Tips for process diagram

Process diagrams show how something is done or made. They always show steps/stages. Here's some advice about how to describe them:
• Try to write 4 paragraphs - introduction, summary of main points, 2 detail paragraphs.
• Write the introduction by paraphrasing the question (rewrite it by changing some of the words).
• For your summary, first say how many steps there are in the process. Then say where/how the process begins and ends (look at the first and last stages).
• In paragraphs 3 and 4, describe the process step by step. Include the first and last steps that you mentioned in the summary, but try to describe them in more detail or in a different way.
• You could describe the steps in one paragraph, but it looks more organised if you break the description into two paragraphs. Just start paragraph 4 somewhere in the middle of the process.
• Mention every stage in the process.
• Use 'sequencing' language e.g. at the first / second / following / final stage of the process, next, after that, then, finally etc.
• Times (e.g. past dates) are not usually shown, so use the present simple tense.
• It's usually a good idea to use the passive e.g. 'At the final stage, the product is delivered to shops' (because we don't need to know who delivered the product).
Sequencing the Process
Try to sequence your language and make your details easier to read by using language like:
  • Firstly
  • First of all
  • Secondly
  • After that
  • From this
  • Where
  • Following that
  • Subsequently
  • Before that
  • In turn
  • Then

  • These are some common IELTS process diagram connectors:

  • To begin
    Following this
    Next
    Then
    After
    After that
    Before**
    Subsequently
    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.

    2) 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.
    Most sentences use this structure:
    • Subject + Verb + Object
    • A large digger digs up the clay in the ground.
    In the active voice (as above), the digger is doing the verb i.e. the digger is doing the digging.
    When we use the passive voice, we make the object (the clay) the subject, and make the subject (the digger) the object. We also add in the verb ‘to be’ and the past participle (or Verb 3).
    • (S) The clay in the ground (V) is dug up (O) by the digger.
    So throughout most of your description for your IELTS process diagram, you should be using the passive voice. 
    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 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 placedonto a metal grid, 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…