How to describe a diagram of how something is made or how a natural cycle works: the passive voice,
sequencing language, and an overview that tells the reader how many stages there are and where the
process begins and ends.
How today is paced
Warm-up → the rules of process writing → language bank → a timed write you can AI-mark. ~90 minutes.
0:00 – 0:15
What a process diagram asks for
A process task gives you a diagram with stages joined by arrows. There are no figures to compare, so
Task Achievement is about sequence and completeness: every stage,
in order, in your own words.
Overview for a process
Don't write "Overall, the trend rises." A process overview counts and frames:
"Overall, the production of instant coffee involves six main stages, beginning with the picking
of coffee cherries and ending with the packing of the finished granules."
0:15 – 0:35
The passive voice & sequencers
Processes are almost always written in the present simple passive, because the agent
(who does it) is unimportant — what matters is what happens to the material.
Active → passive
Workers roast the beans → The beans are roasted.
A machine grinds them → They are then ground.
Sequencing bank
Start: To begin with, · In the first stage, · The process begins when…
Middle: After this, · Once X has been done, · The X is then… · Subsequently,
End: Finally, · In the final stage, · At which point the X is ready to…
0:35 – 0:55
Natural cycles — no beginning, no end
A cyclical process repeats, so don't write as if it stops. Name a sensible starting point, go round,
and say the cycle begins again.
Cycle language
…after which the adults return upriver to spawn, and the cycle begins again.
0:55 – 1:30
Timed practice — recycled paper
Write a full Task 1 answer (150+ words) describing the process below. Aim for an overview, then the
stages in order, all in the passive. Target: 18–20 minutes.
Your process description
Target: 150+ words
Words: 0Not saved yet
20:00
Process write — 20 min
Self-check
Did my overview say how many stages and where it starts/ends?
Is every verb in the present passive?
Did I use a sequencer for each stage (not just "and then")?
