IELTS Writing · Task 1
IELTS Writing Task 1: process diagram
The stages by which something is made or happens, in a line or in a cycle. There are no numbers to report.
- 4 practice questions
- 20 minutes · 150 words
What the examiner looks for
- The overview says how many stages there are and where the process begins and ends.
- Every stage is described, in order, mostly in the passive and joined by sequence words.
- The report is at least 150 words and gives no opinion and no reasons: it says what the figure shows.
Process diagram questions to practise
1. Instant coffeeAcademic test: Instant coffee
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram below shows how instant coffee is produced.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The first three stages take place on the farm; the remaining five are carried out in a factory.
Process diagram: The production of instant coffee (8 stages) 1. Picking — Ripe red coffee cherries are picked by hand from the bushes. 2. Pulping and drying — The outer fruit is stripped off and the beans are dried in the sun for up to ten days. 3. Hulling and grading — A machine removes the parchment skin; the green beans are sorted by size. 4. Roasting — The beans are roasted at about 220 °C until they darken and develop their aroma. 5. Grinding — The roasted beans are ground to a coarse powder. 6. Brewing — Hot water is forced through the grounds to make a strong liquid concentrate. 7. Freeze-drying — The concentrate is frozen into a slab, broken into granules and dried in a vacuum. 8. Packing — The granules are weighed into jars, which are sealed and labelled for sale. Note: The first three stages take place on the farm; the remaining five are carried out in a factory.
2. The salmon's yearAcademic test: The salmon's year
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram below shows the life cycle of the Atlantic salmon.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The whole cycle takes between three and eight years. Adults return to the river in which they hatched.
Cycle diagram: The life cycle of the Atlantic salmon (6 stages, returning to the first) 1. Eggs — In winter the female lays her eggs in a shallow nest in the gravel of a fast-flowing river. 2. Alevin — The eggs hatch after about three months; the young fish feed on an attached yolk sac. 3. Fry — The yolk is used up and the young fish leave the gravel to feed in the shallows. 4. Parr — The fish stay in the river for one to three years, growing to around 15 cm. 5. Smolt — They turn silver and swim downstream to the sea, where they feed for one to four years. 6. Adult — The mature fish, up to 75 cm long, swim back up the same river to spawn. Note: The whole cycle takes between three and eight years. Adults return to the river in which they hatched.
3. Olive oilAcademic test: Olive oil
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram below shows how olive oil is produced.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
The solid pomace left after separation is used as animal feed or fuel.
Process diagram: The production of olive oil (8 stages) 1. Harvesting — Olives are picked by hand or shaken from the trees by machine, October to December 2. Cleaning — Leaves and twigs are removed and the olives are washed 3. Crushing — Whole olives, including the stones, are ground into a paste 4. Malaxing — The paste is stirred slowly for 20–40 minutes so that small drops of oil combine 5. Separating — A centrifuge separates the oil from the water and the solid pomace 6. Filtering — The oil is filtered, or left to settle so that sediment sinks 7. Storing — The oil is kept in stainless-steel tanks, away from light, at about 15 °C 8. Bottling — The oil is bottled in dark glass, labelled and delivered to shops Note: The solid pomace left after separation is used as animal feed or fuel.
4. Glass recyclingAcademic test: Glass recycling
You should spend about 20 minutes on this task.
The diagram below shows how glass bottles are recycled.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Recycled glass can be melted repeatedly without any loss of quality.
Cycle diagram: The recycling of glass bottles (6 stages, returning to the first) 1. Collection — Used bottles are collected from homes and bottle banks and taken to a recycling plant 2. Sorting — Bottles are sorted by colour; metal caps, labels and other contaminants are removed 3. Crushing — The clean glass is crushed into small pieces called cullet 4. Melting — Cullet is mixed with sand, soda ash and limestone and melted in a furnace at 1,500 °C 5. Moulding — The molten glass is blown or pressed into moulds to form new bottles, then cooled 6. Refilling — The new bottles are filled, sold and used, and the cycle begins again Note: Recycled glass can be melted repeatedly without any loss of quality.