An IELTS process diagram question can contain a wide variety of different types of graphics. It could be a natural process such as the water cycle, a manufacturing process or a diagram of a system.
Using these 5 steps will help you to write a high-scoring process diagram answer:
1) Analyse the question
2) Identify the main features
3) Write an introduction
4) Write an overview
5) Write the details paragraphs
Here’s our practice question:
The diagrams below show a structure that is used to generate electricity from wave power.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Write at least 150 words.
Generating Electricity From The Sea
Step 1 – Analyse the question
The format of every Academic Task 1 question is the same, with the instruction sentence (highlighted below) identical in every question. Here is our practice question again.
The diagrams below show a structure that is used to generate electricity from wave power.
Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.
Every question consists of:
Sentence 1 – A brief description of the graphic
Sentence 2 – The instructions
The graphic – diagram, chart, graph, table, etc.
Sentence 2 tells you what you have to do.
You must do 3 things:
1. Select the main features.
2. Write about the main features.
3. Compare the main features.
All three tasks refer to the ‘main features’ of the graphic. You do not have to write about everything. Just pick out 2 or 3 key features and you’ll have plenty to write about.
Step 2 – Identify the Main Features
The graphic in IELTS process diagram questions should not be difficult to understand. There are not usually any numbers to analyse as in other types of questions, just a diagram to interpret or, as in our practice question, two diagrams which each show part of the process.
All you are looking for are the main features. These should be the easiest things to spot. There will be lots of information in the graphic to help you identify them, especially, titles, labels and captions.
Here are some useful questions to ask?
1) Is it a linear or a cyclical process?
A linear process starts and finishes at different places. It will often involve the manufacture or creation of something, starting with the raw materials going in at one end and the finished product coming out at the other end. An example of this can be seen in this diagram from a past IELTS process diagram question about the manufacture of bricks.
Linear process
A cyclical process, on the other hand, is a process that goes back to the beginning and repeats over and over again, such as the life cycle of a frog or a butterfly.
2) Where does the process start and end?
For a linear process this will usually be obvious. It may be harder to determine for a cyclical process so it’s important that you examine the graphic carefully to find out.
3) How many steps are there to the process?
If there are a lot, it can be helpful to number them from 1 to whatever number the final stage is.
4) Can the process be easily broken down into stages?
In the brick-making graphic, for example, there are three stages:
a) Creating the bricks from clay
b) Manufacturing the finished product by drying and firing
c) Packaging and delivery
In the life cycle graphic above, there are also three distinct stages as the frog passes through different stages of development – egg, juvenile, adult.
5) What are the raw materials? What is produced at the end of the process?
These questions obviously apply only to manufacturing processes.
For other types of process, it might be more appropriate to ask the following question.
6) What is the end result of the process?
This question is relevant for our practice IELTS process diagram question which shows a process that creates something using a particular structure. The end result is the production of electricity.
So, what main features stand out in our practice graphic?
The graphic doesn’t contain very much detail. There are only two stages to the process:
Stage 1: Electricity is generated as the wave flows into the structure (Diagram A).
Stage 2: Electricity is also created as the receding wave draws air back down the column (Diagram B).
Other diagrams are more complex and you have to go through them stage by stage to work out what’s happening and then pick out just 2 or 3 main features to write about.
The key features you select will be the starting point for your essay. You will then go on to add more detail later. However, with just 20 minutes allowed for Task 1, and a requirement of only 150 words, you won't be able to include many details.
Step 3 – Write an Introduction
In the introduction, you should simply paraphrase the question, that is, say the same thing in a different way. You can do this by using synonyms and changing the sentence structure. For example:
Question:
The diagrams below show a structure that is used to generate electricity from wave power.
Introduction (Paragraph 1):
The two diagrams illustrate a method of creating electricity from the force of waves using a specifically designed man-made construction.
This is all you need to do for the introduction.
Step 4 – Write an Overview (Paragraph 2)
In the second paragraph, you should give a general description of the diagram/s or process. The detail comes later.
State the information simply using synonyms where possible. No elaborate vocabulary or grammar structures are required, just the appropriate words and correct verb tenses.
For example:
Overview (Paragraph 2):
The structure, consisting of a wave chamber and a tall column containing a turbine, is erected on a steeply sloping coastal cliff or sea wall where it is subject to the movement of the ocean waves.
Step 5 – Write the 1st Detail Paragraph
Paragraphs 3 and 4 of your IELTS process diagram essay are where you include more detailed information. In paragraph 3, you should explain the first key feature in more detail.
For this question, we will expand on the first stage of the process. Here it is again:
Stage 1: Electricity is generated as the wave flows into the structure (Diagram A).
And this is an example of what you could write:
Paragraph 3:
The first diagram shows how the incoming wave fills a large chamber and forces the air inside this space up the column and through the turbine. The pressure of the air rotates the turbine which generates a current of electricity. The process does not end there for the structure is able to continue producing power as the sea recedes as can be seen in the second diagram.
Step 6 – Write the 2nd Detail Paragraph
For the fourth and final paragraph, you do the same thing for your remaining key features or, for this question, the second stage of the process.
Here it is again:
Stage 2: Electricity is also created as the receding wave draws air back down the column (Diagram B).
Here’s an example of what you could write:
Paragraph 4:
As the water now flows away from the structure, it draws air back down the column and downwards through the turbine in the same direction as the previous upward flow of air. The turbine continues to turn thus generating even more electricity.