did you compare, using words such as whereas, while and by contrast?
- Is every tense right for the dates shown?
- Did you avoid giving reasons and opinions?
- Did you write at least 150 words?
More Task 1 tutorials
Line graph
Change over time: trends, peaks and sudden falls.
Bar chart
Comparing categories, and how they change.
Pie charts
Shares of a whole, and how they change.
Table
Many figures: select, group and compare.
Maps
What has changed in a place, and where.
Task 1 overview and language
The overview, the four-paragraph structure, tenses and the grammar of change.